☘️The Friday View 14/03
If St Patrick were alive and kicking he'd be kicking it in Cork this weekend where it's all going down. Plus, it's a three-day weekend and there's lots to see and do.
Good morning and welcome to the Friday View. Let’s get to it!
News in brief
Politicians making the news: Following the arrest of Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould for questioning last week, party colleague and Cork City councillor Kenneth Collins subsequently confirmed he too was arrested for questioning back in January. Both politicians were released without charge and deny any wrongdoing. The Irish Times first reported that a member of the Oireachtas was arrested in relation to an alleged €150,000 business fraud committed over a decade ago. Gould subsequently confirmed he was the Oireachtas member and has since written to the Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy, seeking to address the Dáil.
Elsewhere, a former Fianna Fáil county councillor from Blarney this week pleaded guilty to harassing a woman in Cork City in the summer of 2022. Certain details of the case were not published in order to protect the victim’s identity. Joseph O’Donovan, now known as Gary O’Flynn, was a councillor from 2003 to 2008. The case was adjourned to May 28
Motions:At this week’s monthly City Council meeting, Cllr Joe Kavanagh (FG) proposed that bins be included in any plans for new bus shelters. Footpaths and their poor state were the subject of two different motions (from Cllr Sean Martin (FF) and Laura Harmon (Lab)), with Cllr Martin calling for 10% of the active travel budget to be allocated to improving old and existing footpaths, bringing them up to a safe and acceptable standard.
Cllr Martin’s motion went on to state: “The practice of insisting on the inclusion of a cycle lane or nothing happens needs to stop. Walking is the most popular and efficient means of active travel and needs to be encouraged and facilitated more.”
Can’t we have both?
Coffee House Lates: Now in its second iteration, Coffee House Lates is an inititaive whereby city-centre cafés stay open past their regular hours over two evenings. They’ve all got something besides flat whites going on too. The city’s “night mayor,” Fiona Collins, the Cork Business Association, as well as the 11 independent cafés that signed on, all deserve credit for getting it off the ground and testing the potential to stay open late and offer an alternative to the pub.
There’s clearly an appetite for venues that are not pubs or bars. In Ireland, alcohol consumption is down 30% over the past two decades, but Ireland still ranks as the third-highest globally for the number of pubs per capita. Cork city is not short of cafés, many of which have a strong and loyal customer base. The Lates project doubles as a venue for artists, performers, and tarot card readers to get involved. (At the Grumpy Baker on Washington Street, a witch will be doing free readings from 6pm this evening).
DJs, artists, trad musicians, coffee and wine tastings, and a craft market in aid of Penny Dinners are all part and parcel of the Lates programme taking place tonight and tomorrow night. For the full list of cafés, what’s going on in each, and when, take a look here.
Parade watching: For Tripe readers living beyond Hang Dog Road and pining for a glimpse of the action in the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the good news is that a live stream will be up and running from 12:45 pm Irish time. Talking you through it will be Ronan Leonard, the incomparable quizmaster, bookseller, tour guide, and general gadfly.
Says the man himself: “Some Cork people have honed their skills and lifted the Liam McCarthy, O’Duffy, Sam Maguire, or Brendan Martin Trophy. However, my entire career has been talking about the broader reasons Cork is great for tourists, the subtler reasons Cork is great for locals, and the trivial reasons March 17th is great for fact fans.
My actual job as a walking tour guide of Cork City, my general love of finding the positive entertainment in life, and just my love of the craic and wordplay make commentating the best two-ish hours of my year (except All-Ireland Hurling Finals we are playing in!).”
Tune in on YouTube here.
A sheriff hangs up his hat: Most Corkonians are likely blissfully unaware that we have a sheriff in town. We do. And this week, after 35 years, Martin A. Harvey, Cork City Sheriff and Returning Officer, and Forde’s regular, retired. Political anoraks would know Martin for his role in overseeing elections. At a special reception this week, Lord Mayor Cllr. Dan Boyle thanked Martin for “his integrity, his openness, and his transparency, which have earned him the respect of everyone involved in politics.”
St Patrick’s Day Parade events: Cornmarket Street (the Coal Quay) is holding a night market tonight, March 14, from 5pm to 10pm with stalls galore promised. It’s being run in conjunction with the Coffee House Lates and as well as craft stall there’ll be food stalls and live entertainment. More information here.
Let’s Play Cork is taking over Elizabeth Fort for its Tailteanan Games edition, featuring traditional games with a modern twist. Designed for all ages, it’s free to enter, and no booking is required. The fort is located just off Barrack Street, and the games will run from 11 am to 1 pm on March 15. More information here. After lunch, the games give way to a ‘rave’, with a trad twist. Epic craic guaranteed, allegedly. From 2-3:30pm. Free to enter. More information here.
And if it’s trad music you’re looking for (without the twist), both The Corner House and Sin É on Coburg St. will have free sessions taking place tonight from 6pm and 6:30pm respectively. Over at City Hall the mighty Drumbeg Céilí Band will join a rake of talented trad musicians for Ceol Chorcaí - A Celebration of Irish Music, Song and Dance from 7:30pm. Tickets and information here.
