The Firkin Crane is a non-profit arts organisation based in the protected building of the same name in the Shandon area of

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 ...

in Ireland. It is a theatre and dance centre and is a permanent base for

Cork City Ballet Cork City Ballet is an Irish ballet company founded in 1992 by Alan Foley, a student of Joan Denise Moriarty. It is one of two professional ballet companies in Ireland. Cork City Ballet performs annually at Cork Opera House, staging (for exampl ...

and Crux Dance Theatre.

History

Building

The Firkin Crane building is located near the

Church of St Anne, Shandon The Church of St Anne is a Church of Ireland church located in the Shandon district of Cork city in Ireland. Built between 1722 and 1726, it is situated on a hill overlooking the River Lee. The church tower is a noted landmark and symbol of the ...

close to the

Cork Butter Museum The Cork Butter Museum is a museum in Cork (city), Cork city in Ireland which documents the history of butter production and sale in County Cork. It is housed in the former Cork Butter Market. History The Cork Butter Market building is situate ...

and the site of the original Cork City Butter

Exchange Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...

. The building was opened in August 1855, designed to a

rotunda A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). ...

plan by Sir John Benson for the Butter Exchange. The building's name derives from the " Firkin" unit (9 gallons or 80Ibs of butter) and the "Crane"

weighing scale A scale or balance is a device used to measure weight or mass. These are also known as mass scales, weight scales, mass balances, massometers, and weight balances. The traditional scale consists of two plates or bowls suspended at equal d ...

. Where the building currently stands is reputed to have been a possible site for a fort belonging to the

MacCarthy McCarthy (also spelled MacCarthy or McCarty) may refer to: * MacCarthy dynasty, a Gaelic Irish clan * McCarthy, Alaska, United States * McCarty, Missouri, United States * McCarthy Road, a road in Alaska * McCarthy (band), an indie pop band * Châte ...

Clan. The Shandon Butter Factory was housed within the Firkin Crane and the firkins were weighed up there. A

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a Spread (food), spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The ...

factory (James Daly & Sons) replaced the market in 1924. This closed in 1976.

Dance company

Joan Denise Moriarty Joan Denise Moriarty (died 24 January 1992) was an Irish people, Irish ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher of ballet and traditional Irish Irish dance, dancer and musician. She was a key figure in the development of both amateur and professio ...

created an

Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

approved space in the building until a fire destroyed it on 6 July 1980. According to the ''Cork Examiner,'' Moriarty was just about to embark on an IR£400,000 campaign to renovate it. Three units from Cork Fire Brigade fought the fire. Within minutes of the fire breaking out, the structure was an inferno, with most of the building being constructed of wood which had been covered in a thick coating of grease over the years. In response to the fire, Tom Donnelly, general manager of the Irish Ballet Company, said they were determined with their plans to establish there. Gardaí did not rule out the possibility that the fire may have been maliciously started. The building was rebuilt using funds from the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

Architectural Award for Ireland. On 26 April 1992, the building was re-opened by then Taoiseach

Albert Reynolds Albert Martin Reynolds (3 November 1932 – 21 August 2014) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994. He held various cabinet positions between 1979 and 1991, including Ministe ...

. It became known as the Firkin Crane Centre. By 2000, the Firkin Crane Dance Development Agency was in operation. According to ''The Encyclopedia of Ireland'', by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, it was Ireland's only dedicated dance venue in 2000.

Performances

It held the William Thompson Weekend School in 2003. Ireland's first dance house, The Institute for Choreography and Dance, was based in the building, and became a founding member of the European Dancehouse Network in 2004. It continued as a centre dedicated to choreographic research until 2006. Dance performances were held in the Firkin Crane in 2015 as part of Cork Culture Night. In 2018, a documentary on the history of the Ford Factory in Cork was held in the building. It also hosted a play called ''Cosy'', featuring an all-female cast as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival. As of 2020, it hosted bursary awards. That year, 16 year old James Berkery, a ballet dancer at the Firkin Crane was nominated for a BAFTA in the UK. It was received part of a €290,000 grant to arts organisations from Cork City Council that year. CEO Paul McCarthy departed from the organisation, having held the position for 25 years.

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

's Thomas Gould and the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

's Dan Boyle have served on the Firkin Crane's voluntary Board of Directors.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1855 establishments in Ireland Dance companies in Ireland 1980 fires 1980s fires in Europe 1980 disasters in Europe Theatres in Cork (city)