Think Cork county this festive season

Christmas is just around the corner and where better to explore this festive season than Cork?

The county is calling you from the depths of West Cork to the busy roads of Little Island where there’s no escaping the gorgeous smells of mince pies, feeling the warmth of a mulled wine around your cold hands or glimpsing at the twinkling lights as they match the stars in the sky.

From the small villages with just a pub and the local shop to the bigger towns throughout Cork county, it’s a wonderful time of the year with people coming home and reconnecting with old friends.

There’s plenty of events happening this year for all ages from carolling to meeting Santa to everything in between. We’ve highlighted some of events in the next few pages just for you!

As the annual festive shopping dash approaches, Cork shoppers are being urged to look a little closer to home this year and support the many local businesses on their doorstep.

This is the message of the Think Cork County awareness campaign, an initiative of Cork County Council which is now in its fourth year, as it returns for 2019, encouraging residents of County Cork to ‘shop local, think your county, your town’.

The initiative, which encourages the people of Cork to support and appreciate their local craftspeople, food suppliers, post offices, hairdressers and the many other business and service providers in their locale, was originally established in 2016 to promote the ‘shop local’ objective, with a view to boosting the economy of Cork’s various municipal districts.

While the principal aim of Think Cork County is to recognise the abundance of eclectic businesses and services located all across Cork, it also encourages members of the public to indulge in a spot of retail therapy in their nearest town or village by providing designated free on-street parking zones in selected areas in the lead up to Christmas.

It serves as a reminder to Cork county residents that they do not always have to travel to the city or shop online in search of the items or services they require; they can instead avoid lengthy traffic queues and parking struggles by availing of the plentiful goods and services on offer on their doorstep.

Speaking of the initiative, Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Christopher O’Sullivan said: “Cork’s towns and villages have a diverse range of small indigenous businesses, offering unique, high quality locally sourced gift ideas for the festive season. Purchasing locally and sustainably will always be a better option and will safeguard our communities into the future. Every purchase makes a difference to the local economy, so I urge Cork shoppers to soak up the festive atmosphere in their locality and look a little closer to home when picking up those festive treats this year.”

Whether it’s choosing your local post office to send those all-important season’s greetings cards, creating a festive feast from the amazing local produce available at your village’s many food stores and eateries or simply being a part of the wonder that is created by the lighting up of your town’s twinkling lights, think your county, your town this Christmas.