Here’s the story behind those curious yellow bollards at The Lough
They’re a local curiosity.
If you’ve ever strolled around Cork’s Lough, there’s a point just past the playground where your eye will be drawn to a line of bright yellow bollards.
The eight posts, which block vehicle access from the Lough to Hartland’s Road, are all roughly the same height. Oddly however, there are five different styles used.
There’s no pattern to the arrangement. It’s like an abstract art installation.
They were first brought to the internet’s attention by @NiamhLQB on Twitter, who posted: “These bollards at the Lough intrigue me. I am counting seven different type of bollard.
“It’s like a police lineup of bollards. I love it though, and hope it’s never changed.”
These bollards at the Lough intrigue me. I am counting seven different type of bollard. It’s like a police lineup of bollards. I love it though, and hope it’s never changed @PhotosCork @corkbeo @RandomCorkStuff @pure_cork @LoveCork #cork pic.twitter.com/f4mHYPXHsJ
— Niamh (@NiamhLQB) November 11, 2019
Here at Yay, where no weird local curiosity goes uninvestigated, our interest was piqued; we went in search of a definite answer.
The truth is out there (but it’s so boring)
Sadly, the truth of how the odd little display came together is hilariously mundane.
“I presume it was our Roads Department that installed the bollards to prevent cars accessing the Lough and most likely some were damaged over time and replaced as necessary.” said Stephen Scully of Parks, Recreation & Sports Facilities at Cork City Council.
So basically, the collection of bollards was accumulated over time with no real consideration as to the look and feel of the finished set.
“If bollards were damaged at any particular time, local residents would have been anxious to have them replaced quickly to prevent any danger to pedestrians walking the Lough.” added Mr Scully.
“I assume the local Roads Foreman would have obliged and acted quickly to replace them without having to wait for an exact replacement, which could take weeks.”
If anyone asks, tell them its the work of the local Banksy.
