The Friday View 20/1
The Friday View 20/1
A city landmark will soon be ticking again and MacCurtain Street is streets ahead. Plus we have our round-up of news and events.
Welcome to the Friday View and thank you for subsribing to Tripe+Drisheen.
JJ writes…
“Nowadays there’s something about MacCurtain.”
The Sunday Times (Irish and British editions) gave extended and positive coverage to Cork city this past weekend.
The “walkable Atlantic city” was the focus of the Times ‘Big Weekend’ feature which is aimed at travellers and tourists. Owing to print constraints, these pieces always leave out more than they include, and they accentuate the positive. That makes sense. The visiting journalist, who was a guest of Fáilte Ireland and The Hayfield Manor, had many positive things to say about the city and its cultural attractions, especially the area around MacCurtain Street, which is becoming synonymous with two particular letters.
Christening it Cork’s “coolest neighbourhood”, the atmosphere is described as “far from stuffy or antiquated” (as in not very Victorian). In a stroke of good timing, The Glass Curtain, also on MacCurtain Street (this time the street was described as “what could be Ireland’s best street for foodies”) was reviewed by the paper's restaurant critics. The review was glowing.
Cringefully though, the two reviewers introduced readers to MacCurtain Street by way of Oliver Plunkett Street, as if both streets were supermodels or rugby players, or worst of all brands.
“Five or ten years ago you might have said it was all about Oliver Plunkett, but nowadays there’s something about MacCurtain. Like the aorta pumps blood around the body, MacCurtain Street is Cork city’s vital artery, linking Kent Station to its main thoroughfare, Patrick Street.”
For what died the sons and saints of Ireland? This, apparently.
MacCurtain Street is certainly doing well in the PR stakes, and City Council contractors are in the process of moving in as they set about adding more space for pedestrians and making the street two-way. In the process they will uproot the costly temporary footpaths installed during the pandemic.
The reviewers were on to something with their metaphor of the heart and circulatory system. There’s much to like about MacCurtain Street, but traffic, which often clogs the street, is certainly something that detracts from its cool factor. Short of banning cars from MacCurtain Street, it’s hard to see how the volume of traffic will substantially decrease. (The City Council believes the changes will mean MacCurtain Street transitions from a “traffic dominated street to a pleasant visitor destination”).
Streets, like ourselves, change over time. The Tigh Filí on MacCurtain Street was a great venue to see the work of many emerging and established Cork-based artists such as Niamh Lawlor, Harry Moore and a young Conor Harrington (his very first solo exhibition was at the Tigh Filí). I wonder if an arts centre such as Tigh Filí could afford a place on MacCurtain Street anymore?
MacCurtain Street and the streets around it are a work in progress. The neighbourhood is riding a crest of favourable publicity and no doubt that’s down to a lot of hard work. Here’s hoping though that MacCurtain Street is much more than just the sum of buzzwords and branding.
News in brief
Mangan’s clock: In early January 2022, I was taking pictures near the statue of Fr. Matthew for a long read about the ‘hut’ which lived, amongst other places, at the top of St. Patrick’s Street. I asked a taxi driver parked up beside me if he could recall the shed that was habituated by bus drivers. He could. He went to school up the hill and told me he used to meet dates under Mangan’s Clock, situated just across the street from Fr. Matthew. To be honest, I’d forgotten about the clock and never knew it was a dating landmark. I wandered over and took a few pictures of the stopped clock. As you can see, both faces tell a different time. It’s been broken for years (cue stopped clock jokes).
The good news is that the City Council announced this week that Mangan’s Clock will be fixed. Stokes Clocks, based on MacCurtain Street, have been commissioned to repair the city landmark. The supporting pillar will also get a refurbishment. (It’s expected to cost around €7,500 and will take three months to complete).
