Firkin Crane Explained

Firkin Crane
Address:John Redmond St.
City:Cork
Country:Ireland
Capacity:238 (Smurfit Theatre)
Architect:John Benson
Pushpin Map:Ireland Cork Central
Built:1855
Rebuilt:1992
Othernames:Firkin Crane Centre
Coordinates:51.9026°N -8.4764°W

The Firkin Crane is a non-profit arts organisation based in the protected building of the same name in the Shandon area of Cork City in Ireland.[1] [2] It is a theatre and dance centre and is a permanent base for Cork City Ballet and Crux Dance Theatre.[3] [4] [5]

History

Building

The Firkin Crane building is located near the Church of St Anne, Shandon close to the Cork Butter Museum and the site of the original Cork City Butter Exchange.[6] The building was opened in August 1855, designed to a rotunda plan by Sir John Benson[7] for the Butter Exchange. The building's name derives from the "Firkin" unit (9 gallons or 80Ibs of butter) and the "Crane" weighing scale.[8] [9] Where the building currently stands is reputed to have been a possible site for a fort belonging to the MacCarthy Clan.[10] [11] The Shandon Butter Factory was housed within the Firkin Crane and the firkins were weighed up there.[12] A margarine factory (James Daly & Sons) replaced the market in 1924. This closed in 1976.

Dance company

Joan Denise Moriarty created an Arts Council approved space in the building until a fire destroyed it on 6 July 1980.[13] [14] According to the Cork Examiner, Moriarty was just about to embark on an IR£400,000 campaign to renovate it. Three units from Cork Fire Brigade fought the fire. Within minutes of the fire breaking out, the structure was an inferno, with most of the building being constructed of wood which had been covered in a thick coating of grease over the years.[15] In response to the fire, Tom Donnelly, general manager of the Irish Ballet Company, said they were determined with their plans to establish there. Gardaí did not rule out the possibility that the fire may have been maliciously started.[16]

The building was rebuilt using funds from the European Economic Community Architectural Award for Ireland. On 26 April 1992, the building was re-opened by then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. It became known as the Firkin Crane Centre.[17] By 2000, the Firkin Crane Dance Development Agency was in operation.[18]

According to The Encyclopedia of Ireland, by Oxford University Press, it was Ireland's only dedicated dance venue in 2000.[19]

Performances

It held the William Thompson Weekend School in 2003.[20] Ireland's first dance house, The Institute for Choreography and Dance, was based in the building, and became a founding member of the European Dancehouse Network in 2004. It continued as a centre dedicated to choreographic research until 2006.[21] [22]

Dance performances were held in the Firkin Crane in 2015 as part of Cork Culture Night.[23] In 2018, a documentary on the history of the Ford Factory in Cork was held in the building.[24] [25] It also hosted a play called Cosy, featuring an all-female cast as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival.[26]

As of 2020, it hosted bursary awards. That year, 16 year old James Berkery, a ballet dancer at the Firkin Crane was nominated for a BAFTA in the UK.[27] [28] It was received part of a €290,000 grant to arts organisations from Cork City Council that year.[29] CEO Paul McCarthy departed from the organisation, having held the position for 25 years.[30]

