Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 10 August 2023

Cork Heritage Open Day, 12 August 2023

Another Cork heritage open day is looming. The 2023 event will take place on Saturday 12 August. For one day only, over 40 buildings open their doors free of charge for this special event.  Members of the public are allowed a glimpse of some of Cork’s most fascinating buildings ranging from the medieval to the military, the civic to the commercial and the educational to the ecclesiastical. This event was greeted with great enthusiasm by building owners and members of the public alike in 2022 with an estimated 23,000 people participating on the day.

   It is always a great opportunity to explore behind some of Cork’s grandest buildings. With the past of a port city, Cork architecture has a personality that varied and much is hidden amongst the city’s narrow streets and laneways. It is a photogenic city, which lights up with sunshine as it hits the limestone buildings. Much of its architecture is also inspired by international styles – the British style of artwork and nineteenth century brick pervading in most cases– but it’s always pays to look up in Cork and marvel at the Amsterdamesque-style of our eighteenth century structures on streets such as Oliver Plunkett Street or at the gorgeous tall spires of the city’s nineteenth-century churches.

    Cork Heritage Open Day is eighteen years in the making and with 40 buildings it is almost impossible to visit them all in one day. It takes a few goes to get to them all and spend time appreciating their physical presence in our city but also the often hidden context of why such buildings and their communities came together and their contribution to the modern day picture of the city.

The team behind the Open Day, Cork City Council, do group the buildings into general themes, Steps and Steeples, Customs and Commerce, Medieval to Modern, Saints and Scholars and Life and Learning – one can walk the five trails to discover a number of buildings within these general themes. These themes remind the participant to remember how our city spreads from the marsh to the undulating hills surrounding it, how layered and storied the city’s past is, how the city has been blessed to have many scholars contributing to its development in a variety of ways and how the way of life in Cork is intertwined with a strong sense of place and ambition. For a small city, it packs a punch in its approaches to national and international interests.

For example, the trail the Customs and Commerce is a very apt way to describe the layers of our city. The trail walk encompasses some of the amazing buildings in the city centre, but also some where you come away going, “why haven’t I seen this hidden gem before”. Such buildings track the commercial history of Cork City and highlight its many industries over time. For the more energetic walker this route can be combined with the Medieval to Modern walking route. Re-imagine the turning of the wheels of the trams at the National Sculpture Factory, learn about local government in the City Hall, think highly of the multiple stories of the city’s masons and carpenters at the Carpenter’s Hall, and look at the fine details on the pillars within the Old Cork Savings Bank on the South Mall.

The Cork Savings Bank was established in 1817 following the passing of a law to encourage the establishment of savings banks across England and Ireland. Savings Banks targeted the lower income groups of society with the aim of encouraging thrift amongst these users, offering security for their savings whilst paying a fixed interest on deposits. In November 1839 the design submitted by the architectural practice of Thomas and Kearns Deane was chosen for the new Cork Savings Bank, to be located on the corner of Lapp’s Quay and Warren’s Place (now Parnell Place).

            The building was opened for business in 1842 and a plaque above the doorway to the banking hall commemorates the date and those responsible for designing and building the bank. It continued to operate as a bank until 2012, when owners, Trustee Savings Bank, closed a number of branches, including Lapps Quay. In 2015, UCC made a decision to locate their Centre for Executive Education in a dynamic, city centre location, and entered into an agreement with Cork City Council to re-use the former Savings Bank on Lapp’s Quay for this purpose. To facilitate this refurbishment and reuse of the Savings Bank a new extension was constructed within the enclosed yard to the east.

In 2015, UCC decided to locate their Centre for Executive Education in a dynamic city centre location and entered into an agreement with Cork City Council to re-use the former Savings Bank on Lapp’s Quay for this purpose. To facilitate this refurbishment and reuse of the Savings Bank a new extension was constructed within the enclosed yard to the east.

The new extension enables direct circulation across the upper floors of the former secretary’s house on Parnell Place to the southern rooms of the Bank. This extension also facilitates circulation through the building without requiring one to circulate through the main Banking Hall (facilitating reusing the Banking Hall as an independent multi-purpose/ conference facility).

