Great Gala concert last evening (20 Sept) to mark the 75th anniversary of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ballinlough! The concert featured Mary Hegarty, Siobhan Coakley, Lorraine Manley, the Three Tenors and the City of Cork Male Voice Choir. Pictures by Vincent Twohig.
Well done to all the participants of this great evening of entertainment in Blackrock for Cork Culture Night!
Fate, Faith and Freedom
Lord Mayor I would like to start with a quote:
“So Ireland is still old Ireland but it has found a new mission and that is to lead the free world to join with other countries in the free world to do what Ireland did in the early part of this century and indeed has done for the last 800 years and that is to associate itself intimately with the principle of freedom”. John F Kennedy, Friday morning 28 June 1963, Concert Hall, Cork City Hall.
Congratulations on a great year Lord Mayor. Congrats on your mission. In a building filled with memories of what it means to be free, in a room filled with artefacts and documents about freedom, and with a chain made to represent the identity of its citizens perhaps the word freedom pervades your year in office. I was struck by the concept of freedom and citizenship even more at the recent freedom of the city event and your comments in framing the position of the arts in the city and region and its multiple connections to the concept of the freedom of expression.
In your year of office you strongly championed the freedom to express oneself in the arts and in education. You initiated discussions directly and indirectly into the power of freedom – in your well researched and recent Freedom of the City speech, you alluded to freedom as a force that has the power to stop, impress, make one question, wonder, dream, remember, be disturbed, explore and not forget.
There is a faith in the freedom attached to the symbolism of the chain you wear and the symbols within, a faith in the ss links symbolising a sacred office and a faith connected to a symbol of a maritime gate, the city medieval water gate, which for centuries many years served to welcome the Corkonian home or welcome the stranger to a place of not only commerce but one of freedom, ideas and hope.
As a building, its cultural foundations are haunted by the principles of its martyred Lord Mayors, Tomas McCurtain and Terence McSwiney and these echo through the ages. Lord Mayor Cllr MacSwiney in his book Principles of Freedom spoke about people gifted with certain powers of soul and body. That it is of vital importance to the individual and the community that one be given a full opportunity to place a value on developing one’s talent, and quote “to fill one’s place in the world worthily”.
In your own speeches during the year, you alluded to many many people beavering away for no reward but for the advancement of their community and the Lord Mayor’s place to seek out these corners and shine a spotlight of hope on them. McSwiney in his book speaks about the citizen:
Quote: “The citizen will fight for that ideal in obscurity, little heeded–in the open, misunderstood; in humble places, still undaunted; in high places, seizing every vantage point, never crushed, never silent, never despairing, cheering a few comrades with hope for the morrow. And should these few sink in the struggle the greatness of the ideal is proven in the last hour “. End quote
We’ve seen during this year and even this evening, the hope of freedom during protests – that the chain has many faces, some bound up with the idea of Cork identity and citizenship and the other with the chain of politics, sometimes working in tandem with each other and sometimes jarring with each other.
The chain has witnessed it all in its almost 230 year history; it has seen the best and worst of times in this city, its rise and falls and will continue to see the rises and falls. Whether or which the concept of freedom associated with the chain is that of a thriving and resilient space-a space of aspiration for change. The chain seems to carry all of those mixed symbols.
Nearly fifty years ago, this day next week the Cork Lord Mayor, Alderman Seán Casey, TD, opened his address to John F Kennedy by noting “You stand for the weak against the strong, for right against might”. JFK wove his concerns about the cold war and the search for freedom into the story of the Irish War of Independence and Ireland’s inheritance of freedom. And the idea of freedom and its power to transform individuals and society.
During your year, you also spoke at length about how the freedom of one idea can transform a community, can re-invent, can re-imagine and represent a community. It’s amazing how one idea can create new possibilities, new opportunities can create self determination, people of vision, create more ideas, teach new skills, can explore and respond to social and cultural needs. Certainly this is a time which necessitates vision and ideas to support the surrounding community in a time of need and once more a time of change.
I would also like to congratulate the Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr O’Halloran on his work; Cllr O’Halloran also wove aspects of the importance of civic pride, education and building communities in our city, and that even the smallest events in our midst make a difference in our lives.
To conclude Lord Mayor, in his nomination acceptance speech in July 1960, John F Kennedy noted: “Can a nation governed such as ours endure? That is the real question. Have we the nerve and the Will?”.
