All About Cork: Lively affair for the opening of hair salon on Main Street

The grand opening of M&Co Hair on Ballincollig’s Main Street was a swanky and lively affair and it ran for the afternoon two Saturdays ago, with great fun, nibbles, and music throughout, with the odd glass of bubbly thrown down for good measure — or measures.

Unfortunately, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Green Party councillor Dan Boyle, had got his hair cut only the day before, but that didn’t stop him from wielding the scissors himself as he officially clipped the ribbon.

“Well that was just bad timing,” Mr Boyle admitted, with a laugh. “Still, I’m very happy to be able to assist in the opening of a new business, economic activity is always great at the best of times and obviously this is filling a gap here in the shopping centre.

“This is someone with an awful lot of experience and expertise in the hairdressing industry and I’m sure that people in the Ballincollig area who are in need of those skills will make use of them.”

Proprietor Michael Maguire has said he was thrilled with the grand opening, delighted to have a full house, and very grateful to Mr Boyle for cutting the ribbon.

“I’m so very fortunate to be in the position that I am, and very lucky to have the support of a great team and to work alongside them,” he said.

  “We have massive support from the people of Ballincollig here, and from my loyal clientele, it means the world.”

Mr Maguire, who has more than four decades of experience in hairdressing, worked for years with D’arcy’s D2 Hairdressing before striking out on his own with M&Co.

“We were only saying that our team has between us over 150 years of experience, and our motto is ‘the same trusted hands, with a new vision’.”

Also there for the opening was Ken O’Flynn, Independent Ireland TD for Cork North Central, as well as scores of loyal supporters and friends of Mr Maguire and his team.

Ballincollig Women’s Day

This Friday, March 7, is International Women’s Day, and the Ballincollig Family Resource Centre is set to celebrate in style. The centre will host a special event running from 9.30am to 11am, and all are welcome to call in for coffee, cake, a chat, and some music to mark the occasion.

The Ballincollig Family Resource Centre is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, and is located in the Village Centre on Station Road, beside Ballincollig Library.

The centre provides a wide range of quality family support services in response to the needs of the people in the local community.

For more information, please call 021 4876295, email info@ballincolligfrc.org, or see the Ballincollig Family Resource Centre page on Facebook.

Pyke Theatre social evening

Next Tuesday, March 11, the Pyke Theatre Group is holding its monthly social evening in Ballincollig Rugby Club in Tanner Park, as it does on the second Tuesday of every month from September to May.

The Pyke Theatre Group has been in existence for more than three decades, and over the last 26 years it has hosted a one-act drama festival in the Ballincollig Community Hall on Station Road every October. The group also visits local nursing homes, where they hold sing-songs for residents.

The group’s organisers say the monthly social evening in Tanner Park offers a great night’s entertainment, with music, song and dance, and all free of charge.

February saw the first members’ meeting of 2025, and several future events and ideas were discussed for the coming year.

If you would like to become a member of the group, please email pyketheatre@gmail.com for further information, or check out the Pyke Theatre Group on Facebook.

Gardaí host coffee morning in aid of local causes

Members of An Garda Síochána in Ballincollig are holding their annual charity coffee morning next week, and this year all proceeds will go to the Down Syndrome Cork Field of Dreams, located on the Clash Road, and Ballincollig Family Resource Centre on Station Road.

Community Garda Anthony McSweeney told The Echo that the event will take place in Ballincollig Garda Station, starting at 10.30am on Friday, March 14, and will run until lunchtime.

Ballincollig GAA Golf Classic

Ballincollig GAA Club will hold a golf classic in Macroom Golf Club on Friday, May 2. The main sponsor is McDonald’s Ballincollig Drive Thru. Teams of three have an entry fee of €200 per team, with a meal included in the entry fee.

For timesheet bookings, contact Jim O’Connell, tournament director: 087 2800659, and Ger Delaney, captain: 085 7123268.

Woodworking Wizards Camp

Coláiste Choilm will host a Woodworking Wizards Easter Camp for children aged 10 to 13, running from Monday, April 14, to Thursday, April 17. The morning group runs from 9am to midday, and an afternoon group from 1pm to 4pm. All lessons will be delivered by fully qualified and experienced tutors.

The afternoon camp is booked out, but places remain on the morning session. The course costs €150 per child, with all materials supplied. Bookings info on 085 76929949 and Instagram: @woodworking_wizards.

Toy Library this Friday

Ballincollig’s Toy Library is open this Friday, March 7. The library offers a wide range of toys for loan, with items ranging from puzzles, board games and educational toys to action figures, farm animals, dinosaurs, puppets, ride-on toys, and baby toys.

The Toy Library is usually open at midday on the first Friday of every month, in the Carraig Centre, Old Fort Road, Ballincollig, Eircode P31PV20. All are welcome. For further details see www.carraigcentre.ie or email katie20gould@gmail.com

Ballincollig GAA lottery

Ballincollig GAA Club weekly lottery The numbers drawn in this week’s Ballincollig GAA Club lottery, which was held on Thursday, February 27, were 1, 11, 25, and 29. While there was no winner of the €8,600 jackpot, there were three consolation prize winners, with €100 going to Eileen Bowen, €50 to Alison Coughlan, and €50 to John Winning.

The club is migrating its club lottery from its previous host to its club platform ClubZap. The new system mirrors the previous one and is played with 36 numbers, and all existing players with remaining credit have been moved across with their same numbers plus their credits. See ballincolliggaa.clubzap.com.

The next draw is scheduled to place on Thursday evening, March 6, with the jackpot now standing at €8,800. For details, see the club’s social media pages.