All About Cork: Holy Communions and community grants in Knocknaheehy

Young Social Innovators competition

Terence MacSwiney community college are among a number of Cork schools who have reached the finals of the Young Social Innovators competition.

They, along with students from three other schools in Cork, have been shortlisted for the Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards, due to take place on May 9 in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

The students will join finalists from 15 other counties who have reached the final of the prestigious awards for their social innovation projects across categories including, ‘Planet Protectors’, ‘Push Back on Poverty’ and ‘Make our World a Safer Place’.

The YSI awards, now in their 23rd year, celebrate excellence in youth-led social innovation nationwide and over forty teams successfully pitched to a panel of expert judges to earn a place on the 2024 shortlist.

Terence MacSwiney Community College are shortlisted for their Trendy Thrifting project, in the Sustainability for Our Planet Award category.

The other Cork schools travelling to the Aviva Stadium from Cork include Heart Secondary School, Convent of Mercy, Clonakilty, Patrician Academy, Mallow and Ballincollig Community School.

Speaking at the pitching event for the awards, held at the end of last month, CEO of YSI, Roger Warnock, said: “Due to the high quality of ideas this year, a larger number of teams (37) were selected for the final pitches. This demonstrates the ongoing passion, creativity and commitment of our young people, their teachers and parents to making their communities and the world a better place to live, working together to co-create engaging solutions to real-world issues they see around them.

“As always, the judging panel and I have been blown away by the research and expertise shown by the Cork students at the pitching event and we look forward to announcing the winners on the 9th of May in Dublin.”

Holy Communions held locally

Local children were among those to receive sacraments at the Church of the Ascension, Gurranabraher, this week.

Last Saturday, boys and girls from Scoil Padre Pio received their Holy Communion.

This week’s parish newsletter congratulated all involved.

“We congratulate our young girls and boys, who will have received their First Holy Communion this weekend. We thank their parents, who have journeyed with them up to this moment.

Our sincere gratitude to the staff at Scoil Padre Pio for their solid preparation, and for accompanying them on the big day.

Meanwhile, last Wednesday, older students also received their Sacrament of Confirmation.

In this week’s newsletter, once again the school was thanked for their preparation.

“Our gratitude to their parents, who have been their mentors for all those years,” it added.

Influence of AI in art

‘The Dancing Grass’, a solo exhibition by Gerry Davis is currently running in The Lord Mayor’s Pavilion, Fitzgerald’s Park.

Presented by Churchfield-based Sample Studios, Davis’ paintings mark a conclusion to the artists’ period of experimentation with AI-generated imagery in the painting process.

The idea of Irishness, the visual and musical arts, the dramatic landscapes of the west coast, serve as a kind of depiction of “authenticity” to which the artificiality of the AI images contrast. 

The works explore a persistent point of interest for the artist — the struggle between what’s genuine and what’s not in every facet of a studio practice.

It runs Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm until June 9.

Children from 6 to 16 invited to take part in TradCamp

Children of all abilities, between the ages of 6 and 16, are invited to join TradCamp 2024 for four days of trad music, song, and dance.

Registration is now open and it costs €45 per child. Students enrolled in Club Ceoil
Knocknaheeny, Scoil Íosagáin BNS Farranree, Scoil Aiséirí Chríost, St Mary’s on the Hill NS, Strawberry Hill NS, and all other Music
Generation schools are eligible for a special discount. The cost is €25 for those students.

The camp takes place from Monday to
Thursday July 1-4 from 9.30am-2pm at Scoil Íosagáin, Knockpogue Ave, Farranree.

People are asked to complete an online form here.

If you have any queries about TradCamp, contact creativetradition@gmail.com.

Friendly Call for volunteers

If you can spare a couple of hours a week and would like to tackle loneliness and isolation, please contact Fiona/Jackie by emailing them at friendlycall@partnershipcork.ie or call to their office in Parochial Hall, 114 Knockfree Avenue, Churchfield, Cork.

Marina choral performance

The St Vincent’s Hurling and Football club choir are set to perform at the Marina Market this afternoon at 2.30pm as part of the Cork Choral Festival (Non Competitive Section).

People are invited along to the event.

Groups can apply for grants

Community groups and sports clubs are being encouraged to apply for funding from a number of grant opportunities.

One of those is the Community Recognition Fund which supports the development of community infrastructure and facilities for the community in recognition of the contribution being made by communities across the country in welcoming and hosting significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries.

Last year, a number of local organisations benefitted, including €10,000 for the community room in the Let’s Grow Together project, and €11,000 for a woodland sensory play zone at St Mary’s Health Campus.

Visit https://www.gov.ie/en/service/e626a-community-recognition-fund-2023/ for more information.

The closing date for applications is Friday, May 31.

Computer skills course

Are you interested in gaining basic computer skills or furthering your skills to gain an
accredited qualification?

Cork College of FET Knocknaheeny Centre offers part-time, fully-funded computer classes.

They are now enrolling for September 2024.

Contact Kirsten on 086-1074204.

Have any Knockaheeny, Gurranabraher or Hollyhill news to share? Contact sarah.odwyer@theecho.ie