Category Archives: Improve Your Life

Ballinlough Community Association AGM, 12 April 2011

Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized, Ward Events

 Adapted speech notes from Kieran (me!)

…..A Positive Community:

 

 In general at the moment in Ireland, all communities need a plan to create a better society, something that is better that what we left during the now mythic Celtic Tiger days. We need to take responsibility for part of this plan as well.

 

We need realistic steps to achieve that. We have a very positive community association plus a community with leaders with strong voices for keeping up a sense of pride, place and identity. The programme of this Community Association is made up of real steps. All too often we hear about a general vision for Irish community life but ultimately we need engines…drivers like yourselves to move it forward.

 

For many years all of you have worked at the heart of the community of this important corner of the world so that it will not become stale and disillusioned. You have pursued this through times of massive transformation in the Ballinlough area – new houses, new generations, the need for more car spaces and the decline in the public realm of some our amenity areas.

 

 

 Two parts:

 

At present, there seems to be two growing numbers of people in Ballinlough, our mature population – there is a marked increase in the number of widows and secondly a marked increase in young families with young children and teenagers. And both need to be equally provided for. We need to invest in both generations bringing them along into the 21st century.

 

We are all aware of the great work that goes on for our more mature side of our population. We are all very proud of these fantastic efforts and all that is done and we have heard reports on that tonight. The latest edition I’m a big fan of the over 60s singing competitions…maybe I would like to see more social events- music and entertainment at seasonal times. These are dark days through which we have to mind ourselves more.

 

In terms of our youth projects we have all admired the great work conducted since 1978 in the Canon Horgan Hall and the renewed energy over the last two years by the Youth Clubs Committee in brining such projects such as the End of Summer Festival, Halloween parade, Christmas Soiree and Easter Parade to fruition. It is also important and essential that these projects receive a balance of funding from the association.

 

I see as well that in time that the Youth Hall will have to be redone in the next couple of years. That will be a major project and will require much energy. I was disappointed recently to see the lack of support by parents in the community for a youth cafe in Ballinlough, whereas in other areas of the city, sums of up to E.50,000 were accessed to set up projects.

 

 There are also acres of young people living in this area and who pass through this area every day. Young people bring vibrancy and energy to any work they engage with. Most are also looking for opportunities to develop their talents and to fit in. It is important that we continue to get the younger generation involved in some shape or form – they are the next generation who need all our support and need the experience, wisdom and support of the older generation to move forward. There have been many examples of community groups in Cork City, even near here that have aged and died off with a slow and in some cases no reboot. I would encourage your group to approach our local secondary schools and develop some way of bringing our young people on board.

 

I would also like to see some members of the youth clubs committee on the community association and I’m going to argue vice-versa – the promotion of both our older people’s programme and our young people’s programmes together are very important and should be reflected on and acted upon. With all that said though, I wish to relay that in the last year I have had much positive feedback from other community associations in the ward on how Ballinlough is thinking outside of the box and pursuing engaging community project and people asking how is Ballinlough doing that?

 

To conclude….

 

It is my own view that community leaders are like giant spotlights in the sky; they can and will continue to uphold human values for all to see and replicate, they can send out the message that we do need to care – care about something… to do something purposeful…to move yourself forward… to hone our personal talents, which we all have or even seek advice.

 

Today’s Society needs all of those traits in abundance.

 

I would also like to thank the people of Ballinlough for supporting me on my initiatives – marketing programme, History in Action, the Talent Competition and the history tour across the area last August– plus adding immensely to these working tours through their personal knowledge of the area.

 

I hope to continue the tour hopefully next month. Next Saturday I have a walking tour of St. Finbarr’s Hospital exploring its history and that side of Ballinlough- Turner’s Cross and if there are people interested you are more than welcome to come along starting at 11am.

 

 I am delighted to be present tonight and look forward to working with you again in the following year.

 

Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ballinlough Church in siluette, during recent sunset, April 2011

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, Kieran’s Events, Lifelong Learning Festival, 10-17 April

Arts, Cork City Events, Cork History, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized, Ward Events

585a. Lee Fields from the top of Cork County Hall

 

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town,

Cork Indepependent, 7 April 2011

 

Kieran’s Events, Lifelong Learning Festival, 10-17 April

The eighth Cork Lifelong Learning Festival offers a huge variety of events, highlighting all the opportunities there are for learning, whatever your age across our city. Its motto is to investigate, participate and celebrate. Over the week and for my part I have arranged a number of events for young and old. I hope to see you at one of them.

