All About Cork: Indian locals celebrate autumn Durga Puja festival

Ballincollig GAA Club recently hosted a gathering of Cork’s Indian community for a celebration of Durga Puja, an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent. 

Durga Puja pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga, and during the autumn season, it is believed that Durga descends from her heavenly abode to the mortal Earth to defeat evil.

The guest of honour was Lord Mayor of Cork, Green Party councillor Dan Boyle, and one of the organisers, Ranu Kundu, told The Echo it had been their first time organising the festival in Cork.

“We were complete amateurs in every sense when we started planning the event in March 2024,” she said.

“The journey from conceptualisation to execution has been nothing short of remarkable. Over the course of the planning process, we achieved significant milestones that we initially thought were far beyond our reach.

“One of the major highlights was successfully shipping the festival’s idol all the way from India—a logistical feat that required months of coordination and dedication.” 

The organisers were able to secure sponsorships that helped them to elevate the overall experience for everyone involved.

“These partnerships added a layer of professionalism and community spirit to our event,” Ms Kundu said.

“As first-time organisers, we hadn’t anticipated achieving this level of success, but our perseverance and the collective efforts of everyone involved allowed us to overcome challenges and exceed expectations.” 

She added that turnout had greatly exceeded organisers’ hopes, with more than 300 people attending the festival.

“The event was made even more special by the presence of the Lord Mayor, whose participation added an extra layer of significance and recognition to our efforts,” she said.

“We believe this is just the beginning of something much bigger. As we look ahead, we plan to expand and improve the festival, building on the strong foundation we’ve laid this year.

“With the experience we’ve gained, we’re confident that future editions will attract even larger crowds and become a key highlight on the cultural calendar,” Ms Kundu said.

White Horse Comedy returns

The White Horse Comedy Club returns for November with host and MC, Chris Kent, joined by special guests, Alison Spittle and Stephen Ryan.

Kent is taking time from his Back At It tour to do MC duties for the night, and his guests have burgeoning careers.

In fairness to Spittle, few comedians’ Wikipedia pages contain phrases such as: “In January 2022, Alison announced she had quit all social media after eating some pink chicken and realising she needed to turn her life around”. A regular on TV, she needs little introduction, and probably wouldn’t want one anyway.

Ryan is a Limerick comedian with a smug persona and a sonorous, actorly delivery. He has performed at some of the biggest comedy festivals in Ireland and the UK, and is recognisable from television and film, featuring in, among other shows, the Rubberbandit’s guides. For further information, see whitehorse.ie.

Parkrun volunteering

Volunteers are sought for Ballincollig Parkrun, a weekly, timed, 5km run organised by locals.

Organisers say volunteering offers a great opportunity to get outside, make new friends, have fun, learn new skills, and to be a valuable part of the local community on a weekly basis.

The course is set up by volunteers, who also scan barcodes at the finish, and ensure route safety. Organisers say that if anyone wants to do a particular volunteer role, please let them know and they will try to accommodate.

If you would like to get involved in Ballincollig Parkrun, email ballincollig@parkrun.com with your name and number and mention the role in which you would like to participate.

Plenty of activity at library

There’s always something going on at Ballincollig library, with the Wednesday Book Club taking place at 11am on the last Wednesday of the month. The Active Retirement group meets at 11am every Thursday and Friday. Storytime for kids is at 10.30am every Friday.

The children’s chess club, for children aged up to 12 years, takes place every Saturday from 3pm to 5pm. The library is open from 9.30am to 5.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

Meeting times can sometimes change, so email ballincollig_library@corkcity.ie.

Coffee morning for parents

Ballincollig Family Resource Centre hosts a coffee morning for parents and guardians of autistic children every Tuesday during term time. It is a parent-led gathering which offers chat and support in a warm and friendly environment. Tea and coffee and space is provided free of charge. Drop in anytime between 9am and 11am. 

The Ballincollig Family Resource Centre is located beside the Ballincollig Library.

Jive classes at GAA club

Jive courses return to the village for November, with Tom Jive, starting on Thursday, November 5 at Ballincollig GAA Club. Offering a choice of two classes per evening, the first from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, and the second from 8pm to 9pm, this will be a three-week beginners’ course, costing €40, which is payable at the first class or at TomJive.com. No partner or experience is necessary. 

For further details, mail Tom Jive at JiveTom@gmailcom, or telephone 087 3995877.

Join the crochet club

The Ballincollig Crochet Club meets every Wednesday evening at 7pm at the Tesco Community Room. Sessions usually run until around 8.30pm. The message on the club’s Facebook page is: “Everyone is welcome. No fee to pay. Meet likeminded people who are passionate about yarn, patterns, knitting and of course crochet. 

So, grab your yarn and needles and join us. FYI: It’s not a teaching class.”

Basketball club seeks members

Ballincollig Basketball Club has spaces available for the new season, and the club has teams for all ages. All are welcome.

Training and local league games take place in the Sportlann in Coláiste Choilm, Ballincolig Community School, and Bishopstown Community School. Super League home games take place in MTU Cork Arena. For information, see ballincolligbasketball.ie. For all enquiries on membership, contact the club registrar via email at registrar.ballincolligbc@outlook.com.

No winner of club lottery

The numbers drawn in the weekly Ballincollig GAA Club lottery on Thursday, October 17, were 10, 12, 27, and 34. There was no winner drawn last week, and consolation prizes went to Colin Weste (€100), Eileen Hanley (€50), and Catherine Buckley (€50). The next draw will take place on Thursday evening.

Have Ballincollig news to share? Contact donal.okeeffe@theecho.ie