Kieran McCarthy’s Newspaper Column:
Cork Independent series, September 1999-ongoing:
Beginning in September 1999, my weekly column, Our City, Our Town in the Cork Independent has been ongoing for over 1,100 articles. For me, it has been such an enjoyable experience. The first number of years focussed on the city and its development through the centuries. Over the ensuing years, the column has been concerned with the heritage of the River Lee Valley. Starting in Gougane Barra, the River Lee has led me into the lives of residents of the valley exploring their rich heritage. Then there was a series of articles on Technical Education, Cork’s historic maps and more regional history. Today Cork one hundred years ago and its various elements are the foci of the column.
The Cork Independent is a free newspaper, which has a weekly circulation of 40,000 issues and is available in many shops and hence reaches out to all communities of all ages. The column regularly reaches out to the general public for information on column topics and publishes people’s family history. As the column is weekly, 51 columns are written published yearly on different sub topics.
The column is also published on my supporting blog, www.corkheritage.ie and on my active Facebook page, Cork Our City, Our Town. The column also supports my free public walking tours, which take place in 25 suburban locations in Cork City, which attracts families and young and old. The column also supports research within my annual Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project, which involves working with 25 schools in Cork City and approximately 1,000 students. The latter initiative is in partnership with the Heritage office of Cork City Council.
VISIT: http://corkheritage.ie/?page_id=20 for indices of the column.
Books:
Cork: A Potted History (Amberley Publishing, 2024):
Cork: A Potted History is the title of my new local history book published by Amberely Press. The book is a walking trail, which can be physically pursued or you can simply follow it from your armchair. Cork: A Potted History builds upon my other book from Amberley, Secret Cork, but this time it takes the viewer on a walking trail of over forty sites. It takes a line from the city’s famous natural lake known just as The Lough across the former medieval core, ending in the historic north suburbs of Blackpool.
Starting at The Lough – a Cork gem – which once hosted everything from duels to ice skating and its own tree nursery, the trail then rambles to hidden moats, ancient hospital sites, lost meeting houses, legacies of medieval remnants, across ancient streetscapes to exploring forgotten industrial urban spaces. The book reveals the city’s lesser-known heritage and hidden urban and cultural heritage features.
Buy the book here: Cork: A Potted History – Amberley Publishing (amberley-books.com)
The A-Z of Curious County Cork (History Press, 2023):
The A-Z of Curious County Cork, published by History Press UK (2023) has been born out of my own personal curiosity for many years now to venture off the main roads of County Cork to explore the curiosities of cultural heritage in County Cork. There are approximately 120 stories from different corners of County Cork. From the A-listing of Apparition to the Z listing of Zeal.
Being the largest county in Ireland, Cork has the advantage of also having the largest number of cultural heritage nuggets. However, with that accolade comes the conundrum of what nuggets to pick from. With any A-Z of anything it does not cover every single aspect of a particular history but this book does provides brief insights into and showcases the nuggets and narratives of cultural interest that are really embedded in local areas. It also draws upon stories from across the county’s geography.
Buy the book here: The History Press | The A-Z of Curious County Cork
Championing Ireland, Chambers Ireland — 100 Years Advancing Business Together (2023, Chambers Ireland):
The Association of the Chambers of Commerce of the Irish Free State, as it was named initially, was formed in 1923. This book draws on the archives of Chambers Ireland and in particular from its rich press coverage and its elaborately published journals and magazines over the past one hundred years.
The book presents nine chronological chapters, The chapters help showcase how much lobbying work Chambers Ireland has covered, the topics that have come up over and over again and the ones, which form the foundation of the ongoing elements of the Chambers’ forward-looking vision.
This publication adds another important lens to exploring life in the early Irish Free State – hitherto unexplored – on how such an organisation founded in an era of profound change for Irish society evolved over ten decades taking in the needs and challenges of the business sector and their voices.
The book is a commission of Chambers Ireland and is available from their offices.
