Ask for Angela

Brilliant new campaign enabling those who feel vulnerable to "Ask for Angela "at participating bars and clubs throughout #Cork city.
Well done to all involved The scheme has the backing of An Garda Siochana, Cork VFI, Cork City Council, Purple Flag and UCC and CIT student unions.

Muintir na Tire Cork Schools Garden Competition

We are now open for entries for 2018

Enter Here

Read Full terms and Conditions here

AIMS

• 
  

  The aim of the 'Cork Schools Competition' is to support pupils, teachers in County Cork to bring nature, wildlife, plants and colour into their school garden/grounds, to promote horticulture and biodiversity and to give students a chance to interact with the environment and nature in a positive way. 
• Climate Change and Gardening
  Special Awards for  the following elements
  Up-Cycling  Upcycling in the garden helps lessen the amount of waste going into landfills. Upcycling helps reduce CO2 emissions by using old materials instead of new ones. Schools are encouraged to rethink, repair, refurbish along with reusing & recycling items. E.g. Fairy Houses made from recycled materials, but don’t damage trees.
  Food Production  Being able to grow food without pesticides and eat it straight from the garden is superior in every way to produce that is pumped full of additives, packed to prevent it deteriorating, transported and then sold as ‘fresh’. Schools are asked to grow in  raised beds and containers, Plant Fruit Trees, Fruit Bushes, Practice Rotation, Weeding,  Labelling, Use of Composting, Rain Water Harvesting, Wormeries etc.
  Biodiversity/Wildlife/ Native Flowers and Plants. It is now widely recognized that climate change and biodiversity are interconnected. Biodiversity is affected by climate change, with negative consequences for human well-being, but biodiversity, through the ecosystem services it supports, also makes an important contribution to both climate-change mitigation and adaptation.   We are looking for Natural hedges, log piles, bird boxes, bird tables, wildflower meadows, nature  trails, use of native flora, organic manures and  natural pest control.
  Bee Friendly Garden. Loss of natural and semi-natural habitats has been a key driver in pollinator declines. The availability of food plants and nesting sites has been drastically reduced through conversion of low-intensity farmland and semi-natural land to intensive farmland, forestry and urban/industrial use.  Griffins Garden Centre will again be presenting a special award  for the school which is most  bee friendly  and encourages  pollination
  

  We are also looking for Gardens that include
  Art and colour   Using art  and Colour in the garden to enhance its  features and characteristics . Try using upcycled .materials
  Imaginative use of limited space.  For schools with very limited space ie. Small Courtyards,  Limited Soil Space, Use of  Tubs, Containers, Window Boxes, Paths, Borders, Walls etc.
   Innovation and Creativity  In recognition of the Creative Ireland Programme, this category encourages innovative garden elements, using new and unique features to inspire others
  

  Fun and Play The degree to which the garden contributes to

  opportunities for fun and play in the school

  Learning experience The degree to which  the garden is used as a learning tool within the school and the amount of children who participate.

  Planning and Community Involvement The  degree to which the wider community  support the  original design, construction and ongoing development of the school garden.

  Use of Irish Language in Garden (New)

  In recognition of 2018 being Bliain NA Gaeilge we are introducing a special element this year for the use of Irish  of the garden . For example tree names in Irish, labelling and other signage in Irish..

The competition is open to all primary schools in  Cork County Council administrative area who have a school garden or are in the process of developing one.  The school decides on the participants for the competition, this will consist of pupils and adults. The pupils can be members of one class or representatives from a few classes. The adults may be teachers, school gardener or parents).   The judges will include a horticulturist, an Environmental Awareness Officer, Heritage Officer and a member of Cork County Federation Muintir na Tíre.

Hello Spring Party at Griffins

Kids

 

Free Event : No booking required.

 To Welcome Spring 2018, Griffins are hosting there annual Hello Spring Party at Griffins `Dripsey on Saturday 10th February from 12-4 . All Kids and families welcome
 Join Fairy Queen Kate and learn to plant up a compostable cup of Bee friendly Flowering seeds to take and nurture for their Garden. As Queen Kate and all the team at Griffins say Plant Flowers and The Bees will follow. Enjoy Free Face painting and great prizes to be won.

