Guilty of hoarding half empty tins of paint ?

 Are you guilty of hoarding half empty tins of paint at home, those “just in case” tubs that you finally get around to dumping when they’ve dried up?

Householders have traditionally brought their leftover paint to their local Civic Amenity Site for disposal, however this may be set to change, as a new pilot Community Paint Re-Use Scheme will soon get underway in Cork City and County.

Cork City Council and Cork County Council have received funding from the EPA’s Local Authority Prevention Network (LAPN) programme for the joint scheme, which will see unused water-based paints in Civic Amenity Sites diverted towards one of two social enterprises. The social enterprises, Northside Community Enterprise (NCE) in Farranferris, Cork City and Cycle Sense based in Skibbereen, will then filter, remix, recolour and repackage the paint before selling it at reduced rates in the local community.

The pilot project will involve the City Council’s Civic Amenity Site at Kinsale Road and three of Cork County’s eleven Civic Amenity sites; two in West Cork at Derryconnell and Clonakilty and one in East Cork at Raffeen.

This unique collaboration between Cork City and County Council will divert paint from disposal and incineration to provide affordable, good quality paint for reuse in the local community. Not only will the project benefit our environment, it will also deliver economically in terms of job creation and reduced costs for the community groups and individuals who use the paint.

A similar scheme run by the Rediscovery Centre in Dublin has been hugely successful and will provide mentoring for the new Cork scheme.

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Joe Kavanagh, commented,“This is a really exciting collaborative project which sees Circular Economy in action in our city. I am delighted to see that the paint reuse initiative will deliver environmental, economic and social benefits to the community and wish to congratulate all involved in securing the funding to establish such a project in Cork.”

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, said, “We’re all increasingly conscious of the finite nature of resources available to us. Circular economies keep products in use for as long as possible and avoid waste. I find it very encouraging to see this pilot Paint Re-use Scheme starting up. It’s positive news for the environment and for our communities and I hope it inspires more projects in the same vein.”

It is anticipated that the project will be up and running this month.

A 400-Year-old Connection Remembered

Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley welcomes the 400th anniversary of the foundation of Newport News in Virginia by Daniel Gookin of Carrigaline and William Neuce of Newcestown, County Cork. A commemorative webinar led by historians and academicians in both Cork and the USA, sponsored by Cork County Council, will take place on Saturday, November 21st 2020.

Daniel Gookin and William Neuce were English settlers in the Munster Plantation who used it as a stepping stone to invest in the development of the newly founded colony of Virginia. Its history has recently been revisited in the Sky Atlantic drama series “Jamestown”. William Neuce died soon after his arrival in Virginia in November 1621, but Gookin went on to establish the successful plantation of Newport News, transporting cattle from Ireland in the process. After beginning the New World venture, Gookin continued his interest in Cork with the family eventually moving to Courtmacsherry.

Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley said

“I am pleased to see this stellar line-up of speakers from both sides of the Atlantic, that have been brought together to explain the details and context of the English plantations in Munster and America. This is a great opportunity to learn about the impact the settlers and livestock transported from Ireland to the New World had and to explore the complexities of colonialism. This collaboration brings us closer to our transatlantic neighbors and deepens our understanding of our heritage.”

Organised by Dr. Hiram Morgan, UCC, the commemorative webinar will take place at 2.45pm 9.45pm GMT and 9.45am – 4.45pm EST on Saturday, November 21st. For more information on the event and for a link to attend, contact david.heffernan.history@gmail.comdavid.heffernan.history@gmail.com

Cork County Council presents the Children’s Book Festival Online

 As part of the Being Creative initiative, Cork County Council Library & Arts Service has transformed this year’s Children’s Book Festival (CBF) into a digital celebration of literature and creativity in County Cork. The new look festival is set to bring the cream of children’s literature and illustration to Cork, with authors making virtual visits to schools and interactive Zoom sessions broadcast in classroom smartboards across the county.

In other years the book festival, part of the national “Right to Read” initiative, has been unable to facilitate some rural locations due to constraints, this year however by the nature of the virtual event, many more schools across the county can participate. Eyeries, Béal na Marbh, Mallow and Cobh were some of the schools taking part last month while Leamlara, Vicarstown, Baltydaniel, Ahiohill, Clogagh, and Ballinspittle get their turn this month. Similarly, the wide range of authors and artists available virtually gives CBF an extra mix of local and international flavour this year.

Highlights include Wicklow based author and illustrator Alan Nolan, creator of the ‘Murder Can Be Fatal’ series, Limerick writer Judi Curtin of ‘Alice & Megan’ series, illustrator Tatyana Feeney bringing her inimitable illustration style, storyteller extraordinaire Paddy O’ Brien regaling tales as Gaeilge and as Bearla and bestselling author Cathy Cassidy joining in all the way from North Wales thanks to the magic of digital technology.

Also joining the stellar line-up is Oisín McGann, writer and illustrator in a range of genres for children and teenagers, mainly science fiction and fantasy, has illustrated many of his own short story books for younger readers and Natasha Mac a Bhaird, author of a children’s biography of Sonia O’Sullivan, who will “visit” two schools in Sonia’s hometown of Cobh.

Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley welcomed the virtual festival,

“This year’s Children’s Book Festival, brought to us by our Cork County Council Library and Arts Service, is part of the Council’s “Keep Well” Campaign, to promote health and wellbeing for everyone during these difficult times.  Authors have begun making virtual visits across Cork County to a great reception from the schools. The new digital approach to the annual event has proved a winning formula; the ease of access and use of resources provided by Cork County Council Libraries have made the visits entertaining and educational. The fantastic posters, reviews and stories created by the kids after author visits prove that festival has evolved and evoked a great response from everyone taking part in 2020. While we all look forward to a return to physical events for 2021, this year’s festival in its new format, visiting new places without ever having to leave the cosiness of the classroom setting, has been a great success.”