Celebrating Cork (2022, Amberley Publishing):
Celebrating Cork explores some of the reasons why Cork is so special in the hearts of Corkonians and its many visitors. It takes the reader through the familiar and lesser-known layers of Cork’s importance in Atlantic Europe. Different chapters focus on the history of its port; the documents and maps which defined the city’s sense of identity; the Arts and Crafts movements, which can be viewed within the cityscape; its key institutions and charities; its engineering feats; and perhaps why Cork is known for its rebel nature. Illustrated throughout, Celebrating Cork will be of great appeal to residents, visitors and all those with connections to the city. It will be a source of civic pride as well as a valuable contribution to local history.
Buy the book here: Celebrating Cork – Amberley Publishing (amberley-books.com)
Cork City Reflections (2021, Co-written, Amberley Publishing)
One hundred years ago in Ireland marked a time of change. The continuous rise of an Irish revival, debates over Home Rule and the idea of Irish identity were continuously negotiated by all classes of society. In Cork City Reflections, authors Kieran McCarthy and Daniel Breen focus on the visual changes that have taken place in the port city on Ireland’s south-west coast. Using a collection of historic postcards from Cork Public Museum and merging these with modern images they reveal how the town has changed over the decades. Each of the 180 pictures featured combines a recent colour view with the matching sepia archive scene.
The authors have grouped the images under thematic headings such as main streets, public buildings, transport, and industry. Readers will be able to appreciate how Cork City has evolved and grown over the last century but also how invaluable postcards can be in understanding the past. In an age where digital photography and the internet have made capturing and sharing images so effortless, it is easy to forget that in the decades before the camera became popular and affordable, postcards were the only photographic souvenirs available to ordinary people.
Read an Irish Examiner interview with Kieran: Cork City Reflections: New book merges old postcards with modern images (irishexaminer.com)
Buy the book here: Cork City Reflections – Amberley Publishing (amberley-books.com)
Irish International Trading Corporation (Cork), Celebrating 100 Years (2021, IITC):
Details on the tit-for-tat violence between the IRA and Black and Tans during the War of Independence fill vast pages of Irish history books. However, not much is known on those who were Independence supporters in Ireland’s cities and regions, but who were also pragmatic and economically preparing for a Brexit of sorts from the British Empire. The question of “if we get Independence what do we do next” had not been quite resolved especially where Britain was also Ireland’s main trading ally.
To resolve such a question in Cork city and region the creation of Irish International Trading Corporation (Cork) was set up in 1920 to facilitate international trade, both import and export, for local businesses. Its story is the subject of my new book, which is published by the present company, whilst also charting its journey in more modern times.
The book is a commission of the company and is now sold out.
Witness to Murder, The Inquest of Tomás MacCurtain (2020, Irish Examiner, Co-written with John O’Mahony):
The last time the inquest of Tomás MacCurtain was published in full was in the Cork Examiner between 23 March 1920 and 18 April 1920. Despite the ordeal and daily fallout from the interviews, over time the fourteen hearing sessions have not overly been revisited by scholars of the Irish War of Independence. The verdict has been highlighted on many occasions by many historians. This book is about bringing together the data inquest into one source. It is about giving a voice to the solicitors, jury and those interviewed.
Within the interviews and the remarks of Counsel, jurors, and solicitors, the frustration is plain to read plus one can view the complex relationships of all sides of the debate. The interviews and the answers given also provide multiple narratives on what life was like to those who interacted in the power play with authorities in the city, the nature of policing but above all the raw emotion attached to the murder of Tomás. See www.examiner.ie to purchase a copy of the book.
Buy the book here: https://photos.examiner.ie/v/shop/witness-to-murder/3609592004-witness-to-murder/
50 Gems of West Cork (2019, Amberley Publishing):
The new book explores 50 well-known gems of the West Cork region and is a culmination of 18 months work. It brings 50 stories together in an accessible manner. It is not meant to provide be a full history of a site but perhaps does try to provide new lenses on how heritage is looked at and the power of construction and collective memory in West Cork.
The new book details 50 key sites detailing how they became the focus of attention and development – and how their stories, memories and the making of new narratives were articulated in an attempt to preserve an identity and/ or communities locally and nationally at sites or to create new identities and communities.
