Councillors decide on name for new bridge over N40

CORK city’s new bridge over the N40 has been officially named Vernon Mount Bridge following a vote at yesterday evening’s meeting of Cork City Council.

Earlier this year, the local authority sought nominations for the naming of the new 4m wide bridge, which, when opened, will provide a new pedestrian and cycle link to Tramore Valley Park.

Over a period of a month, a total of 598 nominations were received from the public through a naming submission process.

A shortlist of six names came before councillors to vote on yesterday.

They were Vernon Mount Bridge, Fuinseog Dubh/Black Ash Bridge, Tramore Valley Bridge, Sanctuary Bridge, Pride/Bród Bridge, and Tobar Bridge.

Councillors first indicated their preference from those six names and a second vote was then held with the two that were identified as the most popular, Vernon Mount Bridge and Fuinseog Dubh/Black Ash Bridge.

Fine Gael councillor Shane O’Callaghan was among the councillors to voice support for the name Vernon Mount Bridge, “in recognition of Vernon Mount House’s unique, historical, and architectural place”.

“As someone who lives in Grange, as far as I can see, the overwhelming majority of people in the area — in Grange, in Frankfield, and in Douglas — are in favour of Vernon Mount,” said Mr O’Callaghan.

This was echoed by Fianna Fáil councillor Mary Rose Desmond, who said the proposed name was “strongly endorsed” by many locals. “As someone born and reared in Douglas and living in Douglas all my life, Vernon Mount — and not just the house, the landscape there — has been part of what I grew up with.

“The sound of the scrambler bikes was the Sunday morning wakeup call as you’d still hear going on.”

Commenting after the meeting, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy, paid tribute to the public for getting involved in the naming process. “Many thanks to the general public for engaging in the naming process. This process has been used in recent years, for example in the naming of Mary Elmes Bridge.

“It is a process that my colleagues and I will continue to use, knowing that it provides the public an opportunity to be involved in shaping the culture and history of the city,” he said.

The 63m pedestrian/cycle bridge and the adjoining 1km-long cycle/pathway will provide connectivity between Grange/Frankfield and the southern suburbs.

Funded by the National Transport Authority, the 1km-long pathway will provide a public amenity for local residents through the wooded area south of Grange Rd, allowing direct access across the N40 dual carriageway to Tramore Valley Park via the new pedestrian and cycle-only bridge.

The bridge and pathway are due to be opened to the public in the autumn.