Great shakes – An Irishman’s Diary on Daly’s Bridge and sport by the Lee

I have just written an Irishman's Diary article in the Irish Times newspaper about some popular Cork landmarks - Daly's Bridge and some of the sporting venues nearby. Known colloquially as the Shakey Bridge on account of how it shakes when you walk over it quickly, the bridge is a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. Read it here.

View from the Shakey Bridge looking back towards Sunday's Well.

Near the bridge, which crosses over the north channel of the River Lee, you will find a host of sporting venues such as the Mardyke Arena (UCC's main sports venue), Sunday's Well Boating & Tennis Club, and the Cork County Cricket Club. Also nearby is Fitzgerald's Park, the main public park in Cork city. It was on this spot that the 1902/1903 Cork International Exhibition was held. You can find out more about this exhibition on this page, including the official programme.

Paper at the 2017 AFIS Conference

Patrimoine / heritage was the theme of the 12th annual Association of Franco-Irish Studies (AFIS) conference. The conference took place on the 19th & 20th of May 2017 in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. 44 speakers from Ireland, UK, France, USA addressed the theme and spoke on a diverse range of topics from literature to gastronomy, history, travel and culture. I chose to speak about the residence of the French Ambassador to Ireland on Dublin's Ailesbury Road. 

The building was acquired by the French Government in 1930 for the new Legation and as the residence of the first French Minister to the Irish Free State, M. Charles Alphand. Contemporary newspaper reports say that 1.9 million French Francs or £12,400 was set aside by the French Government to purchase the property and renovate it. 

In my paper, I briefly discussed the history of Franco-Irish diplomatic relations, but the main focus was on how the building was renovated to showcase the very best of French and Irish furniture and materials. It was intended to act both as a symbol of French patrimoine and prestige and also to highlight how the two countries could co-operate in the future.  

Photograph of me delivering my paper at the conference.