Sunday 10 April 2011, 2-6pm – ‘McCarthy’s History in Action’

McCarthy’s History in Action’ brings history alive for all the family, with the participation of re-enactment groups. It is in association with the Parent Association at the Easter fair in Ballinlough’s Our Lady of Lourdes National School. The re-enactments take place at the school on Sunday 10 April between 2pm and 6pm.

Tuesday, 12 April 2011, 7-9pm, Launch of Kieran’s new book, Royal Cork Institution, Pioneer of Education, Unitarian Church, Princes Street, Cork (all welcome)

In this new book I shed light on an important aspect of the educational heritage of the city which, in the nineteenth century, laid important foundation stones for our twenty-first century education. Although little remembered or spoken of in current day Cork, the Royal Cork Institution was remarkable in its time and the city owes a great debt to those who founded, developed and maintained that institution.

Early records of its activities are not preserved, but from those at our disposal, it would appear that they interested themselves in the general education of the Cork public and technical progress. The non-specialist was given access to new areas of ‘useful knowledge’ from astronomy to agriculture to art to science. Lecturers thought and taught about innovation and ingenuity in the nineteenth century world.

Cork Institute of Technology, particularly it’s Science Faculty and its constituent schools of the Crawford College of Art and Design and the Cork School of Music can trace their origins back to the influences of the Royal Cork Institution. This establishment also played a critical role in the movement that led to the foundation of Queens College Cork, later re-named as University College Cork. I will present a lecture on the Institution on Thursday, 14 April 2011, 1pm, Crawford Art Gallery as part of the annual lunchtime lecture series of the Cork Adult Education Council.

Wednesday, 12 April 2011, 10.30am, Learn about the Lee, Curaheen Family Centre, Meeting Room, Church of the Real Presence, Curaheen Road, Bishopstown

Follow the River Lee from Macroom to the Lee Fields- It has taken over 5 years to explore and write about the Lee Valley and its heritage, from prehistoric times to the modern day. I still feel I’m only scratching the surface in terms of the stories that are present in the valley waiting to be uncovered. This lecture is about the final couple of miles of the Lee’s Journey’s as it meanders towards Cork City.

Saturday, 16 April 2011, 11am, History Tour of St. Finbarre’s Hospital, Meet at gate, Douglas Road

In association with Turners Cross Community Association, discover the story of the hospital and its workhouse past as well as some local history of the area; plus an opportunity to share your own memories and knowledge. The site played a key role in the life of the city from 1841 onwards. During December 1841, a new workhouse opened in the Douglas Road to replace an older structure known as the House of Industry in Blackpool. The workhouses built at that time had a distinctive uniformity in terms of their peripheral location, their regular block like appearance, together with their enclosed plan – once inside families became broken up – men from women, boys from girls. Initially, the Douglas Road complex had 3,000 inmates due mainly to the desperate employment situation. In addition, a large number of non-residents were provided with a breakfast.

During the autumn of 1846, the effects of the Great Famine took hold. By early September 1846, there were 4,256 non-residents. By the start of October, this figure had grown to 11,633 non-residents. By mid October 1846, the number of workhouse inmates had climbed to over 3,500. Overcrowding became a major problem. By this time also, there were ten relief depots dispersed across the city and each day, 25,000 people were supplied with yellow and white meal. This tour is an attempt to highlight the importance of such a site in Cork’s history plus also its development as a hospital in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Sunday, 17 April 2011, 1.30pm-5pm, Auditions for McCarthy’s Community Talent Competition

Cork’s young people are invited to participate in the third year of ‘McCarthy’s Community Talent Competition’. The auditions will take place on Sunday 17 April 2011 between 12.30-5pm in Blackrock Castle. There are no entry fees and all talents are valid for consideration. The final will be held over one week later on Wednesday 27 April 2011 in the Veritigo Suite of Cork County Hall. 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 me in association with Red Sandstone Varied Productions (RSVP). 

