The Friday View 21/06
🌞Summer solstice, standing stones, Cork Flower Studio turns 17, Midsummer Fest wraps up and we’ll have new mayors in place by sun down. Scroll on!
New public realm works: 2024 will see a big summer of construction for Cork City centre. To add to the construction starting around South Main Street, flood defence upgrades will begin on Morrisson’s Islands well as construction of a cycle lane to Glanmire. The City Council also released details about upgrades to St. Patrick’s Street and Grand Parade will be restored. As part of the works, the council will “restore the natural stone slabs at pedestrian crossings and other locations”, its website says, and will also “restore damaged street furniture, lining, signage and other features.” As a result, Patrick Street will be closed northbound from the start of July to mid-August, while Grand Parade: will be closed to north and westbound traffic from mid-August to mid-September.
The works only include St. Patrick’s Street and the Grand Parade, and does not include Oliver Plunkett Street, which is lined with ‘decorative’ bollards that don’t work. Back in March, we reported in the Friday View that Twitter user Sam emailed the City Council’s Director of Services, David Joyce, asking if they were ever going to be repaired. To refresh your memory, he received a lackluster response, and when he pushed for a “response relating directly to my reasonable query”, Joyce responded that “I am at a complete loss to understand your continued emails on this matter,” and that he had made it “very clear in previous emails that there is more than adequate public lighting on Oliver Plunkett Street,” and that “there is not a requirement to replace the decorative street level lighting.” So that’s that, then.
As part of the works, six bus routes will be diverted: the 203 and 215 will travel up the South Mall and Merchant’s Quay, the 205 and 208 will stop at Lavitt’s Quay and Bridge Street, the 207 will stop at the South Mall and head straight from there to Summerhill North, and the 214 will stop at South Mall and Deane Street, going from there straight up to the Lower Glanmire Road.
Next city mayor: Green Party councillor Dan Boyle is tipped to be the next Lord Mayor, according to 96fm. This afternoon councillors will vote for Kieran McCarthy’s successor, and while it is not a given, it is expected that the political veteran will get the role. Cllr. Boyle was a TD for Cork South Central between 2002 and 2007, and a Senator between 2007 and 2011.
The Greens are forming an alliance with Labour and the Social Democrats, which, according to GP councillor Oliver Moran will be the largest in the council after FF. The Green’s told T+D that they also plan to nominate debut councillor Honoré Kamegni as deputy mayor. We shall know more later this evening.
Announcement due on M20: On Monday, there will be a project update on the status of the M20, which is currently at design stage. The project update information, which is likely to be the detailed design of the project, will be available to view at the project website from 5pm onwards, with maps available to view at local authority offices in Cork and Mallow, from Wednesday 26th June 2024. This will be followed by a webinar with the project team on the 3rd and 10th of July. The project will include junctions at Blarney, Grenagh/Rathduff, Mallow North and South, Buttevant, Charleville, Bruree and Croom.
Town Hall meeting at Test Site: Test Site hosted two open town hall meetings yesterday evening where members of the public could discuss the future of the site. The meeting included three roundtable discussions focusing around governance, finance and activities, discussing similar initiatives and spaces in other countries and how they are run. The site hosts Coby Sey and Elaine Howley in collaboration with Plugd on Saturday next week.
Radio for the Solstice: The Cork Midsummer Festival is in full flow as the summer solstice hits tonight. One of the festival highlights has been Radio Solstice, a radio station put together by local artist Elinor O’Donovan and musicians Caoilian Sherlock and John Bosteels. It broadcasts for three more days, with shows by Flowers at Night, Donagh Kavanagh, Gilbert Steele, and Jim Plugd to come. All shows will be uploaded online, including my own.
Elsewhere at the festival, Good Sex began last night with a cast of Jamie Beamish and Rebecca O’Mara. The cast changes every night and is announced the morning of the performance, with tonight's performers being Megan Cusack and Alex Murphy. This weekends performers will be Marty Breen, Clare Dunne, Paul Reid and Ayoola Smart.
Standing Stones: JJ spoke with the creators of the new standing stones in the Peace Park, on the South Mall, for a long read that was released yesterday. The stones, one of which is inscribed with the word ‘Síocháin’, meaning peace, were carved by a wide-ranging collective. They will be unveiled at 12pm today on Grand Parade, and the Lord Mayor Kieran McCarthy will be in attendance for one of his last official duties.
Cork Flower Studio turns 17: Cork Flower Studio, on Douglas Street, celebrated its 17th birthday on Tuesday. Part of a blooming business community and an instrumental part of the annual Autumnfest, the shop organised a trad session in the parklet on Douglas Street on every Friday of May. Here’s to 17 more years!
Out + About
As announced this morning, Good Sex returns tonight with Megan Cusack and Alex Murphy. Directed by Emilie Pine, the production sees two actors appear on The Everyman stage and try to answer how you have sex on stage, or how you even have sex. Tickets and information here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Thursday June 20-Saturday June 22, 3pm, Sunday June 23, The Everyman, McCurtain Street, Cork.
9.57 (Sunset) returns this weekend, curated by Emer Yip for Sample Studios. It will feature post-punk group Cindytalk on Friday night, with UK artist and director Florence To and Cork duo Howlbux. Saturday night will feature Kate NV, joined by US sound artist and NTS resident Felisha Ledesma. 5lowershop will play experimental dance music late into the night on Friday and Saturday. Tickets and information here.
Time, date, place: 9:57pm, Friday June 21-Saturday June 22, Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street, Cork.
Wiff Waff Is Playing At My Gaff is an interactive exhibition about table tennis curated by Davey Moore. Featuring artist made table tennis tables, the exhibition features surprise pop up tournaments. Keep your eyes peeled! More information here.
Time, date, place: Friday June 14-Sunday July 7, Crawford Art Gallery, Emmet Place, Cork.
Bualadh Bass is a new drum and bass festival taking place in Glanmire this weekend. Celebrating the summer solstice, the festival features local DJs Danilo Milk, Gwada Mike and Animwal on the lineup. Tickets and information here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Friday June 21-Saturday June 22, Sarsfield Court, Glanmire.
CATU are hosting a discussion about Ireland’s wars on landlords on Sunday afternoon. The discussion focuses on the history of land and housing in Ireland, tenants' struggles, personal experiences with homelessness, and how art can be used in the struggle for housing.
Time, date, place: 2pm, Sunday June 23, Kane Building, University College Cork.
Rebel Reads are a radical, community-based second hand bookshop in the Marina Commercial Park, filled with hidden gems. They are hosting a book sale on Sunday in their unit in Marina Commercial Park. Its definitely worth a nose!
Time, date, place: 10am-2pm, Rebel Reads, Marina Commercial Park, Centre Park Road, Cork.
That’s it for this week’s Friday View.
Any tips, comments, news or events you’d like to share with Tripe+Drisheen, you can contact us via 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 weekend.
