IN CORK RED METAL YOKES ARE BLUE – BLACKROCK HARBOUR IN CORK
something that I would associate with Blackrock in Cork.
I searched online for information and unfortunately all links found were to photographs by myself or some comments that I have made about what are often referred to as red metal yokes. I should mention that in may 2022 I came across a similar, if not superior, installation by John Burke at the Wilton Roundabout.
This type of generic sculpture is usually red and it came as a surprise to discover one in Cork that is blue especially as the people of Cork appear to have adopted red as their colour.
Note: In 1913 Cork wore blue jerseys with a large yellow “C” in front. In a 1919 raid in by British troops on the county board rooms in Cook Street, the jerseys were taken. So, Cork used the jerseys of the St Finbarr’s Total Abstinence Hall team, which were dark red/maroon, and Cork have worn red ever since. An apocryphal story claims that the colours derive from St Anne’s Church, Shandon, which has walls of red sandstone and white limestone.
Note: In Ireland it is often the case that the word ‘yoke’ doesn’t have anything to do with eggs. Rather, it is another way of saying thing. So if someone in Ireland sees an object that they’ve never seen before, they will commonly be heard to ask, What’s that yoke there? Example: Can you pass me that yoke you use to control the TV.
AN UNPLANNED WALK ALONG BLACKROCK ROAD IN CORK MAY 2022
I had planned to return from Blackrock to the city centre by bus but I was unwilling to wait an hour for the next bus so i got to explore Blackrock Road and Ballintemple village. I had forgotten that I once had a friend who lived on Blackrock road and their family home was huge and it still is but they moved to Australia decades ago.
Black, dark brown and dark popular appear to be the colours of choice on this road connecting Blackrock to Cork City centre.
According to some sources there are more than thirty properties on the market along Blackrock Road which is home to over 16 individual private homes that have sold for over €1m in the past decade, many for multimillion euro sums.
However, one thing that stood out like a sore thumb during my visit to Cork was the sheer quantity of derelict or unoccupied properties. It should be noted that Limerick and Belfast have similar problems as does Dublin to a much lesser extent.
In case you are wondering there are a number of unoccupied or properties in very poor condition along or near Blackrock Road.
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