Former Lord Mayor and Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has reiterated his deep frustration for the non opening of the access pedestrian and walking path behind Douglas-Rochestown Educate Together National School, which connects the school to the Mangala or Ballybrack Walkway.
The route is a three-way project between Cork City Council, Cairn Homes and the Department of Education. Cork City Council has confirmed that all stakeholders involved in the project are working to deliver the Ballybrack Pedestrian and Cycle Scheme, which aims to provide improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians along the greenway route and have been liaising with all concerned parties to this end.
However, Cllr McCarthy noted;
“I have had numerous calls and correspondence from parents and guardians asking about the opening of the path. Currently the pathway along the Old Carrigaline Road is the main pathway. This pathway is just too narrow and too dangerous for the amount of children and parents and guardians and teachers who walk to and from the school everyday. Like my colleagues I have been lobbying to get the pedestrian and cycleway path to open. From my perspective it has been too long a process and a deeply frustrating one. And I know that has been the perspective of many parents who voiced their concerns on local radio and within local newspapers.
Deadlines have once again passed this week. I spoke with the City Council’s Director of Infrastructure to once again express my deep frustration and that of parents and guardians. The current update is that the pathway will open when public pathway lights will be installed by the local developer Cairn Homes. This is for fear of claims during the current dark mornings. The developer is seeking out temporary public lighting systems to enable the opening of the pathway. There is no time frame on this acquisition. I implore that this process be sped up. I will keep my pressure on the City Council’s Infrastructure Directorate”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
1287a. Plaque on Linehan’s Sweet Shop, John Redmond Street, Shandon commemorating the Cork Shakespearean Company’s The Loft, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 16 January 2025
Making an Irish Free State City – Fr O’Flynn Produces Shakespeare Plays
In the mid-1920s, the Cork Shakespearian Company presented full or extracts of Shakespearean plays at places across Cork City and County. On the first weekend of August 1925, against a backdrop of Capel Island and the beaches of Youghal, the Cork Shakesperean Company staged outdoors The Merchant of Venice at Knockadoon.
A Cork Examiner journalist on 4 August 1925 remarked on the training of the players and their speech training by Fr O’Flynn; “These players have all been moulded to their present ability by long and careful training, by receiving full explanations of the sense and meaning of the plays they study, by long and careful instruction in all the many details of elocution and by continuous practise of such teaching. The society is comprised of youth of both sexes, mainly from the North Parish, Cork”.
The Cork Examiner article went on to point out how young the players were and Fr O’Flynn’s detailed work; “Some of these young people when they left school had ideas on Shakespeare in no way different to those of thousands of others not; alone in Cork and elsewhere. In the mere pronunciation of words, they were also no different…Their elocution is an outstanding feature, rhythm clarity of words, full light and shade within over short sentences. The players accord all the credit to the Rev J C O’Flynn, who is a perfect elocutionist and faultless in ear, able to discern the very least falling off in tone in either speech or song…the play was a veritable triumph, and within that fact the strongest evidence was that held by the rapt attention of the audience”.
In 1926, the Cork Shakespearian Company rented a premises over a sweet factory in John Redmond Street. In the early days The Loft, as it was known, was never meant to be more than a temporary home for the Cork Shakespearean Company. Indeed, the room in which rehearsals were held was quite small, but the Company persevered and made the most the space over the ensuing decades.
In early summer 1927 Fr O Flynn rented Cork Opera House and staged a week-long season of six Shakespearean plays during the first week of May. A journalist in the Cork Examiner wrote half a page on the endeavour and focussed on the importance of the Loft’s civic work;
“From a humble beginning this troupe has developed into an important civic asset, whose good work and unbounded enthusiasm should help to propagate that spirit of culture which has hitherto been only scantily ‘apparent. Denied the measure of support to which their efficiency entitled them, they have not, as was the case with so many other societies, succumbed to neglect; but, quite on the contrary, seem to have acquired a greater keenness now inspiring thorn to attempt an ambitious task which deserves the reward of success”.
The article also focusses on bringing the work of Shakespeare alive for students and not that students learn off lines from Shakespearian plays for the sake of it; The journalist remarked; “The present system develops the memory only – the imagination and the personality it fails to reach. Consequently, when the pupil leaves the school he brings with him, as Pope said, ‘a load of learned lumber in his head’, and a very natural inclination to bother his brains no more with the philosophy of Shakespeare or anybody else of his ilk”.
