The Friday View 18/03
It's the day after St Patrick's Day but there's still plenty going on including trad music, new exhibitions and bike rides
JJ writes
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and weekend.
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about journalism, information and news this week, and it’s probably a good thing as this is the industry I work in. But also, I realise if I worked in farming or coding or building houses, I would likely think more about the ins and outs in those jobs, my point being is what interests me might not interest many others.
That said, news and journalism and how we make sense of what is happening both immediately around us and further afield has come into focus this week, more than other weeks. This was a result of two things.
First, there’s the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine which will soon enter its forth week. There has been so much news and information (and misinformation and disinformation) pouring out of Ukraine about the destruction that is being wrought on the country and its people. But, just across the border in Russia, what is happening on the ground in Ukraine, is magically also not happening. Reality is both denied and distorted. The truth is penetrating through in patches, but the proliferation of technology and platforms is still no match against censorship and propaganda.
Much closer to home, there was quite a lot happening at city council level this week, two meetings in fact, which were probably exhausting for all included as they tend to run on and some. On Wednesday evening, the city council met to discuss the Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 and ahead of it T+D were included in a tweet with reference to a vote about land rezoning at Glen Park. The tweet generated quite a bit of traction, and while all the usual caveats apply to social media, especially Twitter, the bigger point I took from the frenzied liking, commenting and re-sharing was that there is an appetite to know more, much more about what’s happening at a granular level in our city.
From day one, that’s been one of the primary impulses for starting Tripe + Drisheen: to understand how our city and county works from the roots up to the branches. I know there’s more I can and should be doing to cover these meetings, and even before such meetings come about, so that we can keep readers better informed. We’re a small team at Tripe + Drisheen, just two journalists, and it’s labour of love and belief, but everyone who subscribes helps us get a step closer to our goal of devoting more of our time, energy and resources to covering Cork. And as a reader pointed out recently in a comment in our interview with a Russian living in Cork: we are privileged to live in a democracy.
And that rezoning vote? It was voted down. Nature lives on a little longer in Glen.
News in brief
Chicago, baby: As the city’s Lord Mayor and his entourage wound their way back to Cork after their St Patrick’s Day trip stateside, the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Gillian Coughlan, led a “hectic visit” to Cook County in Chicago. Both counties are “sisters” dating back to a 1999 pact and the aim of the visit this week “was to foster economic, commercial and cultural links between both counties.” Maybe some day we’ll see a hurling team from Cook County!
Watfore Limited and Creamfields: This company might be familiar to some from our feature on the former Brooks Haughton site which was bought by Alchemy Properties which was owned by Reox Holdings. Dairygold sold the site to UCC in 2019 for €17.25m. Watfore Ltd was listed in planning applications for that site while it sat idle for years. Watfore had an address listed in Mitchelstown, where Dairygold has its headquarters. Watfore is back with a planning application for a primary care centre at the old CMP Dairies site near Kinsale Road (it’s now known as Creamfields). The development would be between four and seven storeys and it’s separate from an application by Watfore to build more than 600 homes on that site. It will be interesting to see what actually transpires here.
Motions, motions, motions: There were city council meetings on Monday and Wednesday of this week and councillors went armed with motions and amendments. Green Party councillor Dan Boyle got an amendment added to the Draft Development Plan 2022-2028 that the city would work towards a 10% modal share for cycling. As we wrote last year, the 4% figure was well wide of the mark according to Cork Cycling Campaign.
Another motion that will likely please cyclists is that traffic signals in the city centre will have tech installed so that they are triggered by bicycles.
Fines: You might recall that parking fines were increased (doubled) last February for parking in bike lanes, bus lanes and on footpaths. But as has been said over and over again, laws aren’t worth the recycled paper they’re printed on unless they’re enforced: so has there been more enforcement. Well, when comparing February 2021 and February 2022 fines for illegally parking in a bus lane went from four to 39, two to six in cycle lanes and 93 to 215 respectively. Improvement in some areas.
Zoning and re-zoning: Land and how it’s used was one the focal points of the final Draft Development meeting held on Wednesday night. More than 500 proposed amendments came before council ahead of the development plan which outlines construction plans for the next six years. The Irish Examiner has more on some of big amendments that were voted on.
Remembrance: There will be a ceremony of remembrance and reflection on Sunday, March 20 across the country for all those who died from Covid-19 over the past two years. The ceremony at the City Hall will feature a tree planting and wreath-laying ceremony as well as “a reflective ceremony with poetry and music” from harpist Fiachra Ó Corragáin, the Barrack Street Band and a poem from Tom McCarthy. The event is open to the public, but you need to register here first.
Photo of the week
Out + About
🗣Tim talks: Artist Tim Goulding will hold an artist talk at the Lavitt Gallery this weekend. Ellie interviewed Tim at length about his new exhibition at the Lavit in last week’s Arts + Culture newsletter. More information here.
Time, date, place: 2:30 p.m. – Saturday, March 19
🚲 Have bike, will dance: Junior I-Bop, or a disco on wheels, a family friendly cycling event will take place this weekend meeting down the Marina for a colourful cycle finishing up at the Marina park with dancing.
Time, date, place: 11 a.m., March 20, meeting at Cortado (coffee truck) on the Marina.
🎙Talk it up!: The Gab is a storytelling community that meet at O’Mahony’s in Watergrasshill. The Mixtape is the staple monthly storytelling night. You can expect a good mix of story, song and poetry. “Mon out to Watergrasshill for the craic, you wont regret it,” says Mary of O’Mahony’s. More information here.
Time, date, place: Tuesday, March 22 7:30 p.m. starts at 8 p.m. in O’Mahony’s.
🎼 Trad in the museum: You can catch trad music in the Crawford Art Gallery today and on Sunday as well as as public tours and children’s workshops. More details here. And don’t forget, the Crawford closes for a month from Monday, January 21.
Time, date, place: Trad and public tours at 2 p.m. on March 18 and 20, with Patrick's Workshop for Children on March 19 at 2 p.m. All events in the Crawford.
🖼 Shadow Forests: A new climate change focused joint exhibition at the Lord Mauor’s Pavillion in Fitzgerlad’s Park featuring the work of artist Angela Gilmour and author Beth Jones. More information here.
Time, date, place: Wed - Sat, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. March 16- April 23, The Lord Mayor's Pavilion, Fitzgerald’s Park.
This week on T +D
On Thursday our long read was a look back at some of the characters who swam in the Lee and in the bathing houses of Cork. Swimming in the Lee, in the city centre, is virtually non existent now, and there is no longer outdoor public baths. You can read that piece in full here by T+D contributors James Furey and Kieran Murphy from Cork Folklore Project. Also, thanks to all our subscribers who help us commission and publish writers to write about our city and earn a fair wage.
Tomorrow, Saturday we have our regular Arts + Culture newsletter in which JJ caught up with the singer and multi-instrumentalist Clare Sands before her gig at the Grainstore in Ballymaloe tomorrow night.
That’s it for this week’s round-up. Also any tips, news or events you’d like to share with Tripe+Drisheen, you can contact either of us at jj.odonoghue@gmail.com or emailellieobyrne@gmail.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.
Great to hear about the Glen
It’s such a different read when journalists focus on local news, whilst having a global overview
Keep going!