Cork 2005: It was symmetry all the way with official functions last week. At the end of a year when the cultural heights were achieved in Cork with the aid of foreign voices it seemed appropriate that the city was host to an international gathering for one of its final civic events for Cork 2005.
Welcoming representatives of the diplomatic services of 13 European countries to City Hall, former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox acted as master of ceremonies for a celebration on the theme of "European Light", marking the 50th anniversary of the day on which the Council of Europe adopted the 12-star flag as the symbol of the new Europe.
He did so in the presence of Paul and David Slevin, sons of Gerard Slevin, who was born in Cork in 1919 and was chief herald of Ireland from 1954 to 1981. Invited by the Council of Europe to serve on an ad hoc committee to propose designs for the flag, it was Gerard Slevin who conceived and promoted the circle of stars on the blue background, a symbol which, Paul Slevin said, "lives in all our lives." Describing this last few weeks of festivity - substantially assisted by Ascon/Rohcon - as "the end of the beginning", Lord Mayor Cllr Deirdre Clune noted that Cork stands in the spotlight of what will be passed on as a legacy. "We have enjoyed and celebrated together in many different ways the true meaning of all facets of culture, and we wish to those to whom we pass the torch equal enjoyment, celebration and success in the coming year." While the objectives of its extensive programme of capital investment had been achieved, she said, in cultural terms Cork had justified its slogan as "a safe harbour for ships"; few Corkonians present can have missed the irony, now that the port authority has announced its plans to move its shipping out of the city altogether.
Another perspective on the year was offered by 12-year-old Sam Lynch, who remembered the accelerated roadworks and accumulation of building sites as signs that Cork was "obviously waiting for something big". Among the big things for him were visits by President Mary McAleese, a meeting with Sir James Galway, and seeing so many people gathered in Patrick Street on the night of the opening fireworks. "The year seemed to me to be a way of reminding us what was possible in the city," he said, "and how it could be a city of many cultures without losing what it is that makes us different."
It was a matter of passing the balloons rather than the torch, with the presentation of a balloon sculpture capturing the spirit of the year's opening ceremonies; created by sculptor Alex Pentek, this was accepted by Konstantinos Piperigos of the Greek Embassy on behalf of the next European Capital of Culture, Patras. Acting director of Cork 2005 Joe Kennelly mentioned particularly the European dimension as the most memorable aspect of the year, a strand initiated by John Miller of the Cork Vision Centre and supported by both Pat Cox and Cork 2005 director John Kennedy. Although still on sick leave, John Kennedy was present at the party on what Joe Kennelly called "day release" and his work in spearheading the European Capital of Culture programme in Cork for the last three years was warmly applauded.
Kennedy also attended the dinner given by Cork City Council at the recently restored Blackrock Castle, scented with enough cinnamon and cloves to annihilate an orchard, and more importantly to eradicate the damp and muddy odours of its riverside perch. This was not just an affirmation of the completion of the council's €4 million investment in the castle but another indication of the sense of fusion and cultural consanguinity: the castle will be an observatory with an international remit which includes a direct link with Greek astronomical university departments.
Then it was on to the gala concert at the City Hall, where the orchestra of the Cork School of Music partnered one of its graduates, soprano Mary Hegarty, along with its Fleischmann Choir conducted by the school's director Dr Geoffrey Spratt. The School of Music was a crucial factor in Cork's bid for this designation; the new building on the old site is to become the most up-to-date facility for music education in Europe.
No wonder this long day was all gas and gaiters, a kind of signing off and handing over in a civic function which for its vivacity and sense of achievement anticipated also the spectacular hilarity of the rest of the month. "It's not over yet," said special events director Martin Barrett, proud of the 77 labyrinths created last week throughout the city centre by community groups, and elated too by plans for the final night of fireworks beginning at 8pm on New Year's Eve.
