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corkcitylibraries · 3 years
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Cork History | The Sinking of the Lusitania
by Michael Lenihan
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Image 1. Lusitania Michael Lenihan Collection
In April 1915, the German Embassy in Washington issued a stark warning to passengers, that the waters around Great Britain had been declared a war zone and that any passengers commencing the Atlantic voyage in ships flying the flag of Britain or her allies would be at risk. This warning was placed in over 50 American newspapers. However these notices were ignored and the Lusitania left America for Britain on 1 May 1915 with nearly 2000 passengers. She also carried war material which were listed on the ships manifest, this included 4 million rifle cartridges, 5,000 empty shell cases and over 3,000 non-explosive fuses. The Lusitania was sunk by a torpedo fired from the German U-boat U 20 on 7 May 1915 off the old Head of Kinsale. The log of the U-boat recorded that only one torpedo had been fired at the Lusitania, however many people to believed that two were fired. The ship sank in only 18 minutes and a second explosion was heard by survivors which later led to rumours that high explosives were secretly carried on board the Lusitania. The total number of casualties was 1,198.
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Image 2. Lusitania propaganda Medallion. Michael Lenihan Collection
In August 1915, German artist Karl Goetz cast a commemorative medal depicting the sinking of the Lusitania. He intended it to be a metallic political cartoon. On one side the Lusitania was shown sinking by its stern with artillery pieces and airplanes on the deck. The captions translate as: “No Contraband Goods – The Liner Lusitania Sunk by a German Submarine – 5 May 1915.” Unfortunately he recorded the wrong date. The reverse shows a skeleton selling tickets to long lines of unwary passengers, captioned (translated): “Business Above All. A newspaper headline warns: U-Boat Danger.”
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Image 3. Lusitania Monument Cobh Michael Lenihan
The British hastily exploited the German version for propaganda purposes. British Naval Intelligence ordered about 250,000 copies struck with the May 5 date and sold them through the Lusitania Souvenir Medal Committee to the public at one shilling each. The discrepancy in date may have been a genuine error but it was interpreted as it being a clear indication that the sinking was pre-planned and not just one of the vagaries of war. British propagandists made the most of their opportunity to discredit Germany. These were originally sold for a shilling each at Selfridge’s in 1916 with proceeds going to the Red Cross and St. Dunstan’s Blinded Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Hostel. Many of the British copies are readily found today, as for the German version these are very rare and extremely valuable.
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corkcitylibraries · 3 years
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Cork History | St Luke’s Church
by Michael Lenihan
The first church at St Luke’s Cross was a modest Gothic designed limestone building erected in 1837. It was designed by the renowned architects and brothers James and George Pain. The church was built as a chapel of ease for St. Anne’s Shandon. As the number of worshipers swelled, St. Luke’s became a parish in its own right. The original old church at St. Luke’s had become unfit for purpose so it was decided to create a new more fitting place of worship to accommodate its parishioners. The Reverend Mervyl Archdall commissioned the architects Sir John Benson and William Hill to design plans for its construction in 1873. The new more spacious building would accommodate one thousand persons and was consecrated on 14 January 1875. It was the first church to be erected following the Act of Disestablishment in 1869.
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Image1. Irish Builder 1873 sketch of St. Luke’s Church. Courtesy Cork City Library.
Unfortunately, just 12 years later, on the 9 February 1887 the building was observed to be on fire at 6a.m.  Chaos followed as the keys to the church were missing and the main door had to be forced open with the aid of a school seat. By this time the fire was totally out of control and all that could be done was to rescue the registers and other valuable documents.  Subsequently, the spire was purchased by Canon Holland of Innishannon for the bargain price of £250. It was removed stone by stone, carted to the railway station and conveyed the sixteen miles by rail. The transport costs to its new home must have been astronomical. The recycled stone spire still stands in pride of place on St. Mary’s church in Innishannon, a memorial to the long forgotten fire at St. Luke’s.
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Image 2. St. Luke’s Church and surrounding area 1906. Courtesy Michael Lenihan
The present St. Luke’s church was designed by William Hill and it was consecrated on the 8 February 1889. The final service was preached by the Rev Brian O’Rourke on Sunday 2 March 2003 to the remaining tiny congregation of just thirteen parishioners. Unfortunately, for many years it lay idle and neglected until it was purchased by Cork City Council.  Luckily, the church received a new lease of life as a live music venue.  In August 2015 the first series of concerts “Live at St. Luke’s” began with artists such as Mary Black, Mick Flannery, Panti Bliss and Little Green Cars. Its beautiful acoustics, combined with its wonderful stained glass windows and spacious environment creates a unique live experience which should ensure its future for many years.
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corkcitylibraries · 3 years
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Cork History |Beamish and Crawford Brewery
by Michael Lenihan
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Image 1. The facade of Beamish and Crawford’s Counting House. Courtesy Michael Lenihan.
