The Mardyke () is an area in

Cork city Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

, on the northern half of the long western part of the island formed by the two channels of the River Lee near the city centre. It was historically left as open space because the land along the north channel of the river is prone to flooding. From east to west these open spaces are: Presentation Brothers College, a boys' secondary school; the Richard Beamish Cricket Grounds of Cork County Cricket Club; Fitzgerald Park, which includes Cork Public Museum; Sunday's Well Lawn Tennis Club; and the athletic grounds of

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

(UCC). The UCC grounds and cricket grounds are both often referred to as "the Mardyke".

History

The original dyke was constructed in 1719 by Edward Webber, the

city clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...

, who owned what were then marshy islands west of the walled city. He drained and landscaped the area, building a dyke topped by a straight

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...

leading to a redbrick

teahouse A teahouse or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only ser ...

in Dutch style. The area became fashionable and the promenade was dubbed the Red House Walk or Meer Dyke Walk after the Meer Dyke in Amsterdam. Dutch influence was strong among the

Protestant Ascendancy The Protestant Ascendancy (also known as the Ascendancy) was the sociopolitical and economical domination of Ireland between the 17th and early 20th centuries by a small Anglicanism, Anglican ruling class, whose members consisted of landowners, ...

in the decades after the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobitism, Jacobite supporters of James II of England, James II and those of his successor, William III of England, William III, it resulted in a Williamit ...

. After Webber's death the land was bought and further developed by future

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

James Morrison. The route of the promenade corresponds to the modern streets Dyke Parade and Mardyke Walk. The Mardyke is mentioned in the second verse of the folksong, '' I Know My Love'': "There is a dance house in Mar'dyke 'sic''/ And there my true love goes every night". The Mardyke is also mentioned in James Joyce's ''

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' is the second book and first novel of Irish writer James Joyce, published in 1916. A ''Künstlerroman'' written in a modernist style, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Ste ...

'': "The leaves of the trees along the Mardyke were astir and whispering in the sunlight. A team of cricketers passed, agile young men in flannels and blazers, one of them carrying the long green wicket bag."

Parkland

In the 19th century, the western part of the Mardyke was a large open area called Cork Park. In the early 20th century, the then

Lord Mayor of Cork The Lord Mayor of Cork () is the honorific title of the Chairperson () of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council. The incumbent ...

Edward Fitzgerald, proposed that a large public exhibition be held in Cork Park. Forty-four acres of Mardyke parkland were hence set aside as the site of the 1902 Cork International Exhibition. The central section of the Mardyke exhibition site (approximately 12 acres) is now known as Fitzgerald's Park, and includes the Cork Public Museum and a large children's play area. The former western portion of Cork Park comprised grass sports pitches, and is now the main sports campus of

(UCC). Between Fitzgerald's Park and the UCC sports campus is a public road leading to Daly's Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge known locally as the "Shakey Bridge", which links the Mardyke with Sunday's Well across the River Lee.

Cricket

The Mardyke is the home ground of Cork County Cricket Club, who have played there since their formation in 1874. The ground has played host to three first-class matches in 1947, 1961 and 1973. All three involved

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

playing

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It too fell victim to the floods of 2009.

References

{{Cork City Geography of Cork (city)