 Wall of Crawford Art Gallery,
Emmet Place Is this graffiti or art?
As it is on the wall of a gallery and has been there for some time, I assume that it is considered art.
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 Most people in Cork, I expect, have watched something through the windows of Fitzgerald's Electrical in Grand Parade.
But not any more. Length of period in business is no buffer to current economic conditions. Local businesses need to be supported to avoid the city centre becoming a ghost town with only the big multinationals remaining.  Academy St., Cork I was taking photographs of the City Council Commemorative Plaques for a separate page on the website.
When reading the sign on Academy St., two queries came to mind. 1. Should the sign be remade as the building upon which the sign was erected was demolished in 2008. So the Cork Examiner was not founded in the building upon which the sign is affixed. 2. If he was Mayor of Cork, when did the title Lord Mayor of Cork commence? The Cork City Council website as to title of Lord Mayor showed 1900 to be critical date.
It provides a perfect example of the phrase, 'Set in Stone' Burtons may have left the building some years ago. Montague Burton's decision to invest in a stonemason many years ago now means that his name is likely to stay for some time yet. If only buildings now being constructed included some outward sign - date, plaque, etc - that are integral part of the building and which will last as long as the structure itself. 
Coburg St., Cork I had wondered on a number of occasions as to the translation of Coburg St to Sráid Uί hUigίn. I just had a mental note that the Irish translation appeared to apply to both Coburg and Higgins - reinforcing my view that names should not be translated. I recently purchased a new book by Tom Spalding – Layers : The Design, History and Meaning of Public Street Signage in Cork and other Irish Cities and was amused to read: “From the evidence it seems that it was not until 1904 that bilingual signage was erected. Many of the thoroughfares where these cast iron street signs were set up are quite minor, and they are generally restricted to the north inner city, where the proposal had originated. In most cases, the Irish names were a simple translation of the English one. However in one case the League decided to play a trick on the council. Coburg St was the only streetname translated which referred to the British Royals, in thise case Prince Albert. It was rendered into Irish as ‘Sráid Uί hUigίn’. I believe this was a reference tp Bernardo O’Higgins, whose father was from Sligo and who fought for Chilean independence against the Spanish, and therefore was more attractive to the translators.” When discussing this with a resident of Coburg St., he had understood that the translation referred to the sculptor, Joseph Higgins, but if translated in 1904, the date would probably be too early to substantiate that theory.
 Corrections to metal are not like pencil and rubber.
Recently, I was walking from St Luke’s Cross to Sidney Park with two long-time residents of the park. When walking up the hill on the eastern end of the park, I noticed that the sign looked odd. The space between ‘S’ and ‘I’ was the same as between ‘I’ and ‘D’ but the spacing between all other letters was less. On closer inspection it appears that the sign was originally cast as SYDNEY. By some sanding and re-welding, the ‘Y’ was replaced with an ‘I’. My companions had passed the sign on very many occasions. I had passed it a few times. None of us had ever noticed the repair work. I don’t know if that reflects on the quality of the corrective work or on our powers of observation.  Dingle, Co. Kerry
Having spotted this sign in Dingle, I searched for details of the Camino Chorca Dhuibhne. It may be a consequence of my age profile but there does appear to be more people I know talking about or doing part of the Camino de Santiago. I suspect that if Jeanie Johnson were to set sail again, there would be a decent amount of interest from potential travellers. My understanding of the Camino was that motorised power was not to be used – so cycling, walking or horseback were permitted. I suspect that the boat could not leave Dingle harbour under sail and used motors to get out to open sea. If that was the case, I have wondered if the pilgrims should have rowed or swum to open sea where they could board the ship. 
92 South Mall
I never saw the point of graffiti when growing up. Now, as with many things, my attitude comprises varying shades of grey rather than black and white. Scrawls, names and ‘A loving B’ are pure vandalism. I have had to clean off enough of these to put me off them for life. Names or tags with a range of colours may have some brief interest period but still remain well into the dark grey of vandalism. I remember reading about graffiti near Paddington station in London which read ‘Far Away is Close at Hand in Images of Elsewhere’ and thinking that this was acceptable. It was still defacing someone else’s property but to brighten my dark opinion, it was a form of street ‘Thought for the Day’ for the passengers. I recently saw the street art on plywood which was blocking up a disused building on South Mall. Human’s tendency to amend rules came into play. In my mind this was acceptable as it appeared art rather than scrawls and also it was on temporary surface. No doubt my opinion on graffiti will shift nearer black or white the longer I continue with this blog. In the meantime, until the South Mall property is redeveloped, I will enjoy the image of Enda Kenny and Michael Noonan.  Model Farm Road
I always had difficulty in comprehending why names were translated. It appears an Irish phenomenon. My name on my birth certificate is in English yet in school for roll and other purposes I was given another name - a translation to Irish. It may be beneficial for some wanting passports in both Irish and English but thinking about it, it is a nonsense. If my parents wanted me to have an Irish name, they could have given it to me but they chose not. If you listen to TG4 or Nuacht on radio, they do not translate David Cameron, Daniel Day Lewis, or other non-Irish but they will refer to Irish politicians in a translation of the English name that they use. Illogical. King Juan Carlos does not become Sean Cathal. But when we get to translating letters, I am further perplexed. 
Bob and Joan Walk, Cork
Spotted this wall art last weekend. The six year old who was with me really liked it. 
Galway's Bridge, Killarney
I wonder what the criteria is for setting speed limits on particular roads. Some may not even classify what is after the sign as a road - being only one car wide and in places the gorse extends into the driving area; the tarmac surface has in many locations deteriorated to gravel; there are a lot of sharp bends - along the mile or so that we walked anyway. I find it difficult to believe that any driver could get their car anyway near to 80km/hr and stay on the road.
Banks want customers to deal with machines. The offices of the Revenue Commissioners recently were referring personal callers to appropriate websites or telephone numbers rather than allowing one to speak with someone in person. Births, deaths and marriages are now commonly brought to one’s attention by text or email.
I cannot be the only person who has gone through many options in ‘Press 1’ for this or that – only to find that my query is not answered. Others must have responded to a text to find themselves in a series of subsequent messages to clarify. If one values one’s time and wishes to maintain a low level of stress, these forms of communication are possibly best avoided. Talking predates writing, computers, internet and texting. I hope that it does not go the way of some bank branches. 
Penrose Quay by Michael Collins Bridge
1. I never noticed that before There is a lot that goes unseen. Reading in the newspaper yesterday as to Google Glasses, I fear that the amount unseen may well increase. 2. There is some amount of information on the internet Picture from National Maritime Museum List of crew Military Heritage Google does indeed have some benefits 
A little treasure - perfectly visible and hidden.
Very much worthwhile to stop, read and forget about all else for a few moments. Many thanks to the Cork Heritage Pubs |
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