CorkIndependent.com History Feed http://www.corkindependent.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:57:25 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.corkindependent.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.corkindependent.com CorkIndependent.com History Feed http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2850&Itemid=86 It's easy to lose oneself in the geographies and human histories of the Lee Valley. I sat recently at the source of the Lee in the Shehy Mountains, looking at the blurb of water protruding from the ground. At its breakthrough to the air, it begins carving a route for itself. By the base of the mountain, the river gathers momentum and fills Gougane Lake before breaking free on route east, a journey this column is still following. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:15:11 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2849&Itemid=86 In the Inniscarra Dam campsite, there was an oratory where Mass was celebrated every Sunday and holiday by priests attached to the Sacred Heart College in Cork. The hut housing the oratory, could also, by the use of parti¬tions, be used for recreational purposes. The suggestion of the erection of the oratory came from Mr. V. L. McEntee, Advisor to the Société de Construction des Batignolles and those associated with him. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:14:08 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2824&Itemid=86 Workers on the Lee Scheme had to look for 'digs' in the area and stayed in every available place along the Lee valley. Many a housewife made a little extra money by keeping a few lodgers. Digs cost £2 per week as a rule. The engineering personnel were accommodated in Innisleena House where they were well looked after by Mrs. Cotter. The French personnel, who never numbered more than twelve, stayed in Cork where they lived an extravagant lifestyle. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:26:25 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2799&Itemid=86 By 1955, approximately three-quarters of the work on the construction of the Inniscarra dam had been carried out. The power station foundations had been poured and work was in progress in the erection of the superstructure. The excavation of the tailrace was nearing completion. The temporary culvert or river diversion was sealed with concrete. A gate was lowered to close the upstream opening. The reservoir was filled in November 1956. The filling was regulated by a temporary sluice gate. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:05:39 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2764&Itemid=86 Contracts for the whole of the civil construction works for the Lee hydroelectric development were in place towards the end of 1952. Work began on the construction of the dam in Inniscarra in February 1953. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:10:30 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2726&Itemid=86 On the Lee scheme, the Dublin firm, John Paul Co., Donnybrook, was awarded the contract to build the three bridges and the new road diversions on the Lee scheme. Founded on 1 March 1949, the founding directors were John Paul and Tommy Simmington. Both men were well experienced in civil engineering works. Tommy Simmington worked with a British civil engineering construction company in the 1930s. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:46:20 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2679&Itemid=86 The first stage in the development of the Lee scheme was to determine the average fall and flow of the river and the general outline and nature of the valley. Thu, 29 May 2008 08:29:49 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2658&Itemid=86 “Passenger measure you time for time is the measure of your being”. Thu, 22 May 2008 09:28:05 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2623&Itemid=86 A few weeks ago, Our City, Our Town explored the cultural heritage of Kilblaffer graveyard near Berrings. We examined the social significance of the art and architecture of the site and how they provide insights into what life was like, the key families in an area and also insights into how we look at life and death. Thu, 15 May 2008 08:40:31 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2612&Itemid=86 The sign by the waterworks on the Dripsey Cork road says The beautiful Lee Valley. It invites people to partake in its beauty and the scenery and to be inspired. At this point, the viewer can stop and overlook from a height Inniscarra Reservoir. Many times I have stopped at the sign and admired and photographed the sunsets on the way home from fieldwork. In my own opinion, I feel this viewing area is an important site in the Lee valley for the explorer. From a geographical point of view, you get to see the bigger picture of the Lee Valley. Thu, 08 May 2008 09:29:02 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2587&Itemid=86 I'm A firm believer that people make places. We all interact and carve a niche for ourselves in society. In a sense, we are all part of the spokes of the wider wheel of life. This article is about an important spoke in the wheel of life in Co Cork, the O'Mahony family who lived in Berrings, Co. Cork. Thu, 01 May 2008 10:04:32 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2559&Itemid=86 The road south from Berrings Cross takes one through Ballyanley near the site of Inniscarra Community Centre. The scenery southwards into the townlands of Magoola, Faha and Gurteen is picturesque. The land rolls up and down as it meets Inniscarra Reservoir and reminds me the rolling southern suburbs of Cork City such as Ballyphehane and Turners Cross but without the houses. Ballyanley or Baile Ui Ainle means 'Hanley's Habitation'. