Cork TD offers €500 reward for information on missing iconic fountain

Cork TD Ken O’Flynn has offered €500 as a reward to anyone providing information on a missing antique fountain which once stood at the bottom of Shandon St.

Cast in the George Smith & Company Sun Foundry in Glasgow, the Dunscombe Testimonial Fountain was given to the city by the family of the same name in the late 19th century.

However, eight years ago Cork City Council officials admitted that they had no idea of the whereabouts of the antique fountain and gas light.

The fountain once stood at the end of Shandon St in Brown’s Square, adjacent to the North Gate Bridge, serving as a working drinking water fountain for the entire northside for the years that it was situated there.

The Dunscombe family was a merchant prince family who lived in the Lee Road area of the city.

Gifted

The fountain was gifted to the then Cork Corporation in April 1883 in the name of Reverend Nicholas C Dunscombe — a leading Protestant clergyman and a founder member, along with the Apostle of Temperance, Fr Theobald Mathew, of the temperance movement in Cork.

In 2017, the council’s then head of roads, Gerry O’Beirne, confirmed that the current location of the Dunscombe fountain and gas light was unknown.

“The historical records suggest that the structure was removed from the street sometime before the 1980s,” Mr O’Beirne said.

“Another fountain was installed in Brown’s Square as part of the Cork 800 celebrations.

“This structure was subsequently removed in 2003 as part of the Shandon Street Renewal Project,” he added.

At the time, the council said there were currently no plans to add another fountain to the area.

Questioned

Ken O’Flynn, then a Fianna Fáil city councillor, questioned whether the fountain was in storage, sold, or possibly even destroyed.

“It would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious,” Mr O’Flynn said.

“The fact that there is no record available of the whereabouts of this fountain begs serious questions about the management of this city.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that management has taken such a flippant attitude towards it.”

Calling for a full list of “the whereabouts of other gifts, antiques, and items belonging to the city”, Mr O’Flynn said he was considering reporting the matter to An Garda Síochána in a bid to find the missing fountain.

Reward

He offered €100 as a reward for anyone that can provide information that leads to the discovery of the fountain.

That sum was then matched by Neil Prendeville on RedFM.

Eight years on, Mr O’Flynn, now an Independent Ireland TD for Cork North Central, said he had received no takers on his offer and was upping the stakes, putting up €500 as a reward for information leading to the recovery of the antique piece of street furniture.

“I’d love to give the money away because I’d love to get the fountain back in Cork City Council ownership,” he told The Echo.

“So not only do I renew my offer, I renew my request to city council that they prepare a full Excel file of all public street furniture and things of interest in the city that are either on public display or are in storage, and that they know at all times where it is being stored, and that it is being stored correctly.”

Cork City Council was asked for comment.