The Arcadia of old, in the heart of St Patrick's Parish, has been raised to the ground. Many of us have had halyson times in this world-renowned dancing venue. Perhaps you would like to drop us a line on your particular memories. We are preparing an article for future publication and all memorabilia, photos, or anecdotes are most welcome*. Please e-mail mail@stpatrickscork.com

*The contributor's permission will be sought before publication, and all materials will be returned on request.

The following article is reproduced with permission from "The Northside Folklore Project" and first published in "The Archive" Issue Number 8, by authors Maureen O'Keefe and Francis Quirke.
Credits are also due to the sponsers of "The Northside Folklore Project"........FAS, Northside Community Enterprises and, University College Cork, Department of Folklore and Ethnology.

This famous Lower Road landmark is now just a memory, but lives on the hearts of Leesiders....

The Arcadia, more fondly known as ‘the Arc', was a famous Northside Cork dance hall on the Lower Road. Many people went in single, met their true love there and went on to marry. Michael Prendergast opened it in 1924, first as a roller-skating rink, which wasn't very successful. That option was tried twice more, the last time in the 1970's. It had several owners over the 79 years; first Michael Prendergast, who died in 1937, then his son Michael Junior, who died at the great age of 93 on Valentine's Day. 1984. His son Peter also ran the Arc for many years, coming up with the idea of the Blue Room, where it cost two shillings to get in and hear jazz musicians play on Sunday nights. The Prendergasts owned the Arcadia for 61 years before selling it in 1985 to CIE, who used it as a social club. the Arcadia became the first temple of sound in Cork and hosted many great acts, like Molly O'Shea's band in the 1930's or later on Pat Crowley.

Evening Echo journalist Vincent Power captures the atmosphere of the Arc's 1950's and 60's glory days in his book, Send 'Em Home Sweatin'. Peter Prendergast frequently had a thousand tickets sold before the box office opened on a Saturday night. Dancers got lifts from all parts of the country to the Arc: ‘On Sunday evenings in the early ‘60's queues formed from 8.30 pm outside the doors of ballrooms all over Ireland, where the air smelled of Old Spice aftershave and Sweet Afton cigarettes..... Crowds who have waited patiently for two hours on the street descend on the box office..... The Clippers (The Clipper Carlton Showband) are in town and no one wants to miss them. By 9 pm Peter is at the mike to make the formal introduction: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the stars of our show tonight, the wonderful Clipper Carlton!' Down by the Riverside is the band's signature tune, a favourite in Cork. The Clippers are an antidote to the rather staid orchestras that dominate the dance hall circuit. They are unlike any other band in the country....

In the early ‘50's The Dixies came on the scene playing jazz in Shandon's Francis Hall on a Saturday Night. The would pack the place out. Word got around about The DixieLanders, as they were called then, and instead of trying to compete with them at the Arcadia, Peter decided to book them as a relief band who would come on before headline bands like the Clippers. It was in the Arc in 1958 that the Dixies learned their trade. They would listen to the other bands' performances and take some tips from them. They would practice the bands' songs and sing them louder and better the next Saturday night.

For six weeks on a trot in early 1958 the Dixielanders played at the Crawford Technical School Hall to help out the Marine Students, dancing was from 8 pm to 11 pm, the admission was 2/6d. This brought a new generation of dancers and 'bobby-soxers' to big-time music. Dixies' founder Sean Lucey told us that's what it was all about, copying other bands and making it their own. Soon they had a bigger audience than the headline bands.

We asked Sean how they came to go professional and Sean replied that he was talking to Brendan Bowyer of the Royal Showband, who said ‘You should go pro, the money is great, I have £10,000 saved already!' Sean says: "Hearing that story, and with Peters persuasion, we decided to give it a shot. The only one who didn't want to was our lead singer, so we auditioned for a new vocalist, that's how Brendan O'Brien came to join as singer an rhythm guitarist in 1961." Peter Prendergast put 100% effort into the band, coming up with unique ways to advertise them, just as he had with the Clippers in the ‘50's. When the Dixies arrived back in Cork at about 6 in the morning after a gig, it was not unusual to see the light on in the Arc, where Peter would be working away on new ideas to promote them. In October ‘63 they became the first showband to make personal appearances in Paris and Rome. Peter knew that nobody would believe that they had performed in these places, so he took postcards of scenes such as the Eiffel Tower and St. Peter's Square and superimposed the band's picture on the cards. He posted the cards to DJs and columnists back home. The postcards confirmed it was not fiction.

The Arc opened six nights a week; admission ranged from one shilling and threepence to ten shillings on a special night such as the Muskerry Ball. The most famous events were the Cork Farmers' Union dance, the Stephen's Night party, and of course the New Year's Eve dance where there were streamers, hats and presents hanging from the ceiling. In the ‘40's and ‘50's you had the; lads with their bicycles. On a busy night, the bicycle park inside the lower door was usually packed. "Would you like a crossbar home?" was a popular pick-up line, which usually answered with acceptance or a snort of refusal. If he were a gentleman he would lay his coat on the crossbar for the lady to sit on. Dancing styles ranged from the foxtrot and quickstep to the Charlston, rumba, tango and jive. In the early ‘70's The Four Tops and Rory Gallagher played there, as did U2 later. It was a huge status symbol for aspiring acts to appear there - if you could make it in Cork, you could make it anywhere.

Many people went to visit the old place while it was being demolished, some even taking bricks for souvenirs. Member of the various show bans also went. We asked Sean Lucey and Brendan O'Brien how they felt about the place being demolished. Their reply was, "Very sad to see the place go, but it hasn't been the same since the mid ‘80's it had its time". Peter Prendergast had asked Sean and Brendan to buy the Arcadia in 1982. When asked if it would have made a difference had they had more insight into the building's destiny they replied, "No, it would have cost too much to insure. By the ‘80's showbands were gone, discos and pubs were the 'in' thing. It would have never taken off second time around"

It seems like every Cork person went to the 'Arc' at one stage or another, from the 1920's right through to the ‘90's, and all have fond memories of it. Today the great dance hall is just rubble, the site soon to be a forty-eight unit block of student apartments with an underground car park.

