9 May 2020
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Cork County Council, as part of the national ‘In This Together’ Wellbeing Campaign, has released a variety of initiatives to help people connect with each other and the rich heritage of Cork County.
Cork County Council has called upon the breadth of knowledge and resources that exist, both within the Council, and in the wider County to provide a number of online resources. The Carrigtwohill branch of the ‘Cloyne Diocesan Youth Service’ (CDYS) has provided a documentary on the Taking of Carrigtwohill RIC (Police) Barracks (1920), produced in association with Twenty4Films and CDYS, and supported by Cork County Council’s Commemorations Committee. This 18-minute feature is available on YouTube and across the Council’s social media platforms.
Further resources for those with an interest in Cork’s historical heritage are available from Council owned Michael Collins House in Clonakilty, and Skibbereen Heritage Centre.
As we reported last month Michael Collins House is providing virtual tours via an App, on which people can listen to podcasts on Michael Collins and the Irish War of Independence.
Separately, the Skibbereen Heritage Centre has a collection of resources available online concerning the Great Famine, including a documentary on the particularly devastating experience of the famine in Skibbereen and its wider context. The centre has been digitising burial registers for a number of graveyards in West Cork for some time, the results of which are now available on its website. Over 15,000 previously unavailable genealogy records relating to the greater West Cork area are now available online. A free tutorial from Historian and Council staff member Terri Kearny is also available, providing expert advice on how to access and utilise the records for research.
Recognising that we are now going through a period of great historical significance, Cork County Library and Arts Services Local Studies team have begun a project to document the experience of Covid 19 in Cork, engaging with people throughout the County to build a valuable record of social history, a resource for historians and future generations.
Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Ian Doyle said of the initiatives
“Cork County’s historical heritage is vast and of great importance locally, nationally and internationally. I am immensely proud of the work of Council employees and members of the public in preserving, enhancing and sharing this cherished resource. Whether you are a native to Cork or someone who has come here to live later in life, these resources belong to you and your community. They can provide a sense of place, a sense of pride and especially now, a sense of connection.”
Details of these initiatives, and many more, are available here on the Council’s website