Looking back at big moments for Knocknaheeny, Gurranabraher and Hollyhill in 2023
The iconic cross from the Church of the Ascension in Gurranabraher has been reinstated. Picture: Phelim Collins
This past year has been a major one for the Knocknaheeny, Gurranabraher and Hollyhill area.
There have been business developments, personal achievements, and most prominently, huge sporting achievements by a number of local people.
Looking back on 2023, two names spring straight to mind. Denise O’Sullivan and Amy O’Connor.
Amy, who plays for St Vincent’s was honoured in the clubhouse on Blarney Road in November after she won a PwC camogie All-Star award.
The Cork senior camogie captain was one of eight Rebel players who made this year’s All-Star team. She scored 3-7 to lead Cork to victory in this year’s All-Ireland final.
Meanwhile, in August, following the fantastic reception the Cork senior camogie team got in Cork city centre, they made their way up to Knocknaheeny to St Vincent’s where Amy and her teammates were once again celebrated.
Denise, on the other hand, was part of the first Irish women's soccer team to qualify for a world cup, and her family and friends were very excited.
Before she jetted off for the tournament, they along with hundreds of locals welcomed her back to Cork with a street party.
During this year, she was named captain of her club side North Carolina Courage and was also given a Cork Person of the Month award.
Separately, Gurranabraher Credit Union celebrated its 60th anniversary with a range of events throughout the year.
One of the events was an anniversary dinner held in the Metropole Hotel.
Members of the community, representatives of local schools, and the last surviving founding member of the credit union were among those present at this event and others.
A well-known local SuperValu has had some major upgrades, as Singleton’s SuperValu Hollyhill launched its new-look supermarket following a €2m investment.
The store revamp will create 10 additional jobs in Hollyhill and the surrounding areas, along with the 60 staff already employed there.
The new-look store offers an extended range of products, featuring a fresh deli counter and off-licence, alongside an enhanced bakery section, a prepared meal range zone, and a fresh Moo’d Irish ice-cream counter.
An iconic landmark of the northside’s skyline was reinstated at the Church of the Ascension in Gurranabraher in September.
The 15ft-high cross was damaged following a series of storms in February 2022, which caused it to tilt. The structure then fell from the church’s roof during heavy winds in March of that year and was subsequently removed.
Some 18 months later the cross was reinstated to its rightful place.
Some other notable achievements from 2023 include local girl Casey Cullinane being presented with an Individual Garda Youth Award.
While in March another milestone in the provision of top-class facilities at St Vincent’s GAA was reached when they held the official opening of a new hurling wall at their complex on Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny.
App?
