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Cultural & Heritage Context

The park masterplan is shaped by a deep connection between people and the landscape. Through extensive engagement, a Cultural Story Map has been developed, capturing:

  • Agricultural heritage and field patterns
  • Local traditions and folklore
  • Everyday memories of play, movement and gathering

This forms the basis of the park’s identity where heritage is revealed through routes and interpretation, can be expressed through art and storytelling and continued through community use, food growing and participation.

Culture and Heritage is a core design layer, not an add-on.

The cultural mapping findings have been carefully woven into the structure and design strategies of the masterplan and form an important part of the Heritage, Culture and Art Strategy. These stories and heritage themes have inspired new ways of understanding and shaping the park routes and places, contributing to its sense of place and community belonging.


Key design responses in the Draft Masterplan include:

  • Places, trails and interpretation integrated in the masterplan layout;
  • Outdoor exhibition and interpretation spaces, where local history and shared stories can be expressed through temporary or permanent installations, including interactive and community-led content;
  • Heritage and folklore trails that guide visitors through culturally and ecologically significant areas of the park, allowing movement through the landscape to echo themes of memory, meaning, and discovery;
  • Public art interventions—sculptural, performative, or landscape based—rooted in community narratives and celebrating the unique identity and spirit of Cork’s North West.
North West City Park