County Mayor's column

In the wake of Storm Babet, my thoughts are with those who have seen tremendous damage to their homes and businesses. I would like to thank community members who extended a hand to those in need, offered a shoulder to lean on, and demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity.

Let us continue to make a difference, one act of kindness at a time, and show that our community spirit remains unbroken. I would also like to commend council crews and contractors in their cleanup operations around the county and particularly in Midleton where the storm’s effect was felt the worst.

On an unrelated note, I would like to commend all 10 of the schools that took part in the Composting for Schools programme recently. We were delighted to join Composting Ireland in delivering this new initiative to improve their composting systems, reduce waste, save money, and combat climate change. By equipping students, teachers, parents, and school staff with the tools of composting, waste reduction, recycling, and environmental awareness, we're cultivating a generation that will not just appreciate nature but actively safeguard its health.

Moving on to libraries, our Library Headquarters at Cork County Hall is currently hosting a new exhibition that I would encourage those with an interest in the arts to check out. The ‘Emotion’ exhibition by Ciara Chapman will run from 26 October to 24 November. Chapman’s work appeals to a wide range of audiences, and we are delighted to present her work at the LHQ Gallery. Inclusivity is incredibly important to the council, working with artists and other professionals living with illness or disability is an important opportunity to highlight the challenges experienced by those living with debilitating chronic pain.

I’m also happy to report that National Women’s Enterprise Day was a huge success this year with over 200 women coming together to mark the occasion in Clonakilty at Dunmore House. The annual event serves as a vital platform, encouraging women in business to come together, share their achievements, and ignite inspiration in others. It's a community where success stories are told, dreams are nurtured, and paths are illuminated, and we are proud to facilitate such important events.

Finally, it was my privilege to lead a delegation and speak at the Kaleici festival in Antalya, Turkey this week. During my trip I addressed an international panel of leaders from 100 cities across three continents on the impact of international events such as festivals on tourism in living historical cities. I took the opportunity to showcase some of county Cork’s best festivals, such as Cork Jazz, the St Patrick’s Day Festival, Indiependence Festival, Cork Pride, Fastnet Film Festival, Cork Choral Festival, Cork Week, and West Cork Literary Festival. Our county has always had a rich history of festivals and it was my honour to speak at the event.