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Lord Mayor Gerald Y.Goldberg

It is a honour for me to welcome you here this evening, in the Lord Mayor’s /Council Chamber to launch this book on Gerald Y.Goldberg. Although there is enough material in this and other books on this extraordinary man to fill a library, I propose for this evening to concentrate on Gerald Goldberg, the politician and his times. Firstly, Gerald is widely known to have held the office of Lord Mayor, and held Lord Mayors Tomás MacCurtain & Terence MacSwiney in the highest esteem. As Read more [...]

Freedom of the City of Cork

Roll of the Honorary Burgesses of the City of Cork The custom of awarding the "Freedom of the City" whereby persons distinguished for public service become Honorary Burgesses of a City dates from the 14th century. Prior to the reform of the Cork Corporation in 1841 the City was generous in awarding the distinction to prominent representatives, of those thus honoured may be mentioned Dean Swift and Captain Richard Roberts who navigated the "Sirius" the first steamship to cross the Atlantic from Read more [...]

Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney

On Tomás MacCurtain’s death Terence MacSwiney was elected Lord Mayor of Cork. Like MacCurtain, he had been a member of the Irish Volunteers and an enthusiast for the Irish language. He had also been imprisoned following the Easter Rising. A talented writer, he wrote a drama entitled ‘The Revolutionist’, several volumes of poetry and a political tract entitled ‘The Principles of Freedom’. As well as being Lord Mayor of Cork, he was the Commandant of the First Cork Brigade of Read more [...]

Lord Mayor Tomás MacCurtain

After Sinn Féin’s almost complete victory in the November 1918 general election and the setting up of the First Dáil in 1919, the political conflict between the British government and Republicans was to become a state of war. The War of Independence began with the Soloheadbeg ambush in January 1919. Tomás MacCurtain took an active role in the War of Independence. Originally from Ballyknockane in County Cork, he became involved with the Gaelic League, the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Read more [...]