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From Jewellery Making events to Beach Yoga, Philosophy to Pilates we have had a great response thus far
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From Jewellery Making events to Beach Yoga, Philosophy to Pilates we have had a great response thus far
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Cork County Council has announced funding to the value of over €1.8million to support local communities in 2024. This is the Council’s tenth year providing the Community Fund Scheme which has assisted in delivering a host of valuable community initiatives right across Cork County every year.
The scheme provides financial assistance to a range of different community, sporting and voluntary organisations under three distinctive fund types: The Capital Fund, Community Contract, and Amenity Fund and is administered locally by Cork County Council’s eight Municipal Districts. These funds support a range of projects and initiatives, including supporting the work of Tidy Towns groups and community associations, infrastructural works, and sports and leisure facilities.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn welcomed the return of the scheme for 2024 saying, ‘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’ scheme to make a real difference to your local area.’
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie O’Sullivan added ‘The Community Fund Scheme has always been a welcome boost for our towns and villages. I’m pleased to announce that we have made €1.8m in support available again this year which exemplifies the Council‘s commitment to supporting communities in their efforts to continually enhance and improve the quality of life in their locality.’
Applications will close at 4:00pm on Tuesday the 13th of February 2024.
Guidelines for the scheme and application details are available by visiting https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/

Cork County Council is inviting applications from community and voluntary groups for funding under the new Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) and Women’s Groups Fund 2024.
Funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development, the €254,559 LEP capital only fund will help groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with funding for small scale capital projects such as improvements to their facilities and purchase of equipment.
Within the LEP, €40,926 will be available for the Women’s Groups Fund to assist groups and clubs with small capital projects and equipment purchases, as well as the continued support of Women’s Sheds Groups.
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie O’Sullivan, added, “Cork County Council’s Local Enhancement Programme is targeted towards enhancing facilities for communities impacted by disadvantage, as identified in the Local Economic and Community Plan. The new scheme follows on from the very successful Community Support Fund in 2023 which supported over 180 groups in Cork County. Funds such as these help communities turn their aspirations into reality, in turn building stronger, more vibrant communities for residents and visitors alike.”
The Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) Fund can be used to develop and improve facilities, for once-off maintenance, upgrade to amenities or equipment as well as for energy efficiency type projects. Grants will be available for projects of €1,000 or less and over €1000. The LEP is supported by Cork County Council’s three Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs).
The closing date for applications is Monday the 26th of February at 3:00pm. Applications can be made online via Cork County Council’s website at www.corkcoco.ie
For further information, contact the Council’s Local Community Development Unit on 021- 4285561 or 021-4285828 or email communitydevelopmentunit@corkcoco.ie
SHEP Cork Short (8 week) Community Education Courses
Spring 2024 Application Form
Applicant’s Name:
Address:
Home Phone:
Mobile Phone:_____________________ ______ E-mail Address:_______________________
Who to call in case of emergency: Name __________________ Number ___________________
Where did you hear about the courses? _____________________________________________
If referred to the course by another person, please specify? _____________________________
Why are you applying for the course? _______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Please specify if any special/medical needs that we should be aware of for practical purposes?
________________________________________________________________________________
Please specify any additional support you may need to participate (e.g. support with Zoom?)
_______________________________________________________________________________
If you wish, please provide a copy of welfare payment, as priority is given in allocating places
Please √ the Course Applied For (and 1 st & 2 nd preference if applying for more than one)
IN-PERSON – SHEP Project Centre, Ardfoyle, Ballintemple, Cork City (T12 Y304)
CN003871 – Managing Stress (Monday morning 10.30am to 1pm). – No Charge □
CN003872 - Seasons for Growth (Monday night 7.30pm to 10pm). – No Charge □
CN003874 - Effective Communication (Tues morning 10.30am to 1pm). – No Charge □
CN003873 - Introduction to PD (Wed night 7.30pm to 10pm). – No Charge □
CN003875 - Effective Communication (Thurs night 7.30pm to 10pm). – No Charge □
ON-LINE – Zoom On-line through SHEP
CN003877 – Managing Stress (Mon night 7pm to 9.30pm). – No Charge □
CN003876 - Introduction to PD (Wednesday nights 7.00pm to 9.30pm). – No Charge □
CN003878 - Seasons for Growth (Wednesday night 7.00pm to 9.30pm). – No Charge □
Where a course is over-subscribed, we give weighting to a number of factors,
details of which are available on the website or by phone. Applicants will be
contacted a week in advance of the commencement date with offers of places
On-line courses this Spring 2024, will have 14-16 participants max, and use
Zoom. Guidelines to all participants on accessing and using Zoom will be given
prior to course commencement - individual support is also available.