Certainly during the year Lord Mayor, you carried forward this city with confidence, with passion and even wit in your leadership, courage in your illness and all of that bound to the the city’s hopes and dreams, which burn brightly for the future. This great city keeps moving and the tests of our time demand continuous action.
I wish you well for the future and look forward to your healthy return to the political gladiator arena. Go raibh maith agaibh.
McCarthy’s History in Action in association with Ballinlough’s Our Lady of Lourdes National School summer fair will take place at the school on Sunday 9 June 2013 between 2pm and 5pm. The re-enactment event, supported by Cllr Kieran McCarthy, brings history alive for all the family, with the participation of re-enactment groups, storytellers and more.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The vision for the afternoon is one of encouraging community participation. Join re-enactors to honour the past, where there is much to learn, as one helps build the future; I am encouraging people to actively engage with life around them, as well as examine the history that brought us here. I believe that growth and transformation in society is affected positively by respecting our heritage in this way”.
Thanks to everyone who supported McCarthy’s Make a Model Boat Project today (Saturday 1 June). There was a record number of 60 entries and 100 children took part. My thanks to Joya and Donagh from the Ocean to City Maritime Festival who judged all the entries and which the project is linked to.
Thanks to everyone who recently supported McCarthy’s Community Talent Competition 2013. Forty audition acts came to the Lifetime Lab to audition. My thanks to Yvonne Coughlan or RSVP for producing the projects. The finalists and winners are listed below. They recently performed at the Firkin Crane.
Primary School Finalists:
Beat That (Roisin Fahey, Benushila Tripathi)
Roisin Mulcahy
Amy Clarke
Anabel Hedman
Raw (Alexaner Bevkh & Raymond Felano, *3rd
Katie Flynn
Daniel Cremin
Zoe Olden
Lyrical (Mia Dorney, Kaitlin O’Regan, Ciara Coughlan, Faye Mullane) *Winner
Tamara Lawlor O’Driscoll, * 2nd
Remix (Kaci White, Amy Fitzgerald, Anna & Tara Cosgrove)
Secondary School Finalists:
Cian Mullane
Shauna Nolan *Winner
Mayowa Arikawe *2nd (joint 2nd)
Jordan Morrison * 2nd (joint 2nd)
Máirín Rua Ní Aodha
Fiona O Donovan
Billy O Dwyer
Emma Hayes
Sarah Cremin and Emma Field
Erin O Regan
Dynamite (Jay Dondolo and Caitlin Creamer) *3rd
Remix (Kaci White, Amy Fitzgerald, Anna & Tara Cosgrove)
Cork’s young people are invited to participate in the fifth year of ‘Cllr Kieran McCarthy’s Community Talent Competition’. The auditions will take place on Sunday 28 April 2013 between 9am-5pm in the Lifetime Lab, Lee Road. There are no entry fees and all talents are valid for consideration. The final will be held over one week later. There are two categories, one for primary school children and one for secondary school students. Winners will be awarded a perpetual trophy and prize money of €150 (two by €150). The project is being organised and funded by Cllr Kieran McCarthy in association with Red Sandstone Varied Productions (RSVP).
Cllr. McCarthy noted: “The talent competition is a community initiative. It encourages all young people to develop their talents and creative skills, to push forward with their lives and to embrace their community positively”. Further details can be got from Kieran at 087 6553389 or info@kieranmccarthy.ie from the talent show producer (RSVP), Yvonne Coughlan, 085 1798695.
Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project 2013
Results, City Edition
Fourth Class Individual:
1. Amber Rawley, My Fashion Project, Maria Assumpta N.S., Ballyphehane (teacher: M. O’Keeffe)
2. Emma O’Gorman, CIT Cork School of Music, Our Lady of Lourdes N.S., Ballinlough (teacher: M. O’Connell)
3. Jesse Mendez, Sport in Cork, Maria Assumpta N.S., Ballyphehane (teacher: M. O’Keeffe)
4. William Power, Shandon Bells, Gaelscoil Uí Riada,Wilton (teacher: F. Ni Cathain)
5. Lana Macio, The Vikings, Our Lady of Lourdes N.S., Ballinlough (teacher: M. O’Connell)
Fourth Class Group:
1. James Kelleher, Sean Gavin, Adam Bowdren, Titanic and Cobh, 100 years’ on, Gaeilscoil Uí Riada, Wilton (teacher: F. Ni Cathain)
2. Sarah O’Leary, Anna Bogue, Grainne Kearney, English Market, Our Lady of Lourdes N.S., Ballinlough (teacher: M. O’Connell)
3. Rachel Russell, Ciara Cashman, Cork’s Old Waterworks, Our Lady of Lourdes N.S., Ballinlough (teacher: M. O’Connell)
4. Cara, Isabelle, Firkin Crane, Scoil Mhuire Junior School, Wellington Road (Teacher: S. Webster)
5. Lily Boyle, Ciara Conway, Eva Carroll, Titanic & Cobh, 100 years on, Maria Assumpta N.S., Ballyphehane (teacher: M.O’Keeffe)
Fourth Class:
1. The Glen River Park Project, Scoil Oilibhéir, Ballyvolane (teacher: C. Woods)
2. Our Family History, Scoil Barra Cailíní, Beaumont (teacher: M. Hennessey)
3. The County Hall, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Glasheen (teacher: J. Ní Bhrian)
Primary Individual:
1. Isabel Madden, Scoil Bhríde, Eglantine, Douglas Road (teacher: N. Corcoran & Ms. O’Shea)
2. Anna Hernan, Street Furniture in Cork, Scoil Bhríde, Eglantine, Douglas Road (teacher: M. Griffith)
3. Doireann O’Brien, My Project on the Great Famine, Scoil Bhríde, Eglantine, Douglas Road (teacher: N. Corcoran & Ms. O’Shea)
4. Annika Dunford, St Patrick’s Street, Our Lady of Lourdes N.S., Ballinlough (teacher: M. Holland)
5. Ruth O’Regan, My Family’s Part in Cork’s War of Independence, Scoil Bhríde, Eglantine, Douglas Road (teacher: N. Corcoran & Ms. O’Shea)
Primary Group:
1. Niamh Crowley, Miriam Collins, Read All About It!, Our Lady of Lourdes N.S., Ballinlough (teacher: M. Holland)
2. Anna O’Riordan & Sarah Lisson, University College Cork, Scoil Bhríde, Eglantine, Douglas Road (teacher: N.Corcoran & Ms. O’Shea)
3. Hayley O’Driscoll, Emer Kenneally, Our School Through the Years, Scoil Mhuire Banrion, Mayfield (Sr. Margaret Daly)
4. Alex O’Donovan, Molly Neil, Lily Thornhill, Cobh and the Titanic, St Finbarre’s N.S., Gillabbey (teacher: S. Durcan)
5. Niamh, Nicole, The History of Irish Dancing in Cork, Scoil Oilibhéir, Ballyvolane (teacher: M. Lane)
Primary Class:
1. Fifth Class, Our School & Its Environment throughout the Ages, Cork Educate Together (teacher: K. Duggan)
2. Fifth Class, Fitzgerald’s Park, Scoil Bhríde Eglantine, Douglas Road (teacher: R. Garvey)
3. Fifth/ Sixth Class, Ballyphehane, Our Past, Our Present, Our Future, Scoil Maria Assumpta, Ballyphehane (teacher: S. Nolan)
4. Rang 6, Margadh Sasanach, Gaelscoil An Teaghlaigh Naofa, Bunscoil, Ballyphehane (teacher: S. Ní Dhonaile)
5. Fifth Class, Three Reasons to Come to Cork for the Gathering 2013, Gaelscoil An Ghort Álainn, Mayfield (teacher: Maeve Ní Mhaoláin)
Junior Certificate Individual:
1. McCarthy, The Great Famine in Cork, Colaiste Chríost Rí, Turners Cross (teacher: D. Cole)
2. Megan O’Connor, Shandon Church, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E. Lysaght)
3. Novajoy Ibarlin, St Finbarre’s Cathedral, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E. Lysaght)
4. Molly Kinane, When You were 12, Ursuline Secondary School, Blackrock (teacher: A. O’Dea)
5. Celeste Pepper, St Anne’s Church, Shandon, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E. Lysaght)
Junior Certificate Group:
1. Matthew Beecher, Jack Moore Brennan, Hamaja Suleiman, Robbie Wall, Cork’s Big Fella, Michael Collins, Colaiste Chríost Rí, Turners Cross (teacher: D. Cole)