Sinn Féin's Thomas Gould and the Green Party's Dan Boyle have served on the Firkin Crane's voluntary Board of Directors.[31] [32]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Firkin Crane. 2021-04-10. Cork City Council. en.
  2. Web site: Grant-Smith. Deanna. Matthews. Tony. Inner-city neighbourhood shows the way in protecting heritage of centuries past. 2021-04-10. The Conversation. en.
  3. Web site: Firkin Crane/Butter Market. IFTN.
  4. Web site: 2019-10-30. Butter market building plan in the works for Shandon. 2021-04-10. echo live. en.
  5. Book: McGrath, Aoife. Dance Theatre in Ireland: Revolutionary Moves. 2012-12-03. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-1-137-03547-9. en.
  6. Book: Ireland 2000: Expert Advice and Smart Choices, Completely Updated Every Year, Plus a Full Size Color Map. 1999. Fodor's Travel Publications. 978-0-679-00359-5. en.
  7. Web site: O'Sullivan. Des. 2021-03-20. Harry Clarke's piece of gruesome forboding could fetch €120,000 at auction. 2021-04-10. Irish Examiner. en.
  8. News: O’Hanlon. Oliver. Butter days – An Irishman's Diary on the Cork Butter Exchange and the world's largest butter market. 2021-04-10. The Irish Times. en.
  9. Web site: Stevens. Jennifer. 2020-10-04. How to be pure Cork: Tips on passing as a local in the Rebel County. 2021-04-10. Irish Examiner. en.
  10. Web site: History Trail, Shandon Street Area Cork Heritage. 2021-04-10. corkheritage.ie.
  11. Web site: Cork Trade. 2021-04-10. www.askaboutireland.ie.
  12. Book: Rynne. Colin. Forgotten Cork: Photographs from the Day Collection. Wigham. Billy. Day. Robert. Day. William Tottenham. Day. Alec. 2004. Collins. 978-1-903464-56-4. en.
  13. Web site: 2019-04-12 . Nostalgia: Legendary figure who put Cork ballet on the map . 2021-04-10 . . en.
  14. Web site: The Firkin Crane Centre, O' Connell Square, CORK CITY, Cork City, CORK. Buildings of Ireland.
  15. News: 7 July 1980. Tragic Blow to Ballet Company. Cork Examiner.
  16. News: 7 July 1980. Ballet Group Determined to Rebuild. Evening Echo.
  17. Web site: Bryan. Mike McGrath. 2020-11-26. Spirit of Mother Jones Festival goes online to mark 90 years since Cork-born icon's passing. 2021-04-10. Irish Examiner. en.
  18. Book: Hall. G. K.. Bibliographic Guide to Dance 2002 V1. Gale. Thomson. October 2003. Gale Group. 978-0-7838-9802-5. en.
  19. Book: Brady, Ciaran. The Encyclopedia of Ireland: An A-Z Guide to Its People, Places, History, and Culture. 2000. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-521685-1. en.
  20. Book: Connolly. Linda. Social Movements and Ireland. Hourigan. Niamh. 2006. Manchester University Press. 978-0-7190-7243-7. en.
  21. Web site: HISTORY. 2021-04-10. Firkin Crane. en-US.
  22. Web site: Firkin Crane Glucksman Library. 2021-04-10. www.ul.ie.
  23. News: Roche. Barry. Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh to join Cork Culture Night. 2021-04-10. The Irish Times. en.
  24. Web site: Ford factory documentary and Kinsale speaker for Mother Jones 2018 festival. 2021-04-10. The Southern Star. en.
  25. News: Roche. Barry. Film on Ford: Cork car workers feature in documentary. 2021-04-10. The Irish Times. en.
  26. Web site: 2019-06-14 . 'We need to talk about death... it's part of living' . 2021-04-10 . . en.
  27. Web site: 2020-07-29. Munster based dancers encouraged to apply for Firkin Crane bursary awards. 2021-04-10. echo live. en.
  28. Web site: 2020-07-29. James hopes for BAFTA glory this week. 2021-04-10. echo live. en.
  29. Web site: 2021-01-12. Almost €290k to be allocated to arts groups in Cork city . 2021-04-10. echo live. en.
  30. Web site: 2021-01-27 . Firkin Crane CEO departs after 25 years. 2021-04-10. . en.
  31. News: O'Halloran. Marie. Election 2020: Thomas Gould (Sinn Féin). 2021-04-10. The Irish Times. en.
  32. News: Murphy. Darragh. Overqualified: Dan Boyle, former TD: 'I've had it said a number of times that I'm too qualified'. 2021-04-10. The Irish Times. en.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Firkin Crane".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.