The Friday View 24/05
🚂That's the sound of the choo choo, train stations are coming to Cork city and county. Camper vans are going and UCC's Professor Boole problem.
Welcome to the Friday View. Let’s get to it!
Take the train to Blarney. As The Friday View went to press this morning, or to inboxes, Minister Eamon Ryan and a coterie of bigwigs from the NTA and Irish Rail were en route to Cork to announce the news that the Cork rail network is to get eight new stations.
Now, bear with us, as Cork has been promised new train stations ever since they were shut down, but things are getting serious, as this morning’s announcement saw Iarnród Éireann award a contract to TYPSA and Roughan O’Donovan “as multi-disciplinary consultants for the design, planning, and construction of this phase of Cork commuter rail network investment.”
Get. In. There.
That the announcement just happened to come weeks before a local and European election is... organic? Anyway, one thing that is still missing from the news today is a timeline (the grand timeline is by 2040), but this morning’s press release states that: "Iarnród Éireann, with the multi-disciplinary consultants, will develop the design of the stations, depot, electrification, and other associated infrastructure, before applying to An Bord Pleanála for a Railway Order (the equivalent of planning permission) by the end of 2025.”
Subject to the granting of the Railway Order and funding, the stations can’t come quickly enough. To say it's unfortunate that there is not a single operational station between the city and Mallow is an understatement, but the plan is to build or upgrade stations along the Cork commuter line at Blarney/Stoneview, Monard, Blackpool/Kilbarry, Tivoli, Dunkettle, Carrigtwohill West, Water Rock, and Ballynoe.
We wrote about the new train stations about this time last year on T+D, in fact, it’s still one of our most-read stories. Rail lines and train stations are transformative in so many ways, but above all, they might help get people out of cars—something at which we are failing fairly miserably (along with healthcare and affordable housing) in Ireland.
Oliver Moran, a Green Party Councillor, had his statement prepared and ready to go. The Northsider is nothing if not optimistic, taking the opportunity to talk up a Cork Luas line. And why not, as that too is *meant* to be coming down the line
“The combination of cycle and rail investment that's happening will create real opportunities in places like Glanmire. For someone living in Ballinglanna or Glyntown, for example, a station at Dunkettle will mean a completely reliable commuter service to the city or Little Island is just ten minutes away by bike. That journey will be along fully segregated cycle lanes connecting to a high-frequency rail service. That's a transformation from the experience now for public transport users."
"It will be vital that the route for the Luas connects to Kent Station. That was a demand the city wouldn't compromise on. The combination of suburban rail on the northside connecting with light rail on the southside means we can really start to imagine the day when someone gets on a train at Blackpool and changes to a Luas to Ballincollig.”
One thing the Minister’s team and the NTA might have a word with Iarnród Éireann about at Kent Station is the state of the public toilets. To quote a famous rail slogan they are not there yet. Or at all.
News in brief
The B&C Quarter-pounder: Last week we reported that Crosse’s Green was to be closed to traffic until May 2025, according to the Cork City Council road closures website, to facilitate the construction of a bridge. On Tuesday, the City Council announced that construction was underway on the Beamish & Crawford Quarter, a public realm scheme encompassing South Main Street, Tuckey Street, Frenche’s Quay, Proby’s Quay, Keyser’s Hill and Crosse’s Green. Planned (eventually) to have the Event Centre at its heart, the scheme also includes a renovation of Bishop Lucey Park, the addition of two pedestrian and cycle bridges across the south channel of the Lee, new streetscapes, and a restoration of the lights on the South Gate Bridge.
The name, Beamish & Crawford Quarter, raises an interesting point about who gets to name what, and why. For instance, who remembers the City Quarter by Lapp’s Quay? Yes, we thought so. North of the river, there are the on-again, off-again attempts to brand the area around MacCurtain Street as the Victorian Quarter. That too fell flat.
Cork City Council is not alone in its fetishization of quarters; Dublin also is up to the same craic, and thankfully, the names of these quarters never usually make it past press releases. If the City Council really wanted to push the boat out, they could have gone with the Event Centre Quarter?
On the banks: The builders have moved on from the collapsed section of river bank wall within metres of Cork city’s oldest bridge, the South Gate Bridge, which was built in 1713. A section of the wall at the “Park It Here” car park started to give way in April 2022. The City Council served the owner with a dereliction order as we reported in December of that year and slow forward to 2024 and it’s finally fixed.