Applicants need to be age 18 years or over. Where an applicant, or the Project
wish to check out readiness to participate on a particular course, the co-ordinator
will arrange to talk this through and maybe meet the person
Please read info overleaf on ‘how we use personal data’ prior to signing
application. All above course tutor hours are CETB funded. Once course
commences, a registration form will also be asked to be completed.
Signature:__________________________________________ Date:_____________
Please return this Application Form to SHEP, Old National School, Ardfoyle Avenue,
Ballintemple, Cork (T12 XDH2) (021-4666180) or email to info@socialandhealth.com
How will SHEP use Personal Data of course
participants?
SHEP asks only for the minimum information from course applicants, sufficient enough to
process applications and course participations. You have rights in relation to your own
personal information used by SHEP, including right to object to processing and right of
access to your own personal information. We genuinely encourage you, if you have any
queries or concerns about how your personal data will used or stored, to talk with SHEP
training staff on 021 4666180 or email us at info@socialandhealth.com . SHEP’s purposes
for gathering information are:
To contact you about your application;
To follow up with you after the application is received and administer your
application as required;
To manage course processes (including commencement, completion, progressions,
course payments where relevant, course evaluations, project statistical reporting);
To maintain your participant training record (including personal & course details)
To share information with course facilitators, organisations involved collaboratively
in courses, or where there is a fee funding support being sought. Only necessary
information is shared and SHEP will be transparent with you.
Where information is to be disclosed beyond the purpose above, specific additional
consent will be sought from you
Participant information is stored on secure, protected cloud based and in-house specialised
training and education database. Hard copy information is stored in secured cabinets.
Information is only accessed for the above purposes and only accessed by authorised SHEP
training, administration and accounts staff.
As an applicant for one of SHEP’s courses, we ask that you read and understand the above
data protection statement and application form carefully. On this application form we need
your signature to:
1. Confirm that you have read, understood and give consent to how SHEP will store, use
and access the personal information you provide.
We are committed to ensuring that any information we collect is handled in accordance
with the principles set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU)
2016/679) and the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018. SHEP’s detailed Data Protection
Policy and time scales for retention of information is available at
Cork County Council’s Creative Communities Programme Fund 2024 is now open for applications which focus on new and ambitious projects that establish cultural and creative activities with communities across Cork County. This year, for the first time, the fund will be available for projects of one, two, or three year duration.
The Fund also assists projects that involve both community groups and the creative sector, such as artists, designers, makers, or arts organisations. Successful projects will include communities collaborating with a creative person or organisation which supports or improves the quality of life and wellbeing in the community. Activities could include events, research, workshops, conversations, placemaking programmes, or programmes that include multicultural or multigenerational communities.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn welcomed the funding, saying ‘Cork County Council is delighted to support creativity across our communities with the support of Creative Ireland. The ambition to make creativity part of everyone’s life is vital to placemaking, community building, and our own wellbeing. With this fund, I hope to see communities come together to work on creative projects. Communities may be a specific place such as a town or village, but may also be communities of interest, such as groups of people who share an identity, or those who share an experience. We look forward to seeing the outcomes over the next three years.’
In 2023, Cork County Council’s Creative Communities Programme funded, among others, the ‘Company of Trees’. The ‘Company of Trees’ is an intergenerational art collaboration between a group of children in West Cork’s Kilmeen National School and a collection of older persons from the wider Kilmeen community, affectionately known as the 'Gransterz'. The project was initiated in 2018 and culminated with a multimedia exhibition representing all six years of an intergenerational journey that revolved around exploring and experiencing trees through arts sessions on location in Kilmeen and Castlefreke Woods.
Applications can be made for projects that will be one, two, or three years in duration. There will be a maximum award of €10,000 for a one-year project, €20,000 for a two-year project, or €30,000 for a three-year project, with a minimum award of €2,000, €4,000, and €6,000, respectively. Applications open until February 23rd, 2024.
The Creative Communities Programme is funded by Creative Ireland, a government initiative designed to promote creativity as a strategy for wellbeing, social cohesion, and economic success. Its core proposition is that participation in cultural and creative activity promotes individual, community and national wellbeing.
A special information session in relation to the programme will take place online on February 1st at 1pm. To register for this session or for funding queries please email creativeireland@corkcoco.ie. Applications for the fund can be made by visiting https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/
National Heritage Week 2024 will take place this year from 17th-25th August and will celebrate the theme of Connections, Routes and Networks.
