On the Street Where We Live
2021
Michael Street (July 23 - 31) & Butler Gallery (October 4 - 22), Kilkenny
On The Street Where We Live was a project which focused on the terraced houses of Michael Street, Kilkenny City, by residents: artist Kay Bannon and researcher Connie Jordan, curated by artist Pauline O'Connell. The street's social history was told through paintings of individual houses alongside the naming of past residents - a list taken from 1930s electoral lists and from memories of older residents - to the present day. The paintings were on display in the front windows of the houses along the street, exhibited from July 24 - 31, 2021.
Video produced by Butler Gallery, Kilkenny
The project was a central element in a large-scale and cross-community exhibition titled 'A Portrait of Our Community' curated by artists Pauline O'Connell and Saturio Alonso, which was held at the Butler Gallery, October 4 - 22, 2021.
ON THE STREET WHERE WE LIVE
By Connie Jordan
(MICHAEL STREET)
We took a trip down memory lane
To see how many people we could name
To do a painting of each house was the challenge for Kay
Then to see who might have lived there, back in the day
As some houses were built before, and some during World War One
So many people have come, and so many have gone.
It was around this time we had the Black & Tans
Who took over our houses and frightened our Grans
But the amazing thing that we found out
Were some families descendants are still about
From the Voters Electoral 1930’s List
Here are some relations that today still exist
The Geoghegans, the Murphys, and the Noonans too
The Morans, and the Connollys to name but a few
Others still around from the forties through sixties
The Jordans, the Brennans, the Tobins and the Slatterys
To bring this list up to date, there’s too many people to mention
So we have a separate list, for each house, for all your attention
The house paintings can be seen in some windows on the street
Please take a look, enjoy and some residents you might meet
Some of our former residents, have since become famous
Like The Irish Novelist and Broadcaster Francis McManus
And not to be outdone at No 12 down below
Lived the Gilmartins and handball legend the great John Joe
We now house, Chefs, Painters, Builders & a Sculptor you see
As well as a prominent Correspondent from RTE
Our Neighbours are Polish, Romanian, & French, and that’s all good
Italian, Sth. African and Spanish, who all made their homes in the ‘Hood’
This street of ours, is not just about the people, you see
We stabled the horses who delivered the parcels for the then C.I.E
We had an Organ Factory, run at the back of number sixteen
Which changed hands and made other goods down the years in between
We smelled the Brewery Hops, which gave off an unusual pong
Then there’s the Handball alleys, which today are still going strong
There on Sunday mornings for Pitch and Toss all the lads would meet
And the first swimming pool in Kilkenny was built at the end of our street.
And last but not least we have the school known as The Lake
Which over the years added extensions for a much bigger intake
But would our parents or grandparents ever have guessed
In the year 2021, with 41 nationalities they’d be blessed
This street is where the sound of the Factory hooter would blow
Now it’s the sound of the skateboards and scooters, you know
But, there is nowhere else on earth that we would rather be
Than ON THE STREET WHERE WE LIVE, with neighbours like ye