Next up, Parliament Bridge, where a section was blown out this month in a car crash.
Professor Boole: UCC is never out of the news lately, and more often than not in ways which you imagine the governing body (and press office) would prefer had not manifested. From Project Alpha and reigning in its over spending to protests for Palestine and tents in the Quad and most recently complaints from Chinese students over exam results, there’s been plenty of news and column inches in 2024 about the campus on College Road. One person who’s been busy feeding journalists is “Professor Boole”. He even offered a prize in his last correspondence.
Information from the UCC insider showed up again this week in an Irish Examiner piece by Cianan Brennan which boils down to a clash between staff in UCC over development of a joint undergraduate programme with the Communications University of China in Beijing which has been ongoing since 2023. Many, many universities across the world have been teaming up with China’s colleges and universities to foster ties and make money. Professor Boole in his email to journalists even helpfully provided a headline, alleging that there is “Major discontent between UCC staff and the university's plans to develop a joint-programme with the Communications University of China.”
UCC in its statement in response to the latest leak said “all programme proposals are subject to a multi-stage/multi-level approval process” adding that “the development of this programme is following all these processes, in order to ensure a quality programme is created which fosters cross-cultural understanding by bringing together Chinese and Irish perspectives on digital approaches to humanities
In fairness to the Professor, he has documents and research to back up his claims. A good journalist they would make. We await to see what comes next.
Photoshop much: Fianna Fáil, the soldiers of destiny, get the award for the dreamiest election posters. Everyone of their candidates has about 15 years air brushed off them. LOL.
The 200-passenger upmarket cruiser The World Navigator was briefly in town on Horgan’s Quay this Tuesday. It was an unusual sight, as most cruise ships dock at Cobh or even Kinsale and Bantry Bay. Alas, the well-heeled passengers were offered views of the car park at Kent Station.
And finally, Cork City Council is moving on the camper cans from the Marina following complaints from the public. From this weekend parking overlooking the Lee at the Marina is verboten. But, was the City Council mean to have a provision for amenities for camper vans in its upgrade of the area?
Out + About
On Sunday, the monthly film talk, Out of Frame, host A Dance Film Special at The Roundy. The talk features Inma Pavon, a dance and movement lecturer at the Drama and Theatre Studies department at UCC, Limerick sean nós and step dancer Stephanie Keane, who has competed at World Championship Level, and Lucía Dwyer, a sound designer, recordist, post-audio engineer and sound installation artist.
Time, date, place: 7pm, Sunday May 26, The Roundy, Castle Street, Cork.
Sarah Browne is an artist who focuses spoken and unspoken bodily experiences of knowledge, labour and justice. Her film, Buttercup, and sculpture Safelight, explore these themes through the relationship between humans and animals. The exhibition takes place at Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh until the 29th of June. More information here.
Time, date, place: Saturday April 13-Saturday June 29, Sirius Arts Centre, Westbourne Place, Cobh.
The Horgan brothers were from Youghal, and were Ireland’s first ever filmmakers, and used their confirmation money to buy their first ever pinhole camera. A documentary about the brothers, The Horgan Brothers – Princes of the Picture Theatre is screening at the Triskel Arts Centre on Thursday 30 May. Tickets and information here.
Time, date, place: 6:30pm, Thursday May 30, Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street, Cork.
Alfi is a folk trio consisting of musicians Fiachra Meek, Ryan McAuley and Alannah Thornburgh, who play harp, five string banjo and uilleann pipes. They explore a combination of styles from the folk traditions of Ireland and America, and play in Levis’ tonight at 8pm. Email leviscornerhouse@gmail.com to secure a ticket on the door.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Friday May 24, Levis’ Corner House, Ballydehob.
The Drive are a three piece indie band from Cork who are acclaimed for their exciting live performance. Consisting of Eoin Murphy on guitar and vocals, Aaron Kenny on guitar, and Alex Redmond Galligan on drums, they play in Coughlan’s tonight with support from Pebbledash, a local shoegaze band. Tickets and information here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Friday May 24, Coughlan’s, Douglas Street, Cork.
This week on T+D
Do read Kilian:s story from earlier this week on a landmark building in Cobh that should be a centre piece in the historic town.
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.