🚋The Friday View 07/03
Light-rail and new roads, Celtic FC are coming to the Páirc, the Lord Mayor is Stateside and a cracking round-up of things to see and do while you wait for the Cork Luas.
Hello, and welcome to the Friday View. Let’s get to it!
Next stop, Youghal, Mahon Point: This week, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said that the preferred route for Cork’s new tram network is set to be announced “in the coming weeks”, according to The Irish Examiner. The final bill is estimated to be worth between €2bn and €3bn, and O’Brien hopes that it will get to planning by the end of the year. A public consultation will open for the route, which will travel from Ballincollig to Mahon via the city centre.
According to the Minister, an Taoiseach Micheál Martin is "extremely anxious" about the Cork light-rail project and other major public infrastructure projects such as BusConnects and the Dublin metro. Hs anxiety might be down to the fact that these projects have been knocking about for decades. Details of the preferred route for the Cork light-rail project are already well behind schedule.
One key issue that the route is facing is whether to take a left or right turn from Washington Street onto Grand Parade (the corner from Grand Parade to Patrick Street may be too severe to accommodate a tram). This is an issue that was also brought up by the previous Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan. The route is expected to serve Ballincollig, Bishopstown, UCC, the city centre, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and the Blackrock/Mahon area.
CorkBeo reported on Wednesday that a train to Youghal “will come eventually”, according to the CEO of Irish Rail, Jim Meade. Meade said that Irish Rail own the Midleton to Youghal Greenway and that a green strip alongside the greenway has been preserved for twin tracking, and so the possibility of taking a train to the beach in Youghal is back on the cards. But, the key question is how long of a timeline is “eventually”? Irish Rail have also promised eight new rail stations for Cork, but they too are on the eventually spreadsheet.
All of this transport news came after the public consultation opened for the Cork Northern Distributor road, a new multi-modal route that will run from the Carrigrohane Road close to Glanmire Village in the east of the city, via Hollyhill, Killeens, Kilbarry, Ballyvolane and Rathcooney. The western and eastern ends of the route may raise a few eyebrows, the eastern end especially, by cutting through woodland near Glanmire village to reach the Glashaboy Estuary. The public consultation is open and available to access here.
There are three more public information open days for the CNDMR, where members of the public can view the proposed route and speak to members of the project team throughout March. Details below:
Wednesday 12 March 2025 at The Maldron Hotel, John Redmond Street, Shandon from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday 21 March 2025 at Blackpool Shopping Centre, Blackpool from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesday 25 March 2025 at City Hall, Anglesea Street from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Super Cup: Following a week of rumours and whispers, it was finally announced that City will be playing the famous Celtic Football Club at Páirc Uí Chaoimh this summer. The tournament was launched at a special event at the Páirc featuring Celtic striker and Douglas native Adam Idah, Glen Rovers and Cork hurling captain Rob Downey, and City winger and Glanmire native Cathal O’Sullivan. The launch event was also attended by an Taoiseach Micheál Martin, local children, and membesr of Cork’s two local Celtic supporters slubs.
The announcement videos on Celtic FC’s social media also featured a visit from Idah to Douglas Community School. "It's really exciting,” Idah said. “It's going to be a fantastic evening, something I never thought would happen, Celtic v Cork City. It will be fantastic, and hopefully, we get a great turnout." City’s next fixture is against Sligo Rovers tonight, at Turner’s Cross. Tickets for the Cork Super Cup are on sale now and available here.
Lord Mayor leads delegation to SF: The public humiliation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the ongoing trade war against Canada, Mexico and the world, as well as tearing down the federal government and a general reordering of geopolitics isn’t holding back a delegation from Cork City Council who are headed to the US this week.
Lord Mayor Dan Boyle is leading the junket to Cork’s sister city of San Francisco and the wider Bay Area along with fellow two senior Council officials and the usual coterie of VIPs.
The Lord Mayor’s trip includes a visit to Apple’s Headquarters in Cupertino, coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the opening of their Hollyhill plant, a meeting with the Mayor of San Francisco, Daniel Lurie, and an engagement New York’s Corkonian diaspora, attending the County Cork Association Ball. The delegation will be Stateside until Monday March 10.
Putting down roots: St. Vincent’s GAA have planted 120 trees at their Knocknaheeny training ground, as part of their ongoing climate action plans, funded by Cork City Council’s Community Climate Action Fund.
The club partnered with another recipient of the climate action fund, Green Spaces for Health, after club Treasurer Cllr. Kenneth Collins contacted member Maria Young. “I knew our club would be a great site for trees, but I didn’t know what to plant,” Collins said, “I met Maria through the Community Climate Leadership meetups and found out from her that there are schools and communities across the city growing saplings. The saplings needed homes, and we had land to plant them in, so it was a win for everyone, including nature and climate!”