Support functions for toilets and required services have also been efficiently catered for in this new construction, facilitating maintaining the large historic rooms in their original form. The new accommodation is hidden from view from the exterior of the landmark historic building, but is designed to read clearly as a modern addition from within the building.

See www.corkheritageopenday.ie for more information on the city’s great Heritage Open Day and then the day is followed by National Heritage Week.

Full set of Kieran’s upcoming National Heritage Week tours are at www.corkheritage.ie under Kieran’s heritage tours.

Captions:

1214a. Former Cork Savings Bank, Lapp’s Quay, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy).

1214b. Beautiful and imposing interior ceiling of Former Cork Savings Bank, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy).

Dear Friends,

Let me start with my two core messages I wish to impart to you.

Firstly Love who you want to Love.

And Secondly be who want to be.

Life is too short to be only part of yourself and ultimately you only pass through here once.

And yes when I make these messages I say them as a heterosexual cis gender middle-aged white man, and I have been very lucky to love who I wanted and want to love and lucky to be who I want to be.

But I have also seen with my own eyes through meeting with constituents, going into the eye of neighbourhood life and listening to passionate Council colleagues that everyone should be able to love who they want and be who you want to be.

Why should one person not experience it because of bigotry by a few.

It is apparent the history of campaigning has been long and arduous, emotionally, mentally draining and has had hurtfilled days, but there have also been some really great days, where the sun did shine as Ireland moved forward with a massive societal jump.

This year in particular, 30 years on from the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland, we can reflect on the hard-won victories that have made Ireland a more inclusive and equal society.

And it has been the saying of positive and supportive messages such as what I have opened with over and over again – putting these messages on repeat, which has brought us to this moment in time – in particular over the last 30 years the vast majority of walls of intolerance and battleships have been replaced with walls of empathy and partnerships.

But the job is far from being done.

We need to keep building empathy and partnership. Both are crucial. We need to keep communicating on why we need to keep building empathy and building partnership.

And yes there are trickles of intolerance and bigotry remaining with a small minority who speak in a type of emotional bullying as if they represent the majority viewpoint -` but let me reiterate today they do not.

And yes there are days when it feels like this country is going backwards, or stuck in the past, or advancing on certain issues at a snail’s pace.

But all of us here today are travelling forward together and the vast vast majority of Cork and Irish people are moving forward in a spirit of hope and collaboration.

And let me tell you this the 5 per cent of society, who remain as bigots and lack empathy, must never become the mainstream narrative.

We must never let intolerance win; we must never let our democracy be undermined. We must never let ideas of hope be undermined.

We need to keep building an inclusive and fair democracy.

If that means all of us keep fighting together for immediate future and beyond let’s do it – but let’s do it together.

And we need to not only keep building hope but creating practical roadmaps that carry out ideas of hope as well.

 For example, the importance of Pride is ongoing, not only as a celebration but as a way to reflect upon all of the progress that has been made in terms of LGBT+ rights.

Pride is a very important time of year. It gives the LGBT+ community and its supporters the opportunity to come together, build a sense of togetherness and celebrate Cork as a diverse, welcoming city and region.

It is a real joy to see the vibrancy and enthusiasm people bring to Cork LGBT+ Pride each year.

Pride also serves as a reminder that it is essential to continue working towards making Cork and Ireland a safer and more inclusive place. 

Pride offers a crucial opportunity to show solidarity with all LGBT+ people.

For many years now as well Cork City Council’s Community Section and Cork City Inter-Agency Group have also pursued supportive LGBTI+ inclusion projects and events, working with the strong vibrant LGBTI+ community in Cork.

These projects are crucial to be enhanced and supported.

I would like to thank the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival team, volunteers, sponsors and partners, who all work to make this event possible.

So when I say of this can I wish everyone a happy and safe Pride,

And please love who you want to love and please be who you want to be.

Corcaigh abú.

Go raibh maith agaibh.