Bob And Joan's Walk - Select Image To View Photographs

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TWO SMALL PARKS

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I spent much of my time complaining about the weather and then when I got a few hours of intense sunlight I was unable to cope with it.

One thing that I have noticed when photographing public spaces, and especially in the two parks that I visited today, is the increase in small plastic bags containing dog waste dumped or left at random and I will discuss this towards the end of this post.

Tucked away on the Northside of Cork City, ascending the historic hill of Shandon, lies a narrow pathway packed with centuries of local lore: Bob and Joan’s Walk. For those traversing this historic lane, the path neatly divides two distinct yet deeply interconnected green spaces—St Anne’s Park and Dr Mary Hearn Park.

Both spaces are beautifully repurposed, tranquil public parks that once served as the bustling historic graveyards of Shandon.
Here is the fascinating story of the lane, its two parks, and the ghosts of Cork’s past that still echo through them.

The Story Behind "Bob and Joan's Walk"

The lane gets its eccentric name from two famous local characters who were never actually alive. In 1715, the Reverend Henry Maule founded the Green Coat Hospital School along this path, a charity school built to educate and clothe poor parish children.
To encourage donations, two life-sized lead statues—one of a schoolboy and one of a schoolgirl dressed in their green-frocked uniforms—were mounted upon the gateway pillars. The sharp-witted people of Cork instantly christened them Bob and Joan.
Though the school was sadly demolished in 1955, Bob and Joan survived. If you climb the tower of the adjacent church today, you will find the original 300-year-old statues safely on display inside the belfry.

1. St Anne’s Park (The Churchyard Section) The western, dominant section of the grounds is St Anne’s Park, which directly encompasses the world-famous St Anne’s Church, Shandon—unmistakable on the Cork skyline with its red-and-white sandstone tower and its iconic "Goldie Fish" weather vane.

Shandon Bells History & Archaeology

This site is arguably the ancient ecclesiastical heart of Cork’s Northside. Long before the current church was erected in 1722, an older medieval church called St Mary’s Shandon stood here, which was entirely destroyed by fire during the tumultuous Siege of Cork in 1690. The park sits on top of layers of history, with archaeological roots stretching deep into medieval times.

Items of Interest & VIP Graves

While standard burials ceased here over a century ago, the churchyard remains the final resting place for several of Cork's most notable historical figures:
Francis Sylvester Mahony (Father Prout): Located to the left of the church is the burial plot of the Mahony family. Francis Mahony was a celebrated 19th-century author, humorist, and journalist who famously penned the immortal poem and song, The Bells of Shandon. He was also a heroic figure locally, stepping in as chaplain to comfort the dying during the devastating 1832 cholera epidemic.
The Wise Family Vault: A beautiful, prominent black marble and brass memorial marks the final resting place of the Wise family—the historic industrial barons who founded the famous Cork Distilleries Company.
The 1629 Baptismal Font: Though located just inside the church doors rather than on the grass, this is a must-see. It miraculously survived the 1690 siege fire and was used to baptise Mary Aikenhead, the inspirational woman who went on to found the Irish Sisters of Charity.

2. Dr Mary Hearn Park (The Lower Section)

Directly across or extending just south-eastward down Bob and Joan’s Walk sits the second, separate segment of the old cemetery lands: Dr Mary Hearn Park.

History & Evolution

Though records explicitly document burials here from 1722 onward, historians believe this specific pocket of land was utilised as a cemetery as far back as the 8th or 9th century. New interments ceased around 1900, and the graveyard slowly fell into extreme disrepair.
In 1985, the Church of Ireland entrusted the site to the Cork Lions Club to kickstart its transformation into a memorial garden. However, its modern rebirth didn't truly solidify until 2006, when Cork City Council took ownership. Following a meticulous restoration of paths, green areas, and structurally vulnerable headstones, it officially opened to the public as a park in June 2011.
The park is named in loving memory of Dr Mary Hearn, a highly respected local figure and the wife of Robert T. Hearn, who served as the dedicated rector of St Anne’s from 1905 to 1939.

Items of Interest

Unlike St Anne's side, which highlights singular literary and industrial giants, Dr Mary Hearn Park serves as a poignant monument to the ordinary families of 18th and 19th-century Cork. Walking the restored pathways, visitors can easily read beautifully preserved historic headstones, such as the prominent Thomas Crofts family burial plot, which dates back to 1789.

Current Status: A Historic Oasis

Today, both St Anne’s Park and Dr Mary Hearn Park function as vital, peaceful urban sanctuaries within the Shandon footprint. Following extensive, multi-track restoration schemes completed by the Cork City Council—which successfully preserved Shandon's 300-year-old original wooden doors and clock mechanisms—the entire enclave has been seamlessly woven into the Shandon Integrated Urban Strategy. It remains a premier cultural stop for travellers tracking the famous Shandon Historic Walking Trail, masterfully balancing its duty as a respectful place of rest with its role as a beautiful public garden.

Across The River Lee Was The Blue Coat School

Just as the Northside of Cork City had its famous Green Coat Hospital School at Shandon, the Southside had its very own Blue Coat School.
Officially named St Stephen’s Hospital, it was established in 1699 by a wealthy merchant named William Worth (and heavily supported by his brother Edward Worth, the Dean of Cork) to educate and care for poor Protestant boys.

Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross

The two schools were deeply intertwined. When the Reverend Henry Maule founded the Shandon school in 1715, he explicitly modelled its charitable structure on this existing Southside institution. Because the Southside boys wore distinctive blue uniforms, it became universally known as the "Blue Coat School"—which is why Maule chose green uniforms for his Northside children, forever matching the "Green Coat" and "Blue Coat" schools on opposite sides of the River Lee.

