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THE SKY GARDEN BY DIARMUID GAVIN

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WON AN AWARD AT THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW IN 2011

The Sky Garden won an award at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2011 and it was planned for the Sky Gardens to come to Cork. The ‘pink pod’ element of the Sky Garden makes a stunning viewing point on the banks of the river next to the museum. It is also the centre piece of a state of the art gallery garden incorporating a cafe terrace, beautiful planting arrangements, a new impressive glazed canopy and an incredible series of stainless steel spheres and domes set amongst paths and planting arrangements.

Diarmuid Gavin (born 10 May 1964) is an Irish garden designer and television personality. He has presented gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show on nine occasions from 1995 to 2016, winning a number of medals, including gold in 2011. He has also authored or co-authored at least ten gardening-related books.

In May 2011 Gavin returned to Chelsea after a three-year gap, with his “Irish Sky Garden”, which attracted funding of more than €1.7 million from Fáilte Ireland, the Irish tourism body, and was also supported by Cork City Council. Gavin described the garden as inspired by the Oscar-winning animator Richie Baneham (who drove visual effects for Avatar), as well as by the “suspended table” novelty restaurant concept, and by the Midsummer Festival of the Senses at Cork, the landscapes of Capability Brown, Charles Jencks and the some Italian Renaissance figures. The garden was built in an ovoid container suspended more than 25 metres above the ground. Twenty-five reflecting and flowing pools on the ground showcased the garden, which could be visited by show-goers in groups of up to eight. This garden won the gold medal at the show.

The Sky Garden attracted controversy when Cork City Council in Ireland agreed to put the garden on permanent display at Fitzgerald’s Park in the Mardyke area of the city – at a cost of at least €300,000 to the cash-strapped council. The decision attracted widespread criticism including that of a number of Cork city councillors with Councillor Ted Tynan pointed out that there were over 500 boarded up local council houses in the city and demanded clarification from the council as to what the exact cost of the garden would be. In the end, the garden was not set up in its full form, but aspects of its design were used in a reworking of Fitzgerald’s Park.

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.

CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY

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I PHOTOGRAPHED THE AREA AND NEARBY IN JULY 2022

The Custom House is currently undergoing a major redevelopment. The plans include the construction of a new 34-story hotel tower, a distillery, and a covered courtyard. The development is [was] expected to be completed in 2024.

This is a great location for photography as it is possible to photograph Kennedy Quay and Penrose Quay from here.

As is normal it rained for the duration of my visit to Cork in July 2022 and the city had yet to recover from Covid-19 restrictions.

There are on average 204 “rainy” days a year (over 0.2 millimetres (0.008 in) of rainfall), of which there are 73 days with “heavy rain” (over 5 millimetres (0.2 in))

The proposed tower block at Custom House Quay in Cork is a €150 million development that would include a 34-storey hotel, a distillery, a maritime centre, and accessible quayside plazas. The hotel would be Ireland’s tallest building, at 140 meters (450 feet) tall. The development is being proposed by Tower Holdings Group, and it has been granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála.

The development is located on a site that is currently occupied by the Port of Cork offices and a disused stone warehouse. The plan is to demolish the Port of Cork offices and incorporate the warehouse into the new development. The hotel would be located on the top of the tower, and it would have 241 bedrooms. The distillery would be located on the ground floor of the tower, and it would produce a range of Irish whiskies. The maritime centre would be located on the waterfront, and it would provide exhibits and educational programs about Cork’s maritime history. The quayside plazas would provide open space for public use.

The proposed tower block has been met with mixed reactions. Some people have welcomed the development as a catalyst for the regeneration of Cork’s docklands. Others have expressed concerns about the height of the building and its impact on the city’s skyline. The development is still in the early stages, and it is not yet clear when construction will begin.

Here are some additional details about the proposed tower block:

  • The hotel would be a five-star hotel with a range of amenities, including a spa, a swimming pool, and a rooftop bar.
  • The distillery would produce a range of Irish whiskies, including single malt, blended, and flavoured whiskies.
  • The maritime centre would provide exhibits and educational programs about Cork’s maritime history.
  • The quayside plazas would provide open space for public use, including a pedestrian walkway, a bicycle path, and a public park.

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.

HE HAD A REPUTATION FOR CURING SPEECH IMPEDIMENTS

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FATHER FLYNN MEMORIAL AT PASSAGE WEST IN CORK

It has taken me many years to establish the story behind this memorial which has 1881-1961 on the base instead of 1881-1962.

Such was his reputation for curing speech impediments that the BBC producer Hywel Davis made a half-hour documentary based on his life entitled ‘It happened to me’, broadcast in June 1961. As a result, O’Flynn received hundreds of letters from all over Ireland and abroad from people seeking his advice and assistance. The programme won second prize at the international conference of catholic television at Monte Carlo in March 1962.

O’Flynn, James Christopher (1881–1962), priest and Irish language activist, was born 12 December 1881 in Mallow Lane, Cork, son of Cornelius O’Flynn who was employed in the butter market and his wife, Catherine Uppington, who was of protestant stock. O’Flynn was from a musical background and had a good singing voice. He received his earliest education in the national school in Blackpool, Co. Cork and afterwards in the North Monastery CBS. After two years as a clerk in a warehouse he decided to enter the priesthood. From 1899 to 1902 he studied in St Finbar’s Seminary, Farranferris. Subsequently he entered St Patrick’s College, Maynooth where he was ordained on 20 June 1909. While a student there he was a member of Cuallacht Cholm Cille and developed an interest in Shakespeare and elocution under the guidance of Professor Mac Cardie Flint. He was appointed to Farranferris to teach elocution in 1909 and spent fifty years teaching there on a weekly basis. The following year he was appointed chaplain to the asylum for the mentally ill in Cork until becoming curate at north cathedral, Cork in 1920. He was appointed parish priest of Passage West, Co. Cork in 1946 and remained there until his death.

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