If you consider Cork and what it means to its people, you have to conjure up the undulating nature of the hilly slopes that ring the city and give it its special feel. The rim of the bowl in which Cork arose offers spectacular views. The skyline is dotted with steeples, each one a defining landmark. Two landmarks in particular are especially dear to the people of Cork. They are the Mardyke and the Lee Fields. The anthem that resounds around Croke Park on many an All-Ireland day reminds us that we "sported and played 'neath the green leafy shade on the banks of my own lovely Lee". Now there are exciting plans not only for the Lee Fields but for the Mardyke too. As part of Cork's millennium project, the city authorities intend to upgrade and regenerate both amenities, which have been neglected over the past decades. The meandering river and its grassy banks, together with the tree-lined Mardyke, are the most important amenities in the city.
If the project goes ahead, and the expectation is that it will, the cost will be over £5 million. Last Thursday, Cork Corporation officials travelled to Dublin to make their pitch to the National Millennium Committee.
They were joined by Mr Joe McHugh, a former Cork city manager, whose influence on the city which came into his stewardship will be lasting. He was known as "Joe the Boss" because he got things done. He tackled dereliction, street landscaping and the need for greater pedestrianisation in a city that lends itself to walking. The Banks of the Lee Millennium Project must now await the National Millennium Committee's consideration, but we should know within weeks whether the submission is approved.
Cork Corporation has committed £2 million to upgrading the museum at Fitzgerald Park off the Mardyke and University College Cork will spend £5 million on an indoor sports complex which has traditionally housed track and field events as well as tennis and cricket. The intention is that, along with upgrading the facilities, sporting organisations will be given assistance to put their infrastructure on a better footing. So what does the plan mean? This is what the preamble says: "In the imagination of the people of Cork, the Mardyke and the Lee Fields represents one of the city's great attributes - its river and wooded valley. For three centuries, the area has been Cork's main recreational ground. However, its regeneration is timely. The transition to the third millennium is a time for renewal and civic pride, just as the turn of the century was marked by the Great Cork Exhibition; the availability of green spaces will be important to sustain the renewal of the city centre as a living city which has been promoted through Government initiatives; while people of all social backgrounds use the Mardyke's facilities, improvement of recreational facilities in the area will benefit the north-west of the city in particular, where social deprivation is most concentrated . . .
"The action plan consists of a set of 13 interlinked and mutually supportive projects which are being promoted as part of the City Development Plan's strategy. The broad objective . . . is to regenerate the Mardyke and the Lee Fields as the premier recreation amenity area in Cork city and suburbs, ensuring as far as possible that sports facilities are of the highest standard, enabling national and international events to be attracted to Cork, as well as benefiting the local population. Special attention is given to the development of systems of walks, because according to a recent Department of Health survey, more people take recreational walks than any other recreational activity surveyed".
There are plans to increase tree-planting in the Mardyke and to create a network of interlinking walks running between the Mardyke and the Lee Fields; the Mardyke to the Distillery Fields as well as the Lee Fields to Curaheen Park. If the plan is accepted, there will be five new bridges crossing the river - not great affairs, but attractive ones, designed to give greater access to the walks which will be continuous for at least eight kms.