The Ballyphehane Oral History Project

Title

The Ballyphehane Oral History Project

Subject

Life history interviews with the inhabitants of the Cork City suburb of Ballyphehane about life in the area pre and post city corporation development.

Description

In June 2016 Contact was made by the Ballyphehane 1916 Centenary Commemoration Committee with the Cork Folklore Project to establish an oral history project to coincide with the events in Ballyphehane marking the centenary commemoration of the 1916 rising. The goal was to collect the memories of the residents and have a night in the community centre where these interviews would be played for the community. Ballyphehane is a suburb in the Southside of the city between Turners Cross and Togher. It was built between the 1940s and 1960s and inhabited by families rehoused from the city centre, much like Gurranabraher and Knocknaheeny in the north side. The significance of the 1916 rising to Ballyphehane is that the streets are named after the leaders of the rising. It was decided that CFP researcher and Ballyphehane resident, James Furey, would head up the project and assist volunteers in technical training and interview techniques: all interviews were carried out under the auspices of the the CFP. This interviewing project is ongoing, and there have been a number of community listening events in 2017 and 2018. Interviews have been carried out by CFP staff James Furey and David McCarthy, and by Ballyphehane resident Arnie O'Connell.

Date

2016 and ongoing

Coverage

Ethnographic interviews carried out with inhabitants of Ballyphehane detailing their lives pre and post corporation development (ca. 1930s to 2018).

Relation

Furey, Jamie (2018) ‘Boxcars, broken glass and backers: A Glimpse at the Ballyphehane Oral History Project’, The Archive 21: 24-25. http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Archive21-WebEdition-1.pdf
Listening Events


Library Lane Café Listening Event by James Furey and Kieran Murphy 15th June 2017

Tory Top Library Listening Event by James Furey

Source

Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive

Rights

Cork Folklore Project

Language

English

Type

Audio

Format

7.wav Files

Collection Items

Arthur Walker Snr: Evergreen Road, Ballyphehane
Arthur tells of his early life on Evergreen road and the move to Ballyphehane in the 1950s

John Chute: Ballyphehane
John talks about his early life, growing up on the northside in Knapps square, attending school in Easons Hill and being involved in pipe bands.

Marie McAllen: Ballyphehane
Marie was born and raised in Ballyphehane, before and after development of corporation housing. Her Mother’s family name was Cronin and her grandmother was Halloran who owned Halloran’s orchard where the Ballyphehane Church now stands.

Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ O’Sullivan: Ballyphehane
Lizzie hails from Wolfe Tone Street on the Northside of the city. After spending a few years in England as a young adult she returned to Cork and was an early resident of the Corporation development in Ballyphehane. Lizzie has lived in Ballyphehane…

Tom Falvey: Ballyphehane, Market Gardens
Tom speaks about how he was born on Bandon Road. On moving to and growing up on Killeenreendowney Avenue and then Pearse Road in Ballyphehane. The primary school in Glasheen. Activities such as walking the Lee Fields. Playing hurling with the Barrs.…

Kieran Edwards & Noreen Crowley: Ballyphehane, Childhood, Community
Kieran Edwards and his sister Noreen Crowley (nee Edwards) are originally from Fr Dominic Road Ballyphahane, they start the interview by discussing the community that Ballypheheane nurtured. Noreen then talks of her youth and how she used to look…
View all 6 items