A HOST of events, projects and ceremonies taking place this year will commemorate the centenary of important historic events in Cork. Thirty-one projects have been awarded money by Cork City Council for commemoration events.

The first tranche of funding as part of the 2020 Centenary Commemoration fund has been announced, with a total of €75,000 awarded to various organisations.

There are three funding streams by which the applicants were grouped - Tier 1 less which is than €5,000, Tier 2 is €5,000-€15,000 and Tier 3 is €15,000 plus.

The successful applicants were chosen as they represent the principles and values the council wishes to enshrine. Applications were classified according to geography, community buy-in, and international dimension.

They were also judged by four council officials, alongside the Lord Mayor Councillor John Sheehan, under different categories such as events, music, exhibition, sport, public realm, art, education, community, and legacy.

Some 61 applications were received by the council for the fund, seeking a total of €467,534. A total of €75,000 was allocated to 31 projects in the first round of funding.

Ordinary people who took part in the struggle and their perseverance in the face of adversity are set to be honoured, as are the Fire Brigade and their heroic efforts and resilience in rebuilding the city after the Burning of Cork in December 1920.

Some of the projects will “respect the past with an eye to the future, and examine events in the context of the time in which they happened,” according to council documentation.

City Hall is hoping that the chosen projects will recognise that “history is not black and white, that stories must be told from all sides”.

Cork City Council’s aim is that the Commemoration will help people learn more about contemporary society, by giving people a deeper understanding of how Irish society was shaped by the past.

The events taking place across the city will focus on the role of community in the city of Cork, to reaffirm the city’s community ties, with family orientated events that will be inclusive of all sectors of society.

A number of schools including both the North Monastery Secondary School and Primary School, as well as St Vincent’s Secondary School were awarded funding in the first tranche, while many community groups and services received funding also.

While an official programme of events has not yet been published by Cork City Council, the first major commemorative event is due to take place on March 20.

That date marks the date former Lord Mayor Tomás MacCurtain died after being shot aged 36. Following his death, his house on Thomas Davis Street in Blackpool was ransacked.

A number of events are expected to take place across that weekend, both in Blackpool and in the city, to commemorate this pivotal incident of the War of Independence.

A spokesperson from Cork City Council said: “We are in the process of establishing an online calendar of events that will capture Cork City Council events along with events being funded through the Cork Commemoration Fund.

“We are in the process of finalising the details.”