Photo showing plaque and miniature hand pump
Horse drawn furrow machine newly painted
Alex posing with plough in grounds
Alex on wall with second furrow machine
Alex & Kathleen O'Keeffe next to Monument
The group then departed in 2 vehicles for the second part of the trip meeting up in the car park of City Bounds pub near the former " Snotty " Bridge. From there it was decided to take in the section of the old Cork Bandon Railway Line on the opposite side of the road as far as the piped area of the Liberty Stream. The entire length of the now long denuded trackway from the Pub to the site of St. Bart's Well by Doughcloyne Bridge is approximately 2350 feet! The purpose of the venture was to visit the site of the former Railway Bridge which crossed the Liberty Stream after Doughcloyne Bridge and is believed to have been demolished and piped in 1977. Along the way photographs were taken of the 3 old Railway markers with the last one ( all shown below ) acting as a stopoff for the group. All markers showed signs of repainting and graffiti with metal plates damaged or missing.
First Railway marker stone
Second Railway marker stone
Last Railway marker stone near piped stream
At this juncture the group paused for thought whilst history reared its head and discussion was once more entered into on the incredible feat of engineering and sheer hard work by our distant Ancestors in accomplishing the gargantuan task of building the Embankment. At its centre point where the Liberty Stream flows through a concrete pipe once stood a stone arched bridge. This was also its highest elevation above ground , with the South facing slope reaching 40 feet and the North facing slope reaching 60 feet ( as shown below ) , the discrepancy arising because of the hilly nature of the gradient. It was a sobering thought to imagine that along with Engineers , Supervisors and skilled Navvies of the time in the 1840s , there were very likely countless numbers of Poor and Sick People who laboured long and hard on the erection of the trackway during the height of the Famine , being paid not in money but in cheap imported Indian Corn.
Close up of South facing Entry pipe
At this point it was decided to revisit the South portion of the Embankment and take a more detailed look at the Liberty Stream and its environs. Daniel O'Riordan and Eoin Desmond accompanied Billy O'Brien down into the watery enclave. Despite the high temperatures of the day , the environment 40 feet down was decidedly cooler ( see first video below ) . Eoin Desmond remarked on the side streamlet which flowed into the Liberty Stream just before the Entry pipe which is thought to be a lasting remnant of St. Bartholomew's Well ( capped and inaccessible ) located further West by Doughcloyne Bridge. Billy O'Brien wearing waders trudged off down the stream to discover the way barred by thick branches and heavy overgrowth. However the opportunity presented itself to video the attempt whilst actually traversing the waterbed ( see second video below ) .
Video showing South Enclave near Entry Pipe
of Liberty Stream ( with Eoin Desmond )
Video taken by Billy O'Brien walking along
water - bed of Liberty Stream on South side
of Cork Bandon Railway Embankment
From here the team made its way back to the Community Centre for a closer look at the Culvert Works being carried out near Griffins Pianos and the Gulley near Greenwood Estate. Earlier in the day , Niall McCarthy had informed the group that larger concrete pipes were due to be placed underground along the right hand side of Togher Road next to the Church and Schools. Billy O'Brien decided to investigate more fully and photographed and videoed the works for posterity. Starting at the Coffey's Field side photos and videos were taken to showcase the general area.
Kathleen O'Keeffe outside the Community Centre
observing the progress of the Culvert Works to date
Close up view of the concrete overpass
shop where unsafe block wall has been removed
but obscuring concrete culvert
Alternate view of invasive vegetation
Video showing the present day concrete culvert
up towards Griffins Piano shop
Progressing down to the gulley to archive the works there to date , once more a plunge into the shallow
waters of the Liberty Stream was in order. Though dank and eerie , the
purpose was to rediscover a childhood memory of a stone arched bridge of
the same caliber as the one which existed by the Community Centre
before it was encased in concrete in the late 1980s. Sure enough the
past was very much present as the old structure showed itself in all its
splendor. A quick photo opportunity which was undertaken with a childlike excitement of the underside of the concrete
overpass behind with its subterranean pipes and cement plinths - its
purposes still unknown - completed the task.
Markings on road entrance to Greenwood Estate
near Griffins Piano shop
entrance to Greenwood Estate
Access route around new footpath currently
under construction into Greenwood Estate
Long shot of gulley wall built 1830s
Greenwood Estate showing plinths and pipework
The Fieldwork Trip concluded with a fly by of the new housing scheme on the site of the former old Feirm Bawn sadly now completely obliterated. Just as every cloud has a silver lining , Billy O'Brien and Kathleen O'Keeffe were happy to report that the name of Togher's new kid on the block paid tribute to it's Parent - Feirm Bawn - as shown in the photo depicting the placard. The Blog hopes to be back on the ground in the next weeks and months archiving , documenting and reporting on the past and the present with a keen eye to the future.
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