Buy the book here: https://www.amberley-books.com/50-gems-of-west-cork.html
Championing Cork, Cork Chamber of Commerce, 1819-2019 (Cork Chamber of Commerce, 2019):
The book has been funded and published by the Chamber of Commerce. Established in 1819 the Chamber has consistently led a mission to be the leading business organisation in the Cork region. For two hundred years, it has committed itself to ensure the city and region’s prosperity, vibrancy and competitiveness through sustainable development. Researching the history of the institution through the rich archival material that has survived, every broad period of growth and decline has empowered the institution to carry on to challenge and resolve the issues of the day. The contribution has been immense.
Established in an economic decline and as a champion of Catholic Emancipation, the Chamber emerged not only to provide a physical space where its members could come and read the up todate news of the day and plan for the future, but also to challenge the status quo. It grew rapidly from 1819 to the Great Famine years campaigning for more rights for the Catholic merchant middle class and more investment.
Buy the book here: https://www.corkchamber.ie/contact/
The Little Book of Cork Harbour (2019, History Press):
Published by The History Press, UK, the book presents a myriad of stories within the second largest natural harbour in the world. This is book number 22 for Kieran and it follows on from a series of Kieran’s publications on the River Lee Valley, Cork City and complements his Little Book of Cork (History Press, Ireland, 2015).
It is not meant to be a full history of the harbour region but does attempt to bring some of the multitudes of historical threads under one publication. However, each thread is connected to other narratives and each thread here is recorded to perhaps bring about future research on a site, person or the heritage of the wider harbour. The book is based on many hours of fieldwork and also draws on the emerging digitised archive of newspapers from the Irish Newspaper Archive and from the digitalised Archaeological Survey of Ireland’s National Monument’s Service.
Buy the book here: https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-little-book-of-cork-harbour/9780750988056/
Cork in 50 Buildings (2018, Amberley Publishing):
Cork in 50 Buildings (2018, Amberley Publishing) explores the history of this venerable old city through a selection of its greatest architectural treasures, from the St Anne’s Church, Shandon, regarded as a symbol of the city, to more recent additions such as the tower of the County Hall, once the tallest building in Ireland.
This book offers a glimpse to explore behind fifty of Cork’s historic buildings. book builds on my previous publications, takes strands of articles from this ongoing local history column, Our City, Our Town. It is also inspired by the annual Cork Heritage Open Day, which is organised by Cork City Council and where over 40 buildings open their doors to the public for one day at the start of National Heritage Week. This book highlights just some of my favourite buildings and stories that have charmed me.
Buy the book here: https://www.amberley-books.com/cork-in-50-buildings.html
Secret Cork (2017, Amberley Publishing):
Secret Cork (2017, Amberley Publishing) takes the viewer on a walking trail through Cork City of over fifty sites. It starts in the Lee Fields looking at green fields where once an Industrial and Agricultural fair, a series of Grand Prix’s and an open air baths were present. It then rambles to hidden holy wells, the city’s sculpture park through the lens of Cork’s revolutionary period, onwards to hidden graveyards, dusty library corridors, gazing under old canal culverts, across historic bridges to covered over tunnels. The book is all about showcasing these sites and revealing the city’s atmospheric urban character.
Buy the book here: https://www.amberley-books.com/secret-cork.html
Cork City History Tour (2016, Amberley Publishing):
The book promotes that the best way to get to know a city like Cork is to walk it – in Cork you can get lost in narrow streets, marvel at old cobbled laneways, photograph old street corners, look up beyond the modern shopfronts, gaze at clues from the past, be enthused and at the same time disgusted by a view, smile at interested locals, engage in the forgotten and the remembered, search and connect for something of oneself, thirst in the sense of story-telling – in essence feel the DNA of the place.
