The Jazz Festival is out of the way for another year, and Cork is still totalling the receipts. It is, says Guinness which sponsors the event, the main item on its sponsorship calendar. And Cork has good reason to want the festival to continue.
After all, an estimated £6 million in extra revenue is not to be sneezed at. Despite some over-the-top antics by a bunch of mindless hooligans at the end of this year's festival, it should be noted that the thousands of people who passed through Cork during the festival, did so pleasantly, calmly, and with the finest jazz music on offer anywhere in the world ringing in their ears. It was a good party and it will happen again next year.
Guinness has just opened its new offices in Cork at Union Quay, in a listed building once owned by Dowdall O'Mahony - makers of butter, margarine and soap. The quay was home to the headquarters of the Garda in Cork and to RTE. They moved out - now, Guinness is moving in. The Dublin brewer is leaving Patrick Street for the quayside premises. New life may be breathed into a part of Cork that seemed to be in decline.
To mark the occasion, Guinness, which has been associated with Cork since before 1860, came up with a novel idea. Dowdall O'Mahony continued the proud tradition of buttermaking in Cork which led to the southern capital having a reputation throughout the British empire for this activity. The butter road from Killarney ran almost in a straight line to the butter market in Shandon. It may be travelled still today - it is proof of how important the city was as a supplier of butter to the British army in its far-flung outposts.
But back to the point. Guinness has asked Roy Tassell, creator of the walk-around toy village at Clonakilty, to make a similar model of Cork city and its better-known landmarks. Now, Mr Tassell has fashioned a detailed scale replica of Cork. It measures 56 ft by 12 ft on a scale of 1-500. All the major buildings are given in full detail.
THE model will be put on show at St Peter's Church on Cork's North Main Street. The 12th13th century church had fallen into disrepair. That has now been rectified, and in one of the most historic parts of old Cork, it has become a "vision centre". For visitors, it will be a place in which to reflect on the evolution of the city through multi-media presentations, etc.
But bringing the historic city back to new life is part of another project.
In January 1994, Cork Corporation adopted an action plan for the city's historic centre. Projects under way at a cost of £20 million include the restoration of St Peter's, the preservation of the oldest terrace in Cork, at Fenn's Quay; traffic management strategies; the development of street market space; architectural excavation within the old city walls and a new development for the city council.
Cork Corporation has altered its role from one of total responsibility to a public-private partnership involving community co-operation in the care, main tenance and development of the city. For instance, the Fenn's Quay terrace dates from the early 18th century and is one of the oldest surviving terraces in the State. The corporation says one of the bonuses for the restorers is the fact that the original panelled interiors have survived intact.
It is an ambitious plan, and with the restoration of St Peter's as well as other features, it is coming together.