David O'Mahony: Back when the Lee was Cork’s life blood

Back in the 19th century, the river was a thriving hive of trade, which bound Cork to the wider world through the water and shipping lanes. Maybe it's time to bring it back to good use. Water taxi anyone?

Loading goods on to the MV Innisfallen at Penrose Quay in March 1929, when the city’s quays were still in heavy commercial use. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive

You are never far from the water in Cork City, and yet I can almost guarantee you are seldom directly on it.

For a city that has built an identity around the Lee and Cork harbour (see the coat of arms), we have tended to neglect the river in the heart of the city except for angling or aesthetics, and spotting the occasional seal or dolphin. It’s more typically a source of concern for tidal or storm flooding.