Next Sunday, the 25th September is the feast day of St. Finbarre, the Patron Saint of Cork. To coincide with this the annual Gougane Sunday, ceremonies (start 2.30pm) will be held and once more the memory of the saint and his relevance in this world will be re-activated. To mark this and as part of an ongoing research project on the island Cllr Kieran McCarthy will have a historical exhibition on display on people and places in the valley, entitled Voices of the Lee Valley. In addition he will run two short walking tours of the pilgrimage island next Sunday, one at 1pm and the other at 4.30pm (meeting at the exhibition on the island). These tours are free and all are welcome.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The new historical exhibition is one I have been work-shopping with the kind permission of the Diocese of Cork and Ross over a number of days over the last number of weeks. One of the aspects that have become an important strand of my research is the aspect of outreach, that in any landscape research project, one should walk the land and engage with those that respect it. Of all the sites in the Lee valley where participation in its heritage is encouraged as well as reflecting on its deep history is Gougane Barra.”