Bishop Lucey Park is a public park located between Grand Parade and South Main Street in the centre of

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known a ...

in Ireland. It is one of few green spaces in the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fre ...

and among the largest. It is often erroneously known as "The Peace Park" by locals, although this name actually refers to the area next to the

River Lee The River Lee (Irish: ''An Laoi'') is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork's ...

at the junction of Grand Parade and South Mall where the National Monument, and the memorials to World War I and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings are located.

History

The site of Bishop Lucey Park lies within the site of the original Hiberno-Norse settlement of Cork. A portion of the old city wall was excavated during the park construction and is visible near the Grand Parade entrance to the park. For almost 800 years, the location of the park was a built environment, with a variety of commercial buildings, religious buildings and

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

s occupying portions of the site. In 1970, Jennings

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appe ...

burnt down leaving a substantial amount of the site derelict. It was decided to create a new park on the site in time for the celebrations of the 800th anniversary of Cork being granted a charter in 1985. The new park was named in honour of the recently deceased

Bishop of Cork and Ross The Bishop of Cork and Ross is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Cork and the town of Rosscarbery in Republic of Ireland. The combined title was first used by the Church of Ireland from 1638 to 1660 and again from 1679 to ...

Cornelius Lucey Cornelius "Con" Lucey (1902–1982) was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Cork and Ross. Youth and education Cornelius Lucey was born 15 July 1902 into a farming family at Windsor, Ovens, County Cork near Cork City. He attended Ballinora Primary School ...

. In 2020, Cork City North East councillor Oliver Moran suggested that it may be appropriate to rename Bishop Lucey Park and certain other place names in the city in light of the publication of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes final report.

Usage

The park is used by city centre workers and residents, and is one of few examples of green spaces within Cork City Centre. It can be particularly crowded at lunch time when, if the weather permits, people take their lunch al fresco. At winter time, the park hosts the Winter Wonderland, when it is illuminated with

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

lights in conjunction with the

Christmas Market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

that is held on Grand Parade. In 2011 Christchurch Lane, which had been a pedestrian lane running along the northern edge of the park was incorporated into the park. There are a number of art-works within the park. A copy of Seamus Murphy's sculpture "The Onion Seller" was donated by hosiery manufacturers Sunbeam Wolsey when the park opened.

Footnotes

References

Parks in Cork (city) {{cork-geo-stub