All About Cork: Ballincollig proud to launch SuperValu Tidy Towns 2025

“Today was a very proud day for us, to see Ballincollig put on the map, to show off what we’ve achieved, and very honoured to have the minister here to launch SuperValu Tidy Towns 2025,” Ballincollig Tidy Towns (BTT) chair Tom Butler told The Echo on Monday morning, last week, as a spotless Regional Park basked in spring sunshine.

Chatting to reporters after the launch, Dara Calleary, minister for social protection and rural and community development, accompanied by local minister Jerry Buttimer, TD Pádraig O’Sullivan, senator Garret Kelleher, and councillor Colm Kelleher, paid repeated tribute to the Ballincollig volunteers who have done so much to earn the village its national reputation.

“It’s such a beautiful park, and that’s a tribute to all the volunteers here. We’re here in Ballincollig to launch the 2025 competition, and I wish everybody well and encourage them to be part of it, and thank Ballincollig for hosting us,” Mr Calleary said.

Afterwards, Mr Butler said there were no special plans to make any extra efforts this year, for BTT it was going to be business as usual.

“We’re doing exactly what we’ve done every other year, there’s no extra effort. We’re just trying to maintain the standard that we have and try and improve on that if we can, but that’s all we can do,” Mr Butler said.

“If we do our best, that’s good enough. We have never gone out to win a competition, Tidy Towns isn’t like that, you can’t go out to win it like a match, it’s a progression of doing your best.

“You have to go out and do your best every year, and that’s what we are going to do.

“Awards come with your improvements, and that’s the same for every Tidy Towns committee, it’s a piecemeal effort, and you have to improve every year, and we’ve been working on 2025 since June 1 last year,” he said.

“You keep working and you keep working ahead,” Mr Butler said.

49th will celebrate 50

The 49th Ballincollig Scout Group is preparing to celebrate 50 years of scouting in Ballincollig, and ahead of those celebrations, members are seeking to reconnect with those who have helped to play a part in the group’s half-century journey.

The group posted an invitation to former members to get in touch on social media last week: “If you were ever a leader with our group, we’d love to hear from you,” they said. “Send us a DM or email us and we will share details of upcoming celebrations with you.”

To make contact with the 49th Ballincollig Scout Group, email groupleader49cork@gmail.com.

“Feel free to spread the word to any past leaders you’re still in touch with. We want to make sure no one misses out,” they added.

Frank and Walters acoustic gig

A whole new generation of fans discovered The Frank and Walters on The Young Offenders, but whether you’ve been following them since ‘Fashion Crisis Hits New York’ or since when Billy Murphy hijacked the number eight bus for a karaoke day trip to Youghal, there’s a treat in store next month.

The Frank and Walters will play a series of intimate acoustic gigs over the coming weeks, covering a back catalogue of hundreds of songs penned over three decades, and Ballincollig’s The White Horse is one of the venues.

Vocalist Paul Linehan will share some of the stories behind the songs, offering anecdotes from the crazy world of life in one of Cork and Irelands most enduring bands.

Expect to hear hits such as ‘After All’, ‘Indie Love Song’, and ‘Look At Us Now’, as well as timeless classics like ‘This Is Not A Song’ and ‘Colours’.

The Frank and Walters play The White Horse at 8.30pm, Saturday, May 24. For booking details, see whitehorse.ie.

School musical will take audience on magical journey

Ballincollig’s Scoil Barra has a new musical offering from its fifth and sixth class pupils, with A Tale as Old as Time, a re-working of the story of Beauty and the Beast. The show takes the audience on a magical journey with Belle (Gabi Jojo) as she looks for a world beyond her poor provincial town.

She finds excitement within the Beast’s castle, meeting a host of endearing characters there — Mrs Potts, (Michaela O’Mahony), Chip (Tom Power) and his new friend Saucy (Ciara Sweeney), Cogsworth (Borys Pikula), Feather Duster (Beth Lynch), and the suave and gracious Lumiere (Hannah Smyth). She melts the heart of Beast (George Adebyi) with her enchanting ways and endless kindness.

Gaston (Max McGibney) provides plenty of buffoonery and humour, as do his side-kicks, Lefou, Lemass, Lerou, and Lemarc, and Rose (Emily Doherty) is a graceful and elegant timekeeper.

Directed by Kara Woods and Louise Moriarty, Sarah Twomey is the music and vocal director, and former principal Karen O’Sullivan leads the band. Musical numbers are choreographed by Sarah Moriarty

Sets and costumes were created by volunteers from among the staff and parent body.

The students’ props team is led by Gearóid Kelleher, who designed and created many of the items used on stage.

A Tale as Old as Time runs from Sunday, April 6, to Thursday, April 10, with a matinee show on Sunday at 2.30pm, and nightly shows at 7.30pm from Monday to Thursday. Tickets are €12 each or €45 for a family

of four and are on sale from Scoil Barra 021-4873459.

Pyke Theatre social event

Next Tuesday, April 8, at 8.30pm, the Pyke Theatre Group is holding its monthly social evening at Ballincollig Rugby Club in Tanner Park. A great night’s entertainment is promised, with music, song and dance, and all free of charge.

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

GAA club lottery draw

The numbers drawn in this week’s Ballincollig GAA Club lottery, which was held on Thursday, March 27, were 5, 14, 27, and 36. While there was no winner of the €10,400 jackpot, there were three consolation prize winners, with €100 going to Sonia Pilarska, €50 to Rian Twomey, and €50 to Breda Raleigh.

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 remaining credits.

For further information, see ballincolliggaa.clubzap.com.

The next draw is scheduled to take place on this Thursday evening, April 3, with the jackpot now standing at €10,600. For further details, please see the club’s social media pages.

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