A new book published by Cork County Older People’s Council collates Christmas memories from older citizens across the county.

The festive anthology, Memories of a Real Cork Christmas, contains stories and history from the 1940s onwards. 

The stories were collated and published as part of 'A Real Cork Christmas', an initiative of Cork County Council.

The collection of stories covers life in the four corners of Ireland’s largest county and promises to preserve a trove of Christmas traditions and childhood memories for future generations.

Under the umbrella of Cork County Council’s 'A Real Cork Christmas' initiative, the Cork County Age Friendly Programme invited members of Cork County Older People’s Council to send their stories of Christmas traditions and childhood memories of Christmas.

Such was the volume and quality of the response, the decision was taken to formally collate them and put them on the record using Cork County Council’s library network.

"Cork County Older People’s Council has been working tirelessly to support those who may feel alone and vulnerable, particularly this year," commented the County Mayor, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley.

"These citizens are amongst our most valuable, as their wisdom is a constant source of guidance and their stories deserve to be told," she continued.

Deputy Chief Executive of Cork County Council, James Fogarty said the stories told are evidently ones that "bring great happiness to the writers". 

"2020, for its many faults, has given us an opportunity to share that happiness more widely.

"These stories will now be preserved for the ages through a publication stored in our County Libraries. 

"I would like to sincerely thank the Cork County Older People’s Council and the staff of Cork County Council for bringing this idea to fruition," he continued.

Memories of a Real Cork Christmas is available online via www.corkcoco.ie, and will enjoy a limited print run for later distribution in county library branches.