Peter Dowdall: 'Cork showed real imagination in 1985 when it turned a derelict site into a public park'

Urban green areas are not just outdoor sitting rooms, writes Peter Dowdall as he contemplates the redeveloped Bishop Lucey Park

Peter Dowdall at Bishop Lucey Park, Cork. Pictures: Dan Linehan

In the garden, January is never about action for action’s sake. It’s about looking, noticing, and asking what worked, what didn’t, and what kind of space you want to be in by the time spring comes around. Cork city, I think, deserves the same pause for thought.

That pause has arrived in the shape of Bishop Lucey Park, or the Peace Park as many of us still prefer to call it, freshly redeveloped and reopened in 2025. A lot of public money has gone into the project, and much of the public reaction has been critical.