According to the City Council, Mangan's Clock has been telling the time on St. Patrick's Street since the 1850s, and was put there by Mangan Jewellers. The clock has lasted through British rule, the burning of Cork, and the refurbishment of St. Patrick’s Street. It is, as Niamh Twomey, a heritage officer with the City Council said, “an important part of the city’s social and technical heritage”. The same, at least the social part, could also be said of the ‘hut’. Granted, restoring the ‘hut’ is a bigger and costlier restoration project, and crucially - for the Council at least - unlike Mangan’s Clock, there is the question of where to place the ‘hut’? Fitzgerald’s Park could be an option, or Bishop Lucey Park too, or inviting the people of Cork to offer their suggestions. But, the first step should be restoring it.
As for Mangan’s Clock, soon enough it will be up and running (literally) at the top of St. Patrick’s Street and once again a place for couples (who likely meet first online) to meet in real life. And on time.
Protecting the past: The past is all around us and often requires protection and restoration. The government offers funding for the preservation of architectural and archaeological heritage, such as monuments, buildings, and landmarks. There are three different funding options: the Community Monuments Fund, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, and the Historic Structures Fund. Between now and the end of January, individuals or communities can apply for funds to maintain or restore their heritage sites through Cork County Council's Heritage Unit and Conservation Office. The amount of money on offer differs for each funding tranche and full details about the scheme are available here. The deadline for applications is 4pm January 31.
Out + About
🗣Beginning in January and running through to May, the Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald’s Park will be hosting a series of free public lectures about Cork and World War I. The first of these talks gets underway this Saturday and will feature a lecture by Gerry White. Ireland was still under British rule when the war broke out and thousands of Irish enlisted with the British army. Gerry is a former soldier and the author of several books on Ireland’s military history. All talks are free but booking, via email or phone, is essential. Contact details: museum@corkcity.ie or 021-4270679 to book your place.
Time, date, place: 1pm, Saturday January 21, Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald’s Park
🎸If you want to get a sense of what Cork’s new music scene is like, then Cyprus Avenue should be a good testing ground. Over two nights this weekend, the city centre venue will host Cork Rising 2023. As the name implies, the festival is a showcase of Cork’s emerging talent. On the ticket on Friday night are Arthur Valentine, Neon Cars, Letterbox Kid, Syano and Rex Arcum while on Saturday Sam Healy, Straif, Ebben Phlö and Hánt will complete the line-up. It's an eclectic mix of artists and music genres. Tickets are €10 for each night. Ronan Leonard has more on some of the bands in Cork Rising here.
Time, date, place: 7pm, January 20 and 21, Cyprus Avenue, Oliver Plunkett Street
🎻The Banbha Quartet, comprising Lidia Jewloszewicz-Clarke and Maria Ryan (violin), Robin Panter (viola), and Aoife Burke (cello), will kick off the Triskel's Spring String Series this coming Saturday with a lunchtime performance this coming Saturday. The quartet formed in 2020 and is supported by the National String Quartet Foundation. The Banbha was last at The Triskel this past September. This time around, they'll be playing music from Grażyna Bacewicz, a leading figure in Polish musical circles during and after the Second World War, as well as Irish-American composer Jane O'Leary's "Forever Begin" and closing out with Dvořák's "American" quartet. Tickets from €13. More information here.
Time, date, place: 1pm, Saturday January 21, Triskel Christchurch
🧶The Handweavers Guild of Cork, established by a small group of friends in the 1980s, meets once a month. This Saturday, the Guild will be meeting in Bishopstown Library to talk about and practice weaving, spinning, knitting and crocheting. New members are welcome. You can get more information about the Handweavers on their webiste here.
Time, date, place: 10am, Saturday January 21, Bishopstown Library
This week on T +D
On Monday, Ellie published the first part in a new four-part series documenting her car-free travels (without mentioning “on yer bike” in the headline). There’s been a phenomenal response to it. In the inaugural piece, Ellie sets out the reasons why she’s ditched the car, or in her case her van. I think a lot of that interest comes from people wanting to know how it’s done, given the shortcomings in public transport and the inclement weather and the hills and a million other variables (and excuses). If you haven’t read it, I suggest you do. And check back in on Monday for part two.
That’s it for this week’s Friday View. We’re back tomorrow with our weekly Arts+Culture newsletter. Any tips, news or events you’d like to share with Tripe+Drisheen, contact Ellie at 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.