Free entry to Nano Nagle Place on Saturday 18th of May to celebrate International Museum Day
Cork, Saturday 18th May 2024 – Nano Nagle Place is celebrating International Museum Day 2024 by welcoming the Cork community to explore its award-winning museum for free. Visitors are invited to discover the inspiring history of Nano Nagle and her enduring legacy at Nano Nagle Place. In addition, Madrigal ’75, a diverse vocal ensemble founded by university students in 1975, will perform a free concert in the Goldie Chapel at 4:00 PM with all donations going to Nano Nagle Place.
“Nano Nagle Place, nestled in the heart of Cork City, is dedicated to fostering a world where everyone feels connected and belongs, embodying the enduring legacy of Nano Nagle,” said John Smith, CEO of Nano Nagle Place. “In 2022, Nano Nagle Place was honoured with the Council of Europe Museum Prize, recognizing our commitment to evolving and adapting to meet the changing needs of society. As we continue to evolve, we remain dedicated to sharing Nano Nagle’s story and engaging with diverse local and global audiences. Being acknowledged by Trip Advisor as one of the ‘Travelers Choice – Best of the Best for 2023‘ has drawn many tourists to experience our interactive museum. Now, we extend a warm invitation to our local community to come and be inspired by the spirit of Nano Nagle.”
International Museum Day is a global celebration of the importance of museums marking the official start to the summer programme of events in Nano Nagle Place. Over the coming months, Nano Nagle Place will participate in many of Cork’s established summer festivals including Cork Harbour Festival featuring inspirational open water swimmer Nuala Moore, a unique performance from local sea shanty singers, “The Molgoggers”, in the stunning Goldie Chapel, and much more. For those unable to attend in person, take a moment this International Museum Day to learn more about the history and lasting impact of Nano Nagle as featured in this recent RTÉ episode of “Game changers” on RTÉ Today Show.
Sr Julie Watson Congregational Leader of the Presentation Sisters highlights the importance of Nano Nagle Place “Nano Nagle Place has given a new meaning to the concept of the museum. It uses Nano Nagle, a powerful figure from the past, reinterpreting her call for the 21st century to create meaningful change in the present. Nano Nagle’s core mission of outreach and education sits at the centre of the museum, in the form of Cork Migrant Centre and The Lantern Community Project, and that is what makes Nano Nagle Place a museum with a difference, making a difference. We are inviting new and existing friends to join us to celebrate International Museum Day”.
Join us on International Museum Day 2024 in Nano Nagle Place and discover this sanctuary in Cork City filled with local history, stunning architecture and beautiful gardens.
Notes to Editor:
International Museum Day 2024
International Museum Day aims to raise awareness of how museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples. Organised each year on and around 18 May.
Madrigal ’75
Madrigal ’75 is a vocal ensemble based in Cork City. Founded in 1975 by university students, the choir now comprises a diverse combination of singers from all walks of life. Madrigal ’75 has developed a reputation as a vocal ensemble of great skill and beauty, performing repertoire from the 14th century to contemporary choral works, both sacred and secular, including first performances of new commissions.
Op-Ed by Sylvia Wohlfarth-Bottermann, Anti-Racism Development Worker with Cork Migrant Centre
I choose not to write about the increase in racism. Instead, I want to explore whether white people can imagine what it is like to suffer racism, and if so, decide on what they can do about it.
Racism is for example, when you notice the cashier placing the change into the hand of the white woman in front of you but gesturing with a nod of her head for you to place the change on the counter before she picks it up.
Or a child observing the disrespectful way their mother is treated in the shop because she is wearing a headscarf, or her English is not good enough.
Or on offering an elderly lady a seat next to you on the bus, she looks at you with disdain and says, “I don’t sit next to people like you.”
Or when the teacher introduces the theme of the Trans-Atlantic Slavery and asks you because you come from Nigeria if you would like to contribute something to the subject and all the students turn around and stare at you.
Or being told by your college friend that when she has children she wants to live in a Black free zone like when she was a child… but you shouldn’t take that personally. You smile and hide your pain.
I do not want you to feel anger and shame and tell me you are not a racist, because this is not about you and your feelings. It is about listening, acknowledging, and showing empathy, not sympathy, for those who are racially abused, and act accordingly.
Racism is not only acts of overt, conscious, and intentional hate by individuals who believe their race and skin colour are superior. Racism manifests in the form of subtle racial micro-aggressions and unconscious bias that Black and Brown people of all ages face every day, and which have a profound impact on their lives and mental health.
