3rd April 2014
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Barry Keane is one of many people running in the local elections. Mr Keane would like a seat on Cork City Council. The Fine Gael member had much success with a story about the Shandon Clock being stuck earlier this year. Today Mr Keane issued a press release outlining his vision for the City. It is a solid list summaries what needs to be done. The conclusion is “Give people hope”.
At the Capitol
Expand the English Market to include a new National Food Product Development Unit:
* To show off new talent in food production
* To Test new products
* To Help new food businesses establish themselves in the critical first year
* To Create a new magnet for the €1.52 billion Food Tourism market
Work to have two Michelin Star Restaurants and two Michelin Bib Gourmand (meal under €40) as anchor tenants in this new English Market
* To develop and train the best Irish Cooks and chefs
* To use the best the produce the Market has to offer
* To set a new benchmark in service
* To showcase and test new dishes and food techniques
* To attract people to stay in Cork City overnight
Create a new ‘English Market Approved’ Brand to maintain Cork’s reputation as the Food Excellence Capital of Ireland.
* License the brand to design English Market Approved merchandise from Aprons to Zabaglione spoons
* Market the brand at all international food and tourist fairs with support from Irish Embassies world wide- AKA the English Market World Tour
* Maintain Brand integrity by branding only the best products chosen by international food critics
At the Library
v Create an Art, Design and Performance space as a central hub for ‘Cork: the city of Festivals’
* Provide workshops and studios for artists and craft designers
* To develop dedicated market place for new art to be viewed and bought
* To create a second tourist magnet to keep people in the Grand Parade
* To showcase new talent and bring a new vibrancy in the city centre
* Provide a ‘headquarters’ for festivals to plan and manage their events.
* To provide space for the library to expand
At Beamish & Crawford
* Develop the conference centre as a vital hub for the city centre. Draw people through the city rather than bypassing it. Give conference delegates something to do when they are not in the centre. To achieve this I suggest we do the following.
* Design a small linear park from Grand Parade to the Beamish and Crawford site and provide much needed open space in the city centre. The idea of a boardwalk is already in place in the new development plan
* Provide a third tourist magnet on the street to entice people on to the Grand Parade
* Increase to potential performance space on the street and link to the Plaza outside the library.
* Provide a tourist link to St Finbarrie’s Cathedral and Elizabeth Fort providing further facilities for visitors and using our strengths not focussing on our weaknesses as usual.
Overall
* Create three linked world class tourist attractions for the city
* Create 3,000 sustainable jobs- 100 news businesses by 30 jobs is 3,000 ranging from hotels, restaurants, tour bus drivers, farmers, hauliers, artists, goldsmiths, book binders all the way to food producers and fishery
* Create a real buzz in the city after the wreck of the Celtic Tiger
