Kieran’s National Heritage Week Tours, 16-24 August
The tours I have chosen for National Heritage Week this year are all important areas in the city’s development plus they all have a unique sense of place and identity. I will host nine tours and all are free.
There is no booking required bar the one for Cork City Hall for Cork Heritage Open Day.
A Tour of Cork City Hall as part of Cork Heritage Open Day at 10am. Meet at entrance at Anglesea Street (90 minutes, booking required at Cork Heritage Open Day website with Cork City Council).
Learn about the early history of Cork City Hall and Cork City Council; learn about the development of the building and visit the Lord Mayor’s Room. The current structure replaced the old city hall, which was destroyed in the Burning of Cork in 1920. It was designed by architects Jones and Kelly and built by the Cork company Sisks. The foundation stone was laid by Eamon de Valera, President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State, on 9 July 1932.
Cork Through the Ages, An Introduction to the Historical Development of Cork City. Meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade at 6.30pm. Cork city possesses a unique character derived from a combination of its plan, topography, built fabric and its location on the lowest crossing point of the River Lee as it meets the tidal estuary and the second largest natural harbour in the world. This tour explores the city’s earliest historical phases.
Monday 18 August:
Shandon Historical Walking Tour. Explore Cork’s most historic quarter; meet at North Main Street/Adelaide Street Square, opp Cork Volunteer Centre at 6.30pm. Tradition is one way to sum up the uniqueness of Shandon Street. Despite being a physical street, one can stroll down (or clamber up), the thoroughfare holds a special place in the hearts of many Corkonians. The legacy of by-gone days is rich. The street was established by the Anglo-Normans as a thoroughfare to give access to North Gate Drawbridge and was originally known as Mallow Lane. Different architectural styles reflect not only the street’s long history but also Cork’s past.
The Northern Ridge – St Patrick’s Hill to MacCurtain Street. Historical walking tour of the area around St Patrick’s Hill – Old Youghal Road to McCurtain Street; meet on the Green at Audley Place, top of St Patrick’s Hill at 6.30pm.
This is a tour that brings the participant from the top of St Patrick’s Hill to the eastern end of McCurtain Street through Wellington Road. The tour will speak about the development of the Collins Barracks ridge and its hidden and interesting architectural heritage.
Wednesday 20 August:
The City Workhouse historical walking tour. Learn about Cork city’s workhouse created for 2,000 impoverished people in 1841. Meet just inside the gates of St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road at 6.30pm. The Cork workhouse, which opened in December 1841, was an isolated place – built beyond the toll house and toll gates, which gave entry to the city and which stood just below the end of the wall of St Finbarr’s Hospital in the vicinity of the junction of the Douglas and Ballinlough roads. The Douglas Road workhouse was also one of the first of over 130 workhouses to be designed by the Poor Law Commissioners’ architect George Wilkinson.
Thursday 21 August:
Douglas and its History, historical walking tour in association with Douglas Tidy Towns. Discover the history of industry and the development of this historic village, meet in the carpark of Douglas Community Centre at 6.30pm (circuit of village, finishes nearby).
The story of Douglas and its environs is in essence a story of experimentation, of industry and of people and social improvement. The story of one of Ireland largest sailcloth factories is a worthwhile topic to explore in terms of its aspiration in its day in the eighteenth century. That coupled with the creation of forty or so seats or mansions and demesnes made it a place where the city’s merchants made their home in. Douglas makes also makes for an interesting place to study as many historical legacies linger in village’s surrounding landscapes.
The Marina. Discover the history of the city’s promenade, from forgotten artefacts to ruinous follies. Meet at western end adjacent Shandon Boat Club, The Marina at 6.30pm, no booking required. Cork’s Marina was originally called the Navigation Wall or in essence it was a tracking wall – a quasi-lengthy stone block quayside – for ships in the late eighteenth century to guide them into Cork City’s south docks area. The wall was to keep ships out from being grounded on unreclaimed swampland and to keep them to a dredged central river channel.
Cork South Docklands; Discover the history of the city’s docks, from quayside stories to the City Park Race Course and Albert Road; meet at Kennedy Park, Victoria Road, 6.30pm. Much of the story of Cork’s modern development is represented in Cork South Docklands. The history of the port, transport, technology, modern architecture, agriculture, sport, the urban edge with the river – all provide an exciting cultural debate in teasing out how Cork as a place came into being.
Sunday 24 August:
The Lough and its Curiosities. Meet at green area at northern green of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough, Lough Church end at 6.30pm.
This walking tour explores the Lough, its heritage and the rich surrounding history of this neighbourhood of the city. This amenity has witnessed eighteenth century market fairs as well as ice skating to nineteenth century writers and nursery gardens to 20th century cycling tournaments and the rich and historic market garden culture.