Racism can take place without a Black or brown person being present.
If you genuinely and actively want to join in the fight against racism, you must recognize and acknowledge your own biases (conscious or non-conscious) and micro-aggressive behaviour towards Black and Brown people.
Working with the Cork Migrant Centre, I have had the privilege to watch something amazing develop and flourish. Inspired by the 2022 Anti-Racist Summit in Cumbria, England, we decided to bring the idea back home to Cork and carried out the first Youth-Led Anti-Racist Summit in 2023. A campaign, driven by our young people, to actively and sustainably, make Cork the first anti-racist City and county in Ireland, in collaboration with CYPSC and many organisations in Cork and county who supported CMC’s Youth Initiative Against Racism.
Let us stamp out the fire of racism and fan the embers of the campaign to make Cork an anti-racist city and county.
It was a great success and the flame to achieve an anti-racist community like the Olympic torch was lit and has been cemented in the soul of Cork, burning even brighter since our 2nd Youth-Led Anti-Racist Summit held on 17th May 2024.
The campaign focus is the youth, as the carriers of change, as well as on education, the system where change must take place if racism and intolerance is to be challenged and eradicated, top down and bottom up.
Significantly, the Cork Migrant Centre is part of Nano Nagle Place where, in 1775, Nano Nagle founded the Presentation Sisters Order as part of her pioneering work to meet the needs of those “left behind” by establishing schools, especially for girls. Nano, a true activist, and campaigner for the poor, left us with her motto: ‘Not Words but Deeds.’
Our Youth, if cherished and nurtured, are our only way forward in the struggle towards a racist-free society. Our young people are the future stewards of a socially-just and climate friendly world, we must support them in every way we can.
As Janett Walker, CEO and co-founder of Anti-Racist Cumbria tells us, it is not enough to simply listen to the youth, but more importantly to hear what they say and put what they say into action while creating the safe space to spark that conversation. A focus of the Youth led Anti-Racism Summits in Cork, as is nurturing empathic connections.
In the words of the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who was aware of the power of empathy, ‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.’
Dealing with the topic of racism is painful, but once you accept and acknowledge that it is a system of which you are part, it is liberating and nothing compared to the pain and suffering many Black and Brown face in their daily lives.
Let us stamp out the fire of racism and fan the embers of the campaign to make Cork an anti-racist city and county.
Op-Ed by Cork Migrant Centre Youth Mentors and 2024 Anti-Racism Summit Organisers, Leen Maarouf and Raphael Olympia
Cork City proudly hosted the second annual youth-led anti-racism summit, positioning itself at the forefront of key regional and international developments. This pivotal event unfolded against a backdrop of profound socio-political shifts worldwide, including the rise of far-right anti-immigration sentiments, global humanitarian crises, and ongoing genocides.
Just two weeks before, the dynamics of these global issues were mirrored locally when Cork witnessed an anti-immigration march at the GPO on O’Connell Street. Here, counter-protesters gathered under banners proclaiming, “Unite against racism. Refugees welcome.” The summit also came at a time of heightened local tensions, spurred by recent protests against the decision not to prosecute the Garda officer who fatally shot George Nkencho, a young Black man in Dublin. With elections looming, the summit became an indispensable forum for discussing accountability, racism, integration, and enhancing social unity.
The urgency of these discussions was further underscored by humanitarian catastrophes and the perpetration of war crimes in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Palestine. The latter spurred many protests across Ireland, highlighting the dire need for dialogue on human rights, fighting institutional neutrality, and addressing grave violations affecting millions, especially children.
Inspired by movements like Black Lives Matter, the regional summit empowered youth to confront systemic racism in Ireland, focusing on the pressing issues of the Direct Provision system that significantly affected young refugees, migrants, and minority communities, including Travellers and LGBTQ+ individuals. Recent incidents of discrimination and the shortfall in public investments in these communities underlined the necessity for a platform like this summit—a ‘brave space’ that offered radical possibilities for young people to shift power dynamics and express themselves creatively.
In a resource that IRC and ARD Youth Projects members (2023) collaborated on, young people discussed how often individuals must undertake perilous journeys to safer environments, journeys fraught with ‘Tight Spaces’—packing belongings into a bag, a boat, a lorry, or even a sleeping bag. “Upon arrival in Direct Provision, unfortunately, they may have found themselves in cramped living conditions,” reflecting the systemic injustices and mental anguish embedded within this system, shrinking individual worlds, opportunities and reducing horizons (IRC and NYCI, 2023).