Spring 2018

Slug Club Programme:

Booking Opening Soon 

Saturday 24th February 3pm: 

Bubbley Butterflies and busy bees : love  nectar. 

 

Saturday 10th March 3pm

Plantalicious:. Grow your own vegies from seed.  

 

Saturday 24 march 3pm

Potty about potatoes and Herbs 

 

Saturday 7th April 3pm 

Mini Gardens for fairies and Dragons  

 

Saturday 21 April 3pm:

Earth day: Thanking Nature with Colourful creations

 

The Slug Club is the coolest gardening club for kids in Ireland! During the Slug Club terms , we meet every second Saturday here at Griffins and learn so much about the wonders of nature while having a whole lot of fun!

Each session is different from the last, and we cover everything from planting your own vegetables to making awesome scarecrows. The kids always have a great time making friends and learning the magic of the great outdoors, all while supervised by our trained staff. We understand that these days, more than ever, it is so important to get children to stay active and healthy and we are proud to say that over the past few years we have inspired many children to spend time outdoors and get involved in nature and the wonderful benefits of gardening!

 Suitable for Children that are attending Primary school

• Each Slug Club session costs €10 per child and is on at 3 PM

  

 

What you get:

• Valuable lessons on nature & well-being!

• A super fun experience each time!

 info@griffinsgardencentre.ie or text 0879517574

GIY Weekly Column Growing Spuds And Buying Polytunnels

Spuds are everyone's favourite, easy to grow, need very little space digging them up is like finding gold...

If you don’t have much space, you can still quite successfully grow potatoes in large pots or containers. The pots will need to be relatively deep - about 50-75 cm deep so the spuds have the depth of soil they need to grow.

Put a layer of compost (10cm) on the bottom of the pot and place the seed potato on it, then cover it with another 10cm layer of compost and water in. Each time the top of the leaf pops out over the soil cover it over again – you can continue with this until the pot is full. This plays a little trick on the poor potato plant because it has to grow more stem to get out of the soil - more stem growth means more space for the potatoes to grow. If sowing them at this time of the year, cover them with fleece at night.

Alternatively you could try growing spuds in a compost bag. Buy a bag of compost (3 bags usually cost about €15), open it carefully (don’t rip the bag), and empty out the compost. Roll the top of the bag down about half way. Put a small layer of compost back in to the bottom of the bag and put two or three seed potatoes on top (spaced as far apart as you can). Cover them with another layer of compost. Store the remaining compost – you will need it later for earthing up.

Each time you see a shoot appearing above the soil, cover it up with more compost and unroll the bag slightly. Keep adding compost every time a shoot appears until you have used up all the compost and the bag is fully unrolled and full of compost again. You will need to water the plants daily as there is a risk with this type of growing that the compost will dry out – make sure it doesn’t. 

When the plants are finished flowering, empty the bag carefully and harvest your lovely spuds. You can spread the compost in the vegetable garden but don’t re-use it for growing spuds. You can sow early spuds under cover (i.e. a polytunnel or greenhouse) from now.  If leaving the container outside, wait until mid March to sow.

The Basics; Buying a Polytunnel

A polytunnel extends your growing season at both ends and brings a warmer, drier climate to a corner of your garden.  Here are our top tips if you are considering buying one:

• Get as big and tall a polytunnel as you can possibly afford or have space for – you will always want more space for growing and the head-space will be appreciated when digging etc.
• A typical tunnel for home gardeners is 3x6m/10x20ft in size with a height of about 2m/6ft.  For suppliers, check out Colm Warren Polytunnels (www.cwp.ie), D-Plant www.dplant.ie) or Polydome (www.polydome.ie).
• It should be positioned on well-drained soil and on level ground, in a sunny spot, orientated east-west.
• Chose a warm, dry day for erecting the tunnel.  This will make the polythene supple and therefore easier to pull tight.  Get lots of help – it’s perfect meitheal work.  Proper anchoring of the plastic in the soil is vital – otherwise the whole thing could blow away in a gale. 
• In the summer there can be extreme heat in the tunnel.  Therefore you should build in as much ventilation as possible, i.e. wide doors at both ends with ventilation panels.
• If well fitted and maintained (washed each year with a soft brush and warm, soapy water), the polythene can last 10-15 years.
• Watering is essential, especially in summer.  Having a tap in the tunnel, or at least close enough for a hose connection, will save a lot of effort!
• A bench, shelf or table in a polytunnel provides a great location for propagating seeds and bringing on seedlings.
• Read up! I can highly recommend Joyce Russell’s excellent book on the subject, The Polytunnel Book (Frances Lincoln) and Klaus Laitenberger’s Vegetables for the Polytunnel and Greenhouse.