Fr O’Flynn’s civic work also evolved into financial cost. Hiring the Cork Opera House for a week in 1927 was £200 – a steep financial commitment. Fr O’Flynn attained the week at a discount for £175. The week did not include rehearsal time and literally the Company walked straight onto the stage to perform.
The cost of costumes for six plays was also steep. Tom Vesey, the Treasurer of the Cork Shakespearean Company, was tasked with attaining costumes from London based costume sellers. Fr O’Flynn borrowed £300 from the bank and guaranteed by O’Flynn Brothers, Victuallers. By train and ship, Tom made it to London where he filled six hampers with costumes, swords and wigs.
Back in Cork Fr O’Flynn launched a robust publicity drive. Posters, hand bills, press releases, and word of mouth were all harnessed to make all citizens aware of his attempt to bring Shakespeare to Cork.
Fr O’Flynn penned a letter to the editor of the Cork Examiner in which he hoped that the public would co-operate with the Cork Shakespearean Company in making their week at Cork Opera House a successful one. He wrote: “On their part, no effort, individual or collective, has been spared to make effective the staging of the dramas of the immortal Bard. Even such details as costumes and accessories have been carefully looked after by a small and zealous committee…everything humanly possible has been done to render the production of each particular drama and educative entertainment for the audience and an aesthetic treat”.
A further letter to the editor of the Cork Examiner appeared on Monday, 2 May 1927 – the Monday of the week long performances where Fr O’Flynn made a further plea for local support; “I can guarantee to those who attend any one of the plays this week that they will see a performance by the youths and maidens of our city which will be as good as, if not better than, any professional performance of Shakespearean play that we have seen in Cork for some years back…The spectator will no longer see the youths and maidens of his city, but the characters of Shakespeare’s imagination living in the very flesh. I trust especially that the patrons of the boxes, circles and stalls will be generous in their support for, I regret to remark, that from personal observation these parts of the theatre are practically empty whenever anything of a local endeavour is running”.
To be continued…
Caption:
1287a. Plaque on Linehan’s Sweet Shop, John Redmond Street, Shandon commemorating the Cork Shakespearean Company’s The Loft, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
1286a. North Cathedral area, Cork, c.1920 (source: Cork City Library)
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 9 January 2025
Making an Irish Free State City – Fr O’Flynn and the Shakespeare Mission
Fr Seamus O’Flynn’s championing of community life in his North Parish was exemplary. In 1911, the Christian Brothers at the North Monastery Schools celebrated their centenary. They decided to put on a pageant of Irish mythology and history and invited their past pupil, Fr O’Flynn, to act as producer. He took on the project and soon after he was scouring the shelves of the libraries in Cork for books on Irish mythology. He produced a pageant, which the North Monastery community was proud of. Pictures of the pageant still adorn the corridors of even the modern day North Monastery schools.
The Irish Outlook, a weekly review of literary and social events, said of Fr O’Flynn in July 1912; “There is a strong magnetic quality in his personality; the magnetism that sways, that encourages, that inspires with hope and confidence. He is enthusiastic and has a multitude of interests, all national in character. His energetic mind is devoted to the re-establishing of the native language, and swayed by his enthusiasm many readily enrol themselves under his intrepid banner. As an orator, he possesses eloquence of a high order; his indisputable and his power to grip and hold an audience unique”.
Arising from his explorations of Irish culture in West Cork Fr O’Flynn believed in a revival of the Gaelic tradition. He became president of the Gaelic League in Cork City and acted as chairman of the Munster Feis. He continued to bring energy to the activities he organised. In the autumn of 19I7 he delivered six lectures to Gaelic Leaguers in Bolton Street Technical School, Dublin on Irish music and on Shakespearean dramas.
In 1918 Fr O’Flynn became a member of the newly appointed sub-committee of the Cork Municipal School of Music. He travelled to Belfast and asked traditional Irish music arranger and specialist Carl Hardebeck to accept the positions of Professor of Irish Music and the Headmastership of the Cork Municipal School of Music. Carl Hardebeck was convinced and agreed to come to Cork. The core issue back in Cork though was Carl’s German origins. The teaching staff resigned in protest at the appointment of a German headmaster in light of the First World War. A complete suite of new staff were appointed.
The Oireachtas – the annual festival of language, song, poetry, music, dancing and games of the Gaelic League – was held in Cork city from 3 to 9 August 1919. Fr O’Flynn had worked on several of the committees to ensure the success of this event.