An early deed of 1667 refers to a George Sym’s who had lately purchased a dwelling house, malt house and a brew house in the city of Cork. The brew house was located in the parish of the Holy Trinity and was located near the South Gate Bridge. This is probably one of the earliest brewing references to the site of the Beamish & Crawford Brewery. It is believed that the history of brewing on this site could date back to the 1500s. The title deeds of Beamish and Crawford date to 1792, but they refer to Allen’s Brewery which existed on the South Main Street site in 1715. The Allen’s were very influential merchants in Cork, and John Allen is recorded as Mayor of the city in 1713. The family also had the distinction of having Allen’s Lane named after them, this was eventually incorporated within the Beamish and Crawford site.
William Beamish and William Crawford were Cork merchants and they made their money by importing beer into Cork from the London breweries. Tradition has it that having placed a large order with a London brewery, bad weather interrupted their supply. This left the thirsty natives of Cork without their favourite tipple, so they decided to purchase their own brewery and have a supply right on their doorstep. In 1791, Edward Allen had died, and his property was put up for sale. Allen had been the owner of the city’s largest brewery producing some 13,000 gallons per year. Beamish and Crawford purchased this ready-made brewery and began trading as the Cork Porter Brewery. As time went by the brewery was enlarged and modernised and, in the early 1830s, it had the distinction of being the largest brewery in Ireland.
The two partners concentrated on the provincial markets, unlike Guinness who had a huge export market. But Father Mathew’s Temperance campaign of the 1840s had a devastating effect on the drinks market. The number of small local breweries in the city had been decimated, reduced from eighteen to six. In its heyday, the brewery accounted for the payment of 12½ per cent of the city’s rates, an enormous sum. By the late 1850s, the brewery had bought out some of the remaining smaller concerns. This strategy combined with the purchase of tied houses namely pubs which sold only their products strengthened its position. By 1860, the Beamish and Crawford site covered an area of five acres. Fortunately, for Beamish and Crawford, the Guinness brewery had concentrated on the export trade leaving them to their own devices.
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Image 2. Beamish & Crawford Coopers working in natural light 1932. Courtesy Michael Lenihan.
Arnott’s brewery was purchased by Murphy’s in 1901 and it was closed shortly afterwards increasing their tied house share by about one hundred and fifty public houses. Beamish and Crawford were not slow to react; they purchased their close competitor Lane’s Brewery, (est. 1758), on the South Main Street acquiring their tied houses. At this time both breweries had the monopoly of the city trade, accounting for about one half each. It was quite ironic that with the 2008 takeover of Scottish & Newcastle, the brewery passed into the hands of its main Cork-based rival Heineken International. In December 2008, it was announced that the Beamish and Crawford brewery was to close in 29 March 2009 with the loss of 120 jobs. Sadly, 217 years of a Cork brewing tradition had come to an end. Fortunately, Beamish stout is still brewed in Cork today albeit at the home of its former rival Murphy’s now Heineken Ireland, Leitrim Street.
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corkcitylibraries · 3 years
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Cork History | The Old Ferry Crossing at Pope’s Quay
by Michael Lenihan
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Image Ferry Crossing c1910 courtesy of the Michael Lenihan Collection
On the 20 March 1620 the Corporation of Cork granted Dominick Roche, his executors and assigns, the sole right to carry passengers by ferry near the city. The ferry operated from Lavitt’s Quay to Ferry Lane near present day St Mary’s church. It was later utilised to facilitate the erection of new stone bridges following the demolition of the old timber structures. A further entry in the Council book for the year 1713 records ‘That a fee farm of the ferries or passage boats over the north of the river Lee was granted to Edward Webber and his heirs.’ The rates were set at not more than one halfpenny for a single person’s passage, or for the comparable weight of a man as a load of salt, or any other goods. The Common Council of the city were of course exempt from any charge for passage.
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Image of Ferry Lane courtesy of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
In the year 1718 the widow Pope had liberty to build a Quay between Browne’s Quay and Farren’s Quay and hence was renamed Pope’s Quay. It was formerly known as North Quay prior to its redevelopment. Before the building of Patrick’s Bridge the ferries were extremely important for transporting passengers, livestock and goods across the river from North Quay to Ferry Quay. The North Channel had only one bridge to cater for the expanding butter and victualling trades located in the North side of the city. Smith’s map of 1750 shows Ferry Quay located on what was then the Coal Quay and Lavitt’s Quay combined. The size of this Quay area reflected the importance of the ferries on both the economy and citizens of Cork. The Shandon pedestrian bridge was erected near the route of the old river crossing, so the tradition of traversing the river near this point continues to this day.
