Grand Parade, Cork

File:Cork geograph-3176552-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg

Grand Parade looking north

Grand Parade (Sráid an Chapaill Bhuí in Irish), is one of the main streets of Cork city, Ireland. It runs from South Mall in the south to St. Patrick's Street/Daunt Square in the north, with intersections with Oliver Plunkett Street, Tuckey Street, Washington Street, Augustine Street and a number of pedestrian only lanes in between. The Irish name of the street, Sráid an Chapaill Bhuí, comes from a time when there was a statue of King George II on horse-back at the junction with South Mall. The location of this statue is now occupied by the national monument

History

Grand Parade was originally a channel of the River Lee. The original Hiberno-Norse settlement of Cork grew up on its west bank.

The river channel existed until at least 1690, when it is shown on a map of Cork. At this time, the east bank was still largely undeveloped, with only a bowling green shown in the area.

By 1726, buildings had developed on the east bank, but the river channel remained in place. In a 1774 map, the northern portion of the street between Oliver Plunkett Street and Daunt Square had been reclaimed, but the southern portion was still a dock. Finally, by 1801, the river channel had completely disappeared and the street was fully present.

Modern Times

Grand Parade's relative importance as a commercial street in Cork has slipped in recent years. To an extent this is because of new commercial developments, such as Opera Lane and Merchant's Quay Shopping Centre, which have moved the commercial heart of the city closer to the eastern end of St Patrick's Street. Also a factor is that many of the properties on the north-eastern corner of the street have been left empty because of site assembly for a commercial development, which is now indefinitely postponed because of the aftermath of the Irish property bubble.

The street still has a large number of commercial properties, with retail being most common at the northern end of the street and offices more common at the southern end. It has an entrance to the English Market on its eastern side.

Other notable features on the street are Cork's main library and Bishop Lucey Park, both of which are on the western side of the street, and The Berwick Fountain, which was originally in the centre of the street, but which was moved to the western side during refurbishment works in 2008.

Popular Culture

• The Grand Parade is the name of an album by Cork band The Frank and Walters