St Patrick’s Day parade slogan of the week…goes to Ballincollig: “There’s no place like Ballincollig.” (Thanks to a T+D reader for the snap!)
Run: This week, JJ wrote about one of the city’s park runs - there are three which take place every Saturday morning in Tramore Valley Park, Ballincollid Regional Park and the Glen River Park. Up on the Northside, they’ll be celebrating parkrun 250 and runners walkers and onlookers are akse duo wear a bit of green given the weekend that’s in it. The event kicks off at 9:30am.
A city parkrun turns 250
It’s the age-old question: why run, especially first thing on a Saturday morning, unless you’re being chased by a pride of lions?
Also, this week Pádraig O'Connor was in Ballincollig for the official opening of the city’s first biodiversity hub. You can read that piece here.
Cork city's first biodiversity hub begins life in Ballincollig
A new biodiversity hub, situated in a historic building in Ballincollig Regional Park, will be pivotal in protecting the various species that call the 140-acre suburban park home.
Out + About
🎸 God Alone play their first and possibly only hometown gig of the year in Dali on as part of the Dead Cult Paddy’s Day Bash. They are joined by local prog and post-hardcore outfit Blind Sight and Dublin metal band Uragh. Tickets are available here.
Time, date, place: 8:30pm, Saturday December 15, Dali, Lavitt’s Quay, Cork.
🎵 Sean-nós singer and multi-instrumentalist Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin is in Cork for the St. Patrick’s Day Festival with a show at St. Peter’s. Well known in trad circles, Ó Ceannabháin’s first solo album The Deepest Breath was released in November 2022 to widespread critical acclaim. He won two 2023 RTÉ Folk Awards. He will be joined by Ian Kinsella on guitar and Lucia McPartlin on fiddle and viola. Tickets are available here.
Time, date, place: 7pm, Sunday March 16, St. Peter’s, North Mainn Street, Cork.
🎶 Irish folk legend Andy Irvine returns to Leeside for a Paddy’s Day show in St. Luke’s. Formerly of Planxty and Patrick Street, Irvine has collaborated with Paul Brady and Dick Gaughan in his long career. The veteran still maintains a strong presence in the folk scene, regularly gigging and touring around Ireland. Tickets are available here.
A few days later at the same location, alternative folk singer Junior Brother performs as part of his Ireland and UK tour. He’s currently working on his third album, so expect some tracks you may not have heard before. Tickets are available here.
Time, date, place: 7:30pm, Sunday March 16; 7:30pm, Thursday March 20, Live At St. Luke’s, Summerhill North, Cork.
🖼️ Dublin-based Portuguese artist Helena Gouveia Monteiro exhibits some of her works at ends meet, in the Sirius Arts Centre. The exhibition explores the technical and theoretical approaches to film, photography, installation, and publications, referencing the history of experimental cinema and media archaeology. More information here.
Time, date, place: Saturday March 15-Saturday April 26, Sirius Arts Centre, Westbourne Place, Cobh.
Trad four-piece Céilí Allstars play tunes traditionally associated with Sliabh Luachra, where they come from. They perform in the The Nest at Coughlans on St. Patrick’s Day for a free gig, at 6pm. More information here.
Time, date, place: 6pm, Monday March 17, Coughlan’s, Douglas Street, Cork.
🎬 The Triskel will be screening David Lynch’s works this weekend, through to next week. From The Mind of David Lynch features screenings of The Straight Man and The Elephant Man on Sunday, Eraserhead and Blue Velvet on Tuesday, and Lost Highway and Wild at Heart on Wednesday. Confusing, unsettling, and brilliant, these are some of the late director’s finest works. Tickets and screenings here.
Time, date, place: Sunday March 16-Wednesday March 19, Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street, Cork.
🎤 Historian Liam Ó hUigín will give a talk on the history of Barrack Street on Saturday, at Nano Nagle Place. One of the oldest areas of the city, Barrack Street features a fort, is near a cathedral, and has the oldest bar in the city. Will surely be a fascinating lecture. Tickets and more information here.
Time, date, place: 1:30pm, Saturday March 15, Nano Nagle Place, Douglas Street, Cork.
☕️There will be a Night Market on Cornmarket Street this evening, running from 5pm until 10pm. It includes craft makers and food stalls with live entertainment rounding out the evening. This event is being held in conjunction with Coffee House Lates, which returns for St. Patrick’s Weekend, and features a a Vinyl Brews with Brian’s Wines and Zine Popup by In The Fold at Plugd. They will have a collection of zines, arts books and small prints to go through. You can see more of the coffee house lates schedule here.
Time, date, place: 5pm-10pm, Friday March 14, Cornmarket Street, Cork.
That’s it for this week’s Friday View. As always, any tips, comments, news or events you’d like to share with Tripe+Drisheen, you can contact us at tripeanddrisheen@substack.com. We are always happy to speak to people off the record in the first instance, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity. Get in touch. Have a lovely long weekend.