In 1924 the nuns of St Vincent’s Convent School, Peacock Lane, asked Fr O’Flynn to help students of theirs to stage a scene from The Merchant of Venice. Two girls involved in this event were Kathy Hickey and Eileen Curran. About this time Fr O’Flynn began to develop his idea of establishing classes for the study of Shakespeare’s plays. In November 1924, the Cork Shakespearean Company commenced. Almost all members of the Company came from the area around the North Cathedral. This was a slum ridden area and very much at the heart of Fr O’Flynn’s work as well was to lift people out of poverty and give them opportunities and hope.
Among the first members were Eddie Golden, James Stack, Tom Vesey, Harry McCarthy, Roly Hill, Peadar Houlihan, Leo Griffin, Harry Weldon, Ken O’Shea, Dan Skidd, the Buckley brothers Daniel and James, the Flanagan brothers, the Healy brothers Gus, Ted and Jerome, and the Archer brothers Liam and Fred. The ladies of the Company included Eilen Curran, Kathy Hickey, Betty Arrow, Rita Coughlan, Maeve and Ina Cronin, Annie Hickey, May and Rita O’Neill , Nan Power, Rose Dennehy, Evelyn (“Fluffy) Clancy, Kitty Nott and Lena Long.
At first, classes took place in the Presbytery of the North Chapel, then in room over a shoemaker’s shop in Gerald Grifin Street. Fr O’Flynn’s players ranged in age from 12 to 26. Gradually a repertoire of Shakespearean plays was built up. It was time to go on the road and soon the company was fulfilling engagements at a number of halls in the city.
In the mid-1920s, the Cork Shakespearian Company presented plays of Shakespeare in full or in extract at places such as the Municipal Hall, Kinsale, The Palace, Fermoy, Fr Matthew Hall, Cork, The Ursuline Convent, Blackrock. They also gave open-air performances in a number of venues – the Mardyke Cricket Grounds, UCC (where they presented Twelfth Night), as well as Kinsale, Fermoy and Mallow. They put on Richard III in a disused mill at Newcestown near Bandon.
For example the Cork Examiner records that on Sunday evening, 19 April 1925, Twelfth Night, one of Shakespeare’s comedy plays, was staged at the Gymnasium, Collins’ Barracks, Cork, by the North Parish Shakespearean Society. This play had been produced at the Palace Theatre with exactly the same cast. Public sentiment deemed it to be one of the best amateur efforts seen in Cork within the recollection of many older citizens who would come out to support Shakespeare’s works. The Cork Examiner wrote in praise of Fr O’Flynn; “The generosity of the Rev Fr O’Flynn and his talented society in producing this play for the entertainment of the troops is deeply appreciated by the General Officer Commanding and Entertainment Committee”.
To be continued…
Caption:
1286a. North Cathedral area, Cork, c.1920 (source: Cork City Library)
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy is calling on any community groups based in the south east ward or local area of Cork City, which includes areas such as Ballinlough, Ballintemple, Blackrock, Mahon, Douglas, Donnybrook, Maryborough, Rochestown, Mount Oval and Moneygourney with an interest in sharing in his 2025 ward funding or local area community funding to apply for his funds.
A total of e.12,000 is available to community groups through Cllr McCarthy’s ward funds. In general, contributions to groups range between e.200 to e.250 or slightly more depending on the project.
Application should be made via email to Kieran at kieran_mccarthy@corkcity.ie. This email should give the name of the organisation, contact name, contact address, contact email, contact telephone number, details of the organisation, and what will the ward grant will be used for. Application should be made via email by Friday 7 February 2025.
Ward funds will be prioritised to community groups based in the south east ward or the south east local electoral area of Cork City who build community capacity, educate, build civic awareness and projects, which connect the young and old. Cllr McCarthy especially welcomes proposals where the funding will be used to run a community event, digital included, and that benefit the wider community. He is seeking to fund projects that give people new skill sets. That could include anything from part funding of coaching training for sports projects to groups interested in bringing forward enterprise programmes to encourage entrepreneurship to the ward. Cllr McCarthy is particularly interested in funding community projects such as community environment projects such as tree planting and projects that promote the rich history and environment within the south east of Cork City.
