On The Cork City Arts Trail

The path followed by gallery-goers in Cork city, once a short, inner city triangle, has been steadily expanding.

The Crawford Municipal Gallery

The Crawford Municipal Gallery is the natural starting point for a Cork city art trail, being the biggest and most central gallery, and also the most important public gallery of fine art outside Dublin. Situated beside the River Lee, next door to the Cork Opera House it can be said to be at the heart of Cork's artistic and cultural life. The ground floor Gallery Restaurant, run by a team from the famous country house hotel, Ballymaloe is a popular meeting point. A very active group, The Friends of the Crawford, exists to support the gallery's activities and purchase programme.

The striking Dutch-style red brick building dates from 1724, and served as the Customs House in the 18th century. The building was renovated and extended in 1884 when the Crawford family (of local brewery Beamish & Crawford) converted it into an art school and gallery. In 1979, the art school (the Crawford College of Art and Design) moved to new premises near St. Finbarre's Cathedral.

The permanent collection features Irish art from the 18th century to the present day, and includes work by James Barry, Nathaniel Grogan, Walter Osborne, Paul Henry, Jack B. Yeats, Harry Clarke and Sean Keating.

In June, 2000 a new gallery designed by Erick van Egeraat opened, giving the gallery an additional 830 square metres of extra space for temporary exhibitions.

Gallery Director Peter Murray, who is also a well-known historian of Irish art, capably manages the gallery's dual remit: to showcase art from the past, both Irish and international, and to mount innovative exhibitions of contemporary art. The gallery regularly initiates touring exhibitions in collaboration with other European and American institutions.

Open Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed on Sundays.

Tel. +353 (0) 21 427 3377.

University College Cork

University College Cork (UCC) is the location of Cork's newest art space, the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, which opened in Autumn 2004. The Gallery is a striking, landmark building of over 2000 square metres, designed by O'Donnell + Tuomey and is situated beside UCC's main entrance on Western Road. `

It is significant that the Gallery faces towards Cork's city centre, as part of the gallery's remit is to increase the campus's role in the city's artistic life. Its Director, Fiona Kearney, was previously the University's Visual Arts Officer, and has had the rare pleasure of watching the gallery grow from construction site to finished building. This incorporates a riverside restaurant and gallery shop, and the display spaces - one 350 square metre gallery and an upper gallery of 335 square metres - have international curatorial-standard environmental controls.

Fiona Kearney describes her intentions as director: "The Glucksman's artistic mission is to explore all aspects of visual culture and present a range of innovative and intellectually stimulating displays. Central to its programme is the creation of discursive relationships between academic disciplines and art practice. The gallery is in the unique position of being an integral part of the University campus, while also attracting the wider public through its exhibition and events programme. It is a key focus for Cork's celebrations as 2005 Capital of Culture."

Open Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tel. +353 (0)21 490 2760, Bus 5 or 8 from Patrick Street.

The National Sculpture Factory

The National Sculpture Factory (NSF) is a unique organisation, not only in Ireland, but world-wide. It occupies a large, 19th century red-brick building, previously a tram shed. While it is not itself a venue, it is very much part of the national art scene, founded by artists, for artists. Its primary raison d'etre is to provide workspace for sculptors, but is also organises public lectures and symposia, hosts residencies by visiting artists, commissions work, runs professional workshops, and advises people and institutions on the commissioning of sculpture. The Director, Tara Byrne, took over in 2003, and has been closely involved with Caucus, the NSF's project for 2005.

Open to the public by appointment, Tel. +353 (0)21 431 4353

The Cork Vision Centre

The Cork Vision Centre combines a conservation project with a much-needed multi-purpose facility, used by a wide range of community and visual art clients. St. Peter's Church, dating from 1783, was rescued from near dereliction by the Cork Civic Trust, and provided with an elegant modern interior on two levels. Its main feature is a detailed 1:500 scale model of Cork city, showing how it has grown over the year, which provides an easy orientation for first-time visitors. The gallery and ancillary spaces are used for lectures, seminars, workshops, recitals and receptions.

Cork Vision Centre at St. Peter's, North Main Street.

