The Friday View 04/08
How to police a protest; Pride shines on Leeside; a new public sculpture goes up; the County Council boss is off to the races and our round-up of what to see and do. It's the Friday View on T+D.
How to Police Protests
At a panel discussion that was personal, warm, funny, and emotive, convened in the offices of MEP Grace O’Sullivan on Washington Street to discuss whether Pride is political (the answer: it very much is, and it's also personal), one of the main talking points both from the panelists and the audience was the events that led to the temporary closure of the City Library on Grand Parade last Saturday.
In short, alt-right agitators hung a banner on the library building, and the gardai refused to take it down, threatening to arrest counter-protestors if they attempted to do so. Consequently, library management elected to close the library—a clear win for a vocal and hate-filled minority intent on disrupting the peace. Doubtless, the alt-right will be emboldened by such "victories." Furthermore, protestors recently visited Tory Top Library in Ballyphehane this week, calling for the removal of books they deem "pornographic,"; similar incidents were reported in bookshops at Limerick City Library this week.
Roderic O'Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, no stranger to the hatred and vitriol from the alt-right (on his first day as a Minister, he was welcomed to Dáil Éireann with a poster of his name and a noose), stated that he no longer checks his social media. Would you blame him? However, he also recognized his privilege and protections, as evidenced by the presence of Gardai stationed across the road at the Kino throughout the event.
Outside on Washington Street, a lone peaceful protestor, an elderly man holding a large homemade poster that read "Abortion is Murder," walked the footpath outside the office for around 40 minutes. Passersby seemed more confused than illuminated.
The Minister spoke of how the far right have also shown up at accommodation centers housing Ukrainian refugees, intent on causing disruption and spreading disinformation. He offered a defense of the gardai that has been trotted out often: they don't want to make martyrs of this highly organized minority.
But surely the ship has sailed on this line of defense, and instead, the focus should be on whether the type of protest they engage in disrupts the ability of workers to work in peace and without fear? The same goes for members of the public who want to be left in peace to use our libraries. If the answer is a clear yes, then a stronger response is required.
We saw an example of this response in UCC during the conference organized by the government earlier this year: protestors were removed from the lecture theatre by gardai after disrupting proceedings. Did anyone worry about their martyrdom status?
As Saoirse Mackin, co-founder of Trans+ Pride in Cork, said, libraries are critical safe spaces, open to all. However, we've reached a stage where librarians in the city wake up worrying about what agitation and intimidation they will have to deal with. Libraries are one of our most important public institutions, a legacy, and a testament to free thought, free expression, and freedom. Far-right agitators know this only too well, which is why they target them and what they stand for. Enough is enough.
-JJ
News in brief:
Gone to the dogs: After 40 years in local government both in Cork City and Cork Councty Councils Tim Lucey is set to leave and take up the top job at Greyhound Racing Ireland later this year. The Bandon native served as Chief Executive of the County Council for the last nine years; befoe that he was in the same role in the City Council for four years. No doubt Tim will have been following the news earlier this year from Greyhound Racing execs who complained that the salary for the CEO role was “no longer reflective” of the remuneration packages for senior management positions in the public or private sector.
The dog body wanted the salary to be on par with the chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, who is being paid €190,000 per year with a car and pension. However, it is believed they settled on a package of around €160,000. It also comes with a car. Not bad for the new top dog.
Sayonara to an unused public toilet: The longterm closed public toilets on Grand Parade were demolished and removed this week as part of the plans to refurbish Grand Parade and Bishop Lucey Park. In a statement from the City Council to T+D, the Council said that final plans for the area will be made public in due course, adding that there are public toilets located on the Grand Parade, adjacent to the City Library.
Art and humour: There was no shortage of material to work with this week with the unveiling of the second of five city center sculptures that are being funded by Fáilte Ireland and delivered through the City Council to the tune of €670,000. Fake birds were featured in “Sentinels” by artist Niamh McCann, the first public sculpture. This week saw the unveiling of “Boom Nouveau” by Forerunner, which “mimics the form of a tangible everyday urban street feature - the lamppost.” And so, as one wag said, “we’ve had fake birds, fake lampposts, what’s next, fake trees?"”
Oh wait, we already have them!
Moving on: Good luck to former Cork Beo reporter Gavin O’Callaghan, who finished up this week at the Cork news site to take up a new reporting role with RTÉ in Dublin. The Wexford-native took to Cork like ducks to water (I worked with Gavin for a short time in Cork Beo when I moved back to Ireland). Gavin broke numerous stories and did the work that local reporters should do; out and about the streets and on the phone, finding news, chasing down the facts. Watch out for his byline.