The book’s trail takes in the story of the early origins of the city – the monastic site of St Finbarr to Viking age histories to the Anglo-Norman walled town followed by historic areas such as Shandon, St Patrick’s Street, City Hall, Sunday’s Well and the Wellington Road Victorian Quarter. Cork City History Tour is published by Cork City History Tour and is published by Irish History Press,
Buy the book here: https://www.amberley-books.com/cork-city-history-tour.html
Cork 1916, A Year Examined (2016, History Press):
This book compiled by Kieran McCarthy & Suzanne Kirwan takes the year 1916 from the point of view that there were multiple conversations to be heard during the year – a kaleidoscope of ideas, which provided the context and framework for revolution – everyday life being one – some led Cork citizens to connect with the Republican mantra at the time and others to just maintain existence, survive and struggle with the bleakness of a national and local economy.
Entering the Cork Examiner on 1 January and progressing page by page one discovers key nuggets about the nature of Cork society, the soul of Ireland’s southern capital, the ongoing conversations about maintaining a contemporary status of being one of Ireland‘s distinguished port cities, and all the advantages and problems that run with that.
Click and Buy the book here:
Ring of Kerry – The Postcard Collection (2015, Amberley Publishing):
Vibrancy, a wild vibrancy, is perhaps the best way to describe the Ring of Kerry. Exposed by raw elements, the landscape is windswept and awe inspiring. This book follows on from Kieran’s previous work of exploring the nature of postcards in the south west region and how they helped to place–make and construct local, regional and national identity.
The book explores the fascination of landscapes around the Ring of Kerry or the Grand Atlantic Tour as it was known a century ago and comprises what could be genuinely described as stunning images. Many could be printed in large sizes and hung on walls and I have no doubt many have over the decades. They are beautiful images made to entice the viewer to remember, to visit and not forget. These postcards were the preferred souvenirs for connoisseurs of the landscape. They framed a world for people to view, consume, keep a part of, send to other people and mass produce. The mass production of such images helped advance the narrative in promoting the south west Iveragh peninsula.
Click and Buy the book here:
North Cork Through Time (2015, Co-written, Amberley Publishing):
North Cork Through Time is compiled by Kieran McCarthy and Dan Breen of Cork Museum and is published by Amberley Press. The region is defined by the meandering River Blackwater and its multiple tributaries and mountainous terrain to the north. It borders four counties that of Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. The postcards, taken for the most part between c.1900 and c.1920 show the work of various photographers, who sought to capture the region and sell their work to a mass audience.
Not every town and village was captured in a postcard. This book brings together many of the key sites of interest and serves as an introduction to the rich history of the region. The multitude of landmarks shown in this book have been passed from one generation to another, have evolved in response to their environments, and contribute to giving the County of Cork and its citizens a sense of identity and continuity. North Cork Through Time by Kieran McCarthy and Dan Breen is available in any good bookshop.
Buy the book here: Amazon: North Cork Through Time – Amberley Publishing (amberley-books.com)
The Little Book of Cork (2015, History Press):
Published by History Press Ireland, The Little Book Of Cork, it aims to be a compendium of fascinating, obscure, strange and entertaining facts about Cork City. Here you will find out about Cork’s buildings and businesses, its proud sporting heritage, its hidden corners and famous (and occasionally infamous) men and women.
Through its bustling thoroughfares and down winding laneways, this book takes the reader on a journey through Cork and its vibrant past, recalling the people and events that shaped this great city. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage and the secrets of Cork.
Buy the book here: https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-little-book-of-cork/9781845888756/
Cork Harbour Through Time (2014, Co-Written, Amberley Publishing):
How do you capture a harbour in all its beauty? Being the second largest natural harbour in the world brings a focus and energy that Cork Harbour has always been open to. The ebb and flow of the tide through the ages has carved a unique landscape of cliffs, sand and gravel beaches that expose an underlining geology of limestone and sandstone. Invigorating this landscape are multiple monuments from different ages, many of which the postcards in Kieran McCarthy and Dan Breen seek to capture.
Colourful villages provide different textures and cultural landscapes in a sort of cul-de-sac environment, with roads ending at harbours and car parks near coastal cliff faces and quaysides. The villages are scattered around the edges of the harbour, each with their own unique history, all connecting in someway to the greatness of this harbour. Walking along several junctures of fields, one can get the feeling you are at the ‘edge of memory’. There are the ruins of old structures that the tide erodes away.
