Red Metal Yokes

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.