Job Vacancies at Cork County Council

Cork County Council is an equal opportunities employer. 

The following are the current Job Vacancies available:

 Senior Resident Engineer - Road Construction Supervision

 Resident Executive Engineer - Road Construction Supervision

 Assistant Resident Engineer - Road Construction Supervision

 Resident Technician/Clerk of Works - Road Construction Supervision

 Resident Graduate Engineer - Road Construction Supervision

 Assistant Planner

 Executive Planner

 Assistant Safety Advisor

 Clerk of Works

 Assistant Solicitor

 Retained Firefighter Millstreet

 Temporary Seasonal Drivers - North and South Cork

 Beach Lifeguards 2018 Season

Contact Us

Recruitment,

Tel: (021) 4285511 Email:recruitment@corkcoco.ie

We All Have a Dream Field of Dreams Cork Down Syndrome

 We All Have a Dream

Our purpose is to create a horticultural centre for adults with Down syndrome, supported by a diverse network of professionals, volunteers, industry and state bodies.

Our pilot project got underway on the 25th of September.

We anticipate that Field of Dreams will become a meaningful place of learning and experiences for adults in a secure, inspirational and fun environment.

Through a blend of structured programmes (including cookery, IT, retail, hospitality and drama) participants will enjoy the opportunity to enhance their work and life skills in a horticultural environment.

As 95% of adults with Down syndrome are currently unemployed, a key element of the programme will be collaborating with Companies and Businesses in Cork, supporting them in offering work experience/job placement opportunities to Field of Dreams graduates.

At  Down Syndrome Cork, we are passionate about showing the people of Cork and beyond what adults with Down syndrome can do, what children with Down syndrome can aspire to.  When we are talking about adults with Down syndrome, we want the conversation to change…to include words such as  ‘aspire… goals… dreams… opportunities… plans… future…’.  The Field of Dreams is our vehicle for igniting that change.

Progress Update re boundary in Cork

·         A compromise boundary alteration was agreed (in principle) between the County CE and the City CE on 1^st December

·         This was discussed and debated with political representatives at meetings on 4^th December. The County Councillors neither accepted nor rejected it at that meeting

·         A special meeting of County Councillors was held on 15^th December

·         The members rejected the proposal of 1^st December, and called for more time to agree the finer details at a local level.

·         The members also requested updated legal advice in order to examine the legal options

·         They asked the County Mayor to make immediate contact with the Lord Mayor to continue talks

·         The Lord Mayor subsequently rejected the request for further talks

·         Just before Christmas, the Minister announced his intention to proceed with the drafting of primary legislation to give the change legislative effect. This is based on the compromise proposal of 1^st December subject to a technical analysis being undertaken of 5 geographic areas (circled blue) on the map.

In summary:

·         The fact that the Minister has announced his intention to proceed with primary legislation means that it is unlikely that legal action can now be pursued

·         Primary legislation means that a Bill will go through the Houses of the Oireachtas (Dail and Seanad) and will need to be passed by majority vote

·         (For info, the other option open to the Minister was to sign a Ministerial Order. This would mean the changes would happen sooner, but the risk was that the process undertaken over the past 2 years could have been challenged, and this could have resulted in the whole boundary alteration being stalled).

Transferring to the City

·         Ballincollig

·         Blarney

·         Tower

·         Ballyvolane

·         Glanmire

·         Douglas

·         Rochestown

·         Togher

Staying in County

·         Killumney/Ovens

·         Passage West

·         Little Island

·         Glounthaune

·         Carrigtwohill