Note: there are some wonderful articles about Northside Cork of long ago produced in ‘The Archive'. Parishioners, particularly those who are abroad might wish to take a nostalgic journey into the past and this can be done by logging on to ............................... www.ucc.ie/research/nfp

We are very grateful for comments below from Ber in Australia, thanks Ber.

Remembering 1920: A Cork to New York shipping lane

The Romanesque styled structure of St. Patrick's Church can be seen just above the bow of the first vessel.

1047b. The quays in Cork, city around 1910. (source: Cork Public Museum).

Established in 1913 by Albert V Moore and Emmet J McCormack, the Moore McCormack Company began with one ship, which ran between the United States and Brazil.

Such was the success of that route, they acquired more steamships. After the First World War, the American company bought several surplus ships and began further trading links with South America and further afield to the eastern Mediterranean, India and Western Europe.

In the autumn of 1919, the Moore McCormack Company, based on Broadway in New York, was visited by Corkman Diarmuid Fawsitt. Diarmuid had been sent to New York by Dáil Éireann, in particular by acting president Arthur Griffith.

In Éamon de Valera's papers in UCD Archives, Diarmuid was to become a reference point or a follow-up business contact for Éamon and Harry Boland on their American ‘rallying support campaign' for Ireland's independence across 1919 and 1920.

Diarmuid Fawsitt's title was the Consul and Trade Commissioner of the Irish Republic.

Diarmuid based himself in New York but was often in Boston and Washington for meetings. He regularly corresponded and collaborated with Dáil Éireann.

Both could see the potential of the country to work with emerging liner companies to transport goods to and from and America. In essence, this was quite a practical strand of developing Ireland's physical international connections.

Such activity also contrasts sharply with the violence of the Irish War of Independence, which appeared more and more across Ireland in late 1919 and early 1920.

In September 1919, the Moore-McCormack Company began shipping from Philadelphia to Cork, Dublin, and Belfast. In February 1920 to honour the business agreement, Diarmuid Fawsitt commenced arrangements for the visit to Ireland of Emmet J McCormack, who had Irish American ancestry.

In early May 1920, Emmet McCormack travelled from New York on board one of the largest of the Cunard liners, the Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, to Liverpool via Queenstown (Cobh).

On 3 May 1920, the Cork Examiner records that Mr McCormack alighted on the quays in Cork on a transfer boat from the lower harbour. He was met by the chairman and members of the Cork Harbour Board who escorted him to the Custom House Quay where at 12.30pm he was put on tender boat named Ireland.

He was officially brought back down the harbour to view its scenic and industrial points. On the outward journey, a short stop look place at Victoria Deepwater Quay in order to give the party an opportunity of inspecting the site for a proposed new transit shed accommodation.

As the Ireland steamed past one of the Moore McCormack Company's ships SS Tashmoo, discharging at Ford's wharf, greetings were exchanged. Exchanges of courtesy took place when the party steamed past Blackrock Castle, from which Irish flags were waved, and the Passage and Rushbrooke Docks.

Having concluded the itinerary, the Ireland anchored at East Ferry, where a luncheon was served. Opportunity was availed of on the return journey to make a short stop in Queenstown (Cobh), where the beautiful St Colman's Cathedral was visited and much admired by Emmet McCormack and the other guests.

In the evening, Emmet J McCormack and party were entertained, to dinner in the Imperial Hotel by the Harbour Commissioners to meet leading representatives of the mercantile, industrial, and shipping community. Chairman DJ Lucy presided.

Amongst those present, was Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney. Dinner over, the chairman rose to propose a toast to the health of Mr McCormack, which the chairman noted “had come there that day, not only as an American citizen, but as an Irishman”.

The toast, he added, was a “symbol of the unification of the two countries of America and Ireland”. He thanked him for “stepping into the breach with his line of 24 ships because his sympathy was with Ireland”.

Mr Lucey outlined that with “patriotic generosity Mr McCormack was prepared, if necessary, to run a direct service to America for twelve months at a loss in order to make the venture a success”. The chairman believed that the Moore McCormack service had come to stay, and he thanked Mr McCormack for it.

Emmet McCormack replied with deep gratitude and outlined that there were eight steamers engaged in direct service between New York and Irish ports, involving an expenditure of eight million dollars. He was proud of his Irish ancestry who he believed had always relied on their own energy, strength and accomplishments.

He deemed himself glad to represent the Irish race in America, and he had no apologies to make for his pride. Their efforts in connection with the direct service between Ireland and America were not finished and were ambitious.

According to Mr McCormack, the Moore McCormack Company intended to couple up their New York-Scandinavian service, stopping at Irish ports – i.e. that accommodation would be provided for any Irish freight that might be going to Scandinavian or Baltic ports.

They would endeavour to connect Ireland with New York direct, and also with Swedish and Baltic ports. While they were putting all their efforts and capital into the enterprise, they wished to develop, if possible, a returning business from Ireland.

Emmet McCormack highlighted that Ireland had resources, labour, and capital, and that must be developed. He expressed the view that in the United States they would “buy anything from Ireland”, as the people of America, were sympathetic with Ireland and its aims and ambitions, and they would pay good prices for such goods. He hoped the Irish people would co-operate with them in that direction and would make their enterprise a complete success.

The Moore McCormack Company shipped to Cork until late 1925 by which point the Irish Free State utilised less and less the shipping company on the west bound route.