1285a. Fr Seamus O’Flynn as a young priest, c.1915 (source: Cork City Library)
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town
Cork Independent, 2 January 2025
Making an Irish Free State City – Fr O’Flynn, Shakespeare and the Education of the Heart
The mid-1920s coincided with the emergence of Fr Seamus O’Flynn’s growing interest in Shakespeare. The Cork Examiner on 17 December 1924 notes that under the auspices of the Fermoy Catholic Young Men’s Society, Fr O’Flynn, accompanied by some of his pupils, delivered to a crowded house a most instructive and educational lecture entitled, “How to Study Shakespeare”. The lecture in Fermoy was one of Fr O’Flynn’s first public lectures on the benefits of studying the work of Shakespeare. It was four years since the creation of the Cork Shakespearian Company and fifteen years since his first staging of a Shakespeare play in a Cork community setting.
Fr Fitzgerald, CC, President of the Fermoy CYM Society, said it was his privilege to introduce Fr O’Flynn, of the North Cathedral parish and highlighted that he was known beyond the limits of his native county, and well known to many friends present. Fr Fitzgerald outlined that for many years FrO’Flynn had been an ardent promoter of the Irish language, Irish culture and Irish traditional music, and for many years had been promoting such interests and embedding them in local Cork communities.
The choice of Fr O’Flynn’s lecture subject was Howto Study Shakespeare. Fr Fitzgerald articulated that in the local schools the plays of Shakespeare had been taught to the pupils year after year and year after year had been appearing on exam papers. Hence to him the lecture topic was not out of place to champion.
Fr O’Flynn was received with applause and at the outset he gave an explanatory discourse on the means necessary to read and recite well lines within Shakespearean plays. He showed how the thoughts of the writer should first be grasped and then delivered his thoughts as Shakespeare himself might have uttered them. He noted examples of lines from Hamlet. He pointed out the methods involved to attain a perfect understanding of the construction of sentences, the ability to analyse complex forms of composition, to discriminate between essentials and expletive words and the regulation of the voice to suit the sound to the word. “Nothing marked out a finished reader so clearly as his power of modulating his voice. It was by the subtle changes of tone that the infinite variety of feeling was represented. The effects should of course be natural, with no undue straining after effect”.
After the lecture Fr Fitzgerald, in his vote of thanks to Fr O’Flynn, noted that his explanation of how to interpret Shakespeare was “simple yet eloquent”, and his selections from the various plays were “apt and very instructive”. His demonstration of how each character could be found in ordinary daily life was “striking, clear and very real, even in some instances surprising to a degree”.
There are many pieces written on the life and times of Fr O’Flynn. One striking book by writer Richard O’Donoghue, entitled Like a Tree Planted, Fr O’Flynn and the Loft and published in 1967, makes reference to Fr John Forde, parish priest, Newcestown, County Cork, who was the literary executor for Fr O’Flynn when he died in 1962. Richard writes that Fr John Forde gave him a suitcase filled with the notebooks and the recordings of Fr O’Flynn. Richard then supplemented his work by a series of interviews with members of the O’Flynn family, with past pupils of The Loft and with contemporaries of Fr O’Flynn in the North Cathedral Parish and at Passage West.
Richard writes that Cork born Fr O’Flynn’s interest in acting and performance can be traced back to his youth. Born in 1881, the young Seamus attended Blackpool National School and the North Monastery. In September 1899, he enrolled as a student at the junior seminary of Farranferris and on the accomplishment of his studies he went to St Patrick’s College, Maynooth,
On 20 June 1909, Fr O’Flynn was ordained. Cork’s Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas O’Callaghan cancelled an arrangement to send the newly appointed priest Fr O’Flynn from Maynooth to Portsmouth. He appointed him to the staff of the seminary at Farranferris to teach elocution. With a talent for acting, his well-developed voice and his love of Shakespeare, Fr O’Flynn was very content and most enthusiastic.
Later Fr O’Flynn wrote in one of his many notebooks: “I began in Farranferris in 1909. We put planks on porter barrels and covered them with an old carpet, and each year produced a full-length play of Shakespeare’s. Encouragement came from my Bishop, Dr O’Callaghan – God be good to him-and from his relative, Dr Sexton, the President of the College. By means of Shakespeare I aimed not only at helping the students to speak correctly, but at a cultivation of the noble emotions – education of the heart”.
Early in 1910, Fr O’Flynn was appointed to serve as chaplain in Our Lady’s Hospital on the Lee Road. He said Mass, administered the sacraments, visited the patients each day and frequently entertained them with his songs and dramatic pieces. There he also got a close up perspective of the human condition.