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corkcitylibraries · 3 years
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Cork History | Cork County Cricket Club
by Michael Lenihan
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Image 1 Cork Cricket grounds c. 1910 Michael Lenihan Collection 
The first Cork Cricket Club was founded in 1849 and was located on the Mardyke. In 1873 it was decided to form a new Cricket club and a letter was circulated by W.H. Sharman Crawford outlining the terms for the new club. This project was undertaken with the help of Anderson Cooper and Thomas Hewitt. It was proposed that a new pavilion be constructed if enough life members would pay the necessary £10 subscription. Playing members could pay an annual subscription of £2 with non-playing members a subscription of £1. These fees would enable the procurement of a lease on suitable grounds to include the hiring of a professional bowler. This proved to be a resounding success and the cream of Cork society duly signed up, as can be seen from the subscription list. The following notables who subscribed were The Earl of Cork; The Earl of Bandon; Sir George Colthurst, Baronet; Sir John Arnott; W.H. Crawford Esq.; R.U.P. Fitzgerald Esq.; D.F. Leahy Esq.; R.P. Beamish Esq.; Captain Henry Crawford and Jonas Morris Esq.  
A formal meeting took place at the Imperial Hotel on 4 April 1874 and the new Cricket club was named the Cork County Cricket Club. In 1903 the club hosted a famous match between the Gentlemen of Ireland verses London County which side included the legendary W.G. Grace. Although Grace did not play well on that occasion remarking “How any man could be expected to play Cricket in such beautiful surroundings?” In 1910 the Cork County Cricket Club oversaw all Cricket in the South of Ireland. The club continued to grow throughout its history and many internationals were held on the Richard Beamish grounds. The year 1970 was a decisive occasion in the history of the club as the freehold grounds were purchased for the sum of £20,000. Unfortunately a dispute arose in 2006 concerning a financial arrangement with Beamish & Crawford brewers who had secured the freehold of the grounds as an asset against a long term loan. Thankfully, a settlement was reached with Beamish & Crawford retaining the freehold and the club retaining a 150 year lease.
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Image 2 courtesy of the Cork County Cricket Club
The current clubhouse located on the grounds replaced a two-storied pavilion which had been constructed in 1875 near the river. This proved to be unsuitable and it was demolished just 5 years later. During the 1902 Cork Exhibition and the 1903 Greater Cork Exhibition the grounds and the pavilion were utilised. The pavilion became a grandstand showing marvellous views of the cycling races and other sporting activities. This picturesque clubhouse is one of the few buildings to use corrugated iron. The wonderful large windows and veranda provide magnificent views of the grounds and beyond. In 2016 it was voted Cricket Ireland Club of the year. This beautiful clubhouse and grounds has always been a special place to visit especially during the summer months.
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corkcitylibraries · 3 years
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Cork History | An Early History of the Lough
by Michael Lenihan
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Photo courtesy of Michael Lenihan 
The wonderful legend of the Lough was recorded by Crofton Croker in his book Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, in 1824, but earlier accounts exist concerning leases, fairs, fishing and amusement. In 1695 the Corporation of Cork ordered that Aldermen Wright, Rogers and a Mr. Champion examine some grounds adjoining the Lough with a view to valuing and renting it. It proved to be a troublesome issue for the Corporation because in October 1717 Mr. Will Masters was ordered to give up his lease at the Lough under threat of legal action. Eight years later the legal wrangling continued, and the sum of £7 18s was offered to Mr. Masters upon his surrendering the lease and the legal costs were fixed at 30s. By 1727 trespassing had become a vexatious issue and representatives of the Corporation were sent to the Lough in order to issue a report and threaten the offenders. A Decree was issued stating that “All black cattle that stood on or about this land, in order to cool for slaughtering shall pay one penny for every head and a halfpenny for every pig or sheep.”
The contentious issue of people digging up the ground and carrying away enormous amounts of soil occupied the corporation for many more years. Even members of the established church had their eyes on this important piece of land. In 1770 Dean Chinnery had built a wall and taken in ground that was not belonging to him and he was forced to take a lease on this particular plot of land.
The issue of having two fairs near the Lough was investigated as early as 1733. In later years it was recommended that three fairs be held which would generate much needed revenue for the city. By 1743 it was discovered that the Lough had been totally over fished by the overuse of fishing nets. In order to conserve the remaining fish stocks, it was ordered that “no person shall fish with any net or nets in said Lough.”
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Photo courtesy of Irish Examiner
The Lough was not just a place of commerce, but it was for amusement as well. When the Lough froze there was no place to equal it for sport in Cork. On 2 January 1767 the frost had become so severe that the Lough froze solid and skating became a popular pastime. The cold became so severe that many poor tradesmen could not work and because they had nothing better to do, went to the Lough and amused themselves by skating. After two weeks the roads became impassable as the snow was seven or eight feet deep in parts. A century later there were many newspaper accounts of skating on the Lough including some near tragedies when the ice broke, and the skaters were hurled into the frozen lake. Because of the seasonal nature of the sport there were many injuries, such as broken limbs and severe bruising. This was the order of the day and many of the local hospitals had more than their fair share of ice casualties. The Lough continues to be a safe haven for people to walk.to this day. It is an important nature sanctuary for animals, birds, fish and a tranquil oasis not far from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
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