I visited members of Blackrock Rowing Club during the past week. My thanks to John Cummins. I took the following pictures. I am also delighted to be able to work with my fellow ward councillor Cllr. Des Cahill towards attaining European funding to enable the regeneration of Blackrock Village.
Re: Cork City Council Finances:
At a Council meeting last evening (Monday 13th), the City Manager made public that the Council will have to cut E2 million for the budget this year in order to balance the books. This is not good for services in the city. In terms of the financial cutbacks in housing, I called on the City Manager that a revised housing plan be implemented to reflect the forthcoming cutbacks.
I also raised the issue that the Council officially liase with the public viz-the local media and officially keep the public up to speed of any cut backs and to avoid unnecessary build up of over the top scaremongering.
Re: Draft Farranferris Local Area Plan:
I voted for the manager’s recommendations that the “top sports field be retained as a playing pitch for use by users of the site and the wider community especially those schools that are underprovided as regards active green space”.
In support of my vote, I made my thoughts known to the Council. I have reservations with the wording, the use of the term playing pitch – it is a non active space – it is gated public wilderness with ponies and children hopping over boundary walls to pony ride frightening local residents.
Overall a proper green space strategy is needed within the city especially as Council owned green spaces are diminishing. As a councillor, I support the part of the draft plan that supports the development of facilities within the Farranferris building but have huge reservations about the re-development of a former playing pitch by developers. This would create a major precedent across the city for any developer to develop on green field playing spaces.
Re: Postponement of Closure of St. Mary’s Library:
I supported the motion “That this City Council postpone the closure of St. Mary’s Library until a proper and full consultation process with local residents, schools & community groups has been put in place and completed”. Lack of communication from the City Council departments seem to be a pressing issue. Hence I asked the manager had there been a proper and full consultation process. He replied in the affirmative that Cork City Partnership, Cork VEC and Home School Liason officers were consulted with.
FAO Council Meeting, 13 July 2009
Motion 1: That the City Council erect a series of heritage interpretative panels across the city centre island in an effort to promote further the city’s heritage and tourism strategies. Cllr. Kieran McCarthy, 7 July 2009
This motion was referred to Cork City Council’s Planning & Development Functional Committee for consultation.
Motion 2: That the environs of the the section of the medieval town wall, a national monument, on display to the general public beneath the entrance ramp of Kyrl’s Quay multi-storey car park on Kyrl’s Quay be cleaned up. Cllr. Kieran McCarthy, 7 July 2009
This motion was referred to Cork City Council’s Recreation Amenity & Culture Functional Committee for consultation (Kmc).
Question for City Manager:
The pumping system for the Berwick Fountain on the Grand Parade does not seem to be working properly since the Fountain’s restoration project. Will the pumping mechanics of the fountain be restored in the near future? Cllr. Kieran McCarthy, 7 July 2009
This question was deferred to the next council meeting in September (KMc).
Here Comes the Summer?!?
Hail, rain or snow, the sun shines for hundreds of children and young people taking part in their local community Summer Recreation Schemes.
Ógra Chorcaí Summer Schemes have been running in communities across the city and county for 33 years and have catered for over 115,000 children. This year there are eighteen summer schemes running in communities throughout the month of July.
One of the oldest and longest running of these is Blarney Street Summer Scheme which got underway on Monday 6th July with a special Opening Blessing ceremony at St. Vincent’s Church by Fr. Colm Mc Adam. The Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy attended the ceremony and was given a great welcome by all the children. This scheme caters for 150 children from the local area and they will enjoy an action packed two weeks including day trips to Trabolgan, Parsons Green, Redbarn and Ardmore beaches. The older age group will even try out surfing at Garrettstown Beach. Great credit is due to the organising committee of volunteers and to the co-ordinator Liz Matthews.
Each of these Summer Schemes are planned, organised and run by local volunteers and parents who are giving freely of their time for months in advance in the mammoth tasks of fund raising, planning and booking the activities.
Jennifer Walsh of Ógra Chorcaí noted: “Thanks are due to Cork City Council, Cork City VEC and County VEC who have supported Schemes financially throughout the years. And our biggest ‘Thank You’ goes to all the Summer Schemes committees, volunteers and local parents who have put in hours of work to make these Summer Schemes safe and fun for all the local children”.
(Kmc- What an honour to be Deputy Lord Mayor at this event)
In the last five days, I have given a course for primary school teachers as part of continuous professional development with the Cork Education Support Centre and the Department of Education. The course is an introduction to Cork History and presents several aspects of the Core Strand Framework of the Primary History Curriculum in a local context.
Key local historic issues such as everyday life, society, work and culture (e.g. home life, literature, technologies, group relationships) in Cork’s past are explored. In particular, Early Christian Cork, Viking Age Cork, the Anglo-Norman walled town of Cork (Cork’s Medieval World) and Georgian –Victorian Cork are examined.