Thanks for the continued support…

Captions:

585a. Lee Fields from the top of County Hall, March 2011 (pictures: Kieran McCarthy)

585b. Recent sunset over River Lee at Blackrock, March 2011

585b. Recent Sunset over River Lee at Blackrock

Launch of Tony O’Connor’s Art work, 2020 Gallery, Cork, 24 March 2011

Arts, Improve Your Life, Uncategorized

I had the pleasure of launching artist Tony O’Connor’s work last night at the 2020 gallery on the North Mall. Tony’s work can be seen in the pictures below and on his website, http://www.whitetreestudio.ie/

  • Oculus Animi Index – A solo show by the truly accomplished equine artist Tony O’Connor opens Thurs 24th @ 8pm and continues till Fri 8th April. 
  • 2020 Art Gallery: http://2020artgallery.com/

    • Artist Tony O'Connor & Cllr Kieran McCarthy at the launch of Tony's art exhibition at the 2020 art gallery on the North Mall, Cork

    Kieran McCarthy, Sheila the owner of the 2020 gallery and Tony O'Connor, artist at the launch of Tony's art exhibition, 24 March 2011

     

    Kieran’s Launch Speech

    Eye to the Soul

     

    Tony O’Connor, Ladies and Gentlemen, many thanks for the invitation to come and chat to you this evening.

     

    This is my second time launching one of Tony’s exhibition – the last time being in September 2009. Since then Tony has been busy getting his work more national exposure through commissions and national critiques.

     

    Walking around one can see the amount of work that has been put into the artwork on display. What is very evident is the passion that Tony has for his work, the amount of planning, design work, thought, emotion and building work that has gone into these artworks. While these images speak volumes to the horse lover, the quality, detail and narrative work gives Tony’s a much broader appeal. Anyone who appreciates the processes of drawing, the freeze framing of a piece of life, the horse and now cows cannot but be drawn in – taken on a journey looking at Tony’s work

     

    They say that art has the power to stop, impress, make one question, wonder, dream, remember, be disturbed, explore and not forget – a whole series of emotions – all of which echo throughout Tony’s photographs.

     

     

     

    Contested Views:

     

    As a student geographer in the Department of Geography near here my own interests have been for some many years exploring Irish culture, history, landscape and identity making. I have a passion for exploring Cork City and its region’s rich historical tapestry which to me is an enormous and complex artwork, which has its own lines, contours and outward expression, meanings and memories.

     

    Tony’s work before us also zooms in on what could be described a piece of life – his works create new ways of seeing aspects of the Irish countryside, create ways of expressing ideas about life in the Irish countryside.

     

    Each of Tony’s work presents a different view but of course are all connected through the overall theme of the exhibition; each work has its own meanings and memories to him and of course one can say all of that for all those who come to view his works.  Each viewer will take something different away from their visit to view his work.

     

     

    Mesmorisation:

     

    Perhaps one of the central threads to Tony’s work is the power of the contours of his subjects – his works on display fluctuate between views of bits of animals and full views. Tony is mesmorised and empowered to react to the narratives he encounters – memories and life within landscapes and this draws him closer to his subjects of study. It is clear that his subjects have affected him in different ways. It has slowed him down to observe, ponder and react to its details.

     

    He seems to be continually learning how to see, read, understand and to appreciate his subjects.

    For Tony, his subjects with all their strengths and weakness perhaps is a genius which he continues to chat to. It engages, inspires, pushes him on and moulds him.

     

     

    His work as memories light up his canvasses – every story presented is charged with that emotional sense of nostalgia –the past shaping his present thoughts, ideas and actions.

     

    It is said that a place owes its character not only to the experiences it affords –sights and sounds – but also to what is done there – looking, listening and moving.  Tony explores the richness in the ordinary if one looks, listens and observes.

     

     

    Hauntings:

     

           All of what I have noted are ideas. They plus many more ideas certainly haunt Tony’s own journey in his work in the Irish landscape, where he meets his subjects,

     

    But what is quite clear is that Tony has explored, explores and will continue to explore different ways of looking at what’s in front of us.  Perhaps for us the viewer, he presents a set of lenses or tools perhaps to decode, discover, recognise, reveal, synthesise, communicate, move forward and explore Ireland’s cultural heritage, its environment and the very essence of Irish identity

     

    Ladies and gentlemen, in this world, we need more of those traits; of thinking outside of the box – more confidence, strength of imagination, freedom to express oneself, determination, force of life – and we need to mass produce these qualities.

     

    Tony, may you always have an open mind to ideas, and that your talent will grow with each work. I wish you all the best of luck with this exhibition and moving forward into the future as you cross boundaries and beyond with your work.

     

    It is my great pleasure to launch your art exhibition.

    Deputy Lord Mayor- Launch of Care Ring, Douglas

    Cork City Events, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized, Ward Events

    Last night I had the pleasure of deputising for the Lord Mayor at the offical launch of Care-Ring, Douglas at St. Columba’s Hall, Douglas.

