Cork commemoration guide to be published

Cork County Council will develop a comprehensive guide for the years 2025 to 2040 on how to identify, organise, and stage commemorations.

The local authority has said that the guide, which will be developed by Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting, will “serve as a resource for documenting, understanding, and celebrating the memorial landscape across the county”.

Through a process of public consultation and community engagement, the guide will offer insights in to how historical and contemporary events may be remembered in the years to come.

The initiative is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media.

Mayor of the County of Cork Joe Carroll, Fianna Fáil councillor, said that the guide will become “an essential tool for locals, visitors, historians, and cultural enthusiasts alike”, and will offer a “supportive resource for memorials, monuments, and commemorations throughout Cork for the next 15 years”.

Mr Carroll said: 

“I am confident that this project will enrich County Cork’s commemorative and cultural legacy and will ensure that our commemorative landscape continues to inspire and educate future generations.”

Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting will work closely with historians, with local heritage, and with community groups to map out County Cork’s rich commemorative landscape.

While the project will be largely informed by the results of public consultation, highlights will include a focus on the centenary of key events, such as the Irish revolutionary period, with updates to historical sites like Béal na Bláth.

The council said that the cultural legacy of the county will be a central theme, with suggestions on how to honour Cork’s creative writers, artists, poets, musicians, and other celebrated people.

These, it said, may include sculptures, murals, public art, bursaries, or festivals, which will ensure the county’s cultural heritage is celebrated for years to come.

A community consultation will be undertaken in the coming months, but anyone who wants to suggest a commemoration for inclusion can email commemorations@corkcoco.ie for more information.