On a personal note. Tomorrow, August 5 marks three years to the day my family and I moved back to Cork and Ireland from Japan. We arrived between the first and second lockdown in what was a singularly weird and painful time for the world. Thankfully, the pandemic is behind us. In other ways, however, progress has been painfully slow. I am speaking here of our accommodation crisis and the frustratingly low level of affordable accommodation throughout Ireland. On that note - we - my family that is - are looking to move, and I would love dearly to stay living nearby-ish to where my kids happily go to school. To that end, if you know of accommodation in the Douglas area, please do drop me a line at jj.odonoghue@gmail.com
Image of the week
Out + About
The West Cork History Festival returns this month, but in a new location: the Inish Beg estate, nestled next to the sea between Skibbereen and Baltimore. The talks and discussions this year will be focused on two themes - the Irish Civil War and the Decade of Centenaries, and Munster and Ireland’s mercantile connections in the 18th century. A united Ireland - or the possibility of it - will feature Bob Collins, former DG of RTÉ, Trevor Ringland, Dr. Danielle O’Donovan, former program manager at Nano Nagle Place, and Bishop Paul Colton. It's not all cerebral, though, as there will be kayaking and music too. Full festival programme here.
Time, date, place: August 11-13, Inish Beg, Baltimore, Co. Cork
Cork Pride has been taking place all through this week, and ends this weekend. Tonight at 9pm, Flashback Friday, a throwback event to Cork’s former LGBT+ venues, will be taking place at Crane Lane, while at the Pavilion, Va Va Voom will be playing a gig with special guests Crystal Queer and Lucina Schynning. Tomorrow, a family fun day will be taking place in Fitzgerald Park between 12pm and 6pm, while at 8:30pm, Fred Zeppelin’s will be hosting an alternative rock drag show. Sunday has the big event though, as the Pride Parade will be crossing the city between 1pm and 3pm. See the program here.
Time, date, place: 9pm, Friday August 04, The Crane Lane Theatre, Phoenix Street, Cork.
9pm, Friday August 04, The Pavilion, Carey’s Lane, Cork.
12pm, Saturday August 05, Fitzgerald Park, The Mardyke, Cork
8:30pm, Saturday August 05, Fred Zeppelin’s, Parliament Street, Cork.
As part of Cork Pride, Lughnasadh, a queer-centric pagan harvest festival has been taking place in St. Peter’s, North Main Street, and continues until tomorrow. The exhibition aims to contextualise Irish queer creative discourse within postcolonial societal frameworks, and combines ancient visuals, uplifting music and epicurean celebrations with contemporary visual art. Today, at 11am, is a sound bath and guided meditation with Melanie O’Driscoll and Robbi Sheahan, while tomorrow at 3pm, SNKT will be playing sacred electronic gay pop music.
Time, date, place:11am, Friday August 04, and 3pm, Saturday August 05, St. Peter’s, North Main Street, Cork.
August is Cork Craft Month, and following its launch and craft fair last weekend, more exhibitions will be taking place as part of the celebration of craft. Emerge is an exhibition featuring new and emerging artists and crafters from the county’s creative colleges, curated by Ayşegül Yüzel, and it takes place at the MTU Gallery on the Grand Parade until August 24th. Meanwhile, in the new Kinsale Library, Interwoven is an exhibition which features Cork Craft and Design Members work, and explores the connection between craft, design, the society in which they are created, and features crafters who use these historical techniques in the modern age. Curated by Casey Walsh, the exhibition launches on Thursday, August 10th, and runs until September 7th. See the program here.
Time, date, place: August 03 - August 24, MTU Gallery, 46 Grand Parade, Cork.
August 10 - September 07, Kinsale Library, The James O’Neill Building, Church Square, Kinsale.
The Skibbereen Arts Festival has been taking place for the past week, and runs until tomorrow. While tonight’s live music at Fastnet Lighthouse is sold out, dub reggae musician Mad Professor plays tonight at the Skibbereen Community Hall with local dub reggae group Revelation Sound. The festival also features visual and sonar art exhibitions. Preamble is an exhibition of prints, drawings and photographs at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, featuring multiple Cork artists, and their reaction to the word ‘preamble’. John Public is an immersive sonar exhibition in a local lane by Vicki Davis, which is inspired by the town’s lanesways, and immerses the listener in what the artists calls the ‘interiority’ of the town. Finally, tomorrow, Hypha is an improvised multi-sensory session, involving field recordings and material from around us that artists will place in the gallery, to explore different ways of interacting and conversing. See the program here.
