County Mayor's Diary

Life is continuing at pace here in the council. I find myself reflecting on what has been in 2023 and also what is to come in 2024. I’m very excited for the months to come as the Mayor of the County of Cork and I’m enjoying every moment of it.

This week, I want to draw your attention to the Community Fund Scheme as the council has announced funding to the value of over €1.8million to support local communities in 2024.

Now in its tenth year, the Community Fund Scheme has been very well received by community groups around Cork since being first introduced. Communities have shown great pride in their local areas with some excellent projects undertaken through this scheme. I encourage community groups to make an application for this year’s scheme to make a real difference to your local area.

There is also another opportunity for community organisations to take advantage of this month. The Community Climate Action Programme (CCAP) aims to support and empower communities in shaping and building low carbon, sustainable communities which will contribute to national climate and energy targets. Applicants can apply for 100% of funding across three categories, which are small, medium, and large projects. Visit the CorkCoCo.ie website to find out more information.

Continuing with the theme of climate action, I’m delighted to report that the council has recently announced the launch of the ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ conference. This conference will not only focus on how to save money by reducing waste, but it will also be an opportunity for businesses in Cork’s vibrant tourism sector to speak to local support agencies and experts about their broader sustainability plans and ambitions, so they can better understand how they can play their part in supporting the circular economy and a more sustainable future.

I also have some great news to report on the Youghal Medieval Festival. A recent report commissioned by The Youghal Medieval Festival Committee and undertaken by Real Insights has revealed that Youghal Medieval Festival provides an economic spin-off to the value of €863,000 to the town of Youghal. Families travel from near and far to attend the event. Its success is thanks to the incredible community work that goes into making the festival a possibility.

Lastly, I have to say a word about the great work our women’s caucus does here withing the council having recently hosted a special workshop for women in local government recently.

Featuring several notable speakers, Cork County Council’s Women’s Caucus hope the event will not only support the retention of women currently in Council but will also serve to represent and recruit women into local government.