One gets the sense that a memory is about to get swept away by the sea, or that by walking in the footsteps trodden by photographers 100 years ago, one could get carried away by their curiosity. This new book tracks the space and historical context of 100 postcards in Cork Harbour, many of which were taken c. 1900–20.
Buy the book here:Cork Harbour Through Time can be bought in many Cork bookshops.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ireland-Europe-Countries-Regions-Books/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D279716&field-keywords=cork+harbour+through+time&rh=n%3A279716%2Ck%3Acork+harbour+through+time&ajr=1
West Cork Through Time (2013, Co-written, Amberley Publishing):
This book, by Kieran McCarthy and Dan Breen, takes the reader from Bandon to Castletownbere through the changing and the non-changing face of landscapes and seascapes and provides an insight into the uniquenesses of the region. The necklace of towns and villages are all linked together through a striking section of Ireland’s coastline, over 320 kilometres in length, encompassing a raw coastal wilderness with expansive inlets continuously being eroded away by the Atlantic Ocean. With exquisite coastal scenery, add in undulating inland landscapes criss-crossed by mountains, hill, streams and rivers, imposing old world air villages and the visitor finds a discovery at every bend of the road.
Buy the book here: West Cork Through Time – Amberley Publishing (amberley-books.com)
Journeys of Faith, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ballinlough, Celebrating 75 Years (2013, Ballinlough Parish):
This book marks the 75th anniversary of the dedication of the building. The book aims to recover and provide a cross section of voices and personal memories of the most remembered aspects of Ballinlough parish over the past decades. The church represents one of the multiple threads of community life of the area. At its dedication ceremony on Sunday 11 September 1938, the orator of the sermon, Fr Kieran OFM Cap, spoke at length about the building belonging to the people and the people belonging to the church.
Over 100 people were interviewed and worked with in order to produce a very personal book on the story of life within Ballinlough parish. People speak at length in this book about their faith, their personal connection to Ballinlough and its sense of place and how they link to it.
Buy the book here: The book is available at the church and from the sacristy at E.15 or send the fee to the church payable to the Parish Office at Ballinlough Church and they will send one on (include p&p. E3).
Cork City Through Time (2012, Co-written, Amberley Publishing):
A postcard book contrasting then and now; As a port town, Cork was and still is strongly connected to the outside world – the international and small city ambitious in its ventures linking to a world of adventure and exploration. The city’s hills and troughs have created different perches for some of the city’s elaborate structures to stand on and for photographers to capture the city’s urban space. The buildings and streets shown in the pictures give one access to the imagination and efforts of the people. The photographs within this book are key to understanding the human experience, sense of place and pride in the city, one hundred years ago. Views of streets, public spaces, churches, the docks, and an international exhibition all show the energy and drive of a city, the legacies of which still linger on the southern capital of Ireland.
Buy the book here: Cork City Through Time – Amberley Publishing (amberley-books.com)
Munster Agricultural Society: The History of the Cork Showgrounds (2011, Munster Agricultural Society):
With roots in the early nineteenth century, the Munster Agricultural Society has had a long history, being founded in 1806 under the name County of Cork Farming Society, changing to County of Cork Agricultural Society sometime in the 1830s and evolving in 1908 to its current name. The Society has evolved as the needs of its members changed over time to incorporate what they saw as relevant to the contemporary and future of agriculture in Ireland.
Each successful season is immortalised in the society’s minute books, on the society’s perpetual tournament trophies and on the numerous photos that adorn the scrapbooks held in the society’s archive collection. The Munster Agricultural Society has been a pioneer in attaining improvements in Irish agriculture and in agricultural education. This book is its story told through a rich historical and evocative pictorial record set against the backdrop of the historic Cork Showgrounds. This book was published by the Munster Agricultural Society as part of a consultancy project.
Buy the book here: The book can be purchased from the Society.
