The Urban Cartographer Likes Cork

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THE COIS NA LAOI SCULPTURE BY BETTY GOLD 1994

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BESIDE THE RIVER LEE IN FITZGERALD PARK 2022

I usually have difficulty photographing this sculpture, in Fitzgerald Park, because children play on it but for some reason, maybe Covid-19 restrictions, there were very few children in the park when I visited in May 2022.

Betty Gold, a professional sculptor for more than 24 years, has worked in diverse media to create pieces that reflect her artistic focus on intensifying opposites. “I’ve always been interested in opposite ends of the spectrum, such as the contrast of my rugged, oversized, sandblasted outdoor steel sculptures with my indoor, delicate gold-leaf icon visuals.” Her works appear in more than 50 permanent installations and private collections throughout the world.

THE SHAKY OR THE SHAKEY BRIDGE

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PHOTOGRAPHED MAY 2022 REPROCESSED IN OCTOBER 2023

Daly’s Bridge is a pedestrian bridge spanning the River Lee in Cork, Ireland. Known locally as the Shakey Bridge, it joins Sunday’s Well on the north side to Fitzgerald’s Park in the Mardyke area on the south.

In some of the images you should see pink Cast-iron railings. They were erected c.1900 and are described as cast-iron fluted bollards with domed floral caps and connecting tubular railings. There are also roughly dressed limestone blocks to quay walkway edge with steps to western end leading to river. The subtly detailed railings are a fine example of nineteenth century metal work, and contribute positively to the streetscape. The railings and steps at their western end mark the landing place of the ferry which preceded Daly’s Bridge as a means of crossing the river at this point.

Completed in 1926 and opened in 1927, it is the only suspension bridge in Cork City. It was constructed by the London-based David Rowell & Company to the design of Stephen W. Farrington, the Cork City Engineer. Constructed primarily of wrought iron, the bridge spans 160 feet (49 m), and the timber-planked walkway is 4+1⁄2 feet (1.4 m) wide.

The bridge takes its official name from Cork businessman James Daly, who contributed to the cost of the bridge. Its colloquial name (the “Shakey Bridge” or “Shaky Bridge”) derives from the movement of the platform when running or jumping on the bridge.

In August 2019, work began on restoration of the bridge. It was dismantled into four sections and removed so that repair of the bridge structure could be carried out. In July 2020, it was reported that while the structure of the bridge had been reinstalled, “several weeks of work” were required before it would reopen. It was reopened to the public in December 2020. I got my first opportunity to photograph the restored bridge in August 2021

The bridge is listed on Cork City Council’s Record of Protected Structures.

I visited Cork City in May 2022 and the city had not yet fully recovered from Covid-19 travel restrictions so I had the opportunity to visit many locations where I was the only person and tis gave me the freedom to photograph without people appearing in my photographs. I still have about 4000 photographs that have yet to be published so I decided to reprocess them using more recent tools upload them when I am happy with the results.

I CHECK THE STREET ART ON FERRY WALK EVERY TIME I VISIT CORK

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NEAR THE POPULAR SHAKY BRIDGE

I have visited this location many times and until now it has almost been impossible to photograph the ever changing artwork because of parked cars. Today I was lucky as there was only one car and it did not get in the way.

The laneway is but a section Ferry Walk, a reminder of the ferry crossing the River Lee prior to the construction of Daly’s ‘shaky’ Bridge in 1926. This is the only suspension bridge in Cork. West along the Mardyke Walk, is the Mardyke Arena, an indoor student sports centre owned by University College Cork. Beyond it, lies the famed Mardyke athletic grounds. On major sporting occasions, hundreds of spectators unable or unwilling to buy a ticket, would pack the stadium exterior, climb trees, and line nearby bridges and fields across the river.

WHY WERE SO MANY LOGS STORED ON KENNEDY QUAY

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CORK JULY 2022

Why could I seen so many logs on Kennedy Quay in Cork when I was there in July 2022? It has taken me two years to get an answer.

Note: As my sources are not reliable in this instance I cannot guarantee that the information is accurate.

In 2022, there were a large number of logs stored on Kennedy Quay in Cork. This was due to a number of factors, including:

  • The closure of the coal-fired power station at Moneypoint in 2020, which led to an increase in demand for wood fuel.
  • The growth of the biomass industry in Ireland, which has led to an increase in the production of wood pellets and other biomass products.
  • The availability of cheap timber from Eastern Europe, which has made it more economical to import logs than to produce them domestically.
  • The storage of logs on Kennedy Quay was controversial, as it led to concerns about air quality and the visual impact of the logs. However, the logs were eventually removed in 2023, after the completion of a new biomass plant in Cork.

Here are some additional details about the controversy:

  • Residents in the area complained about the smell of the logs and the dust that was created when they were moved.
  • Environmentalists argued that the storage of logs on Kennedy Quay contributed to air pollution.
  • The visual impact of the logs was also a concern, as they blocked views of the river and the city skyline.
  • Despite the controversy, the storage of logs on Kennedy Quay was ultimately necessary to meet the demand for wood fuel in Ireland. The completion of the new biomass plant in Cork has resolved the issue, and the logs have been removed.

CORK CUSTOM HOUSE JULY 2022

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CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY

The Custom House is located at the eastern extremity of Cork City’s centre island, where the north and south branches of the River Lee reconverge.

The Custom House is an early 19th-century building in Cork, Ireland. Originally developed as a custom house and opened in 1818, the Cork Harbour Commissioners (later reorganised as the Port of Cork Company) took over the building in 1904. The Port of Cork Company vacated the building in early 2021. The Custom House is, together with a number of other buildings on the same site, listed by Cork City Council on its Record of Protected Structures.

The main building is a two-storey three-bay structure over vaults. The facade is in Cork grey limestone: the top two thirds are of dressed ashlar and the lower part is rusticated. At street level there are three recessed arcades with round arches.

The committee room (boardroom) is a wood panelled room with pale cream and gold wallpaper and patterned ceiling. The Custom House also holds a collection of maritime art owned by the Port of Cork Company.

Other buildings on the Custom House site include bonded warehouses (protected structure PS163), and the Revenue Building (protected structure PS818), both also built in 1814.

As of 2021, the Harbour Commissioners had vacated the building, and a number of developments were proposed for the site. Aspects of the proposed developments, including the proposal to “largely demolish the Revenue Building” (a protected structure on the Custom House Quay site), have been the subject of some opposition, including by the Irish Georgian Society and An Taisce Corcaigh.

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