CORK IS FLYING

IN

June 2022, Mitchelstown native Cllr Deirdre Forde was elected to the role of First Citizen of Cork City, the Lord Mayor of Cork. Passing the mantle to Ballinlough man, Cllr Kieran McCarthy earlier this year, the lady originally from Lower Cork Street met with The Avondhu in the Imperial Hotel in mid-October, following the unveiling of the Michael Collins statue on Grand Parade. It was during her tenure as Lord Mayor that the vote was passed in the city council chambers to erect a statue to one of Cork’s most notable figures.

However, while proud of General Michael Collins, and of both her hometown and the city she represents, she is, technically, a Tipp lady; born in a nursing home in the Premier county, she spent the first 10 days of her life as a Tipperary woman.

Cllr Forde’s mother was born in King Street, Mitchelstown, where her grandmother had a bike repair shop, in a time when women didn’t generally run their own businesses. Attending school in the local convent, Deirdre, laughing, says the nuns were ‘very good to her: they thought I was going to be a nun!’

“I loved my time in the convent, I remember we staged ‘A Christmas Carol’ and I played Scrooge. The nuns were very caring; they gave me great confidence. Because I was pale and puny, I suppose, they used to give me a raw egg in a glass of Guinness to build me up. They were very good to me, and I’m hardy as a greyhound now!”

She continued her education in ‘the Tech’ (today, Coláiste Fionnchua) and Ms Forde commends her former principals Mr Collins and Ms O’Donnell, who were ‘extremely caring’ to her and subsequently recommended her to Bank of Ireland.

At home with three children, Deirdre, who is a woman full of energy, said that she was looking for an outlet and got involved with Community Games, sports days and subsequently, local politics. Though initially a member of Fianna Fáil, after ten years she gravitated to Fine Gael, where she is still a member today.

“My driving force is fairness. If I didn’t get into politics, I would love to be a human rights lawyer. It infuriates me when people don’t get a fair crack at the whip. I think there’s a greater divide than ever before between the haves and the have-nots. Housing is the biggest issue; we’re getting there, but it is slow.”

Working in branches of Bank of Ireland in Listowel and Midleton, where she still has friends today, Ms Forde had to leave work when she got married in 1972, a year before the Marriage Bar was lifted. She received a half-sovereign from the bank upon leaving.

Her respect for the work women do and the way women are represented and heard, is a continuing theme throughout the conversation. However, that is not her only platform, as she frequently mentions the fun she has visiting schools.

“I saw life was particularly unfair for women. Women do most of the work on the ground, but are slow to put themselves forward for credit. Women’s issues in particular are not supported by the Department of Health and other departments”.

“My sister died prematurely, so I really want to use my voice for more support for foster parents, for children living with intellectual and physical disabilities. We’ve come a long way, but I’d love to see more done. To have them put in mainstream schools. And I, visiting schools during my time as Mayor and as councillor, I cannot praise them enough. I will constantly try to do my utmost for these organisations”.

While her passion throughout her political life has been to give a voice to the voiceless, she admits to being ‘very naive’ when she entered into politics. However, she found that people opened up to her.

“I was a bit naive, but I learned quickly that you’ve to meet people at their level and not to judge. I was tempted to quit a few times and financially, I found it tough. The kids are grown up now and things are easier, but local government is not a level playing field”.

Cllr Forde goes on to tell The Avondhu of being caught by a constituent, calling to the door, while she was trying on clothes upstairs. Every woman will sympathise with what happened next: sitting in a hastily-thrown-on dressing gown, drinking tea for hours with an unexpected caller.

“I love the people and as a job, it kept the wolf from the door, because people allowed me to do some good, and enjoy myself while I’m doing it. I identify with most people, because I’ve been through it myself. Times were sometimes tough, and my life experiences allow me to deal with anything from a needle to an anchor.”

“We’re only as good as those we help. I’ll never forget one man who called me. He’d lost his business, and his wife had a serious health condition. He didn’t even have teabags. He was in a blind panic and in a very tough situation, but once we talked through solutions we managed to get him sorted”.

She also gives a ‘shout out’ to the people of Mitchelstown.

“Mitchelstown shaped me; it gave me steel to face the setbacks and determination to keep going. I look back at my childhood which was very difficult at times, but it made me bullet-proof. When I switched parties, Ned O’Keeffe was the only one who wrote to me to wish me the best”.

POLITICS

Deirdre spent her childhood at 17 Lower Cork Street, which was the family business, a pub. Until very recently, the building hosted a Vodafone shop, and today, Kusadasi Barbers.

“Every time I pass, I look at the top-right window which was my room. My mother had taken the lightbulb out because I would be up all night reading, but I’d read with the help of the streetlight across the road”.

Entering the world of politics in 1999, the world today is quite different, particularly how people communicate.

“I don’t mind social media; I like it. Constituents have more ways to contact you now. I think you can reach a different audience, but community newspapers like The Avondhu are vital. I can safely say that using local community papers helped in getting my message out. I think many people like to take their time and love to pore over the paper and read the local updates”.

The role of Lord Mayor was established by royal charter in 1318, but the title of Provost preceded it, and was first recorded in 1199. A role that has been in existence almost continuously for over 800 years - Cllr Forde is just the sixth woman to have held the title of First Citizen.

“The Lord Mayor of Cork is a unique position”, she says.

“Kids say to me, ‘How’ya Deirdre!?’ And the visits to the schools are fantastic; there are people who are really happy with the work they are doing. We used to dread it (going to school), now you see kids skipping to school”.

That said, Deirdre’s three children have no interest in following her into politics.

“My daughter said, ‘Not in a million years!’, while one of my sons said I don’t make enough! But it’s not work to me; it’s an opportunity to get things done. Obviously, I have no time for the systemic back-stabbing, of which there is lots, but I choose instead to focus on people who need assistance and it’s a privilege to be able to help”.

For her first three terms in local politics, she represented the people of the Carrigaline constituency, and was most recently elected to the Cork City South East area. Today, she says ‘Cork is flying’.

“€700 million is to be spent on Bus Connects and millions on the Docklands. We have someone appointed to lead the night-time economy; there’s a lot going on for us, but we do need to address climate change”.

With Storm Babet’s floods devastating many homes and businesses in Midleton just three days beforehand, Cllr Forde feels that flood-relief projects should take precedence.

“People can’t be expected to build up their businesses and see them washed away. People are entitled to object, but projects get held up. Growing up on Lower Cork Street, I always had a respect for what small businesses face; entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of Ireland. They give employment and create a social hub. Communities are built around small businesses and I love to see the variety and colour when I drive through my home town”.

Cllr Forde goes on to say she feels that there should be more autonomy at local level in politics:

“We have to go cap in hand to the TII or the NRA and other national agencies and they get to decide which to prioritise. We know what the people want and we should be able to make our own decisions”.

Cllr Deirdre Forde is a forthright and energetic politician, who betrays a countrywoman’s understanding of how the world really works. While not representing the locality directly, she is a testament to the women of political will that emerges from Mitchelstown, where the only two women of the Fermoy Municipal District also hail from, Cllrs Deirdre O’Brien and Kay Dawson. From the Marriage Bar to the highest title in Cork City, we’ve come a long way, baby.