New book focuses on Cork’s places, people and history

'A-Z of Cork, Places, People, History’ published by Amberley Publishing (2025) is my latest publication on the rich history of Cork city. Indeed, it is said the more you walk a place and research a place, the more you discover and re-discover it.

My experience of studying Cork for over three decades has been just that. I have discovered and re-discovered my city, but saying that I still feel I am just scratching the surface on the histories which have led to the development of Cork.

Indeed, for all the research and writing I have pursued on the city I call home, the more discoveries and re-discoveries are made. Through my diverse research tangents, in particular within this local history column, they have taken me on large-scale mental adventures. I have dug into research from everything on reclamation practices to enable the construction of my city on a swamp to the minutiae of who was the woodcarver within one of the city’s churches.

There have been long mornings, afternoons, evenings and days over many years chasing sub-topics of the city’s development. Indeed, there has been many a time I have been lost in time and space in Cork’s rich story so to speak.

This book aims to showcase just over 100 short histories or themes which have always intrigued me, helped my imagination to take flight and made me passionate about telling my city’s stories. Yes, it is a deep love of my home, my place, my sense of place and identity, but also that these stories and their minutiae matter and all add up to the tapestry of Ireland’s second city.

Of course, any A-Z on a city is not going to provide every detail, every nuanced history nugget. It is the same with this book. This book as well needs to be read in the context of another additional piece in a series published on Cork history by Amberley Publishing. Indeed, in particular check out ‘Cork City Through Time’ (2012), ‘Cork City History Tour’ (2016), ‘Secret Cork’ (2017), 'Cork in 50 Buildings' (2018), ‘Cork City Reflections' (2021), ‘Celebrating Cork’ (2022) and the most recent ‘Cork A Potted History’ (2024).

This A-Z publication presents new stories to add to the stories of the latter books. Indeed, for every snippet of history you read in this book, there were 2-3 snippets in my first draft, which I had to painfully remove to meet the word count of this book and to meet the 26 letters of the alphabet! In general, I have also tried to concentrate on curiosities within Cork’s city Ccentre leaving the suburbs to an A-Z sequel perhaps.

As a final point and it is a point I have made previously in other publications, ‘place’ matters in Cork. Within this topographical frame is a heritage — physical and spiritual to a degree — that needs to be minded, cherished, and nourished for the Cork of the future.

Extracts from the text:

Additions:

Once William Burges, architect, attained the contract for St Finbarr’s Cathedral in 1863 he stylised his designs more and made some of them grander, thus pushing the expenditure higher. One by one, alterations were made to the original design.

These major changes included adding another bay to the choir; barrel vaults were to be used in the aisles in place of wooden ceilings; ashlar facing instead of rubble masonry; limestone instead of sandstone for the exterior; and Stourton stone instead of Portland stone for the interior crossing piers or masonry supports.

In addition, the western towers were raised and the number of portal-doors was increased from one to three. Foundations would have go deeper than expected. Rock levels turned out to be as much as 25 feet or nearly 7 metres below the surface.

Burges had failed to include the fees for the architect, quantity surveyor and clerk of works, therefore the total cost increased from £15,000 to £100,000. Burges was fortunate that Protestant Bishop of Cork Gregg had a lifelong interest in fundraising. Indeed, by 1864, two years into the project, £9,000 had been raised. Even at the laying of the foundation stone, Gregg possessed the air of an auctioneer when, after saying prayers, a shower of private donations were presented on his request.

Alive:

On 19 April 1753, one Francis Taylor was buried in the historic St Peter’s Church graveyard and the next morning he was found sitting up in the grave. One of his shoulders was much mangled; one of his hands was full of clay. Blood ran from his eyes, which the local people noted was a sad instance of the consequences of a too rapid burial.

Anthem:

‘The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee’ has remained the Cork anthem for almost ninety years. The song makes reference to the scenery of the river at the Mardyke and the tranquillity to be felt along its banks. Poet John Fitzgerald, or the Bard of the Lee as he is affectionately known, wrote the lyrics. John was a talented individual with interests in woodcarving, cabinet-making, history, art and antiquarianism.

Some years later the melody was arranged by James Charles Shanahan, well-known Cork organist and music composer. On James Charles’ death in November 1949, the Evening Echo wrote that after John Fitzgerald’s death in 1910, there was public pressure, in particular by certain Irish American emigrants, to set the lyrics to music. It is recorded that John’s daughter Leila approached James Charles to compose the melody. It is reputed that the song was first performed by singer Margaret Dempsey in December 1933 at Cork Opera House.

‘A-Z of Cork, Places, People, History’ (Amberley Publishing, 2025) by Kieran McCarthy is available on any good bookshelf.

Many thanks to all who participated in the free public historical walking tours this season from April to early October. I will host them again next April 2026.