    CARE ring Douglas operates from Douglas community centre, the service will provide a friendly social phone call for older people living in Frankfield ,Grange, Donnybrook, Rochestown, and Douglas. The service will be two –fold firstly to provide social contact secondly to have a conversation.

    The caring model is simple, innovative and has been designed to be implemented within the community. The form of social contact is not of an intrusive nature. Indeed it is welcomed by the participants. Supported by volunteers who under went extensive training by the HSE. All volunteers under go Garda vetting. This service is a link for people who are unable to leave their homes, also for people who may feel lonely and isolated especially in winter. We will also provide information on all services within the community.

    Phil Goodman, organiser notes “personally I saw a need in our community for such a service. It gives me great pleasure to see my vision realised. For more information regarding this free and confidential service or to enquire about an application form just contact me on 4363867.”

    Deputising for the Lord Mayor, Cllr Kieran McCarthy with volunteers of Care Ring Douglas, 7 February 2011

    Extract from Kieran’s speech at the launch of Care-Ring, Douglas, 7 February 2011

    Care Ring

     

    Phil in her press release for Care Ring calls for active citizenship, calls for taking ownership of one’s life and the country’s direction.

     

    With this noble call she opens up an interesting debate on what type of people we need to be to move forward. The present debate on what this country needs to do economically and how we need to do that is very relevant

     

    But Phil calls for building change as well at grass roots level, to restore some kind of pride in ourselves – to debate yes and call for answers in our political and economic landscapes but not to become bitter to the point that we remain negative in everything we personally do.

     

    The country, yes, badly needs a plan but so do Irish communities. We need leaders in our communities to show us alternatives in our lives – to show part of our lives that perhaps we have never explored – to help us to connect to other people so perhaps each one of use at a minimum is illuminated by advice or a nugget of wisdom… and that we have the ability to be open minded to other people and other ideas. Ultimately, people do need direction, something to work toward.

     

     

     Happy productive life:

     

    Ultimately, I reckon when you think about your life, to live a happy productive on a minimum basis and whether we deem a need for them or not-

     

    We need to be listened to and to listen… we need to be inspired and to inspire… we need to be encouraged and to encourage… be empowered and to empower… be enabled by action and to enable action … we need to be cared for and to care.

     

    All of us here have experience of those basic actions and their relevance in our own lives

     

    Our communities need a plan to create a better society, something that is better that what we left during the now mythic Celtic Tiger days. We need to take responsibility for part of this plan.

     

    We need realistic steps to achieve that. Care-ring is a realistic project. All too often we hear about a general vision for Irish community life but ultimately we need engines..drivers like Phil to move it forward.

     

    Phil for many years as have many others have worked at the heart of the community of this important corner of the world for many years so that will not become stale and disillusioned. This have pursued this through massive transformation in the Douglas area  -new houses, new generations, new shopping centres. Once again, a call has gone out that it is important that we build not only that we build for example a sustainable shopping centre but also a sustainable community with a strong caring attitude, people that will comment on or voice their concerns about what the community also need in Douglas.

     

     

    New generation:

     

    I mentioned the new generation and there are acres of young people living in this area. Young people bring vibrancy and energy to any work they engage with. Most are also looking for opportunities to develop their talents and to fit in. It is important that we get the younger generation involved in some shape or form – there have been many examples of community groups in Cork City that have aged and died off with no reboot. I would encourage your group Phil to approach our local secondary schools and develop some way of bringing our young people on board.

     

     

     

    Saving Souls:

     

    Douglas as an area in the last twenty years has changed dramatically. The pace of physical development has been quick. However, the pace of social development of citizens has been slow abet the great and continued effort of Phil Goodman and other groups.

     

    That been said, we will never know how many souls have been saved and will continue to be saved through your efforts. And you know, no one will ever say thank you and sometimes you wonder are you been just taken for granted.

     

    But make no mistake about it, community leaders are like giant spotlights in the sky; they can and will continue to uphold human values for all to see and replicate, they can send out the message that we do need to care – care about something… to do something purposeful…to move yourself forward… to hone our personal talents, which we all have or even seek advice.

     

    Today’s Society needs all of those traits in abundance.

     

    I am delighted to be present to mark the launch of this great service.

     

    …Thank you Phil…. and best of luck going forward.

     

     Cllr Kieran McCarthy, deputising for the Lord Mayor, with volunteers of Care-Ring, Douglas

    Young at Heart, Douglas