All About Cork: Residents must engage in consultation to extend Luas

One of Ballincollig’s newest city councillors has criticised the proposed Cork Luas route, saying it does not extend far enough west.

The south-west ward saw two changes at last month’s meeting of Cork City Council, in the wake of November’s general election and the subsequent Seanad election. 

Labour’s Ciara O’Connor and Fine Gael’s Gary O’Brien were both co-opted as councillors for the south-west ward, replacing newly elected senators Laura Harmon and Garret Kelleher.

Ms O’Connor spoke with The Echo about her impressions after her first few weeks in the council chamber, saying she was thoroughly enjoying the “great honour and privilege” to be a councillor.

“Seven weeks in, there are a number of issues in the south-west ward, the Cork Luas not going far west enough being one of them, we have such a huge population to the west of Ballincollig, coming into the city for work and for education, I would really implore the local residents to engage in the public consultation process, and that’s where they can have their say, and that’s really important,” she said.

“Another thing in the ward is MTU (Munster Technological University) and the public transport is just not up to standard, and traffic congestion in the morning as students drive out to MTU has left residents facing significant difficulties.” 

Ms O’Connor said she had been made to feel very welcome in the council by her new colleagues on all sides of the political spectrum, as well as by the chief executive and her staff.

“We have a lot of work to do, there are serious issues regarding garda numbers in Bishopstown and Ballincollig, and we really need to push so that we get extra gardaí in Togher and allocated to both areas, and in particular I would like to see the opening hours of Bishopstown Garda Station extended further.

“It’s currently opening from 10am to 1pm, five days a week, and that needs to be increased for the good of the local community.”

Free course for women

Ballincollig Family Resource Centre is set to host a free, four-week Introduction to Women’s Personal Development course, which will start on Wednesday May 7 and will run from 10am to 12.30pm each day.

Run by Cork City Partnership, the course promises to explore multiple issues affecting emotional well-being and growth, among them the management of feelings and stress, as well as skills relating to listening, communication and relationships.

For more information or to book a place, please contact Mary Sheehy on 0879162015 or email msheehy@partnershipcork.ie. The course will be run in the Ballincollig Family Resource Centre, Station Road, Ballincollig, P31AE86.

Eligible participants must live in Cork city and complete a registration form before joining the course. This course is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.

Three talks at Biodiversity Hub

The Cork Biodiversity Hub will host a another three talks for the public, free of charge, in the month of May.

At 7.30pm on Thursday, May 8, Padraig O’Thuama will talk about how to plant a forest on your land, where to get native trees, grants available, maintenance, and more.

At 7.30pm on Thursday, May 15, at 7.30pm, a representative of seed company Sow Diverse will talk about seed and food sovereignty, why saving local seed is vital, how EU laws affect what we can grow, and how seed security is necessary for food security.

On Thursday, May 22, Donal Chambers, horticulturist and lecturer at Kinsale College, will talk about steps farmers can take to engage in regenerative agriculture.

The hub is located in the former Powdermills Visitor Centre building, Eircode P31PX67, and it has been spearheaded by Maria Young of Green Spaces for Health, along with Dr Mabel Hernandez and Eithne Lynch.

To learn more, please contact corkbiodiversityhub@gmail.com.

Local groups benefit from Age & Opportunity grants

Several local organisations have been awarded funding in this year’s Age & Opportunity Active National Grant, which provides significant funding for sport and physical activity amongst older people.

The grant scheme is a combined initiative from Age & Opportunity and Sport Ireland, and this year it is providing €28,510 to 98 groups in Cork, a number of which are based in the greater Ballincollig and Bishopstown area.

These range from active retirement groups, ICAs, men’s and women’s sheds, physical activity leaders (PALs), care settings and other sports and social groups.

The successful local groups include: Ballinora ICA, Ballinora Retired Men’s Group (aka Ballinora Men’s Shed), Bishopstown ICA, Bishopstown Lawn Tennis Club, Cairde Wilton Active Retirement Assoc, Inniscarra/Ballincollig ICA, Inniscarra Seniors on the Move, and the Wilton Go Getters.

Sport Ireland CEO, Dr Úna May, said the funding would be vital in building an Ireland where older adults had more opportunities to stay active and socially connected.

“Sport Ireland’s Local Sports Partnerships do tremendous work in encouraging people to get involved in physical activity as a means of promoting a healthy lifestyle — and the Age & Opportunity Active National Grant Scheme will allow them to continue to work in that area,” she said.

See ageandopportunity.ie for details.

Youth leaders needed

Ballincollig Youth Club is seeking leaders to join its team of volunteers. For further information, please contact ballincolligyc2024@gmail.com.

Pyke Theatre Group meeting

The Pyke Theatre Group is holding its final monthly social evening before the summer break, at 8pm on Tuesday, May 13, at Ballincollig Rugby Club in Tanner Park.

A great night’s entertainment is promised, with music by Donal Ring Jr and the accordion and fiddle club as well as food and a raffle — all free of charge.

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

GAA club weekly lottery

The numbers drawn in last week’s Ballincollig GAA Club lottery, which was held on Thursday, April 24, were 12, 26, 33, and 34.

While there was no winner of the €11,200 jackpot, there were three consolation prize winners, with €100 going to Ted Scanlon, €50 to Ciara Hurley, and €50 to Laura Ryan.

The club is migrating its club lottery from its previous host to its club platform ClubZap.

For further information, see ballincolliggaa.clubzap.com.

This Thursday evening’s jackpot now stands at €11,400.

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