Time, date, place: 9:30pm, August 04, Skibbereen Community Hall, O'Donovan Rossa GAA, Rossa Road, Skibbereen.
July 26-August 05, and 12pm, August 05, Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Uillinn, Skibbereen.
Two all-day festivals hit Leap this weekend, as Connolly’s hosts Dublin hip hop collective Soft Boy Records for Soft Fest. Kojaque headlines the festival following a big performance at Body and Soul in June, and local indie-pop Yenkee shares the top of the billing with him. Shiv and Curtisy make up the rest of the lineup, which begins at 3pm and will go on until late. On Sunday some of the city’s biggest DJs will be taking over the venue, with Fish Go Deep’s Shane Johnson, and DJ Colm Motherway headlining One To One, supported by Dublin’s Glenn Davis and Arveene inside, while JusMe, Lisa Oh, and Jon Barry will be play reggae, hip-hop, funk and world music outside. A return bus ticket from the city is also available for this event. Tickets for Soft Fest are €31.50 and available here, while tickets for One to One are €21.50 and available here.
Time, date, place: 3pm, Saturday August 05, and 1pm, Sunday August 06, Connolly’s of Leap, Leap.
The Tan Jackets continue their monthly residency in Coughlans this Saturday with a free gig. Comprising of Dan Walsh, Cathal Mac Gabhann, Capilian Sherlock and Sollamh Kelly, they play incredible renditions of cult classics and classic rock. Why pop down for a boogie?
Time, date, place:10pm, Saturday August 05, Coughlan’s, Douglas Street, Cork.
The River Runs Round festival is a brand new, small festival, put together by local musician Matthew Xavier Corrigan. It begins on Thursday with Forbidden Wizard, Stummel and Crying Loser in An Spailpín Fánach at 8pm. Friday sees local folk musician Rua Rí play Coughlan’s at 7pm, while Asha plays in Plugd on Saturday at 7:30pm. The Sunwell Tapes host Circle with their own musicians playing in Plugd at 7:30pm on Sunday, while the festival closes with a screening of ‘I Don’t Have Eyes on Him’ at 8pm on Sunday, a film by local electronic musician Actualacid. Other events include ‘The Doom That Came to Shandon’, an open mic hosted by Jake M. M. Griffin, in Maureen’s, at 4pm on Saturday. More information and tickets here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Thursday August 10, An Spailpín Fánach, South Main Street, Cork.
7pm, Friday August 11, Coughlan’s, Douglas Street, Cork.
4pm, Saturday August 12, Maureen’s, Mulgrave Road, Shandon.
7:30pm, Saturday August 12, Plugd, Cornmarket Street, Cork.
7:30pm, Sunday August 13, Plugd, Cornmarket Street, Cork.
8pm, Sunday August 13, The Roundy, Castle Street, Cork.
Lisbon-based band The Tourorists play the Nest at Coughlan’s Saturday next week, with support from the Choke Collective. The Choke Collective are a multidisciplinary performance art collective, with a sound comprising of poetry, rap, hip-hop, influenced by jungle, drum & bass, alt-rock, amongst other things. The Tourorists, meanwhile, comprises of a Cork musician and an American, and they travel to Ireland for the first time for a mini-tour. They blend folk, punk, with a sound described as ‘acoustic punk’. More information here.
Time, date, place:; 7pm, Saturday August 12, Coughlan’s, Douglas Street, Cork.
This week on T+D:
On Tuesday, Kilian and JJ profiled Chippy, the tireless tagger leaving his mark on Cork’s walls. That piece here.
On Wednesday, we published Noel Sweeney’s wonderfuil photo essay of road bowling in Cork.
On Thursday, Pádraig O’Connor reviewed “Katty Barry - Queen of The Coal Quay” which runs until August 5 at the CAT Club.
We’re going to take a two week summer break from regular posting on Tripe + Drisheen, but we’ll have the occasional review. Before we sign off, thank you, as always, to our subscribers for pitching in and helping fund Tripe + Drisheen. We’ve had a few great pieces so far in August from contributors and more lined up to come, as well as the winner of our summer photo competition. Thanks for making the journalism happen! See ye soon!