Here is a quick look at the history, location, and harsh realities of Cork's southside Blue Coat School:

The Location: The Blue Coat School was located in the south liberties of the city, situated near Barrack Street and the historic Elizabeth Fort area. If you walk past the ancient grounds of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral or down toward Cove Street today, you are walking through the historic footprint where these boys were housed.
A Brutal Daily Life:While it provided a lifeline to poor families and orphans who otherwise faced starvation, life inside the Blue Coat School was incredibly grim by modern standards:
The Pupils: Destitute children were brought into the boarding school as young as four years old and remained there until they turned 14.
The Conditions: Historical records paint a picture of cramped beds, a total lack of heating, and poor sanitation. Outbreaks of illness due to malnutrition and low hygiene standards were frequent.
The Uniform: The boys wore coarse blue coats and caps. Blue was chosen not for style, but because it was the cheapest dye available at the time and was a traditional symbol of humility and charity.

The Routine: The curriculum consisted primarily of reading, writing, arithmetic, and religious instruction. Once the boys reached 14, they were immediately given grueling trade apprenticeships or sent away to work as labourers on ships out at sea.

The Legacy Today: The physical school eventually closed its doors in 1916, but its legal and charitable legacy never truly vanished. In 1991, the historic trust of St Stephen's Hospital officially amalgamated with the Cork Protestant Orphan Society (which had been founded in 1833 during the cholera epidemic). Today, it operates out of the Diocesan Office on Cove Street as Saint Stephen’s Protestant Orphan Society, providing education grants and vital financial assistance to children in need across the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross.

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DOG POO

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The Dog Waste Issue

It makes absolutely zero sense, and I am far from alone in your frustration. It is one of the most baffling, contradictory behaviours to emerge on Irish walking trails, parks, and streets since the pandemic dog boom.
The pandemic genuinely did trigger a massive spike in dog ownership across Ireland. Shelters were emptied, and suddenly, thousands of households had a new four-legged family member. But with that came a strange new phenomenon: the abandoned poop bag.

Here is a breakdown of why this happens, why it is actually worse than doing nothing at all, and the current status of the issue in Ireland.

The "Logic" (Or Lack Thereof) Behind It

When you see a neatly tied plastic bag sitting on a beautiful stone wall, hanging from a tree branch like a grim Christmas ornament, or tossed into a ditch, you have to wonder what went through the owner's mind. Usually, it comes down to three flawed psychological excuses:
- The "I'll get it on the way back" lie: This is the most common excuse. Owners don't want to carry a warm bag of feces for a 5km walk, so they leave it on the ground, genuinely intending to pick it up on their return loop. Then, they either forget, take a different route home, or simply look the other way.

The "Performative Clean Up": People pick it up because someone is watching them. The fear of social shame (or a €150 fine under the Litter Pollution Act) forces them to do the "good citizen" part. Once they walk around the corner and out of sight, the bag is dropped.

The "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" illusion: Somehow, in some owners' minds, wrapping it in plastic makes it "neat." They treat the bag like a tiny, self-contained trash can that is now the council's problem to clear up.

Why It Is Worse Than Leaving It Bare

Leaving a plastic bag on the ground is actively worse than just leaving the dog waste to decompose on its own. The Environmental Stagnation: A bare pile of dog waste will generally break down and wash away into the soil within a few weeks (though it carries harmful bacteria like Toxocara canis, which can cause blindness in children). By sealing it in a standard plastic bag, the owner has mummified the waste. It will now sit there for up to 500 years, shedding microplastics into the Irish soil and waterways.

Even if the owner uses a bag explicitly labeled "biodegradable" or "compostable," those bags require industrial composting conditions (high heat and specific moisture) to break down. Sitting on a damp ditch in Cork or Dublin, they simply break apart into invisible, toxic plastic fragments.

What Is Being Done About It in Ireland?

The post-Covid dog explosion has forced local councils to get creative—and aggressive—to tackle the issue: The DNA Testing Threat: Several councils (including Leitrim and parts of Dublin) have trialed or threatened DNA testing schemes. The idea is to register dogs' DNA and match it to abandoned waste to issue fines directly to owners.

"Any Bag, Any Bin": For a long time, people complained there weren't enough specific "dog waste bins." Public campaigns now heavily emphasise that dog bags can go into any standard public litter bin. Audio Warnings: Some parks have installed solar-powered smart sensors. When you walk past, a localised speaker plays a message reminding you to clean up after your pet.

In the UK, the problem is arguably just as severe as it is in Ireland, if not worse. The British have even coined a specific, dark phrase for it: "Dog Poo Baubles" or "Scatological Christmas Trees."

Ultimately, it highlights a strange gap in personal responsibility. People went to the effort of buying a dog, buying the bags, bending down, and doing the unpleasant part of the job—only to fail at the final, simplest step of carrying it to a bin.

The Global Consensus

Whether it is a country lane in Cork, a woodland trail in Yorkshire, or a mountain path in Colorado, the underlying psychology remains identical worldwide:

The Performative Social Contract: It is a global human quirk. People are highly motivated by the immediate fear of being judged or fined by a passing stranger, so they perform the "good citizen" act of bagging the waste. But once the audience is gone and they are left alone with the unpleasant reality of carrying it, the long-term sense of civic duty collapses. It remains an ongoing battle for park rangers worldwide, who routinely point out that a standard plastic bag will easily outlive the person who dropped it.

Historic Cork South Side April 2026 - Select Image To View Photographs