The Friday View 29/03
Every Friday is a good Friday when the Friday View arrives in your inbox. Plus, Baile Bhuirne's new "Easter Island" statues and there's hope yet for Séamus Murphy and the dogs of Pana.
Good morning and welcome to the Friday View on T+D. Let’s get to it!
In the coming weeks and months, Cork City Council is set to deliver a 28-page book to homes and businesses across the city setting out its plan for the next decade and beyond. It’s called "Our City is Changing”. It’s as much a marketing exercise as it is an information booklet. It’s also a rehash of stats: an investment of €2.5 billion in the next five years, an expected population increase of 150,000, a 50% increase by 2040, a city of 15-minute neighbourhoods, new communities such as the Docklands with 6,000 homes, and the development of a 17km light rail system by 2040. It hits all the right hash tags: #invest #study #visit #play
The stats are complemented by real people with real stories who have been supported by the City Council to find a home, set up community gardens etc. We’ve covered some of these stories on T+D and through our reporting we’ve seen firsthand the determination and imagination that staff in City Council exercise to help individual projects.
But, and here comes the BUT IN ALL CAPS: Cork is not short of plans. It never has been. (Amongst those plans: reopening and building new train stations, an Event Centre - which we need to add again, is it even a good idea to locate it on South Main Street?) What Cork is short of is houses - especially affordable homes - accommodation services for those in need, an efficient, reliable transport system (and the enforcement of traffic laws), and political leadership that will be guided not by buzzwords and hashtags, but by the leadership to force the likes of BAM and Tetrarch Capital into action on the sites they are holding to ransom. And yes, it’s easier said than done, but what do we hear from City Council on these matters?
We’re all for the Docklands - a private development - but let’s also not forget that something new and shiny when it eventually comes does not hide the fact that right now the city is crumbling in places, unaffordable for thousands, and heaving with traffic. The City Council is only part of the jigsaw, but it’s a pretty big piece and carries clout and power.
Shiny strategy books tick boxes, but if you really want to get people on board, start with the footpaths and work up.
News in brief
Sample-Studios X Triskel: Cork city arts heavyweights Sample-Studios and the Triskel Arts Centre have announced a new collaboration: the Triskel Sample Project Space. They aim to provide a visual arts project space for emerging and mid-career artists in particular, so that they can test ideas and develop new work in Cork.
The residencies will take place throughout 2024, offering artists space to develop their exhibitions. The new tie-up will also host a platform for ongoing artist-led projects, including the ‘Maritime’ residency, an artist-led studio exchange residency between artists in Brittany, France, and Cork-based artists. While Sample-Studios has been based in Churchfield since their former base in the old Tax Office on Sullivan’s Quay was demolished, the Northside studio uses spaces in the Lord Mayor’s Pavilion in The Mardyke as well as the Crypt at St Luke’s to exhibit.
Two pints of Razza/Raza/Rasa? The crew over at Cork Folklore put the cat amongst the pigeons when this week they asked for the correct spelling of the raspberry-ish flavoured drink that adds sublime flavour and colour to any pint of water, and also forms part of the title of a Sultans of Ping song. As was pointed out, the Sultans spell it rasa. Cue, a debate that we settled, as surely, it’s spelled with a z to give it that hard, well, z, sound. In fact, we asked two other Cork people and they agreed with out z theory, and getting three people from Cork to agree on anything is a headline in itself. Irregardless!, however you spell it, enjoy those fruity undertones.
Éanna Hardwicke wins RTS award: Glanmire actor Éanna Hardwicke becomes the latest local to win an award. On Wednesday, Hardwicke won a Royal Television Society Award for Supporting Actor - Male, for his performance in The Sixth Commandment. The judges hailed Hardwicke’s performance as “of compelling control and skill, both mesmerising and subtle." Based on the murder of Peter Farquhar, Hardwicke played the role of Ben Field in the series.
There’s hope yet for the dogs on St. Patrick’s St: It’s been a long while since the ladies who took coffee in the morning from Douglas and Montenotte tied up their little Pekinese dogs and toy dogs to the railings outside The Milk Bar opened by Knolly Stokes at the top of St Patrick’s Street and let them sup from the Séamus Murphy sculpted dog trough located outside, but changes are a coming to the store front which has long been empty, and with them the possibility of bringing the dog trough back into action.
That’s because Cameron Bakery is set to move into the cafe once run by Knolly (not sure what Knolly is short for, but it’s a great name!) We’ve been in touch with Cameron to ask if they intend to take up that fine tradition once more of looking after the trough - which went missing at one stage - and keeping alive the memory of Murphy and Stokes. Watch this space.
How do you solve a problem like Princes St (and Marloboro St)? It seems like only a hot minute since Princes St was being lauded as the best street in Ireland, but it’s fallen on hard times with a raft of closures on the street. Before the demise of Nash 19 and co, the City Council had hired DBFL Consulting Engineers to come up with a plan for how Cook Street, Marlboro Street, Princes Street, Grafton Street & Rochford's Lane should look and feel. The survey is short and sweet and focuses on access and amenities. Do you think there should be more trees or a trampoline - have your say here.
