This morning, I had the pleasure of working with a community environmental group in Mahon in association with Mahon Community Association and the local Mahon Garda Station. Events such as these are great for building community pride and a sense of confidence and sense of place. Keep up the great work!
Caption:
At the launch of McCarthy’s Make a Model Boat project at the Atlantic Pond;
L-r, Padraig Dineen, Meitheal Mara, Malcolm Muggeridge, Katie Stoker-Phelan, Isabelle Muggeridge, Nigel Muggeridge, Shane Stoker-Phelan & Cllr. Kieran McCarthy (picture: Audrey Furney-Kelly)
Cllr. Kieran McCarthy, following on from his walking tours of the Old Cork Blackrock Rail line, continues with his summer community orientated programme of events under the themes of heritage and education. Cllr. McCarthy invites all Cork young people to participate in McCarthy’s ‘Make a model boat project’. All interested must make a model boat at home from recycled materials and bring it along for judging to the Atlantic Pond on Saturday afternoon, 8 August at 2p.m. The event is being run in association with Meitheal Mara. There are two categories, one for primary and one for secondary students. There are prizes for best models and the event is free to enter.
Cllr. McCarthy, who is heading up the event, noted “this project is a response to constituent’s voices that there is nothing to do for young people in Cork during the summer months. I am encouraging creation, innovation and imagination amongst our young people, which are important traits for all of us to develop in these difficult financial times”. In addition, Cllr. McCarthy emphasised that places like the Atlantic Pond are an important part of Cork’s natural heritage and should be managed as appropriate. Cllr. McCarthy noted: “I will also be liasing with the Park’s Department of Cork City Council so that the recent environmental events that occur on the Lough will not re-appear at the Atlantic Pond”. See www.kieranmccarthy.ie for more community events.
Recent crowd at Kieran’s Tuesday walking tours of old Cork Blackrock Railway Line
Mahon Community Association
In conjunction with An Garda Siochana and Cork City Council
Are organising a Mid Summer Litter Pick
Venue: Avenue De Rennes, Mahon Drive and Lakelands
Date: 29th July 2009
Time: 11am to 1pm
Materials: Gloves, litter pickers, bags, disposal, supplied by Cork City Council
All Welcome to support this event
Secretary of Mahon Community Association: Finbarr Murphy, 021 4358770; Community Garda, Sinead Moran, 021 4357501; Community Warden, Majella Gould, 086 7948584
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