In 1910 Fr O’Flynn visited the Irish-speaking districts of West Cork and for the first time came in contact with the old Gaelic world and those who preserved the stories and championed them. He recorded; “There, rummaging among the ruins of the nation, I discovered the remnants of a supremely beautiful culture of emotion in language, story, song and dance still living in the hearts of these people, that completely captivated me”.
For many summers Fr O’Flynn spent his holidays in one or other of the Irish-speaking districts of Munster – Ballingeary or Gougane Barra, or Ring in County Waterford. But his favourite haunts lay far to the west in Kerry – Dunquin, the Blasket Islands and Ballinskelligs. It was there his interest in the marrying of education, culture, and storytelling developed even more and set him on a path to bring the power of storytelling further into the heart of Cork city’s communities.
To be continued…
Happy New Year to all readers of the column. Missed a column from 2024 log onto my website www.corkheritage.ie
Caption:
1285a. Fr Seamus O’Flynn as a young priest, c.1915 (source: Cork City Library)
Cllr Kieran McCarthy is calling on any community groups based in the south east ward of Cork City, which includes areas such as Ballinlough, Ballintemple, Blackrock, Mahon, Douglas, Donnybrook, Maryborough, Rochestown, Mount Oval and Moneygourney with an interest in sharing in his 2025 ward funding to apply for his funds.
A total of E.12,000 is available to community groups through Cllr Kieran McCarthy’s ward funds. In general, contributions to groups range between e.150 to e.250 or slightly more depending on the project.
Application should be made via email to Kieran at kieran_mccarthy@corkcity.ie by Friday 7 February 2025.
This email should give the name of the organisation, contact name, contact address, contact email, contact telephone number, details of the organisation, and what will the ward grant will be used for?
Please Note:
Ward funds will be prioritised to community groups based in the south east ward or the south east local electoral area of Cork City who build community capacity, educate, build civic awareness and projects, which connect the young and old.
Cllr McCarthy especially welcomes proposals where the funding will be used to run a community event and that benefits the wider community.
Cllr McCarthy is seeking to fund projects that give people new skill sets. That could include anything from part funding of coaching training for sports projects to groups interested in bringing forward enterprise programmes to encourage entrepreneurship in the ward.
Cllr McCarthy is particularly interested in funding community projects such as community environment projects such as tree planting, community skip provision and projects that that promote the rich history and environment within the south east of Cork City.
Cllr McCarthy may publish a list of his ward fund allocations each year on his website.
Sturdy on a table top and lit by youngest fair, a candle is blessed with hope and love, and much festive cheer, Set in a wooden centre piece galore, it speaks in Christian mercy and a distant past of emotional lore,
With each commencing second, memories come and go, like flickering lights on the nearest Christmas tree all lit in traditional glow, With each passing minute, the flame bounces side to side in drafty household breeze, its light conjuring feelings of peace and warmth amidst familiar blissful degrees,
With each lapsing hour, the residue of wax visibly melts away, whilst the light blue centered heart is laced with a spiritual healing at play,
With each ending day, how lucky are those who love and laugh around its glow-filledness, whilst outside, the cold beats against the nearest window in the bleak winter barreness, Fear and nightmare drift away in the emulating light, both threaten this season in almighty wintry flight,
Sturdy on a table top and lit by youngest fair, a candle is blessed with hope and love, and much festive cheer.
1284a. Crawford Art Gallery staff, l-r, Curator of Collections Dr Michael Waldron, Director Mary McCarthy and Production Manager Kathryn Coughlan pictured during the removal of the Canova Casts from the gallery (picture: Joleen Cronin)
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 19 December 2024
The Decanting of the Canova Casts
The Crawford Art Gallery’s iconic collection of Canova casts have departed the building for the first time in 140 years, with a delicate process of crating and removing the much-loved artworks concluding the last few weeks. The Crawford Art Gallery closed to the public in September of this year to undergo an enormously exciting capital redevelopment project: Transforming Crawford Art Gallery.
This multi-million euro investment will increase gallery space by almost 50%, preserve and protect three centuries of existing built heritage, and create a cultural legacy for a new century as Cork continues to grow. The project is a Government of Ireland 2040 project funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in partnership with the Office of Public Works (OPW).
It is a historic moment in the life of the gallery, the casts, and Cork, as 25 plaster cast and marble works departed the nineteenth century wing of the gallery, built by brewing magnate William Horatio Crawford in 1884, in part to house the sculptures.
