A ceili organised by Ballinlough Community Association will take place in Ballinlough Community Centre on Saturday evening, 28 November, 8pm onwards, admission E.5, music by the Cogans of Carrigaline, join us for music and craic. Further information from Cllr Kieran McCarthy, 087 655 3389
Join the Cogan’s from Carrigaline as they entertain and teach us all how to ceili dance. The ceili was first run in March 2009.
‘McCarthy’s History in Action’ in association with RSVP (Red Sandstone Varied Productions) will take place in Ballinlough Community Centre on Sunday 29 November, 1-5pm. This event, supported by Cllr. Kieran McCarthy, will bring history alive for all the family, with the participation of re-enactment groups, storytellers and more.
The vision for the day is one of encouraging community participation, by inviting the local community to be involved in its creation, either in performance or as helpers. Join re-enactors to honour the past, where there is much to learn, as one helps build the future; the organisers are encouraging people to actively engage with life around them, as well as examine the history that brought us here. The organisers believe that growth and transformation in society is affected positively by respecting our heritage in this way.
Cllr Kieran McCarthy noted: “This project is aimed at all spectrums of the community. It is a living history project with a key focus on education, identity and civic awareness. It also complements the work of the Discover Cork: Schools Heritage Project. I look forward to welcoming the community to Ballinlough Community Centre”. More information can be found under winter programme and blog at www.kieranmccarthy.ie or contact Yvonne Coughlan at 085-7335260 or Kieran McCarthy at 0876553389. Refreshments will also be made available on site. This non-profit event aims to break even and offers admission at €6 (€5 concessions) and a family ticket €20.
On last Wednesday evening, a community meeting was held in Ballinlough Community Centre in association with Ballinlough Community Association to address the extent of anti-social behaviour in Ballinlough Parish. The Gardai from Blackrock Garda station and Douglas were in attendance. It was great to see such a turnout for a community meeting. It really does indicate the continued interest in community life by Ballinlough people. The Gardai took notes of the concerns of local residents. Subsequently, it was also decided to establish a Community Safety Forum, which will meet quarterly to address the fears of the local community with regard to ant-social behaviour.
From my point of view, I welcome this as did my other councillor colleagues in the ward. I have chosen to respond to the concerns two-fold;
Firstly to develop a drink and drugs awareness programme for our local secondary school. This will be rolled out in the new year with the assistance of Philip McCarthy, a film maker,who will conduct workshops in the local schools.
Secondly, I will be actively pursuing the cleaning up of the environs of Douglas Pool. To begin with, I have put in a motion to Council calling for creation of a community mural for the walls of Douglas Pool (more to come on this and other activities)
Public meeting on Wednesday 21 October, 8pm in Ballinlough Community Centre to discuss and provide information on on anti-social behaviour to discuss and provide information on the issues. All are welcome. Local councillors and Garda representatives will attend.
On last Friday night, Blackrock Castle Observatory partnered with Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland California for “Web of Stars,” a unique pilot remote astronomy project, designed to teach astronomy across two continents using a live video link. Astronomers at Chabot will observe the sky at night, delivering real-time astronomical images to students in Ireland in order to discuss their properties and share information about the night sky.
This project was conceived to celebrate the 25th anniversary of San Francisco and Cork becoming sister cities as well as 2009 the International Year of Astronomy.
The sister city initiative was spearheaded by US Senator Dianne Feinstein during her tenure as Mayor of San Francisco. Diarmuid Philpott, Chair of Cork Sister City committee at San Francisco City Hall, has been instrumental in developing the local educational and political ties. This enables progress of the unique teaching exercise which takes advantage of the time difference between the two cities allowing the live link to take place.
“This educational opportunity is an extraordinary way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of San Francisco and Cork becoming sister cities,” said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. “The telescopes at Chabot Space & Science Center will provide inspirational science education to the students in Cork. The two cities will continue to strengthen the links between them and explore possibilities for further commercial, tourism, cultural and educational contacts.”
