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Firkin Crane

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Coordinates: 51°54′09″N 8°28′35″W / 51.90260174032857°N 8.476420288150898°W / 51.90260174032857; -8.476420288150898
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Firkin Crane
The Firkin Crane Centre in Shandon, Cork City.
Map
General information
Coordinates51°54′09″N 8°28′35″W / 51.90260174032857°N 8.476420288150898°W / 51.90260174032857; -8.476420288150898

The Firkin Crane is a non-profit arts organisation based in the protected building of the same name in Shandon, Cork City, Ireland.[1][2][3] It is a theatre and dance centre and is a permanent base for Cork City Ballet and Crux Dance Theatre.[4][5][6][7][8]

History

The Firkin Crane is located near the Shandon Bells. It sits by the Cork Butter Museum and the site of the original Cork City Butter Exchange. It stands beside Church of St. Anne, Shandon.[9][9] The building was opened in August 1855, designed by Sir John Benson[10] for the Butter Exchange. The name is derived from the "Firkin" unit (9 gallons or 80Ibs of butter) and the "Crance" weighing scale.[11][12][13][14] The building is a unique rotunda. Where the building currently stands is reputed to have been a possible site for a Fort or Dun belonging to the McCarthy Clan.[15][16][17] The Shandon Butter Factory was housed within the Firkin Crane and the firkins were weighed up there.[18] In The Grand Tour of Cork, published in 2003, the Firkin Crane and the Butter Museum were described as the two most interesting sights in the City.[19] In Footprint of Ireland, the building's rotunda was described as "pleasing".[20]

A margarine factory (James Daly & Sons) replaced the market in 1924. This closed in 1976. A company Director, Joan Denise Moriarty,[21] created an Arts Council - approved space there until a fire destroyed it on 6 July 1980.[22] According to the Cork Examiner, Moriarty was just about to embark on an IR£400,000 campaign to renovate it. Three units from Cork Fire Brigade under the supervision of Third Officer William Ring fought the fire. They were alerted by Highfield Rugby captain Tadgh Howell, who first noticed smoke rising from the roof of the building. Within minutes, the structure was an inferno, most of the building being constructed of wood which had been covered in a thick coating of grease over the years.[23] In response to the fire, Tom Donnelly, general manager of the Irish Ballet Company, said they were determined with their plans to establish there. Gardai did not rule out the possibility that the fire may have been maliciously started.[24] The building was rebuilt using funds from the European Economic Community Architectural Award for Ireland. On 26 April 1992, the building was re-opened by then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. It became known as the Firkin Crane Centre.[17][25]. By 2000, the Firkin Crane Dance Development Agency was in operation.[26]

According to The Encyclopedia of Ireland, by Oxford University Press, it was Ireland's only dedicated dance venue in 2000.[27]

It held the William Thompson Weekend School in 2003.[28] Ireland's first dance house, The Institute for Choreography and Dance, was based in the building, and became a founding member of the European Dancehouse Network in 2004. It continued as a centre dedicated to choreographic research until 2006.[29][30]

View from St. Anne's Church over the Firkin Crane and Cork City.

Dance performances were held in the Firkin Crane in 2015 as part of Cork Culture Night.[31] In 2018, a documentary on the history of the Ford Factory in Cork was held in the building.[32][33] It is listed in the 2018 book Cork Strolls, Exploring Cork's Architectural Treasures.[34] In 2019, during the Mother Jones Festival in the centre, families of those killed in the 1979 Whiddy Disaster in Bantry Bay launched a fundraising drive to fund the High Court (Ireland) case against the State.[35][36] It hosted a play called Cosy, featuring an all-female cast as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival.[37] A new plaza was created in the Firkin Crane's area.[38]

As of 2020, it hosted bursary awards. That year, 16 year old James Berkery, a ballet dancer at the Firkin Crane was nominated for a BAFTA in the UK.[39][40] In 2021, it participated in Cork Cultural Companions, a programme designed to increase engagement with over 55s to the arts.[41][42] It was received part of a €290,000 grant to arts organisations from Cork City Council that year.[43] Alison Oliver, a performer at the Firkin Crane, was cast in the television adaptation of Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends.[44] CEO Paul McCarthy departed from the organisation, having held the position for 25 years.[45]

Sinn Fein's Thomas Gould and the Green Party's Dan Boyle have served on the Firkin Crane's voluntary Board of Directors.[46][47] The 'Dragon of Shandon' parade, held on Halloween, ends outside the building.[48]

