A short progress report

Regarding our successful 2025 Heritage and Biodiversity grant award from Cork City Council, this grant supports a Heritage research project about Upper Glanmire Bridge and we had a very well attended event during Heritage Week 2025 hosted in the Boothouse Bar (upper Glanmire) which was the last stop for people to prepare and refresh for disembarking in Cork after a Bianconni coach trip that may have started in Dublin and lasted over 4 days. We are committed to create an on-line publication focusing on the built heritage & natural heritage of the vicinity of the Upper Glanmire bridge, the weir and forest walk.

Our web site is currently getting an overhaul from our webmaster (€130) and Mary P O'Connor (€300) has gathered a significant folio of high quality images and videos gathered. To gather content we have actually waded through the river for about a mile with film equipment examining and documenting the current environs of the old bridge which currently has to support massive traffic loads on the busy R616.

Research

As Future Orchard is situated on a piece of land with a 200 year old weir nearby what we understand to have been a toll bridge for some time, we have undertaken research to clarify this. The bridge was the only route to Dublin for horse drawn coaches to and from Cork city. We are happy with the progress to date and will have a page developed on our website dedicated to this issue.

We advertised in the local Glanmire newsletter with a paid advertisement (€50) about the research project and have been gathering local folklore information about the issue. We will keep the office updated when the information goes live and will acknowledge the support of the Heritage & Biodiversity office in relation to the grant aid.