Cork County Council Commission Artwork Celebrating Community Cooperation in Pandemic

 Dromina-based artists, Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring, have been commissioned by Cork County Council to create an artwork to commemorate the communal spirit shown by the people of County Cork during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The new artwork, chosen following a public call for proposals by Cork County Council to artists based in Cork County, is to be located by the Public Library in Bruce Square, Charleville.

The Art Commission was initiated by former Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Ian Doyle, who, during his term of office, witnessed at first-hand the tremendous effort made by individuals and community organisations in a spirit of collaboration and co-operation, working together for the common good.

Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring, a husband and wife team, have been collaborating on public art for the past 20 years. Their work has developed from small low-relief wall panels, using cast aluminium as a medium, through to large scale public commissions combining a variety of different materials from cast bronze to wood, enamelled copper, glass, stone and stainless steel. One of their largest commissions commemorates the victims and survivors of the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, located at the Lusitania memorial on the Old Head of Kinsale. Their Aoife and Strongbow seat sculpture in Waterford City also garnered acclaim.

Welcoming the announcement, the current Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley said,

“This commission is very much of its time.  We are still in the midst of a major public health crisis and are again calling on everyone to continue to make sacrifices to reduce the transmission of Covid-19. The designs for this artwork also recognise the efforts made by health professionals and the various voluntary and statutory bodies who continue to work tirelessly for the common good.”

The artists, Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring explain,

“The idea behind our artwork stems from the continuing great effort that the community has taken to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, that has changed our lives in so many ways.  One of the main aspects of this effort was delivering physical, emotional and psychological support to all people cocooning and in need of help as a result of isolation and reduction in everyday services.  This community effort and cooperation contributes greatly to the struggle against this cruel and insidious virus that still lurks everywhere in the shadows.  We hope that our artwork will reflect this great communal spirit which we all share.”

Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey commented,

“Former Mayor Cllr. Ian Doyle is a longstanding supporter of the Arts and, among his many duties as an elected member, sits on the Council’s Arts, Culture and Languages Strategic Policy Committee.  I congratulate him on his vision in suggesting a public art commission as an appropriate way of marking community co-operation in this difficult time.  Artists have the ability to make us feel and share, through their creativity, some ideas and concepts that can be difficult to articulate. I look forward to seeing the completed artwork installed in Charleville in 2021.”

Cork Harbour Greenway Bike Repair Stations Trialled

Cork County Council’s trial installation of bike repair stations on the Cork Harbour Greenway, at both Passage West and on the Carrigaline to Crosshaven section, will allow cyclists to carry out minor repairs and pump tyres while on the go.

The popular route, used by leisure trippers and commuters alike, has seen 157,739 users accessing it at Passage West, 129,731 at Carrigaline and a further 95,601 at Crosshaven during the last twelve months alone.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley welcomed the pilot project saying,

“The public Cycle Repair and Pump Station will give Greenway users the opportunity to repair bikes and pump tires conveniently. Many commuters use this route as a sustainable way of getting to work and Cork County Council is keen to support more sustainable modes of travel. The stations have all the tools needed to carry out simple repairs and make an unwelcome puncture a lot less hassle.”

Each Repair Station is equipped with 10 tools, whether to pump a tyre, repair a frame, tighten a saddle or fix a chain; screwdrivers, adjustable spanners, skateboard tools, wrenches, hex key sets and tyre levers, are all available to use.

Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey, commented,

“Cork County Council supports and promotes alternative transport modes and there has been a significant increase in bicycle use since the onset of Covid 19.  We hope this pilot project will encourage further use of the Greenway and improve the user experience and if successful, we can look forward to rolling the project out elsewhere across County Cork.”

Communities urgently need financial help due to Covid-19

Due to Covid, many community facilities around the Cork City and County have been severely impacted financially. These crucial pieces of community infrastructure include Community centres, Community Gyms, Community Arts Centres, Community Theatres / indoor and outdoor astro turf facilities which have been closed since March

The closure of these community facilities means that the room rental on which they depend has dried up leaving them in some cases with no income whatsoever. Income from fundraising such as bingo, lotto, carboot sales, and other fundraising has all but vanished.

But community groups running these facilities still have bills to pay still such as electricity and gas to keep the place from becoming damp and mould, Water bills, Insurance cover, Loans payments, Legal costs for licence renewals etc


However no funding schemes are available to help the community groups who have had no income over the last seven months
Recent emergency funding schemes such as The Community Enhancement Programme 2020 focused on capital projects and the Community Emergency Fund 2020 scheme focussed on sanitising supplies only.  While the Municipal districts will open grant schemes in the new year, unfortunately again these will be for capital projects there are no grants available for operating costs


Cork County Federation Muintir na Tire is asking local and central government immediately to put in place an emergency funding scheme to help our communities to get through this tough time.

English Language Course - Beginners Mitchelstown FET Centre.

 

English Language Course - Beginners poster for our centre, Mitchelstown FET Centre.  

I would really appreciate it if you could share with those who may be interested in the course.

 

If you have any queries or questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

 

Thanking you.

 

Stay safe & well.

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Ria Breen 

Resource Worker, 

Cork ETB, 

Mitchelstown FET Centre, 

Forrest Hall, 

New Square, 

Mitchelstown, 

Co. Cork. 

P67 XY80 

Tel: 086 0484457