Imperial launches Douglass Lounge

THE Imperial Hotel will celebrate Black History Month this October with a talk on the life of one of its esteemed past visitors, Frederick Douglass.

Douglass was a formerly enslaved Black American who became a national leader and the face of an abolishment movement in the U.S.

During a visit on October 23 in 1845, Douglass gave a speech in The Great Room at the South Mall Hotel, ‘American Prejudice Against Colour’, which was widely published.

Two days later, a great soiree was held for Douglass at St Patrick’s Hall in the hotel.

Those who wish to attend this free event are invited to meet outside the hotel at 5.30pm on October 12.

They will be guided on a walking tour of the Cork Abolitionists Trail before returning back to the hotel for refreshments and a historic talk titled ‘Frederick Douglass, transatlantic abolitionism, and his October 1845 speech at the Imperial Hotel’.

The walk and talk will be led by Dr Adrian Muligan and Dr Laurence Fenton, two members of the team from The Globe Lane Initiative and #DouglassWeek who created the Trail in 2021 with support from Cork City Council. The Trail commemorates the places where Douglass stayed and spoke during his visit to Cork, and celebrates the city’s rich abolitionist history.

The talk will begin at 7pm in the Frederick Douglass Lounge, which the Imperial Hotel will officially launch on the evening; this newly-renovated executive guest lounge is named and decorated in honour of Douglass.

Throughout Black History Month, the hotel will allow interested visitors to view The Frederick Douglass Lounge, which is normally reserved exclusively for hotel guests.

It features a portrait of Douglass, reading materials, and framed lyrics of an old Irish verse performed by local poet Daniel Casey as a gesture of welcome to Douglass from the Anti-Slavery Society during one of their meetings.

New owner of the hotel, Louis Fitzgerald is a keen history enthusiast and collector of historical artefacts, so he is delighted to add Douglass’ name and story to the Wall of History in the hotel’s lobby.

To book go to: https://eclv.ie/Douglass