During National Heritage Week 2024 taking place from 17th - 25th August, we are encouraging you to explore the physical, cultural and natural connections in your community and beyond.
How do we connect to each other, through roads, rivers, rail or waterways? What are the cultural connections like sports or past-times that bring us together? How does our environment and natural landscape create connections?
Explore this year’s theme and how you can participate in National Heritage Week 2024 by visiting https://www.heritageweek.ie/

Works are to commence (February 2024) on improving pedestrian safety in the town of Charleville.
The existing 5 pedestrian crossings within the town will be refurbished and upgraded to “table top” pedestrian crossings and each crossing will have improved visibility for pedestrians and motorists. There will be an additional pedestrian crossing constructed in the vicinity of the junction at Broad Street within the Town.
The southbound bus stop will be moved southwards to facilitate a lesser gradient slope when entering/exiting buses at this stop. It will also allow for easier access for bus users to the nearest pedestrian crossing.
The northbound bus stop will be separated from the existing loading bay area in this location so as to have a separate space for a loading bay and a separate space for the bus stop. This will improve the facilities for buses and deliveries within the town which as people know is a bottleneck in the town currently.
Cork County Council will also be introducing a No Right-Turn from Newline onto the N20 and also No Right-Turn from Broad Street onto the N20 so as to allow all traffic exiting at both these junctions to do so with the traffic and not allowed to cross the N20 at these locations which holds up traffic flow through the town.
Cork County Council is working with TII and the local business community in Charleville in order to provide additional parking off the main street in Charleville. Once this is achieved, the herringbone (angle in) parking will be removed and replaced with parallel parking. This will be a significant step forward in removing the need for people parking on the main street to reverse out on the N20 when exiting their parking.
Cork County Council will also be assessing the junctions entering and exiting Baker’s Road in order to improve these junctions for motorists and pedestrians.
Cork County Council in conjunction with TII is also proceeding with the strategic assessment report in order to progress with an Eastern Relief Road in Charleville. This will continue in 2024.
Cork County Council is inviting applications for funding under the Cork County Local Festival Fund 2024, a competitive grant scheme supporting the development of festivals that drive domestic tourism and help to improve the visitor experience.
A total of €85,000 is available through the Local Festival Fund for 2024 and applicants can apply for funding up to a maximum of €6,000 per festival. Funding is provided by Fáilte Ireland, at 50%, with Cork County Council providing the additional 50% match funding.
A festival may be eligible for funding under the Local Festival Fund, if:
Welcoming the announcement of the scheme for 2024, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn said, ‘Cork County Local Festival Fund 2024 will support some of Cork’s most exciting and unique festivals in 2024. Festivals have huge positive effects on our towns and villages. Not only do they promote cultural heritage and foster community pride, they also are a huge boost to the economy. As well as bringing local communities together, local festivals have the potential to attract thousands of visitors to Cork County to experience our rich culture, deep rooted traditions and vibrant community spirit.’
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie O’Sullivan added, ‘This year, Cork County Council has increased its funding in support of local festivals and events, with a renewed emphasis on sustainability. Demonstrating our ongoing commitment to Climate Change, part of the total fund of €85,000 will be allocated to successful Local Festival Fund applicants that demonstrate festival greening measures using sustainable best practices. Cork County hosts an array of distinctive and exciting festivals of all sizes and we are delighted to support the groups and communities that work tirelessly to bring these events to life for everyone to enjoy.’
Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals at Fáilte Ireland, said, “Festivals and events play a key role in delivering brilliant visitor experiences, providing a unique reason for visitors to choose a destination and increasing footfall for local businesses, supporting jobs and revenue generation. Managed by Cork County Council, the Local Festival Fund will support festivals that drive domestic demand and enhance the visitor experience across Cork County. I am delighted to see that Cork County Council has, once again this year, placed an increased emphasis on sustainable festivals. This year, funding is available, additional to the Local Festival Funding, for festivals who demonstrate the capability of implementing festival ‘greening’ measures to consciously reduce their impact on the environment.”
Further information on the Local Festival Fund, including application criteria is available at the following link: Grants and Funds
Online applications close on Friday the 26th of January at 5.00pm. For further details contact LocalFestivalFund@CorkCoCo.ie.
Cork County Council is inviting owners and custodians to apply for funding to safeguard archaeological monuments in County Cork under the 2024 Community Monuments Fund.