Young explained the process of the planting. “The acorns were collected from two Cork City trees by local school children,” she said. “They were planted in the specialised boxes by school communities across the city, then potted on and minded by them for two years. Now more hands are planting them out. The amount of people involved is wonderful”.
They were helped on the day by Wilton-based web and digital marketing company, Revolution, which has worked with Green Spaces for Health since last year.
Council watch - who owns what? Sinn Féin councillor for the South West ward, Joe Lynch, has submitted a motion ahead do next week’s all council meeting calling for councillors’ annual ethics declarations, which detail interests in land and property, business dealings and directorships, to be made public on the council’s website.
"This transparency is very important and these returns are public documents, insofar as a public register of returns is available for inspection at City Hall in paper format; however it is rarely accessed,” he said. "A large number of local authorities have taken to publishing these returns on their websites, including Dublin's four local Councils, Galway City Council, Kerry County Council and Tipperary County Council to name a few. Cork City Council is lagging behind in this regard.”
Equally as interesting would be to see who owns what in the Directorate, and if for example, any of them are landlords?
New Crawford artist award: This week, the Crawford Art Gallery, which is closed for a major overhaul, gallery announced details of a new prize for artists. The €25,000 triennial award, known as the Gibson Travelling Fellowship Award, will provide an artist with the means to travel abroad and engage with new artistic communities and cultivate international relationships that will impact their creative practice. The deadline for applications is 12:00pm, Wednesday 14 May 2025.
Out + About
Drift Ritual and Fixity present a night of psychy and ambient electronic and live music at Dali tonight. Multi-instrumentalist Dan Walsh plays a Fixity solo set, while Eamon Ivri’s (Lighght) Mineral Stunting also plays live. There will be DJ sets from Dublin’s Baliboc and Doctor Earth. Described on its’ own event page as “one for the weirdos”, tickets are available here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Friday March 7, Dali, Lavitt’s Quay, Cork.
Bán(Sí) is a musician from West Cork who draws draws heavily from poetry, folk and mythical Ireland to explore themes of death, love, suicide, colonialism, and trauma. They use use elements such as caoining and loop sequences, and play accordion, guitar, and harmonies to create a soundscape that take audiences to new emotional depths. They play at St. Peters this evening, with support from progressive folk artist Brian Leach. Admission is €10, tickets are available here.
Time, date, place: 6:30pm, Friday March 7, St. Peter’s, North Main Street, Cork.
This month, the Triskel Sample Project Space has been taken over by Fiona Boniwell, a London artist based in Kinsale since 2006. Her art practice centres on drawing as a means of expression and investigation, and more recently, has been tied to her practice of martial arts, documenting her evolving relationship with movement and her physical self through drawing. This residency invites the public in to see the process of development, until the beginning of April.
Time, date, place: Wednesday March 5-Sunday April 6, Triskel Sample Project Space, Tobin Street, Cork.
Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen are hosting workshops with CECAS and artist Tara de las Casas to create sustainable artworks that will feature in Skibb’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Based around the natural habitats of birds in West Cork, the workshops take place today, tomorrow, and on Saturday March 15, between 10:30am and 12:30pm. More information here.
Time, date, place: 10:30am, Friday March 7 and Saturday March 8, Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen.
Irish folk legend Declan Sinnott has been working with Evelyn Kallansee since 2020. Kallansee is a Curaçao born musician who had a music career in the Netherlands, and now lives in Co. Kerry. Herself and Sinnott released an album, ‘Make for Joy’, in 2024, and will perform songs from this album at St. George’s Heritage and Arts Centre in Mitchelstown. Tickets are available here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Friday March 7, Saint George’s Heritage and Arts Centre, Church Street, Mitchelstown.
Dug is a musical duo of Lorkin O’Reilly, an Irishman who spent ten years living in Upstate New York, and California native Jonny Pickett. The band blends American old time and Irish folk, reflecting the musical heritage of both its members. They perform at Winthrop Avenue on Saturday night, tickets available here.
Time, date, place: 7pm, Saturday March 8, Winthrop Avenue, Cork.
Pianist Yukine Koroki started playing piano at just 3 years old and performing with her first orchestra at the age of 7, she won both the Liszt Utrecht and Dublin International Piano Competitions in 2022. Having performed with orchestras across the world, her 2024/2025 season features eagerly awaited debuts at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Verbier Festival, and St. Brendan’s Church in Bantry on Sunday, March 9th. Tickets are available here.
Time, date, place: 3pm, Sunday March 9, St. Brendan’s Church, Wolfe Tone Square, Bantry.
Film of the week: The Triskel will be screening Housewife of the Year next week, a documentary that tells the story of Ireland’s treatment of women through the prism of a unique, surreal, live televised competition. The competition sees a generation of Irish women competed in front of a live audience for the title of ‘Housewife of the Year’. Tickets available here.
Time, date, place: 1:30pm, Sunday March 9, 5pm, Monday March 10-Wednesday March 12, Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street, Cork.
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