An Irishman's Diary on the Cork International Exhibition 1902/03

The Cork International Exhibition was a massive undertaking and turned out to be a great success. Opened on 1 May 1902, it attracted nearly 2 million visitors. I have just written an Irishman's Diary about the Exhibition in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here.

 

Exhibition catalogue, on display in the Cork Public Museum.

Over 500 exhibitors showed off their wares at the Exhibition when it opened in 1902. As I say in the article, it was deemed to have been such a success that it was decided to re-open it in May of the following year as the Greater Cork International Exhibition. 

Most of the buildings and structures erected for the Exhibition were taken down immediately following the end of the 1903 Exhibition or in the decades following. Two buildings that have remained are the Shrubberies House (now Cork Public Museum), which was used as an administration center during the Exhibition and the small President and Lord Mayor's Pavilion (now used as an art gallery).

 

The Shrubberies (Cork Public Museum)

 

 

The President and Lord Mayor's Pavilion (now art gallery).

 

The previous exhibitions to take place in Cork were on a much smaller scale. The First Irish Industrial Exhibition Cork 1852 took place in a building where the Cork City Hall now stands. Here you can view a map of Cork from the time to get an idea of what the city looked like back then.

If you are interested in the 1883 Irish Industrial and Fine Art Exhibition that took place in Cork, you can view and download the catalogue here from the Cork Public Museum.

Bursary award to carry out research in Belgium (In Flanders Fields Museum).

I am delighted to announce that I have been selected as a recipient of a bursary to carry out research in Belgium. Organised in conjunction with the Embassy of Ireland in Brussels, I will travel to Ieper / Ypres and conduct research into Irish involvement in the First World War at the In Flanders Fields Museum. I will post more information about the project soon. I am grateful to the Irish Embassy and the Museum for selecting my application from the large number submitted.

 

In Flanders Fields Museum. Image source. 

An Irishman's Diary on Paddy Joyce - actor and nephew of James Joyce

The actor Paddy Joyce (1923-2000) was a nephew of the writer James Joyce (1882-1941). Born in Trieste in 1923 and brought up in Dublin by his Irish mother, Paddy treaded the boards in Dublin, London and other European capitals. 

He acted in several big budget movies and played parts in a variety of popular television programmes on British TV. I have just written an Irishman's Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about Paddy Joyce. Read it here.

Paddy Joyce. Image source.

After acting in school plays while still a student at Belvedere College (alma mater of his famous uncle James Joyce), Paddy joined singing and acting groups in Dublin. He toured with several of these groups, visiting countries in Europe and north America before trying his luck in London. His list of credits is impressive with the likes of Eastenders, Coronation Street and Z Cars appearing among the list. He also played roles in Father Ted, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, and The Bill.

I first heard about Paddy Joyce at this year's Bloomsday celebrations in Cork. One of James Joyce's grand nephews, who attended the Bloomsday conference (which was organised by Dr Flicka Small), mentioned that Paddy was a nephew of James Joyce and that Paddy had enjoyed a successful acting career. Curious to know more, I did a little digging and my newspaper article is the fruit of that research.