Tripe+Drisheen: The Friday View 20/08
Our weekly round-up of news and events across Cork.
Oh the banter this week between the mayors or Cork and Limerick ahead of Cork’s first All-Ireland hurling final appearance since 2013. We’re not quite Mayo yet, but it would be great for the county to get back to winning ways with what promises to be some match. Good luck to all the fans headed to Croke Park this weekend. And Corcaigh Abú!
And regardless of the outcome, presumably there’ll be more banter to look forward to from the Mayors of Cork and Limerick! (Make it stop).
Not to labour the robotrees controversy, but while passing through the city centre one night this week what couldn’t be missed was that at each of the CityTrees plenty of people were seated. (Also, a fair bit of rubbish left behind). But, if anything the expensive air purifiers point to something that’s well established: people want more places to sit in the city centre.
This week we added a new column to T+D called “Historically Speaking” and in it we’ll feature a look back at Cork. James Furey, a folklorist living in the city, will be taking a look at the history of Cork from many different angles. His first piece is on the history of Hangdog Road on the southside of the city. It’s for subscribers only as a way to say thank you for helping us keep our local journalism project alive and kicking. And if you can support us it will help us to continue to bring in new writers and new voices.
Public consultations
People and communal spaces are at the heart of the plans to redraw the centre of Cobh. Past really is, or should be, prologue in thinking about urban planning. Back before the arrival and onslaught of cars in towns and city centres, there was so much more space for walking, cycling, public seating, public everything. You can get an idea of that in the historical pictures of Cobh on the public consultation site. Today, Friday August 20, is the last day of submissions to have your say about plans for the port town.
Also open for submissions are the grand designs for Grand Parade and Bishop Lucey Park which the City Council refers to as a ‘soft space’. (Put that in your jargon bin!)
It’s a detailed plan on what’s going to go in there - a bridge, tower, pavilion - but as Sinead Halpin pointed out on Twitter those plans can be vague also.
“The section regarding Play: some nice aspirational buzzwords & "elements will be developed at detailed design stage,” Sinead wrote on Twitter.
You can have your say and get more of an idea over on the consultation page. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, September 1 2021.
The campaign group Save Cork City will be rowing out the boats en masse as part of Heritage Week and as a call for action as part of their ongoing campaign against the proposed OPW-backed flood walls and in support of the tidal barrier.
“On Saturday at 6pm there will a flotilla on the Lee outside Holy Trinity to celebrate our #HistoricQuays & our priceless maritime heritage which should be cherished at all costs.”
Walk this way
National Heritage Week ends this weekend, so there’s still a bit of time to get some heritage in. Meithal Mara and Cllr. Kieran McCarthy have developed a special “Bridges of Cork” free audio trail. It’s a two hour walk that weaves its ways over the city’s bridges. All you need is your smartphone and some headphones. Link here.
If you have time today there’s a walking tour with a twist starting from Cornmarket Street (The Coal Quay) at 2 p.m. today, Friday 20. Archaeological illustrator Sara Nylund (Abarta Heritage) and Cork City Council assistant conservation officer Ciara O'Flynn are leading a tour on some of the architectural conservation areas towards South Parish.
Your task will be to draw some of your surroundings as you navigate your way. The City Council will be using some of those drawings - if you wish to enter their competition - as the permanent markers for an orienteering route (they’ll be printed on hand-made ceramic tiles first). More info here.
There’s a pile of events, exhibitions (Life on Bere Island though Artefacts) and other projects (Restoration of Ascension Gates) ongoing in the city and county on the National Heritage Week website that are well worth a look. All the info here.
Also, this week we added another new voice to Tripe+Drisheen: Noel Sweeney takes an in-depth look at fishing through the lens of fishermen in West Cork in our weekly long read.
Free to read, and support welcome. Noel’s piece below.
We’ll leave you with a beautiful video of Cork city narrated by one the city’s most famous artists, the sculptor Seamus Murphy. Daniel Buckley flagged it on Twitter, and it’s from the online archive uploaded by CR. It’s just under 10 minutes long and shows the city in a time before…robotrees. Click on the link to bring you to YouTube.
That’s it for this week’s round-up. We’re back Sunday with instalment nine of Our Cork 2040 where the pages of Tripe+Drisheen are turned over to someone in the community.
Any tips, news or events you’d like to share with Tripe+Drisheen, you can contact either of us at jj.odonoghue@gmail.com or 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.