Nostalgia: Exciting times ahead for Cork City's Bishop Lucey Park

Exciting times lie ahead for Bishop Lucey Park. In 2023, this oasis in the heart of the city is going to be transformed with the winning architectural design of Belfast based firm, Hall McKnight Architects. 

The main feature of this contemporary design is the city wall whose history stretches back 800 years.

The first archaeological excavation carried out on the site where Bishop Lucey Park is situated occurred in 1975. I was very fortunate to witness it and all subsequent excavations right up to 1985, the year the 800th anniversary of Cork’s first Charter was celebrated. 

Thinking of it now, it was a privilege to watch those dedicated UCC archaeologists, from professors to students along with Cork Corporation (Cork City Council) workers, in all kinds of weather, meticulously digging down into the past and revealing our medieval island city – an unforgettable experience!

Viking settlement

The western end of the park was where the 1975 dig took place when a number of buildings were demolished and where a number of important finds were uncovered. These comprised of post and wattle and timer framed houses along with hearth sites, timber drains and wattle trackways and artifacts, establishing the site as a Hiberno-Norse settlement. 

Knowing some people on site, I was able to move closer to the dig and experience the 1,000-year-old world where the Vikings resided. The smell of the ancient marshy vegetation and the feel of the damp dark mucky wood and other items brought home to me what this city of ours is built upon – a prehistoric marshland, hence the Gaelic name: Corcach. It was easy to imagine walking amongst the Vikings, with their longships moored at the edge of their smoky island settlement, where the entrance to the park from Grand Parade is situated today.

Other finds uncovered included Christ Church Chantry College; this limestone building was built in 1482, dissolved in 1548 and in ruins by 1670; Charity School, built in 1742 for the purpose of educating 15 poor people of the parish; Christ Church National School, erected by public subscription and opened in 1871 for the education of boys and girls. For a time, part of this two-storey building was used as an alms-house and was taken down in the early 1970s. As a matter of interest, Gerald V. Goldberg, Cork’s first Jewish Lord Mayor, schooled there. When the excavations were completed in 1977, the site became Tuckey Street Car Park.

Norman walled city

On Monday, December 29th 1980, when workmen were clearing a site on the corner of Grand Parade and Tuckey Street, they discovered a section of the ancient city wall, prompting archaeologists to come on site the following January. During the following weeks, thousands flocked to gaze in wonder at the wall; I was one of them.

The wall was about 10 meters in length and about 4 meters high. I had viewed the city wall on maps and plans many times but actually seeing it in front of my eyes was a different story. Knowing some of the workmen on site, I was able to get right up close to this historic structure.

Touching the muddy wall and holding one of the fine cut limestones in my hands, I couldn’t help but think of the Anglo-Norman builder who would have cut and placed this stone in the wall 800 years ago. 

This heavy stone would have been quarried from the nearby southern bank where French’s Quay is situated today, which is rich in limestone resources. The wall rested on a timber raft foundation which came from the ancient forest on the southern hills.

These Anglo-Norman military trained conquerors and skilled builders arrived at the close of the 12th century and captured the thriving Hiberno-Norse settlement; shortly afterwards the building of a city wall and towers began.

Wall and castle uncovered

In April 1984, while preparing the park at the eastern end for the erection of the 19th century archway and its big gates, which were taken from the Cork Corporation Yard (former City Cornmarket) on Anglesea St., a further masonry structure was uncovered.

UCC archaeologists came on site and identified it as another section of the city wall. During the following glorious month of sunshine, thousands came to view the wall and wonder at its historical background. 

The Corporation men working on site became local historians overnight due to the continuous stream of enquiries made of them by the general public. The following July the site became a hive of excitement again.

Another historic find was made by archaeologists who discovered for the first time in the city, physical evidence of the remnants of a watchtower outside the wall.

This 1 metre high by 10 metre square base was known as Hopewell Castle and stood south at the eastern end of Christ Church Lane.

This castle is depicted on many ancient maps of the city. Regrettably, before archaeologists had a chance to monitor and record the find, a mechanical digger inadvertently levelled the structure.

On December 6th 1985 the park was officially opened by the then Lord Mayor of Cork, Ald. Dan Wallace T.D. and named after Bishop Cornelius Lucey, who served the diocese of Cork from 1945 to 1983.

Sources:

Liam Casey, Senior Parks/Landscape Officer, Cork City Council.

Niamh Twomey, Cork Heritage Officer/Planning Policy, Cork City Council.

D.C. Twohig: Skiddy’s Castle & Christ Church Cork, Excavations 1974-77. Cork Corporation 1997 Edited: R.M. Cleary, M.F. Hurley, E. Shee Twohig.

Maurice F. Hurley: Excavations of part of the Medieval City Wall at Grand Parade. JCHAS, 1985.

Colin Rynne, The Archaeology of Cork City & Harbour, Collins Press, Cork 1993 The Big Gates – The Story of Bishop Lucey Park, Modest Man Press, 1986.