Tel. +353 (0)21 427 9925. Open Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Fenton Gallery

The Fenton Gallery is Cork's leading contemporary art gallery. The 2000-square foot Gallery is on the ground floor of a recently converted warehouse complex on Wandesdford Quay, beside the River Lee. The buildings were converted to studio space by Cork City Council in response to the demand from the city's artists for safe, affordable studio space. The courtyard beside the gallery gives access to the studios of the Backwater Artists Group, and to Cork Printmakers.

Nuala Fenton was well-known on the local scene, having been Exhibitions Officer at the Crawford Gallery for eleven years before opening the gallery in May, 2000. She aims to run a gallery, which retains a strong Cork identity, while showing a high level of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.

The gallery has quickly made a name for stylish, innovative shows with an edge to them. As well as showing big names including Tony O'Malley, Barrie Cooke and Dorothy Cross, she has also held a show of contemporary art videos, several shows featuring younger artists, and several mixed themed shows. Five years after opening, the gallery is widely acknowledged as both a critical and a commercial success.

Wandesford Quay, tel. +353 (0)21 431 5294.

Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Vangard Gallery

The Vangard Gallery is a one-man venture, run by John P. Quinlan. It is evidence of the great increase in artistic activity in Cork city over the past ten years. The Vangard started out as a small venture in Macroom (a market town on the main road to Killarney), in the back of a pottery shop owned by John's wife, Brigín. John's eye for a painting, and his ability to persuade sought-after artists – Sean MacSweeney, Michael Cullen, Jane and Tony O'Malley, to give him a show, made this an unlikely mecca for art lovers.

In February 2000, John moved into the city centre, to a characterful, third floor, warehouse space in the pedestrianised Huguenot quarter, a stone's throw from the Crawford Gallery. John, who was a publican and an auctioneer before becoming a gallerist, has an infectious enthusiasm for art, and a naturally discerning eye. As well as regular shows, he also keeps a stock of work by the gallery's artists. Artists who have shown at the Vangard include John Shinnors, Felim Egan, Mary Lohan, Maurice Desmond, Martin Finnin, Jacqueline Stanley and Simon English.

Carey's Lane, off Patrick Street,

tel. +353 (0)21 427 8718.

Open 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Tuesday - Friday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday.

The Lavit Gallery

The Lavit Gallery is a non-profit making gallery, run by the Cork Arts Society, for the benefit of member artists. It has been in existence for over 40 years. Downstairs there is a rolling show of work for sale, mainly traditional landscape paintings, still life paintings, portraits and abstracts, while upstairs is a space for solo. The annual Cork Arts Society Exhibition takes over the entire premises, and is always a lively social occasion.

Father Mathew Street, South Mall.

tel. +353 (0)21 427 7749.

Open 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday.

The Triskel Arts Centre

The Triskel Arts Centre was established in 1979 as a multi-disciplinary arts centre. Since moving to its current location in a pair of 18th-century warehouses in the city centre, it has operated with two small galleries (14m by 6m and 12m by 6m), a 100-seater auditorium, a café-bar, an education workshop and two artists' studios. Government subsidy is supplemented by local fund-raising to give artists a venue in which experimental work can be shown without the economic restraints of a commercial gallery. The Triskel also plays an active role in community education, and runs an important schools programme.

Tobin Street, off Grand Parade,

tel. +353 (0)21 427 2022.

Open 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Monday - Saturday

The Sirius Arts Centre

Just outside the City is The Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, on Cork harbour. It is housed in one half of a beautiful 18th century Palladian villa, built on the water's edge as the headquarters of the Royal Cork Yacht Club. It was rescued from near ruin by a local community initiative, and one half of the building is now run as a gallery and used for readings and recitals, while the other half is the Cobh Tourist Information Centre. In the basement is a residence for visiting artists. The gallery has just two rooms, but they are large and beautifully proportioned, with tall windows overlooking the harbour, and a verandah on the seaward side. At high tide the ships on the water sail by at eye level, presenting an unforgettable panorama.

Cobh, Co. Cork.

Tel. +353 (0)21 481 3790.

Open Wednesday - Friday 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

© Alannah Hopkin