First sign of Christmas in Cork...the 2024 Holly Bough hits newsstands
Mary Corcoran, Editor, Holly Bough with artist Peter Buckley who is this year's cover artist with his red Volkswagen VW Beetle car which is featured in the artwork. Picture: Larry Cummins
The countdown to Christmas is officially underway in Cork with the hitting newsstands today.
Now in its 127th year, the festive publication has become a quintessential part of the build-up to Christmas for many.
The stunning artwork on the cover of this year’s was created by illustrator Peter Buckley.
With the city’s streetscape changing, the Cork man set out to capture a snapshot of the area around Queen’s Old Castle as it is in 2024 while bringing in earlier elements of what the area once looked like.
The result is a festive feast for the eyes which nods back to the 70s and 80s in Cork city.
“The way I see my picture is that it’s an early December evening, probably around 7pm. People are just finishing their shopping and these two kids are walking with their dog and they decide to post their letter to Santa,” Peter says.
The Cork man said he was very proud to be a part of this year’s — a publication he grew up with at home.
The new editor Mary Corcoran said she was delighted to continue to tradition of commissioning a local artist to design the cover of publication.
“Peter’s illustration perfectly captures the Queen’s Old Castle and will bring many people right back to that experience of going into the city for the last-minute Christmas preparations.”
This year's edition features a host of fascinating stories and interviews with plenty of history, sports, arts and entertainment across 164 pages.
Some highlights include our piece about Cork's original Oscar star, our interview with one of Patrick Street's very last residents, and our story about how a knight was involved in the development of two city schools.
Conál Creedon leads our short story and poetry section this year- the wonderful artwork in the section was created by the senior cycle students at Mayfield Community School.
The 2024 edition also features an expanded children’s section in the centre pages with lots of quizzes and of course our colouring competition.
All the usual favourites are inside too — the Diffney, the Film Quiz and the Humdinger, as well as the crossword.
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