The Community Monuments Fund will enable conservation works to be carried out on archaeological monuments which are deemed to be significant and in need of support. It aims to build resilience in monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change, to encourage access to monuments and to improve their presentation. The Scheme has three streams of funding, all of which offer up to 100% of eligible costs. The Community Monuments Fund, for example, which has been operating annually since its establishment in 2020, has seen an investment of over Nine Hundred Thousand Euro (€911K) for 17 different archaeological sites in County Cork.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn said, ‘Heritage is all around us, it is what defines us as a people. How we regard our heritage and how we protect and promote it is of the utmost importance. I encourage people to avail of these schemes to protect the old buildings that we work in or live in, and the thousands of archaeological monuments reminding us that this county has been home to millions of people over thousands of years. This generation and each successive one needs to do what they can towards ensuring that the built and archaeological heritage held dear today, can be marvelled at, and enjoyed for many more years to come’.
The deadline for submission of completed applications under the 2024 Community Monuments Fund is 4.00pm on Wednesday, 31st of January 2024. Applications can be made by emailing corkheritage@
Do you have a passion for some of the many wonderful attractions in Mitchelstown and surrounding areas? Would you like to help attract more visitors to the area and encourage them to stay for longer: creating a great place to live, interesting new roles in tourism-related activities and prosperity for our area?
Join us on Thursday 25 Jan at 7pm in Forrest Hall where we will be having our first kick-off meeting. For more information contact [Ciara]0868930620

Green energy businesses, social enterprises, multinational companies, visitor centres, food producers and service providers are in the running to be named the Mayor of the County of Cork’s Best Overall Business.
The Best in Cork Awards aims to recognise the vital contributions businesses and tourism providers make to the County of Cork and the inaugural winners will be revealed at a gala ceremony at Cork County Hall on Tuesday, February 13th.
A total of 44 businesses have been shortlisted across eight categories. Divisional finals were held during November and December for Best Small Business, Best Medium Business and Best Start-up. The finalists of the remaining five categories have now been revealed.
The shortlist for Best Large Business is made up of: Hanley Calibration, PV Generation Ltd, Fota Island Resort, Merck, Celtic Ross Hotel and Eli Lilly Cork.
The finalists in Best Green Innovation are: Climeaction, Atlantic Flight Training Academy, Tower Garden, Ballymaloe House Hotel, Hanna’s Bees and Polar IceTech.
The Connection to the Community category is made up of: The Ludgate Hub, Celtic Ross Hotel, Sli Eile Support Services, Synergy Credit Union, West Cork Connects and The Culinary Celt.
There are two tourism categories, Best Tourist Attraction (Paid) is made up of: Clonakilty Black Pudding Visitor Centre, Allihies Copper Mine Museum, ÓTuama Tours, Atlantic Sea Kayaking, Ballyhass Adventure Group and Kinsale Food Tours. The shortlist for attractions that don’t have an admission charge is: The Donkey Sanctuary, Sirius Arts Centre, Wanderly, Tiny Feet Fairy Garden and Doneraile Art FesT.
Bespoke trophies are being crafted by County Cork woodturner Abe Cashman for the winners. Each piece is created using reclaimed and salvaged wood such as old floorboards, ceiling joists or off cuts from furniture making.
The awards are being judged by an independent panel of judges that includes entrepreneurs DC Cahalane and Ingrid Seim; Acting Director of Service, Corporate Services, Cork County Council, Nicola Radley; Managing Director of Trigon Hotels Aaron Mansworth and former CEO of Red FM Diarmuid O’Leary.
The awards ceremony, at Vertigo, Cork County Hall, will be presided over by Cork native and Virgin Media Presenter Elaine Crowley. The winners of each category will be announced before the Mayor of the County of Cork’s Overall Business of the Year is revealed.
The full list of finalists are as follows:
BEST START-UP
BEST SMALL BUSINESS
BEST MEDIUM BUSINESS
BEST LARGE BUSINESS
GREEN INNOVATION
CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY
BEST TOURIST ATTRACTION (PAID)
BEST TOURIST ATTRACTION (FREE)

The finalists have been announced for Cork County Council’s inaugural Best in Cork awards which take place on Tuesday, February 13th. A total of 44 businesses are in the running to be named the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn’s Best Overall Business. Bespoke trophies, made using reclaimed and salvaged wood, are being crafted by woodturner Abe Cashman. Pictured at his workshop in Ballinhassig are Abe Cashman, woodturner and Mayor Frank O’Flynn. Pic: Brian Lougheed