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WHERE IS GABRIEL HOUSE ON SUMMERHILL NORTH REF-225777-1

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IN CORK EVERYWHERE IS UPHILL

On my first visit to Cork City I asked for directions and was told that “you could not miss it, it is up the hill”.

One of the most notable features of Summerhill North is St Luke’s Church, a deconsecrated Romanesque Revival Anglican church that is now a popular live music venue. The church is known for its beautiful acoustics and its intimate setting, and it has hosted a wide variety of artists over the years.

Summerhill North is also home to Gabriel House, a former convent that has been converted into very attractive rooms. The complex is located in a quiet and peaceful setting, and they offer stunning views of the city skyline.

I first started visiting Cork in 2006 but that year I stayed in a Hotel outside Cobh and it was a disaster as it rained so much that I abandoned my holiday and returned home to Dublin after three days … my Sigma DSLR failed because of the rain and became unusable. In 2010 I stayed for a week at the Metropole on McCurtain Street and the year later at Gabriel House which I used almost every year since then with May 2023 being my most recent visit.

It is now 9 December 2023 and I began planning my city-visit schedule for 2024 and, with the exception of Kilkenny, I have failed to find suitable accommodation at prices that I am willing to pay. For about ten years I stayed at the Gabrielle House Hotel in Cork, Summerhill North, but unfortunately since my last visit in May 2023 their prices have greatly increased and they were seeking more than Euro 900 to be paid at the time of booking which does not suit me. In 2023 I paid Euro 349 for four nights and paid on arrival. I tried to book a room for four nights in May 2024 and the asking price was Euro 919 in advance. To be fair the asking price at the Maldron was Euro 1302 (payment on arrival).

[UPDATE] I visited the website and noted the following statement: “The Gabriel House has been recently taken over by a new management, which has restored the hotel back to its former glory. All rooms retain original features yet provide with modern comfort and up-to-date amenities that will charm both business and leisure guests. In addition, they can enjoy a delicious breakfast served every morning at no extra cost.” I checked just now [9 December 2023] … and was offered a room 13-16 May 2024 at a cost of Euro 600 but breakfast is Euro 14 per day extra [it should be noted that you really should get the breakfast as it will keep you going all day]. Free Cancellation before 29 April and nothing to pay until 26 April 2024. This is a change since I tried to book a few weeks ago however a number of attempts produced a variety of results.

Overall, Summerhill North is a charming and welcoming neighbourhood that offers a mix of urban amenities and suburban tranquility. It is a great place to live for anyone who wants to be close to the city centre without sacrificing a sense of community and a connection to nature.

CROSS RIVER FERRY SERVICE IN CORK

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GLENBROOK AND CARRIGALOE

My plan was to visit the Gleenbrook Side and then use the ferry to cross over to Carrigaloe but unfortunately the weather turned really bad, so bad that I could not use my camera so I decided to get a bus back to the city centre. But I had to wait about three hours for a bus and as my iPhone failed I was unable to call a taxi or go online to find out why there were no buses.

As it was August 2021 I assume that transport services had been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. Despite Ireland’s high vaccination rate, there was another surge in late 2021 due to the Omicron variant, with record-breaking cases being reported. Proof of vaccination or non-infection became mandatory to enter most indoor venues, but the government imposed another curfew on indoor hospitality from 20 December. Cases fell sharply, and the majority of restrictions, including mandatory mask wearing and social distancing, were eased in January and February 2022.

Established in 1993 Cross River Ferries is owned and operated by the Doyle Shipping Group. Doyle Shipping Group was founded in Cork in 1886 by Francis Denis Doyle.

Passage West (locally known as “Passage”) is a port town in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Cork Harbour, some 10 km south-east of Cork city. The town has many services, amenities and social outlets. Passage West was designated a conservation area in the 2003 Cork County Development Plan.

In 1836, a new quay was built where the vessels could berth and land their passengers and freight. Sir John Arnott was chiefly responsible for the building of the granaries, intended for the storing of the freight from the vessels. The freight from one ship only was received there before the channel was dredged. The town then possessed three hotels and two dozen public houses. The dredging of the channel largely ended the importance of Passage as a port.

The ferry between Passage and Carrigaloe increased trade in the town. Until the opening of the Cork to Cobh Railway, the daily traffic on this ferry included up to 300 covered-in cars (jingles) carrying passengers from Cork. During the first twenty days of August 1836, over 20,000 people crossed on the ferry. The boats were flat-bottomed ones worked by a system of cables and pulleys, and capable of taking heavy cargoes. This ferry dated back to the reign of James I or earlier. In his reign, it was leased to a Patrick Terry for a yearly rent of 35 shillings. The opening of a railway line to Cobh (then known as Queenstown) caused the demise of the Passage ferry; however, in the early 1990s a car ferry service was opened between nearby Glenbrook and Carrigaloe on Great Island.

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 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 GREAT WAR MEMORIAL

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THE SOUTH MALL IN CORK CITY

I photographed this War Memorial in August 2021 but upon processing the images I discovered that the inscriptions were unreadable. I now have a different workflow and the text should be readable but that may depend on your device.

At the South Mall is a memorial to those Irishmen who died in the First World War. It was erected in 1925, and is one of the few example Irish examples of its type. Carved in relief on a modest limestone obelisk, sitting on a plinth, is the profile of a Munster Fusiliers soldier in full military uniform, head down, gun at rest. Each November wreaths are laid here to mark the anniversary of the armistice of 1918 at the end of the War.

LEAST WE FORGET

erected
by public subscription
under the auspices of
the cork independent
ex-servicemens club,
in memory of their comrades
who fell in the great war
fighting for the freedom
of small nations

1914 – 1918

“Greater Deed Hath No Man Done

“They Shall Grow Not Old,
As We That Are Left Grow Old.
Age Shall Not Weary Them,
Nor The Years Condemn.
At The Going Down Of The Sun,
And In The Morning
We Will Remember Them.”

1939 – 1945

“When you go home,
Tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow we gave our today

This memorial commemorates the residents of Cork who were killed or missing in World War I and World War II. Many such memorials were erected after the First World War. After the Second World War, the names of those who died in that war were also added to the memorial.

The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1922. It traced its origins to the East India Company’s Bengal European Regiment raised in 1652, which later became the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers). The Royal Munster Fusiliers were formed in 1881 by the merger of the 101st Regiment of Foot and the 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers). One of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, it had its home depot in Tralee and served as the county regiment for Cork, Clare, Limerick and Kerry. At its formation the regiment comprised two regular and two militia battalions.

The Royal Munster Fusiliers served in India before the regiment fought in the Second Boer War. Prior to the First World War, the regiment’s three militia battalions were converted into reserve battalions, and a further six battalions were added to the regiment’s establishment during the war. The regiment fought with distinction throughout the Great War and won three Victoria Crosses by the conflict’s conclusion in 1918. Following establishment of the independent Irish Free State in 1922, the five regiments that had their traditional recruiting grounds in the counties of the new state were disbanded and the Royal Munster Fusiliers ceased to be as a regiment on 31 July 1922.

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