Cork City Centre - South Parish Walk

The South Parish Walk

Daunt’s Square

an old blocked-up archway, again this was also originally part of the old 18th century cathedral. On entering Fort Street you can see the dominant position of the southern wall of the Elizabeth Fort, from where the street derives its name. Barrack Street is one of the longest occupied parts of Cork and at its southern end stands the birthplace of General Daniel Florence O’Leary, a great hero in parts of South America for his actions in fighting for independence from Spanish rule. During the 1690 Siege of Cork the Fort withstood attack from three sides, but when the city fell it had to be surrendered. On the left, just inside the entrance to the Fort, stands one of the few surviving WWII air-raid shelters in Cork.

by giving hope of a better future to the poorest in society. Her tomb in the grounds of the South Presentation Convent should be a stopping point of any visitor to Cork. Entering the precincts of the Red Abbey Tower brings you to the oldest piece of architecture in the city, dating to the 14th century. It is all that remains of the former Augustinian Red Abbey. The tower was used by John Churchill, the Earl of Marlborough, as a viewing platform during the Siege of Cork in 1690 to conduct cannon fire on the old city walls. The abbey spent its final decades during the 18th century being used as a sugar refinery. Known as the Red Abbey Sugar House, a huge fire in 1799 saw many of its buildings destroyed. The tower was handed over to the city by its then owners in 1951. Following the directions from the Red Abbey plaque: As you pass through Red Abbey Street, notice the unusual variety of doorways in the houses on both sides of the street. Dunbar Street was once known as New Chapel Lane and did not originally run all the way out to Douglas Street. It was a narrow lane that ran from George’s Quay and terminated at the southern boundary wall of the South Chapel. Towards the end of the 18th century it was opened onto what was then called Cove Lane, now Douglas Street. When the South Chapel was built during the Penal Times in 1766 it would have been tucked away at the end of this lane and also set back from the front of the lane so as to be as inconspicuous as possible. Originally L-shaped, later additions to it in 1809 and 1866 gave it its present cruciform shape. It’s the oldest Catholic church in the city and played a leading role in Cork during the struggle for Catholic Emancipation in the 1820s.

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Queen’s old castle

Following the directions from the Daunt’s Square plaque: As you walk along the Grand Parade, imagine that what is now solid ground, was, until the latter half of the 18th century, a major waterway that flowed outside the eastern wall of the old medieval City of Cork. On your right you pass the beautiful 19th century façade of the large department store that was known as the Queen’s Old Castle, whose name remembers one of the main towers of the walled city, the Queen’s Castle, thought to be one of the towers depicted on the Cork Coat of Arms. The major thoroughfare that is Washington Street was completed in 1824 and was then known as Great George’s Street, called after King George IV. In 1918 the Cork Corporation re-named it in honour of the first American President, George Washington. The impressive entrance gates to Bishop Lucey Park once formed the entrance to the old Corn Market that stood on Anglesea Street, to the rear of the Cork City Hall. They were placed here in 1985, when the park was opened to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the granting of Cork’s first city charter in 1185. Following the directions from the Grand Parade plaque: Tuckey Street, formerly Tuckey’s Lane, was named after Timothy Tuckey, Mayor of Cork in 1677. The “Lane” became a “Street” in 1761, and a limestone plaque situated between nos. 7 and 8 remembers that event. The Tuckey family owned a lot of property in this area, and part of the western side of the present day Grand Parade was also known as Tuckey’s Quay, when it was still a waterway. The first building you meet on your right is the Masonic Lodge, an 18th century building that is home to the First Lodge of Ireland. Entering South Main Street, brings you to the heart of medieval Cork. This was part of the main street of the old city that ran between the bridges at the South Gate and North Gate. The neo- Tudor offices of the former Beamish and Crawford’s Brewery were constructed around 1920. Following the directions from the South Gate Bridge plaque: French’s Quay was named after James French, a wine merchant and Mayor of Cork in 1696. Originally, only a portion of this quayside was called French’s Quay. There were a number of properties situated along the quay wall heading west from the South Gate Bridge and the thoroughfare in front of these was called Globe Lane. It was not until 1872, following the demolition of these properties, that the whole quay became French’s Quay. You pass on your left a narrow, stepped hill called Keyser’s Hill. This is a Norse

The english market

Key:

Walk route

Information Panel

Bishop lucey Park

Following the directions from the Elizabeth Fort plaque:

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River lee (South channel)

Beamish and crawford Brewery

Evergreen Buildings was formerly known as Barrack Lane and the neat terrace of red-bricked houses, as well as many others in this area, were built during the 1870s and 1880s following the clearance of the narrow, unsanitary alleyways and old dilapidated houses that stood here previously. This leads you onto Industry Street, and the part of which you walk along now was also newly constructed around the same time. To the east of this street stood the old Blue Coat School, which taught boys of the Protestant religion and apprenticed them out to various trades from around 1700 until 1916. The 13th century St Stephen’s Church and Leper Hospital had previously stood on this site. Now you face the rear of the former St Nicholas Church of Ireland. It stands on a site that has been occupied since at least the 12th century, when the last leader of the Ostmen, the name given to the descendents of the Viking settlers in Cork, Gilbert, son of Turgarius, had his Court here. A church dedicated to St Nicholas has stood here since around 1177, and the present church, which opened in 1850, is the third one to occupy this site.

