4 January 2024, Past Projections into the Future

In recent months one interesting project in the guise of Island City Sculpture Trail, has harnessed Cork’s urban environment and its heritage and history to bring art to the streets of Cork. The temporary artworks are located on Carey’s Lane, the Exchange Building on Princes Street, Cook Street, Cornmarket Street and soon at Triskel Christchurch. Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 4 January 2023 | Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy

11 January 2024, The New Digital Atlas of Cork

The new Digital Atlas of Cork/ Corcaigh is very welcome. It is one of a series of digital atlases created by the Irish Historic Towns Atlas team (the others are Derry, Dungarvan and Galway). The Digital Atlas of Cork/Corcaigh is an initiative of the Digital Working Group of the Irish Historic Towns Atlas research programme. The project has been led by Sarah Gearty (Royal Irish Academy) and Rachel Murphy (University of Limerick), with Mani Morse (Dublin City University) as Digital Manager. Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 11 January 2024 | Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy

18 January 2024, Kieran’s Audio Heritage Trails

January generally coincides with some fine and cold cold days where walking the city is lit up by wintry Atlantic light. As someone who enjoys photographing the city, it is a good time of year to capture some of the city’s nuanced layers of its past. I hope to launch my physical walking tours again in April but in the meantime, check out my audio heritage trails, which have been developed with Meitheal Mara – on the Bridges of Cork and The Marina respectively. Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 18 January 2024 | Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy

25 January 2024, Making an Irish Free State City – The Gibson Bequest

There are many curios in the Crawford Art Gallery – its exquisite set of Antonio Canova sculptures and paintings within its collections make for great viewing and scholarly output. The gallery opened in 1885 and was built on the generous financial support of William Horatio Crawford.  The next generous sponsor has for the most part fallen out of Cork memory and that is the name of Joseph Stafford Gibson who provided finance through his will in creating the basis for a fund to buy paintings from 1919 onwards. The year 1924 – one hundred years ago – was a key year where the purchasing plan came into effect for the bequest. Kieran’s Our City, Our Town 25 January 2024 | Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy

1 February 2024, Making an Irish Free State City – Lord Mayor Seán French is Elected

Late January 1924 coincided with two new starts for the Corporation of Cork – firstly the final compensation was to be announced for the burning of City Hall and the Carnegie Library arising from the Black and Tan arson attack in December 1920, and secondly the election of a new Lord Mayor in the guise of Seán French. Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 1 February 2024 | Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy

8 February 2024, Making an Irish Free State City – The Wycherley Housing Scheme

Lying just off Cork’s College Road lies Wycherley Terrace, such housing was constructed spanning from the spring of 1920 to the spring of 1924. The project completion was a slow one bound up with the War of Independence, Civil War, changeover of governments, building delays, rising costs and several debates on who the houses should be allocated to. Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 8 February 2023 | Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy