County Mayor's Diary

By Mayor of Cork Cllr Mary Linhean Foley

In the past year, we have shown remarkable creativity and adaptability in finding ways to come together while adhering to restrictions.

This St Patrick’s Day, we took full advantage of online technology and support to maintain the community spirit that defines life in Cork county and found ways to celebrate safely.

This is a special holiday for Irish people, one which we share with people from around the world. It is a celebration of the global impact of Irish people and culture. For a comparatively small nation, our global cultural footprint is immense. Despite ongoing restrictions around the world, the cause for celebration remains for Irish people everywhere, diaspora communities and all those with an interest in Irish culture and heritage.

Locations around the county were lit up green, including the Kindred Spirit Sculpture in Midleton, which celebrates the kinship and compassion shared between the Irish and the Native American Choctaw People. Other buildings in Midleton were lit alongside ones in Youghal, Macroom, Millstreet, Mallow, Fermoy and Kinsale amongst others. This light up celebrated the lives and journeys of the many people who have made Ireland’s cultural impact the global phenomenon that it is.

The large cultural footprint of the Irish people is due in no small part to the creativity of our community. Our songs, dances, poems and prose are world renowned, and this part of our heritage is as alive in Cork county today as it has ever been.

I was delighted to announce a new poetry initiative from Cork County Council called Poems from My 5k. This initiative invites people to explore and respond to our new relationship with our local environments, and the best submitted works will be selected for a special poetry volume.

Many people with Irish heritage have had to forego visiting their ancestral homeland due to our shared struggle against the pandemic.

While I look forward to overcoming this global hurdle together, the Cork County Council owned Skibbereen Heritage Centre has offered an alternative way to connect people to their roots, by enhancing its database of burial records for West Cork graveyards.

They have also provided a number of virtual tours, sharing the history and stories from this wild Atlantic region.

I would encourage everyone with an interest to visit their website on skibbheritage.com, or visit the Local Studies and Family History section of corkcoco.ie for more fascinating genealogy resources.

While some avenues for celebration are restricted for now, we have an opportunity to reflect on the things that are special to our community. St Patrick’s Day is a reminder of how connected Ireland is to the wider world, and how far our community reaches.

So as long as we kindle our creativity and community spirit, we will always play a meaningful part in the world.