July
Hundreds of claims against council
News emerges that members of the public are suing Cork County Council for a variety of reasons with the top five including footpath slips and trips, vehicle damage caused by potholes, damage caused by poor road conditions, flooding and so called ‘other’ reasons.
Figures taken on 31 December 2020 show 501 active claims against the council, some of which date back a number of years.
At the top of the pile are footpath slips and trips which account for 146 of the claims active with the council’s insurance company IPB.
Potholes are next with 120 claims, followed by poor road conditions at 115, ‘other’ with 44, and flooding at 15 claims.
Charity launched in Béibhinn's memory
The Heart Angel charity is launched in memory of nine year old Béibhinn Hope O’Connor who passed away on 16 September 2020.
Béibhinn suffered from a rare congenital heart defect and died after a routine procedure following open heart surgery triggered a cardiac arrest.
The charity aims to celebrate and commemorate Béibhinn’s life and the lives of other children who have passed away in Ireland by creating beautiful inspiring memory gardens in every county in Ireland.
The first Heart Angel garden is planned for Carrigaline with a second garden to be created in Cork city in 2022.
Greenway best news since the ‘90s!
Cork County Councillor Frank O’Flynn describes the possibility of a greenway being developed between Mallow and Dungarvan as “the best news” he has heard since he was elected.
The Fermoy councillor, who was elected in 1999, says the project would be a “game changer” for the North Cork area.
His comments come after Cork County Council and Waterford City and County Council were awarded grant funding to examine the feasibility for the development.
The proposed Mallow to Dungarvan Greenway would connect with the popular Waterford greenway which has been open since 2017.
Cork mad to fly again
The travel sector warmly welcomes the implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) on 19 July.
Marketing Manager at Topflight Cork Michelle Anderson tells the Cork Independent that Cork is close to bursting point with “pent-up” demand for overseas holidays.
However, Ms Anderson says the DCC may come with some initial “teething problems”.
The system, which had already been in place in every other EU country from 1 July, is launched on 19 July in Ireland allowing fully vaccinated people to travel with no restrictions, quarantine or testing for Covid-19 within the EU.
The DCC provides digital proof that the holder has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has received a negative test result or has recovered from Covid-19.
That’s a lotto luck!
The Rebel County winner who scooped the Lotto jackpot at the end of May claims their prize of €2,469,871.
The lucky winner collects the cash after buying their winning ticket at O’Connell’s Foodstore in the seaside town of Myrtleville.
The Cork winner plans to take their time and carefully plan what to do next: “I still can’t quite believe my luck. Every time I hear the National Lottery ad, I can’t believe that I’m now one of those winners!
“I’m going to take my time for now and let the news properly sink in before I decide what to do.”
Huge milestone for art gallery in city centre
The Crawford Art Gallery gets ready to begin a capital refurbishment programme worth €28 million having transferred to the Office of Public Works (OPW).
The completion of the transfer from the Cork Education and Training Board (ETB) to the Office of Public Works is described as “a major milestone” for the gallery.
The refurbishment will address issues of conservation, accessibility and connectivity between floors, while opening more spaces to the public and creating renewed storage areas for the national collection.
This state investment in the Crawford Art Gallery is made through the Government’s Project Ireland 2040.
America’s Cup for Cork?
Cork makes it to the final shortlist to host the 37th America’s Cup sailing championship, the world’s oldest sporting trophy.
Considered the third biggest sporting event on earth, the contest takes place every four years bringing hundreds of millions in revenue to its hosting locality.
The competition itself can last for up to four months with competitors setting up camp in the chosen location at least six months prior to commencement.
Although widely regarded as a great opportunity for Cork, the bid to host the competition receives some resistance on Leeside with a number of politicians arguing that the estimated €150 million it would cost to host could be better spent on other things.
It is understood the other countries in the running to host are Dubai, Singapore and Spain.
In September it was announced that the host venue selection process would be extended.