Cork Gaelscoil hoists yet another Green Flag with Lord Mayor doing the honours 

A Cork city primary school recently raised their eighth Green Flag in a ceremony that included the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy.

Gaelscoil Mhachan, in Mahon, raised their eight Green Flag on Monday, September 25.

Gaelscoil Mhachan school principal Íde Ní Dhubháin said it was a very successful event.

“The Lord Mayor raised the green flag. We had our Green Schools Committee and the Mahon Tidy Towns Committee in attendance. The local community guard Conor Egan was also there.

“The Lord Mayor chatted with the students about the history of the city. The students also got the opportunity to ask him a few questions. It was a lovely event and a very successful day,” she said.

The primary school principal said they have been working on achieving Green Flags since 2006.

“You get your initial Green Flag, and you then have to renew it every two years. 

"We have been working on the flags since 2006.

“We were initially helped by the Mahon Community Development Project [MCDP]. All the students are involved. We have a green schools committee involving staff and students. We also have a student’s council.

“The latest Green Flag theme was based on global citizenship, so the students were aware of the world and the environment. They would constantly be doing recycling, monitoring waste and energy usage in the school. We have really reduced our waste going out. The Green Schools is a great concept and so important. We also achieved our Amber Flag this year. It is important to celebrate the achievements. The co-ordinator of the Green Schools is Gearoid Ó Murchú,” she added.

“It is so important that children are aware of environmental initiatives from a young age,” said Ms Ní Dhubháin. “We are already working on our next renewal which is on travel. We have had great help from Una Leader in Cork City Council. This will involve us coming up with ways to get the students to walk and cycle more to school. It is great for the kids to learn about the environment and use it then on a daily basis.”