25 February 2019
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
The name of Cork City’s newest pedestrian bridge, will be announced this evening. The bridge will link St. Patrick’s Quay with Merchant’s Quay from Harley Street on the northern side.
At this evening’s bi-weekly Cork City Council Meeting, the elected members (Councillors) will choose from a shortlist of five names. The shortlisted names were chosen from suggestions by members of the public, following a recent public consultation. Below are the shortlisted names:
- Mary Elmes – known as “The Irish Oskar Schindler”, this Cork-born aid worker is credited with having helped over 200 Jewish children escape Vichy France and the threat of concentration camps;
- Mother Jones – born Mary Harris Jones in Shandon, Mother Jones became one of the most prominent labour and community organisers in the United States, who agitated relentlessly for workers’ rights and an end to child labour.
- Leslie Price de Barra – Irish nationalist, director of Cumann na mBan, humanitarian and President of the Irish Red Cross, she lived with her husband, renowned Republican Tom Barry, on St. Patrick’s Street;
- Donnchadh de Barra – from Riverstick, Co. Cork, Republican leader de Barra died on hunger strike in a Newbridge internment camp in November 1923;
- Joan Denise Moriarty – Ballerina and choreographer, she was pivotal to the development of Irish ballet and founded a number of dance schools which still exist today.
The selection process will work as follows:
Each Member present will be given the opportunity to identify their preferred nomination from the agreed shortlist.
The two nominations with the two highest number of preferences to be confirmed by the Lord Mayor, and in the event of any tie the two name(s) to go forward to be determined by casting vote(s) of the Lord Mayor.
Each Member present will then have the opportunity to identify their preference from the two resultant names with the Lord Mayor having a further casting vote in the event of a tie.
It’s expected that when fully operational, up to 11,000 pedestrians and cyclists, travelling between the city centre and the Victorian Quarter daily, will benefit from the improved connectivity and convenience provided by the new bridge. The Victorian Quarter includes Mac Curtain St and the surrounding area.
