Kieran’s Comments to the Chamber, Cork City Council Meeting, 6 December 2010

On Cork City’s tourism strategies:

“I would like to thank Hilary Creedon and her team at Fáilte Ireland on the Grand Parade for the development of the I-walk packages listed in the report. I was there at the launch in August and it’s great to see such initiatives being developed. I know as well she is open to other trails being produced and because the technology is now in place, more thematic trails for Iphone products will be developed.

However despite the fact that we invest the bones of E.650,000  in tourism promotion, I still think we are underselling ourselves. What is becoming more apparent on the ground is that the few individuals running the tourism side in Cork are just about coping with administrative duties and a few projects that seem not to have the enormous impact they should have. Then we have various festival groups who don’t seem to have access in promoting themselves on a regional and national level. There seems to be an enormous need to strengthen the number of people creating joined up tourism strategies for the city.

I’m not overly happy with how we harnessed the Lonely Planet accolade this year. I would like to know early next year, what effect it did have on our city’s economy. I’m still not happy with the gateway points in the city – and how they don’t give information on the city. At the airport at a number of times during the summer, I noticed the cellotaped Lonely Planet Accolade sign in the baggage reclaim hall, which is now taken down. We create and invest in 100 days of festivals in the city per annum and that’s the best we can muster in our airport is a cellotaped banner on a pillar.We are underselling ourselves.”

I see that Belfast the third city in Ireland has stepped up its game and has put posters up on some of the city’s hoardings. I hope for the sake of our tourism market that we have posters up in their city. Great to see how Belfast people are competitive in their tourism market – great to see their ambition and determination to not only get people there but to channel them through their shopping and cultural districts. If we are the second city and they are the third, what is our response going to be or maybe Cork is interested in being the third city?”

Kieran’s Comments to the Chamber, Cork City Council Meeting, 6 December 2010

On dereliction in Blackpool:

“This dereliction report on Blackpool shows 50 sites that have been identified as derelict and unsightly. It’s an absolute disgrace that some 50 owners have left their buildings in such a state. I have no problem with someone who genuinely can’t develop their premises for financial reasons and who board up their building accordingly. But I have a huge problem with landowners with no sense of civic responsibility and who create rotting concrete wildernesses. Shame on them for bringing the great name of Blackpool down.”

Kieran’s Comments to the Chamber, Cork City Council Meeting, 6 December 2010, On the Beamish and Crawford site:

“We have a beautiful heritage stock. Here is a building, which was one of the engines of export trade at one time Cork, in western Europe. This building was one of the drivers in Ireland’s economy – a place of business, enterprise and creativity. There is a general feeling that in our time we are finding it difficult to harness those energies its memory, history, its cultural value, its very identity. I’m disappointed. As a city we seem to not to be able creative enough to bring 1,000s of tourists to this amazing historic quarter, who would all could add and stimulate the local economy. I am continuing my call for the protection and enhancement of this cultural heritage quarter. I am asking the planning department to continue to work closely with the owners of this site.”

Kieran’s Comments to the Chamber, Cork City Council Meeting, 6 December 2010

On the quarterly Cork Economic Monitor:

“27,000 unemployed, over 120 vacant premises in the city centre, a decrease in tourism – there seems to no sign of any revised regional plan or emergency plan to deal with the crisis. We need to respond to the crisis. There is a need to reassess our way forward. There is a need for new ideas to come forward. The City needs to be more pro-active than ever before in terms of its regional development. We need to step up our attack on encouraging enterprise and encouraging ideas to bring the city forward economically and socially.”

Kieran’s Comments to the Chamber, Cork City Council Meeting, 6 December 2010

On homelessness:

“I’m worried by the growing young men who are homeless on our streets. The City Council invests large sums of money to organisations who provide beds for people who find themselves homeless. I would like to say to these young people, avail of these beds especially on these freezing nights.”