Earlier this month the award ceremony of the Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project took place outdoors at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience. A total of 25 schools in Cork City took part in the 2021/22 school year, which included schools in Ballinlough, Beaumont, Blackrock and Douglas and with a reach to Glanmire, Bishopstown, and inner city suburban schools as well. Circa 800 students participated in the process with approx 220 project books submitted on all aspects of Cork’s local history and it cultural and built heritage.
The Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project is in its 20th year and is a youth platform for students to do research and write it up in a project book on any topic of Cork history. The aim of the project is to allow students to explore, investigate and debate their local heritage in a constructive, active and fun way.
Co-ordinator and founder of the project, Cllr Kieran McCarthy noted that: “It’s been a great journey over twenty years of promoting and running this project. Over the years, I have received some great projects on Cork landmarks such as Shandon and Nano Nagle Place but also on an array of oral history projects – students working closely with parents, guardians and grandparents. I’ve even seen very original projects, such as this year I received a history trail on fossils on Cork’s buildings and on public pavements. The standard of model-making and in recent years, short film making – to go with project books – have always been creative”.
“This year the Project technically had two award ceremonies – an online YouTube video presenting winning projects to the Lord Mayor of cork Cllr Colm Kelleher, and an informal and outdoor prize-giving event at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
The Project is funded by Cork City Council with further sponsorship offered by Learnit Lego Education, Old Cork Waterworks Experience and Cllr Kieran McCarthy. Full results for this year’s project as well as the YouTube award ceremony are online on Cllr McCarthy’s heritage website, www.corkheritage .ie. This website also has several history trails, his writings, and resources, which Kieran wrote up and assembled over the past two years.