Daniel Tanner: River Lee

Daniel Tanner: River Lee

Life History: Skateboarding, Carrigaline,

Daniel grew up in Carragaline. He went to college and studied Physics first in Trinity and then in UCC because he missed Cork. He says he is now a post doctoral researcher in the Mardyke. He talks about how knowledge contained in folklore is superior to that contained in modern sciences. Daniel used to skate near the Lee the end of the south mall and by the opera house. He recalls being told a story of killer whale in the river. He talks about skateboarding culture and skating across the river from Charlie’s bar on the South Mall and how the council tried to stop skating on the streets Daniel says he had some great experiences along the river like seeing a seal with a salmon in its mouth, herons and cormorants catching fish. Otters, baby seals. He says the primary way he now interacts with the river now is by walking alongside it especially the north side of it out across from the Lee fields out towards the Anglers Rest pub. He talks about swimming in the Lee.

24 October 2017

CFP_SR00641_tanner_2017

Cork; Ireland; Carrigaline; Ballingeary; 1980s - 2000s

CFP_SR00630_ohuigin_2017; CFP_SR00636_spalding_2017; CFP_SR00637_oduinnin_2017;

Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive

Cork Folklore Project

English

Sound

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143m 57s

Mardyke

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24bit / 48kHz

The following is a short extract from the interview transcript, copyright of the Cork Folklore Project. If you wish to access further archival material please contact CFP, folklorearchive@gmail.com

KM: Do you have any further experiences or anything else stand out?

DT: Well I guess as it developed beyond when I started going to college I used to walk along the river everyday. That was my main interaction when it was just walking along it to work.

KM: So what route would you have taken?

DT: I think I took several other ones. Wherever I lived I would always just go to the river and then walk along it. But I used to walk along from Sawmill Street, which is on South Terrace. I used to walk from South Terrace and then join it up there and walk along. I had many nice experiences walking in the morning, like public experiences for everyone, like a seal with a huge salmon in it's mouth. Everyone was looking at it, I saw herons catching fish, cormorants catching fish. I saw a baby seal on the steps. I saw an otter with a fish. But these weren't all during that time period. But this was just kind of the same relationship I have to the river now, that I just like walking along it and looking in it. So I saw loads of things catching fish. I always interpret, whenever I see a wild animal, I interpret it as kind of a good sign or good omen. I interpret the animals behaviour in some sort of way. Like if a heron catches a fish I'm going to catch a fish today. They never mean anything bad but I always use it as a tool to elevate my mood beyond just that it's nice to see the thing. But then you're also like, oh now I can take all these risks, or if I see a seal swimming out to sea I'm like oh that's me headings towards something. Heading back to my opened or I'm so free or whatever you know? The baby seal resting on the steps, I'm having a nice rest.

KM: So you see some meaning in what you see in the river in your own life?

DT: Yeah yeah. Or I interpret it as a good or that it augurs well or a good omen. If there's such a thing as a good omen. Can you have a good omen or does omen mean bad?

Audio