National monument

War memorial

Holy Trinity church

School of music

Friary

River lee (South channel)

Nano Nagle Footbridge

South Gate Bridge

Parliament Bridge

college of commerce

Proby’s Bridge

Trinity Footbridge

St marie’s of the Isle convent

Beamish and crawford Brewery Stables

college of Art and Design

James morrison House

elizabeth Fort

St Nicholas’ church

South chapel church

Synagogue

St Fin Barre’s cathedral

Red Abbey

Prosperity Square

Nano Nagle’s Tomb

South Presentation convent

Following the directions from the South Chapel plaque:

As you enter George’s Quay, notice on your left the row of buildings that run westwards and how they have been constructed with a stepped effect to keep them in line with the quayside. For centuries the river here would have been a very busy area, with many ships tied up on both sides of it, loading and un-loading their wares. Heading east, you pass two beautiful examples of 18th century bow-fronted Georgian houses. One of these was used in the 19th century as a friary for the Capuchins of the Holy Trinity Church across the river, later it became the presbytery for the priests of the South Chapel. Two well- known figures associated with this area were the Folklorist Thomas Crofton Croker, who was born on Buckingham Place and the Miniaturist Painter Adam Buck, who is believed to have lived there for a few years. Here also stands the large 18th century residence of James Morrison, now part of the College of Commerce, and beyond that were the fine Georgian houses built by him on the South Terrace in the latter half of that century. During the 19th

Following the directions from the St Nicholas Church plaque:

The thoroughfare that today incorporates both Abbey Street and Douglas Street has gone through a number of name changes since it was first named Red Abbey Lane in around 1726. By the end of the 18th century, it had been divided into two sections, with the western end called Abbey Lane (now Abbey Street) and the eastern end called Cove Lane (now Douglas Street). To the north of Abbey Street runs Cove Street, which has the distinction of being the place of residence of two of Ireland’s great 19th century figures, the sculptor John Hogan and the “Apostle of Temperance” Fr Mathew. Occupying the southern side of Douglas Street is a historical site of national importance, where the foundations of Catholic education for the masses were laid by the great Nano Nagle in the 18th century. The Penal Laws were still in force at that time, yet she disregarded her own well-being

Following the directions from the St Fin Barre’s Cathedral plaque: On leaving the cathedral you enter Dean Street, so-called because it was where the Dean of St Fin Barre’s resided for the past couple of centuries. Recently a new Deanery was built just to the west of Dean Street. There is a gateway in the boundary wall of the cathedral, inside of which can be seen a beautiful carved archway. This formed the entrance to the previous, 18th century cathedral, and was placed here following its demolition in the 1860s. A bit further on, leading off to the right is Vicar Street, where some of the oldest houses in Cork are said to stand. Just opposite Vicar Street, in the boundary wall of the cathedral you can see

name and it indicates that it is one of the oldest thoroughfares in Cork City. Opposite Keyser’s Hill is a very unusual bridge, Proby’s Bridge. It is really only half a bridge, as what was originally the western side of the bridge now forms part of the roadway. The old river channel has been culverted and runs westwards under the modern road surface. This road still retains the name Proby’s Quay, remembering the old waterway that ran in front of it. Following the directions from the Bishop’s Street plaque: On the northern side of the street, the old stables of Beamish and Crawford’s Brewery were built around 1902 to the designs of Houston & Houston. The foundation stone of the convent

of St Marie’s of the Isle was laid in 1850 and completed within two years. Additional buildings, such as schools, a chapel, and an orphanage were added to the complex over the rest of that century. As you turn the bend in Bishop’s Street to make your way to the gates of the cathedral, on the other side of the street you will see the gates leading to the Episcopal residence of the Church of Ireland Bishop Paul Colton, who officiated at the wedding of the footballer David Beckham and Victoria Adams in 1999. Next to those gates stands the beautiful 18th century Carrigbarre House. Enter the grounds of the cathedral and you are entering the place out of which grew the foundations of our great City of Cork, and a place of worship for fourteen centuries.