In a resource that IRC and ARD Youth Projects members (2023) collaborated on, young people discussed how often individuals must undertake perilous journeys to safer environments, journeys fraught with ‘Tight Spaces’—packing belongings into a bag, a boat, a lorry, or even a sleeping bag. “Upon arrival in Direct Provision, unfortunately, they may have found themselves in cramped living conditions,” reflecting the systemic injustices and mental anguish embedded within this system, shrinking individual worlds, opportunities and reducing horizons (IRC and NYCI, 2023).
That said, local initiatives in Cork shone as beacons of hope. The city council’s endorsement of the Yellow flag program, led by the Irish Traveller Movement, significantly enhanced inclusive educational environments across numerous schools.
In a resource that IRC and ARD Youth Projects members (2023) collaborated on, young people discussed how often individuals must undertake perilous journeys to safer environments, journeys fraught with ‘Tight Spaces’—packing belongings into a bag, a boat, a lorry, or even a sleeping bag. “Upon arrival in Direct Provision, unfortunately, they may have found themselves in cramped living conditions,” reflecting the systemic injustices and mental anguish embedded within this system, shrinking individual worlds, opportunities and reducing horizons (IRC and NYCI, 2023).
That said, local initiatives in Cork shone as beacons of hope. The city council’s endorsement of the Yellow flag program, led by the Irish Traveller Movement, significantly enhanced inclusive educational environments across numerous schools.
The Sanctuary Runners initiative, originating in Cork, promoted intercultural understanding and solidarity, gaining national and international recognition. Furthermore, the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP), implemented by the Cork City Partnership, targeted racism and supported Traveller and Roma development, bolstered by a network of community groups dedicated to migrant integration.
Cork hosted this significant youth-led summit, which not only addressed pressing issues of racism and discrimination but also showcased the active steps being taken towards a more inclusive and equitable society. The engagement and advocacy of young people at this summit paved the way for a future where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated. This event stood as a testament to ongoing efforts and the potential for transformative change, ensuring that youth voices were central in shaping the policies and practices that would define tomorrow’s Ireland and beyond.
The central theme of this year’s summit was “It’s about the youth, not you,” which prompted the Pledge activity. The pledge was ‘to make Cork an inclusive anti-racist city.’ Community members and policymakers at facilitated and moderated tables were invited to engage in discussion and commit to personal and professional actions that promoted anti-racism and inclusivity. These commitments were made as individual pledges in daily life or as part of an organisation.
There was also a commitment to revisiting these signed pledges in six months’ time, as they would be made visible and publicised. This call to action, with personal and collective commitment to creating an Anti-racist Cork, brought clarity and conviction to the event. This was an opportunity to foster Intergenerational Dialogue and encourage understanding of issues of racism and inclusion. It was also an opportunity to really consider the commitments individuals could make in their personal and professional lives to foster an inclusive environment and to ignite the conviction to action these.
The summit concluded with the recognition of the young people who took the lead and actively made changes in their community. They invited teachers actively working to implement anti-racism strategies in their schools, with the aim of including more educators in the discussion. They also learned that they need to ask other leaders and TDs to be present in the room for future summits. They hope to continue demonstrating effective strategies to make Cork a safer space for all. In doing so, they hope to continue to invite and acknowledge individuals and communities who have been actively doing anti-racist work in their organisations, schools and more. Overall, they felt that they were heard and wanted to continue addressing the challenges, with some stating that it needed to be done at least twice a year instead of once a year.
Karl Grabe was the backbone behind our ‘Changing Face of Cork City’ photography exhibition. We are delighted he could write this blog for us all about how his love of photography began, and some stories behind his photographs of Cork in the 1980’s.
My Photographic Background
My father was a keen photographer when I was growing up. He also took colour cine films from 1964 and thankfully all these films have survived, there are some clips of Cork at CorkCam.com. He is probably the reason I became so interested in photography while I was still going to school.
I’ve been taking pictures since I was 12 when I bought my First Camera. It was a “Diana” plastic toy camera, even the lens was made of plastic! It didn’t take great photos but it was great fun in a time when very few people had cameras.