In October 1818 a ship from the UK containing 219 sculpture casts arrived into Cork. The acquisition of classical casts made an important contribution to Cork burgeoning art scene and in today’s Crawford Art Galley a cross section of them form the centre of an impressive sculpture display. Their context and journey to Cork is a unique story. Circa 1810, Pope Pius VII was anxious to express his gratitude to the English people for the return to the Vatican Galleries of many masterpieces looted by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Pope commissioned Italian artist, Antonio Canova, to make a set of over one hundred casts from the classical collection in the Vatican.
Canova (1757-1822) was deemed the greatest sculptor of his time and his name was renown across Europe. A student of antiquity, he had interests in Roman restoration projects of artwork. His early work of a statuette of Apollo Crowning Himself, which he entered into a competition organised by the Venetian aristocrat Don Abbondio Rezzonico. This work led to a large successful line of marble statue commissions across Europe comprising Holland, Austria, Poland, Russia, and England. In France Napoleon Bonaparte was a patron of his commissioning large amounts of work and artistic depictions of Napoleon posing as the Roman God of War. Members of Napoleon’s family were also depicted in marble casts such as his sister, second wife and mother (appears in the Crawford Art Gallery). In 1802, be was given the post of Inspector-General of Antiquities and Fine Art of the Papal State.
As a diplomatic gesture, in 1812, a set of Canova casts were shipped to London by the Vatican as a gift to the Prince Regent, later George IV. The Prince showed a lack of appreciation towards his papal acquisitions and the casts lay firstly in the London Custom House and then in the basement of his residence in Carleton Gardens. William Hare, 1st Lord Listowel of Convamore, Co. Cork (beside the River Blackwater), was a patron of the arts and as friend of the prince suggested that they be donated as a gift to the people of Cork.
The Prince Regent donated the casts to the Society of Fine Arts in Cork City, whose premises was located on what is now the intersection of St Patrick’s Street and Opera Lane. An article in the Belfast Newsletter notes that the casts were shipped on Saturday 24 October 1818 – arriving a few days after. A contemporary account best tells the story of this event, more especially when it comes from a manuscript autobiographical sketch written by one of the greatest beneficiaries from the casts, Corkman Daniel Maclise.
“A former theatre once supported by the Apollo Society of Amateur Actors was fixed upon as the most suitable place for the reception of the valuable collection of casts. It was situated in a principal street, Patrick Street, and the stage was screened off by a well-painted scene of the interior of a Greek temple. The pit was boarded over and the gallery was partitioned off. The boxes remained only as they were, and the statues were arranged around the Parterre with much taste on moveable pedestals under the Superintendence of a London gentleman who was sent over for the purpose, and whose name happened appropriately enough to be Corkaigne”.
Shortly after the acquisition, the Cork Society of Fine Arts suffered financial difficulty and could not pay the rent of the premises in which the casts were kept. Under considerable embarrassment, they applied to the government for monetary aid. The Westminster Government and under the recommendation of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland stated they could grant no aid but recommended them to amalgamate with the Royal Cork Institution. An arrangement was made that the Royal Cork Institution should attain the casts and pay the debt of £500-£600 that was contracted by the Society of Fine Arts. A compromise was made of £300 and the casts were moved to the Institution’s premises on Jameson Row. Years later again, they were moved to the Crawford Art Gallery when it opened in 1885
After months of planning for the delicate operation of moving the Canova casts in our time the operation has included Crawford Art Gallery staff seeking expert opinion from London sculptural conservators Taylor Pearce Ltd. Bespoke storage crates were commissioned for each sculpture. Many of the sculptures are estimated to weigh in excess of two tonnes, with smaller pieces weighing in at anywhere between 75kg to 500kg.
Gallery director Mary McCarthy praised the dedication of the team involved in the removal of the 3D artworks, and said the feat was a pivotal moment in the history of Crawford Art Gallery; She noted: “ I’m delighted to announce the successful removal of our beautiful Canova casts from the Sculpture Galleries, a big moment for Crawford Art Gallery as these treasured works have not been moved out of the building for 140 years. This is a huge milestone in the decant process of the entire collection into safe storage to prepare for Transforming Crawford Art Gallery, our capital redevelopment project.”
Mary also described that the planning and dedication and expertise that has gone into their safe removal has been awe-inspiring to see; “I want to pay tribute to our in-house technical team, supported by additional external experts ,our production manager and our registrar for their work in carrying off this historically important removal smoothly and with great professionalism”.
