Kennedy Park (Cork, Ireland)

Kennedy Park
Kennedy Park with The Elysian in the background
Kennedy Park with The Elysian in the background
Map
TypePublic
LocationCork, Ireland
Coordinates51°53′42″N 8°27′18″W / 51.89500°N 8.45500°W / 51.89500; -8.45500
Area7.5 acres (3.0 ha)[1]

Kennedy Park is a local park in Cork, Ireland, named after US president John F. Kennedy who visited the area in June 1963.[2] The 7.5 acre park is situated between Victoria Road and Monahan Road.[1]

Sports

The park is associated with a number of sporting clubs. During the club's infancy, the park was the homestead of Nemo Rangers GAA club.[citation needed] More recently it has been used as the training base for the Cork Admirals American Football team.[3] The park is also used for training by several amateur soccer sides, as well as tag rugby teams.[citation needed]

Development

Plaque marking 2012 improvements

In the mid-2000s, at the height of the Celtic Tiger, the future of the park was cast in doubt after plans were unveiled to reduce the size of the park to allow for a new road to be constructed in conjunction with the Cork Docklands Development.[4] This resulted in a petition by local residents and by the sporting clubs that used the park. The Cork Docklands developments, however, were ultimately halted due to economic constraints and the planned changes were not implemented.

In 2012, as marked by a contemporary plaque,[5] a number of improvements and developments to the park were unveiled - including a new walkway and planting. Funding was reportedly confirmed for additional improvements during 2018.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Council Services – Recreation & Sport – Parks Section". CorkCity.ie. Cork City Council. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Watching the president's back". The Irish Times. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2018. President Kennedy's helicopter [took]-off from Marina Park (now Kennedy Park), Cork, in June 1963
  3. ^ "Teams – Cork Admirals". Americanfootball.ie. Irish American Football League (IAFL). Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  4. ^ "South Docks L.A.P. 2008 > Docklands > Services >". CorkCity.ie. Cork City Council. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  5. ^ Kennedy Park Improvements Plaque (Image). June 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2018. This plaque was unveiled [..] on 20th June 2012 to mark the completion of enhancement works at the park
  6. ^ "Coveney Welcomes €37m in Grants for Cork Infrastructure". simoncoveney.ie. Simon Coveney. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.