The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed Cork City Council’s launch of a new initiative that aims to promote social distancing and help protect vulnerable members of the community from Covid-19.
One thousand social distancing blue vests have been distributed across Cork City through various community centres and community groups. The blue vests will allow people with an underlying condition or who had been cocooning to get out and about, while reminding others to respect social distancing guidelines.
Cllr McCarthy notes: “The idea came about through the Covid-19 Community Response Forum in Mahon, just one of the 16 community response groups set up by Cork City Council with the HSE and partners in response to the Covid-19 restrictions. Feedback received from people cocooning as they came back out into communities when restrictions eased indicated that that they were very nervous and felt that people weren’t giving them enough space. The purpose of the vests is to indicate clearly that the person is asking others to keep their two-metre distance”.
Following a pilot of the initiative in Knocknaheeny and Mahon, the blue vests are now available through local community centres and a further 250 blue vests will also be distributed through the Friendly Call programme.
Family members of people who are still cocooning will also find the vests very useful in terms of indicating to others that they need to keep their distance in order to decrease the risk of bringing Covid-19 back into the family home. If interested please contact Cork City Council on community@corkcity.ie. Please note that the vests are available on a first-come first-served basis.
To ask the CE for an update on progress and final contract work and its complexities associated with the re-opening of Daly’s Bridge? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Motions:
To get a report for the South East Local Electoral area of any future plans for the extension of the Mangala Walk in Douglas (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
That the historic Parliament Bridge be in the mix as the next City bridge to be revamped; its stonework on its balustrades are in poor shape and its lighting is broken (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Cork City Hall, 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
Collapsed Monkey Puzzle Tree, Mahon, August 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Over the past few days great progress has been made in relation to the monkey puzzle tree and how best to use it. Following a very productive meeting between O’Callaghan Properties, St. Michael’s Credit Union, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy and Dr Eoin Lettice of UCC, a plan has been developed to distribute the felled iconic monkey puzzle tree back to the community where it was here for approximately 161 years.
It is a beautiful wood and we’ve worked together to make sure it’s used in a variety of forms to commemorate this iconic tree. Crafts people and artists in the area and from Cork City have been contacted about using the wood to create artistic pieces.
A number of local businesses have also expressed an interest in wanting to use the wood to create a featured piece to be displayed within the communities of Blackrock and Mahon. St. Michael’s Credit Union has engaged with a number of local sports clubs and organisations to see if they would like to acquire a piece of this historic tree. A section of the tree will also be provided to University College Cork for educational purposes.
Collectively the decision has been made to also offer blocks sized approximately 30 cm x 23 cm from the tree to members of the public for them to use and remember this iconic tree. This is an initiative that gives the tree back to those from within the Blackrock and Mahon areas who had enjoyed the tree for generations.
Due to limited availability and COVID 19 restrictions we ask people who are interested in securing a piece of this iconic tree to complete the follow short online registration of interest form on this website.
The closing date for submissions for the new Heritage Plan of Cork City Council has been extended to Thursday 30th April.
Express your perspective on aspects of Cork City’s Heritage that you value and want to see understood, enhanced and celebrated.
What are the challenges to heritage and what solutions you think might work?
What ideas do you have for projects that you would like to see done in the city or that you or your group could carry out given the appropriate resources?
The information gathered will feed into Cork City Council’s Heritage Plan, which will guide the implementation of priority Heritage actions in Cork City over the next five years.
The closing date for comments is Thursday 30 April 2020
You can make a submission in the following way:
Use our online portal https://consult.corkcity.ie/
Email heritage@corkcity.ie
Or write to The Heritage Officer, Strategic and Economic Development Directorate, Cork City Council, City Hall, Cork.
The current Cork City Heritage Plan is available to download from https://www.corkcity.ie/en/council-services/services/arts-culture-heritage/heritage/heritage-plan.html
Douglas Road and Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy invites all Cork young people to participate in the tenth year of McCarthy’s Make a Model Boat Project. This year because of the Coronvirus all interested participants must make a model boat at home from recycled materials and submit a picture or a video of it to the competition organisers at kidsmodelboat2020@gmail.com. The event is being run in association with Meitheal Mara and the Cork Harbour Festival Team who have cancelled nearly all of their festival this year bar their collaboration with Kieran on the Make a Model Boat Project. There are three categories, two for primary and one for secondary students. The theme is ‘At Home by the Lee’, which is open to interpretation. The model must be creative though and must be able to float. There are prizes for best models and the event is free to enter. For further information, please see the events section at www.corkharbourfestival.com. The closing date for participants is 30 April 2020.
Cllr McCarthy, who is heading up the event, noted “I am encouraging creation, innovation and imagination amongst our young people, which are important traits for all of us to develop. I am going to miss this year seeing the models float at The Lough. The Make a Model Boat Project is part of a suite of community projects I have organised and personally invested in over the years– the others include the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project with Cork City Council, the Community local history walks, local history publications, McCarthy’s Community Talent Competition and Cork City Musical Society. Many of the latter projects were have gone digital or soon will go digital for this year. I look forward to the digital challenge”.
