The Friday View 26/05
A new mural for Frederick Douglass, STAMP Festival is back, UCC's money woes continue and dragon boats will be on the Lee this weekend.
Good morning and welcome to the Friday View on T+D. Let’s get to it.
About this time last year, the people of Cork got a glimpse behind the curtain at the BAM-owned Counting House in the former Beamish&Crawford brewery for the STAMP Festival, which draws together artists, crafters and performers under one roof. The festival is back again on May 16-18, for its third year running, this time just across the road in The Triskel Arts Centre. It’s a peripatetic festival having started out in Testsite on Kyrl’s Quay.
In the year since the historic Counting House and BAM hosted the STAMP festival, the former brewery site has gone onto to host absolutely nothing. Right after the festival wrapped up, BAM erected barricades up on the plaza outside the Counting House. BAM has a fetish for barricades and keeping people out.
At the time, praise was being thrown at BAM and all involved in the restoration work of the Counting House like it was confetti. The brewery site is massive: there’s acres of office space to the back of the building all under lock and key as presumably BAM are sitting it out while everyone and their mother waits for a conclusion (money!) for the long-running Event Centre saga, which is meant to get off the ground right next to the brewery site. The talk of synergies between the City Council and BAM ring hollow. Could BAM have given some of the space in the brewery site to artists looking for temporary studio space in the time since? Yes. Did they? No. Will they? See previous answer.
And lest anyone has forgotten, you could, if you had a good enough throw stand outside the barricades on Counting House Square and launch a stone and hit BAM’s other massive site in the city centre: the former Tax Office on Sullivan’s Quay, or as CorkBeo call it, the “Giant Dusty Hole” , which has been lying idle since 2018.
Keep up the great work BAM.
News in brief
Turners Cross update: Cork City FC have announced that Turners Cross will be back open on May 1, following work done to the pitch. The Women’s Premier Division team will be the first to use the new pitch, for their game against Treaty United on Saturday May 5. The following Monday, May 6, the men’s team will play there for their game against Wexford FC.
Not singing from the same hymn sheet: Ann Graham, the CEO of the National Transport Authority, presumably got the train down to a breakfast meeting hosted by Cork Chamber this week. The business lobby group used the event to press the case for light rail, and while light rail would be a game changer in Cork, as Ann Graham likely knows better than anyone, the obstacles being thrown at the NTA for BusConnects plans in Cork don’t augur well for any transport plan, let alone one that would require extensive digging etc. And where are some of those objections coming from? Well, businesses in Cork.
Party like its 1999: UCC were back in the news this week on two fronts. The WRC ordered them to pay €300k to a Dutch professor they unfairly dismissed. Neither side came out of that looking pretty. And then, Donal O’Keefe in The Echo followed up with an FOI story which revealed that the debt-ridden university had splashed out €28k on two parties. Talk to anyone at UCC lately, and the two words they’ll mention almost immediately are “Project Alpha”, the Big Brother-like scheme that’s meant to reign in spending on campus. Party < Financial hangover.
Artists call on Bambie Thug to boycott Eurovision: Over 400 Irish artists, including Eurosong runner-up Erica-Cody and singer and senator Frances Black, have signed an open letter calling for Macroom native Bambie Thug to pull out of the Eurovision due to Israel’s involvement in the competition. Bambie Thug is a part of a cohort of contestants who called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza last month, and has said that they stand with those who are boycotting the competition. Bambie Thug has also said that withdrawing from the contest would mean less competition for Israel.
Consultations open for Mayfield Library renovation: Consultations are open for the extension and renovation of Mayfield Library and St Joseph’s Community Centre, located at the corner of Old Youghal Road and Murmont Park in Mayfield. The plans include a new entrance foyer for both the library and community centre facing the Old Youghal Road, an extension to the east, on the current car park, and on the back of the building,
And an internal reconfiguration to the library and the community centre, with shared communal spaces. The renovation also includes replacements within and upgrades to the existing building, with material and elevation treatment, a public realm upgrade along the Old Youghal Road, and a new public plaza and parking area to the east. Cork City Libraries are in the middle of the implementation of the Development Plan, which runs between 2020 and 2024, and includes the development of a new City Library, the refurbishment of Mayfield Library, and identify a site for a new library in the Mahon area.
Frederick Douglass Mural Unveiled: A new mural of the American abolitionist Frederick Douglass was unveiled at the Unitarian Church on Princes Street on Monday. Douglass’ great-great- great-grandson, Kenneth B. Morris, was the guest of honour at the unveiling of the piece. Douglass visited Cork almost 180 years ago, and the visit was arranged by the Unitarian Church, which had the then mayor, noted philanthropist Richard Dowden, as a member. The mural was created by Zabou in association with the Walls Project and was funded by Creative Ireland.