It cost 10 Shillings in Lehan’s grocery shop on Rossa Ave (now Centra) in Bishopstown. It used 120 roll films which I got in the chemist shop on Uam Var Avenue. The kind man in his white coat showed my how to insert the film and wind it on after taking a photo. The camera could take 16 black & white photos and I remember, when I brought the film back to the chemist, the cost of processing the film cost more than the camera itself! Straight out of the chemist I took my first photo in 1969 of Uam Var Avenue. The sheds in the photo probably belonged to the builders as the houses in the estate were still being built.
My Other Cameras
I also used a 1950’s Lordox 24×36 camera during the ‘70s, a camera my father passed onto me. Two of the photos in the exhibition, of the slide in Fitzgerald’s Park, were taken by Wolfgang using this camera. It was a proper camera and you had to use a separate light meter to set the exposure and shutter speed. Then in the early 1980’s I bought an Olympus OM10 SLR camera and most of my photos in the exhibition are taken with my OM10 with its standard 50mm lens or a Tamron 80-210mm zoom lens.
I mostly used colour negative film but also colour slide film. Slide film had the advantage that it cost less, as no prints were produced. However a slide projector and screen were needed to view them properly. It was also possible to develop slide film at home using a development tank and I did this for a number of films. This reduced the cost further combined with purchasing the slide film in bulk rolls. The rolls were cut into 36 exposure lengths and I inserted them into film cartridges.
The photos I took during the ‘80s were forgotten about in drawers and it was only around 2010 that I bought a film scanner in order to preserve them and view them on a computer.
However I also had many film negatives & prints from my father dating from the 1950s and so I started scanning these first. As I mentioned, two of Wolgang’s photos are in the exhibition – the two of the slide in Fitzgerald’s park with my younger brother.
I then continued scanning my own photos. Some of the slide film photos had never been put in slide mounts so I was seeing them enlarged for the first time! To date I’ve scanned about 25,000 photos, most of which are family pictures but many of Cork also.
My Photos in the Exhibition
Zoom lenses were particularly useful for taking candid photos of the characters on the Coal Quay. However it involved standing in the middle of the street and I would be quickly spotted by the sellers. So instead I would go along with a friend and pretend to be taking a picture of them and at the last minute, point the camera towards the people I was trying to photograph.
The Coal Quay was one of my favourite photo spots as it was part of the old Cork and I wanted to record it. I also liked taking old buildings especially those that I thought might be demolished. In particular Merchants Quay got my attention as the buildings there had been derelict for some time. In the middle of Merchants Quay was a hairdresser and we can just imagine the conversations with the customers while it was still in business.
Patrick’s Hill was another one of my favourite places for taking photos and using a telephoto lens allowed me to capture a good section of Patrick’s street in one photo. I was using a Tamron 500mm mirror lens on Patrick’s hill when I spotted the 3 girls whose photo is in the exhibition. It wasn’t a zoom lens so it wasn’t going to be possible to recompose the picture as they approached. So I only had one shot at it.
Patrick’s hill is at such a steep angle that the street itself formed part of the background helping the coloured clothing stand out even more.
Apple Computer Photos
I was working in Apple Computer Cork in Hollyhill from 1983.The facility then had a workforce of about 230. The plant was manufacturing the Apple IIe computer at the time. It was a home computer but at nearly IR£2000 with a screen and disks it wasn’t affordable by most cork families. However, Apple had a ‘loan to own’ scheme so all employees were given an Apple //e to take home. I’m sure many a Cork family became competent using computers because of this and perhaps helped Cork get started on the road to becoming Ireland’s Silicon Valley. These early computers weren’t very powerful of course, by comparison today’s smartphones are thousands of times more powerful and at a fraction of the cost.
The photo in the exhibition is from 1984 when the then new, all white, Apple //c was first manufactured in Hollyhill. It was similar to the IIe, in the foreground, but was designed to be portable. The lady is testing a //c, checking things such as the keyboard keys, the built in diskette drive, correct colours on the monitor etc.
My Photography Today
Photography has moved on considerably since my first 1969 plastic camera and now everyone, from primary school children upwards, has a digital camera in their smartphone. Smartphones take great detailed photos but there’s one thing missing – a zoom lens. Even though I have a digital SLR, I mostly use a pocket Canon SX720HS which has a 40x zoom lens.
Cork city is changing fast and I’ll still take pictures of Cork but also scenery and wildlife. Looking back at my ‘80s photos of the demolished Merchants Quay buildings I wonder if things have improved much when I see neglected buildings like the ones on North Main Street recently in the news. There are also flood relief plans that would see major disturbance to the historic quay walls. Hopefully we will see Cork modernise but keep as much of the old city as we can.