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:44:07 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2528&Itemid=86 Crossroads intrigue me. I'm always wondering what's down the roads I choose not to travel. However, in recent times in western Inniscarra, I find myself seeing the other roads and seeing how they are all connected up. In a sense, it seems that each place I encounter is part of a network that connects places together in a chain. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:42:03 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2505&Itemid=86 "We're here in Berrings for four generations. My great grandfather was Pat Ring from Codrum and Tierbeg near Macroom. They also had property in Manchester and Liverpool. The name changed from Ring to Reen through a family dispute. Pat became secretary to Richard Barter at the world renowned Turkish Baths at St. Ann's Hill in Blarney. He became a merchant after that and had the Byrne's Mills in Blarney where he manufactured meal and flour. He was known as a general merchant and served the farming community. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:40:44 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2479&Itemid=86 I met Jackie Lenihan by referral but Jackie is well known as the sacristan of Berrings Church and in a sense is the first port of call for all church-community related activities. However, Jackie also a great knowledge of the game of road bowls and in a sense grew up with the sport on his doorstep. Interestingly in terms of heritage, Jackie talks about the game, the sense of fun, pride, identity plus the interaction of the local and Cork community with the North Kilmurray road that he played on. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:28:11 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2455&Itemid=86 I’m a firm believer that everybody has a story to tell but as I have encountered in my own travels and meeting the people in the Lee valley, we all have different stories to tell. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:06:08 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2421&Itemid=86 “In this graveyard [North Kilmurray] is buried a priest named Fr. Dilworth who it appears was a native of the Parish of Inniscarra. While living it is said he cured many people of some ailments and after his death and burial in Kilmurray graveyard, people continued to visit his grave and paid rounds there in the hope of being cured of whatever ailment they suffered from. Some rounds are still being paid especially on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday and it is said that many have benefited by the rounds. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:53:10 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2410&Itemid=86 "The stonework of the church was valuable and was seized upon as a ready-made quarry by neighbouring villages. The dust blew along the street and the rain washed down the earth. Weeds and grass grew among the houses and eventually over them. The square corners and sharp sides of stonework have been blurred with a covering of soil and turf" (from Pearson, M., 2006, In Comes I, Performance, Memory and Landscape). Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:19:28 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2388&Itemid=86 In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 106) - In Loving Memory Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:14:51 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2362&Itemid=86 “Watch her carefully, every movement, every gesture, every little peculiarity: keep the camera whirring; for this is a film you’ll run over and over again (Gar Private from Brian Friel’s Philadelphia Here I Come)”. Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:46:30 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2314&Itemid=86 John Manning is 91 years of age and lives at Inishleena, Inniscarra adjacent the recreational amenity. Like man y other stories in the last number of weeks, his biography is part of the identity of the Lee Valley and the valley is part of who he is. John talked about many aspects of his life on my visit. He talked about memories that he cherishes, past ways of life, change and time. Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:54:45 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2287&Itemid=86 "The road downhill was the easy road and that was the road we took", from Sláinte Éire, favourite song of Denis O'Flynn. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:29:27 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2264&Itemid=86 Folklore is an important aspect of any aspect and is certainly bound up with the early history of Inniscarra Parish. Much is written down but the truth of the stories will never be uncovered. However, the patron saint of Inniscarra, St. Senan and his reputed church at Inishleena are part of the identity of the area's people and place. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:12:42 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2248&Itemid=86 There were corridors and corridors of maize. Pat walked on confident establishing a route through the crop. Despite being tall, I felt small like being in the land of giants. It was a warm balmy autumn's evening and if it had been raining the days previous, access would be near impossible and we would have been soaked by the leaves of the maize plant. Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:21:29 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2233&Itemid=86 To get to the paddock you must walk 100 metres up what looks like a narrow lane. It is bound on my right by a hedgerow and on my left by wire fencing adjacent a field. The trackway is worn down. The different shapes within the mud are human footprints, the front and back wheels of a tractor and horse shoes. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:03:20 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2219&Itemid=86 "There is a holy well situated not far from my house in Timothy Kelleher's field at the junction of three townlands, Magoola, Agharinagh and Dromgownagh. Formerly it was a place of great interest to the old people but, nowadays, like everything else, veneration for it is dying out. It is neglected now its sides are falling in, but still it is loved by a few old people (Timothy Murphy's account, a student from Magoola, Dripsey for the School Folklore Collection, 1938)". Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:01:08 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2202&Itemid=86 One aspect that Our City, Our Town has dabbled in is the archaeology of the Lee valley, the human artifacts of a past age now long gone and all very much part of forgotten histories and memories. Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:21:56 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2188&Itemid=86 “My secondary school days were spent on the Muskerry Tram - to give it a grand name, you know there are days when I sit down here and dream of the train. I went to St Aloysius School in Cork. A crowd of us went in on the train everyday, I got up at 6am every morning to catch the first train at 7am at Dripsey Station. The School opened at 9am We waited in the evening after school and got the 5pm train home. We had a monthly ticket, which cost one pence and tuppence.” Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:21:37 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2172&Itemid=86 As a kid growing up in the 1980s, every Christmas, I received a lego set, usually some sort of building. Each year, there was the anticipation of getting something new, something to add to my small lego town. Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:42:31 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2156&Itemid=86 The motto on the William’s Family Crest is Ensuivant La Verité or translated ‘By Following the Truth’. That title I have chosen for this article reflects the search for not just information but also the truth concerning the life of Bill Williams, the owner of a provisions store and garage in Lower Dripsey. In my own attempts to find sources, people, text and artefacts, to flesh out the character of the man, I encountered a number of research problems, many sociological but all well grounded in the realm of history. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:42:36 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2139&Itemid=86 The journey to penning this article began by investigating two unused and ruined petrol pumps at the side of the road in Lower Dripsey. They are reminders of a past enterprise but also in a sense, reminded me of archaeological monuments but of the modern kind. Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:06:43 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2123&Itemid=86 “This is the story of innocent days in the life of a small community, in the days before affluence and television, a community who worked hard, made their own entertainment and generally accepted the hardships of life. Thu, 22 Nov 2007 11:51:01 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2103&Itemid=86 Being the proud owner of a Honda 125 motorcycle had its advantages and weaknesses. Yes, I have felt every pothole from Gougane Barra to the City, felt the steepness of the valleyside of the Lee and was open to the changing seasons and the elements of weather. Then in recent times, it was time for the bike to go to buy a bigger model. Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:29:42 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2070&Itemid=86 Around 1966, the Cork Power Boat and Water Ski Club moved to Byrne’s Farm, Fergus from The Marina, Cork. The Club spent six years there until they moved to Farren Wood in 1972 to the site of where the National Rowing Centre is now. Seán Kennedy was the Club chairman at that time (continued from last week). Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:10:53 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2061&Itemid=86 Lower Dripsey is full of interesting stories. In terms of the physical geography, it is the point where the Dripsey River meets the River Lee, which is in the form of Inniscarra Reservoir. At that particular point is the Cork Powerboat and Water Ski Club run by the Galvin Family. Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:20:53 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2037&Itemid=86 Moving from Upper to Lower Dripsey towards Cork near Griffin’s Garden Centre is Dripsey National. Schools are great sources of information in particular the way a school collects records, photos of its students and roll books. At this juncture in particular I wish to point to the work of the School Folklore Collection compiled in 1938. Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:50:19 +0100