This course discusses ideas on how to present Cork local history to students in particular in senior classes. What issues should a teacher and student first explore when approaching the study of Cork History ? What are the local historic issues that are most relevant to the history curriculum in senior classes ? What are the key historic issues that have formed the modern city of Cork ?
Aims of Course:
This course comprises lectures, fieldtrips and workshops, and explores key historical issues in Cork’s development. A successful course should provide the teacher with:
· Increased self-awareness of the importance of identity, respect, and how to develop a sense of place for one’s city.
· Provision of an up-to-date appraisal of the time-scale of the physical, social and cultural development of Cork City and surrounding areas.
· Provision of several ideas on how to pursue local history in the classroom – through use of the lecture notes; workshop outcomes; how to use Cork History in the context of the wider primary school history curriculum.
· Above all, the teacher should see why local history is purposeful; how it can add to the identity of the child and provides the child with enthusiasm, appreciation, sense of place and pride for one’s home area.
Methodology of Course:
The cores themes of this summer course are addressed in my own Cork Independent history column, Our City, Our Town and associated books, e.g Discover Cork (O’Brien Press); and in my locally co-ordinated Discover Cork: School’s Heritage Project, which provides a base for the completion of projects on any aspect of Cork’s past in Cork City and County schools.
More information is at http://corkheritage.ie/?page_id=492
There is no public library in the Mahon/ Blackrock area which at present is serviced by a mobile library. It has not been possible to secure funding from the Department for the provision of a new library and, in the current economic situation, this is not likely to change in the foreseeable future.
In these circumstances, Cork City Council has explored alternatives for the provision of a library building. One solution would be to convert the former Abode Hostel located at the Skehard Road/ Ballinure Road junction into a public library. The Abode building will be in the ownership of the City Council. It is very well located being within walking distance of hundreds of households. The estimated cost of conversion is in the region of E.600,000. It has been proposed that capital proceeds from the sale of land assets near the new Cork Medical Hospital in Mahon be invested to provide for the new library conversion.
A new era for the Cork Summer Show began today in Greenfields, Ballincollig. The Munster Agricultural Society has its roots in the early 1800s when the Cork & County Agricultural Society was in operation. In the mid 1800s, an agricultural show was held in the Cork Corn Market, now the site of Cork City Hall. In the early 1890s, the society moved to the eastern corner of the Cork Park Racecourse in The Marina area. The Munster Agricultural Society came into being in 1908. Up to the end of 2008, the Society and the Cork Showgrounds was insitu in The Marina. A compulsory purchase order to make way for the Cork South Docklands meant that the Society had to find new grounds, which they have in Ballincollig.
It’s a shame that Cork City has lost the Cork Showgrounds. Their focus on education and community will be missed in the south-east ward. Still and all, there is great scope to re-adopt and spread some of the ideas into the south-east suburbs…
Below is my maiden speech at my first Council meeting in the Council chamber on 15 June 2009, 7.30p.m.
“It’s a tremendous honour and privilege to be here as a Councillor.
I would like to congratulate the Lord Mayor, Cllr. Brian Bermingham on your promotion of local heritage, for your colour, creativity and imagination increasing the sense of pride, place, identity and traditions of the city.
I’m aware that I’m here on the vote of confidence of constituents – people of my ward voted me in – with that in mind the people must continue to be looked after and reached out to especially in these harsh economic times.
We live in difficult times; we now as a Council need not only to think about the future stability of this beautiful city but also bring the city forward in the next five years, in the next ten years.
I look forward to working with Council members over the next five years. Thank you”.
Cllr. Brian Bermingham outlined a summary of his programme for the year, events which were noteworthy and I praise his contribution to the Lord Mayor’s office. I especially applaud the educational strategy he adapted for young people, who are the lifeblood of the city;
Selection of Cllr. Brian Bermingham’s programmes:
What a great day Saturday was. I’m thrilled to take a councillor seat for South East Cork City.
I would like to thank all those that had confidence in me by giving me their no. 1 vote. This added immensely at the outset in increasing the odds of success. Even those that gave me a vote steered me across the quota.
It is a tremendous honour and priviledge as a young Independent to be elected as a city councillor in the city I have studied, written about, worked in, walked and have a deep affection and passion for.
So I come to the end of a long campaign and indeed a very long road. If you are reading this, thank you for your interest and support.
For those that I have met and chatted to, thanks very much for your courtesy, time, sharing your concerns, for opening the door and shortening the road. Since February, my team and I have tried our best not only to meet people but also to reach out to as many people as possible.
In my own view, this 5 June is directly about choosing leaders who will represent our community where we live at City council and management level. What is important now is that those elected individuals react to what is happening in our communities and try their best to build future opportunities. What do we need to survive, as individuals and with our families into the next five years? What will our community look like in five years time, ten years time?
It is also important to mind ourselves in the times we live in but also not to become isolated. Everybody has a talent and it’s up to each one of us to develop these talents, to stand and fight, to push forward as best as possible in our lives through building strong family, friendship and community ties.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Kieran