We're Gonna Need a Bigger Park

26th Jul 2016

This column may be tempting fate by suggesting that the weather on Leeisde this summer has been fairly daycint so far (watch now, next week we’ll be ranting here about midsummer snow!).

There was the heatwave in May when the entire population of Fermoy had to be kept indoors in case they melted and last week we had the hottest day of the year when you had to swallow a 99 ice-cream like a vodka shot or it would run down your Cork City FC jersey before you were more than 10 yards from the ice cream van.

On the last Sunday in May there was the much loved Jam in the Park event run by Red FM’s Stevie G and Gemma Sugrue from Voiceworks. The amount of young singing talent on show on the stage at Fitzgerald’s Park was remarkable and when these kids move from the underage scene up to U21 and senior let’s hope the Cork County Board aren’t appointing their vocal coaches because the potential to bring so much glory to the Rebel county here is off the scale.
 

The crowd at Fitzgerald's Park for the Laya Spectacular recently

The name of the event might suggest that there was some random unplanned improvisation involved in these performances but this was no jam. Clearly the young kids and adults involved in the event had been packing in the hours over the long dark winter and there was no way they were going to waste a stunning day like May 29^th on anything but showing the Cork public what they’ve been up to. Wave after wave of pitch perfect harmonies beat frozen ice-cream as the main source of shivers up the spine.

By 2pm the area in front of the stage was already thronged – the blue skies emptied everyone out of their gafs and into the beautiful surrounds of Fitzy’s Park. Anyone within two miles of the booming sound system, huge roars and applause were being drawn in. The joy of the revamped Fitzgerald’s Park is that on sunny days an hour long drive to the beach is no longer the only option to embrace the good weather.

By 3pm the stewards were looking at each other’s’ sweaty faces and wondering if there was going to be space for the hundreds of people pouring into the park every few minutes- by now there wasn’t a spare blade of grass anywhere near the stage. Bear in mind that the bill did not include any big name acts, washed up 90’s Marquee-style nostalgia or any super-hyped ‘next big thing’ celebrities. This was just home grown young Cork talent and Corkonians wanted to see it.

By 4pm an announcement reverberated around the now jointed area in front of the stage. Those in charge had decided to stop the music due to health and safety concerns. The event had actually gotten too big and the high-vis chief decided the music had to end. The Jam had, officially, become too jammed.

Last Sunday week the Laya Healthcare Spectacular took place in the same venue in similar blue-sky weather. Thankfully lessons had been learned and there were no plugs pulled but it didn’t stop thousands of Corkonians packing out the venue again.

In fact, the area in front of the museum had become so wedged with bodies that hundreds of people were standing to the side and behind the stage to try to catch a glimpse of The Lizard Man and other top acts.

It’s not surprising now with so many people now living in the city centre itself.

Days before the Spectacular, the Central Statistics Office released figures showing a surge in the population of the city centre and looking at the crowds packed into the park you couldn’t help thinking....we’re just going to need a bigger park.

Vibrant lived-in cities need plenty of parks and open spaces. Within the city centre island there is just one proper park with a single playground and just five swings. There are a few bits here and there like the open square of land where Western Road joins the Mardyke near the well-used skatepark or the sometimes pleasant but meagre Bishop Lucy Park where you’re far more likely to see topless beer swilling scobes than smallies playing chase.

With the Port of Cork moving their ever expanding operation down river to Ringaskiddy in a few years the focus has been on the void they will leave behind at the Custom House. Some councillors have been vocal in suggesting that tax payers should buy the historically important building but the port will also be departing from the enormous land bank at Tivoli – the entrance at the Silver Springs flyover that 99% of Corkonians have probably never taken and seen the sheer scale of the land owned by the port.

The city and county councils are lining this up for much needed housing but we’re going to need big open areas many times the size of Fitzy’s Park to fill the clear need for open recreation spaces too. Tivoli, like Tramore Valley Park (aka the old dump) is still 5kms from Patrick’s Bridge and a forty minute walk for anyone living around our main street.

Unless city council issues compulsory purchase orders on the sports grounds either side of Fitzgerald’s Park the answers to Cork’s growing need for recreation spaces is not on the city centre island so perhaps planning for better public transport links to the likes of Tivoli and Tramore Parks os the only option.

High speed monorail anyone?