All About Cork: Developer confirms bins for Blackrock playground

Cork City Council has confirmed that waste facilities will be installed at the Blackrock village playground.

In response to a motion raised by Labour Party councillor for the Cork City South East ward, Peter Horgan, a spokesperson for the local authority said that the amenities’ developers, Glenveagh Homes, have purchased a bin for the playground, which the council will install “on receipt of delivery”.

“The parks and recreation [team] will then empty and maintain this bin,” the spokesperson said.

Mr Horgan said he is looking forward to seeing the bins installed, as he has experienced the need for them at the popular facility.

“Anywhere you have children, you need a bin — it’s that simple,” said Mr Horgan.

“This is something that families and residents in the area have cited with me since the playground opened, and something I’ve experienced myself as a father of young children.

“I’m glad now that the bin will be provided by the developer before the ownership transfer and [will be] operated by the council when it takes control.”

Independent councillor for the Cork City South East ward, Kieran McCarthy, said that this commitment from both the local authority and the playground developers is “positive news”.

“It’s great to see the playground opened, and I want to say thank you to Glenveagh [Homes] for providing it as part of their planning conditions,” said Mr McCarthy.

“I see that the playground is getting lots and lots of use, and I think there has been a number of people approaching local councillors looking for a bin. The Parks and Recreational Department [of Cork City Council] have kindly liaised with the developers and a bin is going to be provided.

“The bin will be installed once the council has taken over the playground, at this moment in time the playground is in private ownership, so it will take a few weeks or months until we’ll see a physical bin — [but this] is positive news,” he added.

“There’s a lot of people now coming through Blackrock, the Marina, and Convent Road — and there’s also a lot more focus on recreation and amenity than ever before.

“It’s a very different place than it was even 10 years ago — back then we had no playgrounds in the area, but now we have this one in Blackrock and the one in the middle of the Marina Promenade, which will probably open in the next month.”

Help out St Luke’s Home

St Lukes Charity and Home in Mahon is asking members of the public to nominate it for the AIB Community €1m fund.

In a post shared on social media, a representative for the charity said that the service is “hugely reliant” on funding.

“We are asking all our families and friends to please consider nominating St Luke’s Home for this fund, which if we are successful, could make a big difference for our residents and daycare clients,” the spokesperson said.

“[We are] a voluntary, not-for-profit residential care home, caring for 128 residents and 100 daycare clients, many of whom are living with dementia.”

The nominations deadline is set for June 25: https://aib.ie/personal-forms/community-fund.

Mahon dishes up street feast

The Mahon Street Feast, organised by Mahon Tidy Towns, is set to take place this weekend.

The two-hour event, hosted outside the Mahon Community Centre, will kick off from 12.30pm on Sunday.

A representative from Mahon Tidy Towns has urged people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities to take part in the celebration, with a range of activities planned.

Highlights of the day include live music from the Ukrainian Cork Choir; a junior king and queen fancy dress competition for under-10s; a book swap; planting; arts and crafts; and a prize draw.

Attendees are also encouraged to bring their favourite dish to the event, as a portion of the festival is aimed at promoting different tastes from different cultures.

A spokesperson for Mahon Tidy Towns said that children attending the event must be accompanied by an adult, and anyone who is bringing a dish on the day must also bring their own chair.

Cruinniú na nÓg Festival event at Marina Market

A special event will take place at Cork’s Marina Market this weekend as part of the annual Cruinniú na Nóg festival programme for 2025.

The event, taking place at the facility on Centre Park Road, will feature a range of activities including a live DJ, a chill-out zone, a bracelet-making workshop, collage-making workshop, painting and board games.

Organisers of this event have said that it is particularly catered for young people with disabilities, but is open for all children aged between nine and 18 years old.

For more information on Cork City Council’s programme of events for Cruinniú na nÓg, please contact Louise Tangney at: creativeireland@corkcity.ie.

Blackrock Hurling Club summer camp to return

The Blackrock Hurling Club has announced the return of their annual four-day children’s summer camp.

The camp will take place from August 5 to August 8, from 10am to 2pm, at the club on the Church Rd.

The course is open to all primary school children aged between 5 and 12, and will involve a range of activities, including fundamental movements, team-building games, hurling skills development, beginners’ S&C, Puc Fada, a trick-shot competition, and an obstacle course dribble.

The summer camp is priced at €70 per child or €130 per family.

For further information about the course, please contact: 086 0709353.

Rainbow Club to hold Masquerade Ball in October

Rainbow Club Cork’s annual Masquerade Ball will return to Leeside for its 13th year this October.

The event, which launched in 2012, is a fund-raising initiative for the Mahon-based service.

Organisers have said that this year marks “a very special” occasion, as the event will also celebrate a decade of the Rainbow Club in Cork, which has seen the service grow from 26 to 1,300 weekly members.

The ball is set to take place on October 11 at the Carrigaline Court Hotel, with tickets on sale from today at 12pm, at €75 per person.

Have Blackrock and Mahon news to share? Contact rachel.lysaght@theecho.ie