New Yorker fail: Satirists at the inimitable New Yorker magazine tried too hard and failed even harder in conjuring up a day in the life of Oscar winner Cillian Murphy. Exhibit A:
7:05 pm. Carefully polish both magnificently chiselled cheekbones with separate sticks of Kerrygold butter (unsalted).
Good luck getting that muck past an editor on Leeside. Although…
How to have sex on stage? Cork Midsummer Festival are rolling out the line-up for this year’s festival which will include “Night Dances” by Emma Martin and her group United Fall. It will take place in the Marina Market, a venue that’s seen its fair share of drama around (the lack of) planning permission. Daniel Fox of Gilla Band provides the sound track for that one. “Good Sex”, by Dead Centre with Emilie Pine will take place at The Everyman, where they will be attempting to solve the riddle how do you have sex on stage?
Cycling and the city: The Glucksman is inviting people of all ages to come to the gallery on Saturday 13 April to meet illustrator Chris Judge and to share their experiences and ideas of cycling in Cork city. Working with Cork Midsummer Festival and Cork Cycling Campaign, along with Judge and the public, the idea is to create a trail of new public artworks in the city. More info here.
And, finally birthday wishes to Mercier Books. The Cork publisher founded by Seán and Mary Feehan turns 80 this year and in its time has weathered some storms, biggest of all the bold decision to publish “The Tailor & Ansty”. More here in The Examiner.
Out + About
Two new exhibitions kicked off this week at The Glucksman in the grounds of UCC. The big one, running through to July, is Mysterious Ways, curated by Chris Clarke and which brings together nine Irish and international artists to explore how religion informs their art. It’s a theme as old as art itself. Featuring Jonathas de Andrade, Shirazeh Houshiary, Austin Hearne, Samir Mahmood, Ana Mendieta, Grace Ndiritu, Hermann Nitsch, Jennifer Tee. Exhibition info here.
Time, date, place: 11am - 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday until July 7, The Glucksman, UCC
The Pigeon Factory is a one man show written and performed by local actor and playwright Aaron O’Neill. This is O’Neill’s second time performing this play, which is based around a character named Walden with a mannequin wife. The first time was as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival through the Tales of Two Cities program, and when describing it to T+D at the time, O’Neill said that “it’s about a crazy man who lives with pigeons and has fantasies about JFK.” Sounds intriguing and more than likely worth a sconce! Tickets and information here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Thursday April 4 & Friday April 5, Cork Arts Theatre, Carrolls Quay, Cork.
Underground Loft is an open mic for poetry and storytelling that takes place in the Liberty Bar on Thursday. Taking place every two weeks, the open mic is intended as a safe space in which to share your creativity with like minded people.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Thursday October 4, The Liberty Bar, South Main Street, Cork.
Elements, a new exhibition of nine third-year contemporary arts students form the Crawford runs over three days next week in the MTU Gallery on Grand Parade. The students works encompasses a range of mediums and themes including neighbours of one of the artists, climate change and the rich history and haunting beauty of Kilcrea Friary and House to name some. Catch it while you can. More info here.
Time, date, place: April 3-5, MTU Gallery 46 Grand Parade, Cork city
DMac Burns is a singer from New York who now lives in West Cork. He combines elements of reggae, dub, r&b, indie rock, and collaborates primarily with Argentinian keyboardist Matias Saldivia Comas. He plays a gig in Levis’ on Easter Monday, with a pass the hat at the end. More information here.
Time, date, place: 6:30pm, Monday April 1, Levis’ Corner House, Ballydehob.
Spoken Soul Sunday is a relaxed open mic that welcomes jazz, poets, singers, rappers, writers, slammers, spoken word, rappers in O’Sho, hosted by Mr. Velvin Lamont and DJ Gwada Mike. The session runs from 4pm until 8pm and entry is free.
Time, date, place: 4pm-8pm, Sunday March 31, O’Sho, Barrack Street, Cork.
The Ballymaloe Grainstore is a music and arts space in Ballymaloe House, run by Myrtle Allen’s son Rory. Gradient is an exhibition in the space, running through April until the beginning of May, with a short interval in between. It features Ros Terry, Kim Roberts, Paddy Campbell and John Jermyn, and explores themes of environment and landscape, along with sculpture and styles of classical painting.
Time, date, place: March 28-April 14, April 29-May 7, Ballymaloe Grainstore, Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry.
ICYMI - this week on T+D. Labour rep and Cork City Council candidate Peter Horgan was denied access to a raft of documents via an FOI request on the infamous Event Centre. That story here. Thanks to Peter for digging and sending on the info.
Event Centre FOI request refused
In yet another footnote to the infamous Event Centre, a freedom of information request by Labour Party representative Peter Horgan for hundreds of pages of documents pertaining to the unbuilt concert venue in the city centre has been refused. Earlier this year the City Council, as well as the maj…
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 Easter weekend.
Another great read, shame I don't live in Cork because there's so much going on! Enjoy the Easter weekend.