Gondolas on the Lee and a water chute in Fitzgerald's Park: A look back at the Greater Cork International Exhibition

THE excitement was palpable all over the county, the country, and indeed the world as Cork prepared to host a major international exhibition in 1902.

The event, which would showcase exhibits from across a wide spectrum of industries and activities, followed hot on the heels of the Paris exhibition of 1900 and previous similar events in Cork in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

The exhibition was the brainchild of the then Lord Mayor Edward Fitzgerald and the location chosen was a site of between seven and eight hectares in the Mardyke.

The event would run from spring to autumn and it was intended that it would feature every type of industrial and artistic stall imaginable.

Such was its success that it ran again in 1903 when it was renamed the Greater Cork International Exhibition.

However, despite the success, things didn’t all run as smoothly as many would have hoped, starting with the project stalling before it even opened to the public.

It is said that the construction of the stalls and building came to an abrupt halt in March of 1902 when the ex-city sheriff, a baker by trade, decided to import the ready-prepared ery for his bakery stall from England.

The Cork carpenters refused to touch the work.

Russian workers refused to touch it either and so the building works stalled for some time.

There were also heated discussions about who would open the ceremonies.

The suggestion of the Lord Lieutenant and a member of Parliament, John Redmond, was not received well and it was decided that Lord Bandon and the Lord Mayor were better choices.

The ladies committee meeting held in the industrial hall of the Exhibition was chaired by no less than the Countess of Bandon herself with many ladies of high standing in attendance to discuss the location of their stalls and review the suggestions that were offered.

The apologies from those not in attendance, citing suitable excuses, were read out first so as not to cause offence.

They inspected the allotted spaces thoroughly, and also the display cases supplied by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland.

The Cork International Exhibition finally opened in May to great excitement.

The hall, restaurants and kiosks had been built by a local Cork building firm with the main building incorporating pillars and columns and topped with an impressive dome.

There were hundreds of displays to entice the visitor, everything from the women’s section to modern science, and geological specimens to educational stands, all spread out over 170,000 square feet.

A charge for each exhibitor of two shillings per square foot had to be paid in full in advance of the opening.

Everything from lace to wood carvings was on display in the Great Hall with 46 of the 93 stands displaying Irish wares, the rest were mostly English with a German stand thrown in for good measure.

Bulls and horses, cattle and sheep were there to entice the farmer and landowner. The number of visitors to the exhibition was noted to be over one million.

Excellent use of the River Lee was made as gondolas and ferries were on hand for the adventurous and garden displays were in full bloom.

There was a skating rink, boating trips and a 70-foot water shute that entertained and excited children of all ages.

The event was one initially attended by the great and the good, or it could be said just the wealthy and well-heeled, who would come and parade themselves, their children, the nanny, and maybe even more of ‘the help’ in all their finery while iring the many displays at the Mardyke and enjoying the entertainments on offer over the spring and summer season.

Reduced train fares for the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway were offered to the Exhibition from Kinsale, Bandon, Clonakilty and other intermediate stations on morning trains, returning for Kinsale at 5.12 pm.

In Kinsale, there was anger that the trains weren’t an option for anyone who worked during the day and night and who wanted to travel to the Exhibition in the evenings.

Why, asked one complainant, should the residents of Kinsale and other West Cork towns not be able to attend in order to learn about other industries when the precarious and unreliable fishing industry was on its last legs?

Kinsale, without other industries and options for employment, will surely not survive, it was feared.

Looking back at the pictures of those lucky enough to be in attendance in 1902 with everyone in grand dress, men with top hats, and shoes on the feet of all children, one could surmise that perhaps, initially, the train schedule wasn’t an oversight as the Exhibition might not have been considered the rightful place for the ordinary man.

By 1903 the train service had improved and all and sundry were attending from all over Cork city and county, along with those with the price of the train fare from neighbouring counties.

My own family have recalled the trip taken to the Exhibition in August 1903.

No less than 30 of the Acton’s hardware staff boarded the railway to the city with Joe Acton as captain in charge.

They walked through the city to the Mardyke to ire the innovations in engineering and building works.

Afterwards, they treated themselves to dinner and caught the late train home.

“Who could worry about the fishing industry now, one exclaimed, and why would you want concerts at home in the Bowling Green!”

Joseph told all that evening about the new product called corrugated iron to the amazement and awe of the family.

The renamed Greater Cork Exhibition, according to a London newspaper, was also to have the pleasure of welcoming the King and his missus. However, not everyone here saw this as an occasion that needed too much aplomb.

One writer commented that he wondered if the Lord Mayor of Cork would have long enough arms to wrap around the King and if someone should perhaps get the measurements of the girth of the King’s waist in advance to avoid any embarrassment.

As the Great Cork Exhibition was winding down in August 1903, no less than 500 children travelled from Kinsale by train to attend.

They arrived at Albert Quay and walked in procession along South Mall, Grand Parade and Great Georges Street arriving at 1pm to sit for lunch at the Palace Restaurant in the Exhibition grounds.

It was noted that the children that handed over their penny for sweets certainly didn’t get their pennies worth but a wonderful day was had by all.

The Exhibition was a huge undertaking and a resounding success.

Part of the grounds, now Fitzgerald Park, is where you can look at the memorabilia on display in the museum, gaze at the romantic architecture of the Lord Mayor’s house and the cricket building and even see the remains of the pier used for the 70-foot shute near the Shakey Bridge.

After the Exhibition ran its course, it was dismantled. But, the remnants of its construction timbers and frames are to be found in houses and extensions in areas like Myrtleville and other well-to-do addresses to this day.