For more information, Blackrock Castle Observatory has a mission to provide the people of Cork city and Ireland with a centre of excellence in science by fostering interest in science, engineering and technology through the medium of astronomy. www.bco.ie/webofstars
Blackrock Castle Observatory is a 16th century castle located about 2km from the heart of Cork city on the banks of the river Lee. At the castle you will find:
Last Saturday afternoon, I also attended the Ballinlough Family Festival organised by Ballinlough Youth Clubs. I was one of sixty local sponsors (thanks to all) that supported the fun day. It was great what the youth clubs planned; the list of activities provided something for everyone – fancy dress parade, puppet show, African drummers, the tug of war brought great competition, the face painting and the dog show all added to building a great sense of atmosphere.
What a fantastic afternoon and evening of entertainment. There was a great buzz about the community centre. What I thought was especially great was the support of the local people that came out to back this great initiative. Also I loved the way that the events that were planned were straightforward and became exciting with the enthusiastic stewards that encouraged fun and laughter. In these difficult times, events such as these are crucial to bringing people together to celebrate the will to celebrate community life, have a laugh and be part of something bigger. It’s important in these times that we as individuals and as a community stand and fight. Full credit to the youth clubs team that organised the family festival, onwards now.
Loads of pictures below!
This year the GAA is celebrating 125 years since its initiation. The association has made huge contributions to the social life of numerous communities across Ireland. This was very clear recently at the opening of St. Michael’s GAA Club house by the President of the GAA, Christy Cooney.
St. Michael’s GAA was founded in 1951. Tadgh Delaney and Tom Cashman, amongst others, were some of the key founding members of the club. The first meeting was held in the old Blackrock Railway station. The Club played originally on sites such as what is now the Mahon Municipal golf course and the site of Mahon Point.
St Michael’s GAA Club won their first junior county championship won in 1956. Since then they have won several titles, which have made St. Michael’s the club to watch in the various leagues they engage in. Some famous players associated with the club in the early years were Tommy Furlong and Ray Cummins.
Thirty years ago member Con O’Keeffe began to raise money to build a club hall. The first fundraiser was a golf classic. At the opening of the new club house recently, tributes were also paid to the work of past presidents. The work of Jim Corbett who died recently was saluted. Acknowledgement was also given to the National Lottery who gave £444,000 towards the new club building.
Cllr. Kieran McCarthy, who attended the opening of the new Club house, noted:
“St. Michael’s is a tremendous outlet for the community. The opening of the new Club house was proud day for this passionate club. On one level sport is about fitness but it also gives a sense of purpose. This is clear at St. Michaels, where all involved are engaged in developing self confidence amongst it players. Full credit to the hard working management, various sub committees and the mentors who are continuing and building on the GAA’s proud tradition being at the heart of the community promoting self purpose, self confidence, pride and identity”.
It’s always great to get a crowd on a walking tour. So below are the pictures of the crowd on my walking tour of the Cork Blackrock & Passage Rail Line. Such a great piece of suburban history, especially as the over pass bridges and Blackrock platform are still intact and the line takes one through the history of suburbs such as Ballintemple, Blackrock and Mahon. The site is also set amidst great built and natural heritage – The Marina, The Atlantic Pond, the Docklands area, Fords, the Showgrounds, Pairc Ui Chaoimh. I do plan to put my notes online in the history section of this website and www.corkheritage.ie. Thanks to the crowd for their support. My next talk is next Saturday for Heritage Open Day at 1p.m in the National Sculpture Factory, the former tram terminus on Albert Road.
It’s official, the mural on Mahon Community Centre is one of the largest in Ireland, Well done to Denis Coffey and all the team at the Community Centre an the artists who were involved in the mural. It’s a fantastc creation and very imaginative. As well as that, Mahon Community Centre is great- warm, inviting, friendly and progressive. Long be this centre be a beacon of hope and inspiration for not jus the community of Mahon but also for communities across the city.
We had great sunshine at the Atlantic Pond today for the inaugural McCarthy’s Make a Model Boat Project. The overall winner was David Good from Togher who won the overall prize for his model boat. My thanks to my judges Padraig Dineen of Meitheal Mara, Mervyn Horgan of the Lifetime Lab and Sean Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre.
