Videos and photographs: Marking another year of Lord Mayor school visits across Cork city

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle said: "It is an honoured tradition, unique to Cork. Visiting every place of learning. The schools go to a great deal of trouble in preparing for visits from the Lord Mayor. Some organise guards of honour, sometimes from infant classes, sometimes from the Student Council.

"School choirs often perform. Sometimes it’s a school song. Sometimes it’s The Banks. One memorable occasion a school took to the internet to download and learn a song I had written to sing to me!

"Many schools are rightly proud of their Green Flag committees. Flags get raised, but more often the programmes students are involved in were explained. Some schools have a horticulture programme. It was good to see some of the fine food being grown in places.

"This coincided with the message I wanted to pass onto the students. I have been telling them that they are growing people in a growing city, who should be aware and involved in growing things.

To every school I brought some seeds and a compost bin. Flower seeds to help with biodiversity; to help more bees collect pollen that helps more growth elsewhere.

"And there are food seeds. Food doesn’t come ready wrapped in plastic on supermarket shelves, I tell them. The compost bin is for helping produce food for the plants. An important part of the circle of life.

"I’m conscious of the honour I have is not only about visiting the schools to meet with young people and speak to them but also having the opportunity to listen to them. I believe this would have been part of the original purpose of the tradition established by our famous Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney.

"The questions I get from students are always interesting. Some have particular fascinations, especially with the mayoral chain. Is it really gold? How old is it? What does it weigh? They ask. Most of the answers are found on the reverse of the medallion on the chain. On that it says when it was made, where, by whom and for whom. The chain being almost 250 years old is a source of endless interest.

"I get asked which I prefer as a better footballer, Messi or Ronaldo? What sport I most like? Hurling, of course. And I get asked whether I’m a fan of Taylor Swift?

"Younger, more innocent, questioners ask if I am rich and do I live in a mansion, to which I answer, ‘if only!’.

"There are deeper questions. There is interest in how the Lord Mayor gets elected. Social concerns get expressed, such as being exposed to drugs paraphernalia on the streets.

The most curious question I have been asked, and no less valid for that, was what economic school theory I support!

"Many schools mark the visit by the Lord Mayor by making a presentation. These can be made by students at the school, sometimes from an art class or maybe a woodwork class. Other schools make a presentation of fundraising they have done on behalf of charities. All presentations are worthy. I’m humbled by the thought given to these offerings.

"The largest pride I take from visiting the schools of the city is in realising that our young people are bright, enthusiastic, talented, committed and prepared to make Cork a better place. Corcaigh Abú."

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