Cork Summer Show Agricultural Show Ireland Cork Agriculture Show Competition Agri Show Trade Exhibitions Livestock Show Festival UK
Royal Cork Institution, Pioneer of Education (2011, Cork Institute of Technology):
In this volume I shed light on an important aspect of the educational heritage of the city which, in the nineteenth century, laid important foundation stones for our twenty-first century education.
Although little remembered or spoken of in current day Cork, the Royal Cork Institution was remarkable in its time and the city owes a great debt to those who founded, developed and maintained that institution. Cork Institute of Technology, particularly it’s Science Faculty and its constituent schools of the Crawford College of Art and Design and the Cork School of Music can trace their origins back to the influences of the Royal Cork Institution. This establishment also played a critical role in the movement that led to the foundation of Queens College Cork, later re-named as University College Cork. This book was published by Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) Press as part of a consultancy project. It is now sold out
Inheritance, Heritage and Memory in the Lee Valley (2010, Nonsuch Ireland/ History Press):
This book is based on the series of articles that featured in the Cork Independent newspaper from October 2007 to June 2009. It documents my explorations in the parishes of Aghabullogue, Inniscarra and Ovens on the northern valleyside on Inniscarra Reservoir, part of the course of the River Lee, County Cork. It encompasses much fieldwork and oral history testimonies. The book is published by Nonsuch Ireland and is now sold out.
Generations: Memories of the Lee Hydroelectric Scheme (2008, Co-written, Lilliput Press):
A book co-written with Seamus O’Donoughue, the work was published by the ESB to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Inniscarra Dam being commissioned. The work contains many pictures of the Lee Scheme being constructed and pictures of the ‘before and after’ of the affected landscape. It also profiles the positives and negatives of such an extensive venture for its day.
Buy the book here: Generations: Memories of the Lee Hydroelectric Scheme – The Lilliput Press
In the Steps of St Finbarre, Voices and Memories of the Lee Valley (2006, Nonsuch Ireland/ History Press):
A book, which grew out my column in the Cork Independent, it focusses on the journey of the Lee and the key places of settlement, monuments and community leaders all the way along the valley. It contains lots of pictures and alot of original material previously not drawn together This book is only available on Amazon.
Voices of Cork: The Knitting Map Speaks (2005, Nonsuch Ireland/ History Press):
This book was my first venture into oral histories. I spent the summer of 2005 getting to know an amazing bunch of women who worked on the Cork 2005 Knitting Map. The book contains interviews with seventy women and focusses on life in general giving advice on survival and self empowerment. it was a pleasure to meet such great people. The book was published by Nonsuch Ireland and is now sold out.
A Dream Unfolding, Portrait of St Patrick’s Hospital (2004, St Patrick’s Hospital Book):
A book published by the Sisters of Charity in St. Patrick’s Hospital, it charts the development of the hospital from 1869 onwards. this was an eye opening experience to be able to write this work and be given access to the hospital to see the great work of the sisters and staff.
This book is now sold out.
Discover Cork (2003, O’Brien Press):
Discover Cork was published by the O’Brien Press in Dublin as part of their National town guide series. A great ABC book to how the city developed with maps and pictures. Part 1 focuses on the key stages of the city’s growth from early times. Part 2 focuses several of the city’s views, river locations, buildings and artwork.
The book is still available from Amazon but sold out from the O’Brien Press.
Cork: A Pictorial Journey (2001, Co-written, Self Published):
A book co-written and co-published with Michael Lenihan. Michael collects Cork books, photographs and postcards. We worked together to bring out a book which showed Cork City, one hundred years ago through postcards. The book showcases some of Cork’s key throughfares and architecture. The streets and shops have changed but the character and essence of the streets have survived.
This book is sold out
Pathways Through Time, Historical Walking Trails of Cork City (2001, Self Published):
Self published, ‘Pathways’ grew out of my walking tours of the city and my early columns in Inside Cork. A book with two walking trails of Cork City, it leads the reader from St. Finbarre’s Cathedral through Shandon to St. Patrick’s Street. The book uses maps and buildings to profile the development of Cork City through the ages.
The book is still available from Kieran, limited edition.