Cork on Vice: Local photographer Maclaine Black featured on Vice this week, with their photographs of local illegal rave culture. The photographs featured on Vice’s primary Instagram page, with over five million followers. “In Cork, on the south coast of Ireland, the illegal rave scene is thriving,” the post read. “Across the city and out in the countryside, the techno community are throwing free parties in forgotten abandoned spaces.”
Black spoke about venue issues in the city being a reason for these raves. “We're having lots of venue issues at the moment,” Black said, “The commercial venues don't like us coming because of a stigma around the crowd and drugs. This has pushed young people away from the dedicated infrastructure and towards the illegal raves.”
French Organisation donates 1,500 books to Cork City Library: Enfants Francophones de Cork, an organisation of French parents based in L’Arche, Togher, has donated 1,500 books from it’s collection to Cork City Library. The books, which were part of a weekly French corner in the children's section of Library, were donated by teacher and librarian Sophie Carton, who ran the library in the Tig Filí on MacCurtain Street before moving to the City Library.
Reminder - Local election voters’ guide 2024 on T+D: Ahead of the local elections in Cork city on June 7, Tripe + Drisheen is building a voters’ guide to give the electorate in Cork a comprehensive overview of the main issues that are affecting the lives of people in Cork. The information will be collated in one place and available to view for all (i.e. not behind a paywall). We believe that a freely accessible all-in-one voters’ guide such as the one we are building will help the electorate exercise their democratic decision. We’ve contacted many of the candidates already and will be contacting the rest very soon. You can access the document here. We might ask your help in reminding your local candidates to fill it in due course. Thanks to all those who have answered thus far.
Out + About
The Marina Market hosts an exhibition commemorating the R&H Hall Grain Silo in light of the final stage of its demolition. Featuring a wide selection of work from an array of local artists and photographers, some of the contributors include Jason O'Gorman, Noel Sweeney, Ciara McSweeney, Leanne Harty, and others. It launches on Saturday and runs for a month.
Time, date, place: Saturday April 27-Tuesday May 28, Marina Market, Centre Park Road, Cork.
Meitheal Mara hosts The Spring Interfirm Dragon Boat Challenge on Saturday. Sixteen local companies and organizations participate in the challenge, which includes a series of heats, semi-finals and a final. Starting where R&H Hall once stood, crews will race 250m to the finish line at Lapp’s Quay. More information here.
Time, date, place: 12pm-4pm, Saturday April 27, Kennedy Quay & Lapp’s Quay, Cork.
His Fathers Voice are a Limerick post-punk and indie band, who have supported Cherry Glazerr and Viagra Boys. Comprising of singer Ash O’Connor, guitarist James Reidy, bassist Laya Meabhdh Kenny and drummer Cian McGuirk, they play in Coughlans on Sunday, with support from Dankenstoned’s Bongster. Tickets and more information here.
Time, date, place: 7pm, Sunday April 28, Coughlan’s, Douglas Street, Cork.
Flowers at Night is a music project by Sherkin Island native Juno Cheetal, featuring the layering of guitars and synths, vocals and electronic soundscapes. She plays in Plugd on Saturday night, with support from School Tour, who makes stratospheric drone and pulse music. Tickets and information here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Saturday April 27, Plugd, Cornmarket Street, Cork.
Test Site are hosting a volunteer tree planting day at their Coill Mhór, just outside the city, in Ovens. They plan to plant over 150 native Irish trees to the site in the city’s green belt, to address climate change, improve air quality, and create a haven for wildlife. To take part and receive the exact location, send an email to hello@testsitekyrlsquay.ie, or DM them on Instagram.
Time, date, place: 2pm-5pm, Sunday April 28, Ovens.
Brighde Chaimbeul is a Scottish smallpipes player from the Isle of Skye. She is a leading purveyor of experimental Celtic music, her music has earned her a BBC Young Folk Award and a BBC Horizon Award, and she has featured on a Caroline Polachek track. She plays in Connolly’s next week, tickets and information available here.
Time, date, place: 7pm, Wednesday May 1, Connolly’s of Leap, Leap.
Film of the week: Io Capitano (Me captain) is an Italian-Belgian-French production directed by Matteo Garrone, known for directing Gomorrah (not the TV show). Nominated for an Oscar for Best International Feature Film, it screens at the Triskel for four days, running from Sunday until Wednesday. Tickets and information available here.
Time, date, place: 4:15pm, Sunday April 28, 8:05pm, Monday April 29-Wednesday May 1, Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street, Cork.
That’s it for this week’s Friday View.
Any tips, 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.
Well said about BAM. Them and many more contributing to the tumbleweeds in Cork City.