Caption:
1284a. Crawford Art Gallery staff, l-r, Curator of Collections Dr Michael Waldron, Director Mary McCarthy and Production Manager Kathryn Coughlan pictured during the removal of the Canova Casts from the gallery (picture: Joleen Cronin)
1283a. Historic Cork Butter Exchange, c.1900 (source: Cork Public Museum)
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 12 December 2024
Making an Irish Free State City – Thomas O’Gorman and the Shandon Brand
A few weeks ago, this column highlighted the initial growth of Sunbeam Knitwear Company at the historic Butter Exchange Building in 1928. After Sunbeam moved to Millfield in 1933, Thomas O’Gorman made the exchange building space into a factory manufacturing caps and accessories.
Thomas O’Gorman was well known for his business activities. The founder of the firm of T O’Gorman and Son, manufacturers of the “Shandon” brand of hats, caps and braces, An obituary for on 13 August 1947 in the Cork Examiner notes that Thomas was born near Thurles, County Tipperary. He served his apprenticeship time with a Galway drapery firm. On coming to Cork in 1904 he opened a drapery shop in MacCurtain Street, which was damaged during the War of Independence. Circa 1920-1921 he started the manufacture of caps and braces at premises on Pope’s Quay and later moved to a larger premises at the historic Butter Exchange. At the time of his death in 1947, Thomas lived at 4 Landscape Terrace, Sunday’s Well.
The Cork Examiner also reveals that in his younger days Thomas O’Gorman was an enthusiastic member of the Gaelic League and was an ardent supporter of everything Irish. He was an all-round sportsman and took a particular interest in swimming. A popular member of the Cork Catholic Young Men’s Society, he was highly respected by the members for his attention to and work for the Society.
Only a handful of stories exist in the public realm that can be used to assemble the story of Thomas O’Gorman’s factory through the decades. There is no shortage of advertisements for the company in newspapers such as the Cork Examiner throughout the company’s existence. The son of the original founder Thomas was also called Thomas. He was educated at Christian College, Cork and at Clongowes Wood in Dublin. Shortly after finishing his schooling Thomas (Junior) joined his father’s business. He was a keen rowing man, a member of the Cork Boat Club and was also very active in sailing circles, being a member of the Royal Munster Yacht Club.
An interesting note in the Evening Echo on 17 January 1961 highlights that Messrs T O Gorman and Son Ltd had associated with Messrs Christy and Company, London. At that point the factory was one of the oldest hat-making firm in Ireland, with at least sixty years’ experience behind them. The famous Christy firm was 189 years old. The association of the two firms was pursued in order to promote the sale of hats in Ireland. The British firm was one of the biggest hat and cap units in the world. The Cork Examiner reveals that part of the manufacturing process would be carried out in England while the finishing stages would be undertaken at O’Gorman’s in Shandon. The Associated British Hat (Christy) products were manufactured under licence at the Cork factory.
As the 1960s and 1970s progressed the firm began successfully manufacturing hats and caps for tourists and golfers. The traditional styles have been selling very well abroad. Following their participation in the Imbrex International Menswear Show at Earls Court in London, T O’Gorman & Son Ltd. negotiated a major deal with a Japanese market.
By 1976 T O’Gorman & Son manufactured men’s hats, caps, belts and braces. It employed about 80 people during the peak production months. The grandsons of the original founder, Tony, John and Gregory O’Gorman were now running the business.
Tragedy struck on 30 December 1976 when an early morning fire broke out. The Evening Echo describes the destruction of the Shandon factory. Three units of Cork Fire Brigade fought to contain a fire, which was discovered shortly after 7.30am when the factory caretaker arrived to open up. Employees who reported in for work after the Christmas holidays watched as firemen hosed down the wreckage inside.
Chief Fire Officer Captain C Garvey, described the blaze as “massive” and said that the inside of the building was completely gutted. Firemen kept crowds back because of the flying glass and explosions inside as the fire swept through the factory. The job of bringing the blaze under control was made more difficult because of the age of the building and the combustible material inside.
The Evening Echo also describes that as the early days of January 1977 progressed, the factory premises was a blackened ruin with steel girders buckled and twisted by the fierce fire. Arrangements were made to keep valued employees on full pay during the re-organisation period. Temporary offices were set up at Bradbury House, 38/39 Washington Street.
Warm-hearted offers of help continued to be received by the stricken makers of hats, caps, braces and belts. From the other end of the country came an offer of all possible help in getting the Cork firm into production again. Mr Howard Temple, owner and managing director of the famous Magee firm in Donegal, got through by phone to offer a full range of samples of his famous Donegal tweed. Mr Temple instructed his factory manager to list all surplus machinery not in use and to offer it to Messrs T O’Gorman & Son for as long as the Cork firm needed it, all without charge. Needless to say the offer was been accepted gratefully.
