It’s the year 2055. In the US, Supreme Emperor Barron Trump is telling Fox News about his plans to invade Leitrim and in Dublin, the incoming Fine Healy Rae Government has promised to ‘urgently plan for the building of the Cork Events Centre’.
The new regime in the Dail, made up of 37 members of the Healy Rae Tribe, what’s left of Fine Fail and various ‘independents’ – has once again voiced their determination to make a start of building a basic concert and conference venue for Cork City, even though the original site at the South Gate bridge is now under 25 feet of water thanks to global warming.
Sounds far-feteched? Maybe, but it’s not as science-fiction as the true story of how Cork has been BAM-boozled by the global construction company that has left two, giant dusty holes in the heart of our city, and the politicians who, year-in-year-out, promise ‘progress’ on the project thas has come to symbolise just how poor Cork has been in standing up for ourselves and demanding better from Dublin.
We were promised a world class venue – what we have gotten is a dark, dusty hole that symbolises the decay and dereliction at the historic heart of our city. We can give credit where it is due – the big regeneration project around the People’s Park and the South Main Street is a very positive step by Cork City Council – but what will it be without what was promised as the jewel in a newly revitalised south inner city?
The never ending bullsh….sorry! ‘saga’ around the Events Centre even managed to come to the attention of Bruce Springsteen in 2024, which was also the year that – hilariously – the Taosieach said the whole process would go back to square one and be put back out to tender once again. This as we come up on a decade since the sod was turned.
That was labelled a ‘farce’ in the Dail but in reality, there has been zero movement on this as the international construction firm BAM has been able to do what they want to Cork city – with the Events Centre and the former tax office site on Sullivan’s Quay – with zero pushback from local or national politicians.
Now, in the new Programme for Government released yesterday, Cork’s most long-running and glaring failure, in terms of vision, investment and amenity, was given exactly one line, on page 131 – yet another bit of empty plámás pledging to: “Work towards the completion of the Cork Events Centre to enhance Cork’s cultural landscape and boost the city’s regeneration.”
This was after another line – about a project that will definitely go ahead because it’s in Dublin – the further redevelopment of the National Concert Hall.
By our last count, there have been upwards of 18 announcements about the Cork Events Centre, one after another, all promising start dates and progress.
Part of the blame for the failure has to be down to the local politicians and – let’s be fair – the people of Cork – as we have failed to demand that we get this and have failed to make BAM and the Government in Dublin feel the heat.
But we hear the next Taoiseach will be an energetic young man from Cork South Central – so maybe he can finally push this face of a project over the start line?