References

  1. ^ "Firkin Crane". Cork City Council. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Firkin Crane". Buildinginfo.ie.
  3. ^ Grant-Smith, Deanna; Matthews, Tony. "Inner-city neighbourhood shows the way in protecting heritage of centuries past". The Conversation. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Firkin Crane/Butter Market". IFTN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Shandon District in Cork, Ireland". GPSmyCity. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  6. ^ "How one teacher's grand designs evolved into life lessons for pupils". independent. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  7. ^ Wed; Oct, 30; 2019 - 12:35 (30 October 2019). "Butter market building plan in the works for Shandon". echo live. Retrieved 10 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ McGrath, Aoife (3 December 2012). Dance Theatre in Ireland: Revolutionary Moves. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-03547-9.
  9. ^ a b Ireland 2000: Expert Advice and Smart Choices, Completely Updated Every Year, Plus a Full Size Color Map. Fodor's Travel Publications. 1999. ISBN 978-0-679-00359-5.
  10. ^ O’Sullivan, Des (20 March 2021). "Harry Clarke's piece of gruesome forboding could fetch €120,000 at auction". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  11. ^ O’Hanlon, Oliver. "Butter days – An Irishman's Diary on the Cork Butter Exchange and the world's largest butter market". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  12. ^ Stevens, Jennifer (4 October 2020). "How to be pure Cork: Tips on passing as a local in the Rebel County". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Irish tourist attraction of the week: The Cork Butter Museum". IrishCentral.com. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  14. ^ Kelleher, Suzanne Rowan (17 January 2003). Frommer's Ireland 2003. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-7645-6681-3.
  15. ^ History of Cork City, St. Patrick's Girls School
  16. ^ "History Trail, Shandon Street Area | Cork Heritage". corkheritage.ie. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Cork Trade". www.askaboutireland.ie. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  18. ^ Rynne, Colin; Wigham, Billy; Day, Robert; Day, William Tottenham; Day, Alec (2004). Forgotten Cork: Photographs from the Day Collection. Collins. ISBN 978-1-903464-56-4.
  19. ^ Kelly, Cornelius (2003). The Grand Tour of Cork. Cailleach Books. ISBN 978-0-9537823-3-8.
  20. ^ Levy, Pat; Sheehan, Sean (2005). Footprint Ireland. Footprint. ISBN 978-1-904777-36-6.
  21. ^ "Nostalgia: Legendary figure who put Cork ballet on the map". EchoLive.ie. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  22. ^ "The Firkin Crane Centre, O' Connell Square, CORK CITY, Cork City, CORK". Buildings of Ireland.
  23. ^ "Tragic Blow to Ballet Company". Cork Examiner. 7 July 1980.
  24. ^ "Ballet Group Determined to Rebuild". Evening Echo. 7 July 1980.
  25. ^ Bryan, Mike McGrath (26 November 2020). "Spirit of Mother Jones Festival goes online to mark 90 years since Cork-born icon's passing". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  26. ^ Hall, G. K.; Gale, Thomson (October 2003). Bibliographic Guide to Dance 2002 V1. Gale Group. ISBN 978-0-7838-9802-5.
  27. ^ Brady, Ciaran (2000). The Encyclopedia of Ireland: An A-Z Guide to Its People, Places, History, and Culture. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-521685-1.
  28. ^ Connolly, Linda; Hourigan, Niamh (2006). Social Movements and Ireland. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-7243-7.
  29. ^ "HISTORY". Firkin Crane. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Firkin Crane | Glucksman Library". www.ul.ie. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  31. ^ Roche, Barry. "Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh to join Cork Culture Night". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  32. ^ "Ford factory documentary and Kinsale speaker for Mother Jones 2018 festival". The Southern Star. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  33. ^ Roche, Barry. "Film on Ford: Cork car workers feature in documentary". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  34. ^ Bracken, Gregory; Bracken, Audrey (29 May 2018). Cork Strolls: Exploring Cork's Architectural Treasures. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78841-040-3.
  35. ^ "Families of Whiddy tanker disaster's victims to take High Court action". The Southern Star. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  36. ^ Wed; Aug, 07; 2019 - 08:21 (7 August 2019). "Maritime Cork: Whiddy disaster victims' rights in death". echo live. Retrieved 10 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ Fri; Jun, 14; 2019 - 12:34 (14 June 2019). "'We need to talk about death... it's part of living'". echo live. Retrieved 10 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ O'Shea, Joe (5 December 2019). "Shandon's bells ring out as Christmas lights go on". Cork Beo. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  39. ^ Wed; Jul, 29; 2020 - 17:33 (29 July 2020). "Munster based dancers encouraged to apply for Firkin Crane bursary awards". echo live. Retrieved 10 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ Wed; Jul, 29; 2020 - 10:02 (29 July 2020). "James hopes for BAFTA glory this week". echo live. Retrieved 10 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  41. ^ Bryan, Mike McGrath (1 March 2021). "New programme aims to reconnect Cork's over-55s with arts and culture". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  42. ^ "Cork Cultural Companions - connecting older people to the arts". 12 March 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  43. ^ Tue; Jan, 12; 2021 - 07:00 (12 January 2021). "Almost €290k to be allocated to arts groups in Cork city". echo live. Retrieved 10 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  44. ^ O’Keeffe, Donal (19 February 2021). "Who is Alison Oliver, the Cork star of Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends?". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  45. ^ Wed; Jan, 27; 2021 - 15:48 (27 January 2021). "Firkin Crane CEO departs after 25 years". echo live. Retrieved 10 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ O'Halloran, Marie. "Election 2020: Thomas Gould (Sinn Féin)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  47. ^ Murphy, Darragh. "Overqualified: Dan Boyle, former TD: 'I've had it said a number of times that I'm too qualified'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  48. ^ Sat; Oct, 31; 2020 - 12:30 (31 October 2020). "Nostalgia: A look back at the Dragon of Shandon street parade through the years". echo live. Retrieved 10 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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