T O’Gorman & Son eventually got up and running again at a new premises in Churchfield. Today it exists online in the hands of Gregory O’Gorman.
As for the historic Butter Market Exchange in the late 1970s Cork Corporation published a plan designed to revitalise the Shandon area of the city. This plan identified the historic Butter Exchange building as a possible centre for craft retail and production. In 1984 the IDA decided to act on this proposal and it took over the building, which it refurbished and converted into self-contained craft units with the aim of fostering the growth and prosperity of the wide craft base in the Cork region.
The new centre, which opened its doors in 1986, had 18 units, including a restaurant, and it enjoyed a close 90% occupancy rate when it opened. Today, the historic Butter Exchange awaits development as the Enterprise Exchange that will offer a space for young companies involved in technology and innovation.
Caption:
1283a. Historic Cork Butter Exchange, c.1900 (source: Cork Public Museum)
1282a. Front cover of Cork A Potted History by Kieran McCarthy
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 5 December 2024
Kieran’s Cork Books for Christmas
It’s only a few weeks to Christmas. There are three publications of mine, which readers of the column might be interested in to buy as Christmas gifts. All were published in the past two years and are available in Waterstones, Vibes and Scribes, and Easons.
Cork: A Potted History (2024) is published by Amberely Publishing. 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.
Places matter in Cork. The city’s urban landscape is filled with stories about its past. With some sites, you might stop and contemplate as you’re passing by, and many others might not be given a second look. But a second and even a third look can reveal some interesting historical nuggets and curiosities about Cork’s development. In Cork it always pays to look above the ground floor to shop and house level.
Last year’s publication, The A-Z of Curious County Cork (2023),published by History Press UK (2023) is still selling well. It 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.
The added task of picking over one hundred curiosities of County Cork was also going to be a challenge. It is difficult to define what a curiosity is. Such a distinction varies from one person to another. The importance of a curiosity in one locale may also not be a curiosity to another locale. The stories within this book, and which I have chosen and noted as curiosities are ones, which have lingered in my mind long after I found them or brought me down further ‘rabbit holes’ of research.
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.
Much has been written on the histories of County Cork. There is much written down and lots more still to be researched and written up. The County is also blessed with active guardians of its past. In particular, there is a notable myriad of local historians and historical societies, which mind the county’s past and also celebrate and even commemorate it through penning stories in newspaper articles, journals, books and providing regular fieldtrips for the general public. There is also the impressive heritage book series on County Cork, published by the Heritage Unit of Cork County Council.
Celebrating Cork (2022) is published by Amberley Publishing and 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.
Celebrating Cork builds on my previous publications – notably Cork In 50 Buildings, Secret Cork, and Cork City Centre Tour – all published by Amberley Publishing. This book focuses on different topics again of Cork’s past and places more focus on elements I have not had a chance to write upon and reflect about in the past.
With more and more archival material being digitised, it is easier to access original source material in antiquarian books or to search through old newspapers to find the voices championing steps in Cork’s progression in infrastructure, community life or in its cultural development.
More and more I am drawn to a number of themes, which I continue to explore in publications. As a city on the very edge of western Europe, and as a port city, Cork has always been open to influences, from Europe and the world at large. Cork’s Atlantic-ness and that influence whether that be location, light or trade is significant.
Corkonians of the past were aware of the shouts of dockers and noise from dropping anchors – the sea water causing masts to creak, and the hulls of timber ships knocking against its wall, as if to say: ‘we are here’, and the multitudes of informal international conversations happening just at the edge of a small city centre.
Cork’s ruralness and its connections to the region around it especially the River Lee and Cork Harbour is a theme which I have been actively writing about for over a decade. There are certainly many stories along the river and estuary, which have been lost to time and Cork’s collective memory.
Cork’s place as a second city in Ireland and its second city engine is an important influencer of the city’s development in the past and for the future.
Captions:
1282a. Front cover of Cork A Potted History by Kieran McCarthy
1282b. Front cover of The A-Z of Curious County Cork by Kieran McCarthy
1282c. Front cover of Celebrating Cork by Kieran McCarthy
1282b. Front cover of The A-Z of Curious County Cork by Kieran McCarthy
1282c. Front cover of Celebrating Cork by Kieran McCarthy