2. Chloe Morrissey, Rebecca O’Hea, Ursuline Convent School, Ursuline Secondary School. Blackrock (teacher: A. O’Dea)
3. Katie O’Donovan, Emma Phelan, Mary Aikenhead, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E. Lysaght)
4. Roslynn Collina, Emma McCarthy, The Honan Chapel, UCC, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E. Lysaght)
5. Emma Healy, Kellymarie Madden, The City Hall, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E. Lysaght)
Leaving Certificate Individual:
1. Clare Keaveney-Jimenez, Celebrating my Birthday with my City, 1912-1912, Scoil Mhuire, Wellington Road (teacher: C. Daly)
2. Jessica Thompson, Blackpool, One of my Favourite Places, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E. Lysaght)
3. Edel Thornton, Sport in Cork, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E. Lysaght)
4. Kate Scannell, The Spires of Cork, Regina Mundi Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: A M Desmond)
5. Robert O’Donovan, My Family’s Involvement in the Struggle for Irish Freedom, Fr Dominic O’Connor & Joe O’Connor, Christian Brothers’ College, Sydney Hill (teacher: J. Conneally)
Leaving Certificate Group:
1. Sarah Nagle. Viv Davis, Sophie Galvin, Tanora, Scoil Mhuire, Wellington Road (teacher: C. Daly)
2. Clodagh O’Sullivan, Sarah O’Leary, Rowing in Cork, Scoil Mhuire, Wellington Road (teacher: C. Daly)
3. Cliona O’Callaghan, Maeve O’Sullivan, A City of Spires: Cork’s Churches, Regina Mundi Secondary School, Douglas Road (teacher: A M Desmond)
4. Clodagh Cummins, Aoibhe Martin, Sorcha Fallon, History of Transport in Cork, Scoil Mhuire, Wellington Road (teacher: C. Daly)
Cork Heritage Community Award:
Learning for Living Heritage Award
1. St Paul’s School, The English Market & The Great Famine (teacher: P. Kelly)
Our City: Our Town Heritage Award
1. St Paul’s School, The Great Famine (teacher: A. Scully)
Best Model (Cork Civic Trust Perpetual Trophy)
1. Alison O’Connell, Model of Blackrock Castle, Scoil Bhríde, Eglantine, Douglas Road (teacher: M. Griffith)
2. Amy O’Connell, Model of Golden Angel of St Finbarre’s Cathedral, St Finbarre’s N.S., Gillabbey (teacher: S. Durcan)
Best DVD (Sponsored by Cork Civic Trust)
1. 5th/ 6th Class, A Time to Remember, Scoil Therese, Bishopstown (teacher: A. O’Keeffe)
2. 6th Class, Back to the Past, Our School in 1937, St Patrick’s B.N.S. (teacher: B. Duffy)
Best Railway Project (Irish Rail Perpetual Trophy)
1. Sixth Class, St Patrick’s G.N.S, Getting on Track with Kent Station (teacher: M. Fitzpatrick)
Best Cork City Gaol Project (Cork City Gaol Perpetual Trophy)
1. Alison O’Rourke, Cork City Gaol and Radio Museum, St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Mary’s Road (teacher: E Lysaght)
Best Overall School Effort
Scoil Oilibhéir, Ballyvolane
Please note:
· All results are final.
· The award ceremony for the City is on Thursday 11 April 2013, Silversprings Convention Centre, 7.15 p.m.
· All students who entered the project are welcome to attend. All projects will be returned on the award ceremony evening.
· All models may also be presented on the evening if a student so wishes.
· Well done to all and many thanks for all the hard work!
Kieran McCarthy, 11 March 2013
Funding Acknowledgements:
This project is kindly funded by Cork Civic Trust (viz the help of John X. Miller), Cork City Council (viz the help of Niamh Twomey), and the Heritage Council. Prizes are also provided by Cllr Kieran McCarthy, Sean Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre, Watergrasshill, www.seankellyhorse.com, Lifetime Lab, Lee Road (thanks to Mervyn Horgan, www.lifetimelab.ie), and Cork City Gaol Heritage Centre. The media sponsor is the Cork newspaper Evening Echo.
The Rockies Hurling Club in Blackrock, Cork are down to the last four in the Ethihad Raise the Bar or win e.10,000 plus competition; vote for this Cork team to win at this link, http://etihadgaa.ie/about/