All About Cork: Ballyphehane celebrates historic Junior B football win

It was a historic day for the Ballyphehane community as the GAA team celebrated a historic win.

Ballyphehane GAA have made history following a win over Araglen and successfully winning their first McCarthy Insurance Group Confined Junior B Football Championship trophy.

In the showdown against Araglen, Ballyphehane wasted no time. A flurry of early goals and points set them firmly on course. Despite Araglen’s spirited effort, including three goals, the city side’s relentless pressure and efficiency in front of goal were decisive. The final scoreboard read a commanding 9–6 to 3–7, sealing an emphatic victory.

It was third time lucky for The Hane, after the club experienced heartbreak over the last number of years losing the last two finals.

Ballyphehane lost tightly contested finals in 2023 and 2024 — by just one point to St Patrick’s Plunkett’s and by two to Goleen, respectively. But as the team’s joint manager said in 2024, “the hunger is massive”, and that perseverance has now paid off.

A representative for the club said: “We would like to dedicate this historic win to two special people we sadly lost this year who were close to our hearts in Ballyphehane GAA — Billy Twomey and Amanda Parkes.”

The late Mr Twomey, also known as Mr Ballyphehane, was a pillar of Ballyphehane GAA, having held every position in the club from player for many years to going all the way to being president, a position he held up until his death.

Mr Twomey’s death in June was greatly felt by all members of the GAA that he loved so dearly.

Fiona Twomey, the daughter of the late Mr Ballyphehane, said: “I would just like to say, thank you from Bill Twomey’s family for dedicating the win to dad. He would be very proud to know they won the county final and also to know his grandson Jack was wearing his Cork jersey in Croke Park. What a weekend for The Hane and for the Cork hurlers. Enjoy the celebrations.”

The win was also dedicated to Ms Parkes, 35, from Curraheen, who tragically passed away in February. Ms Parkes was a gifted soccer player who represented the Republic of Ireland women’s U19 side and was a lifelong member of Wilton United FC. She was also a keen Gaelic football player who lined out for the Ballyphehane GAA club.

The club representative also thanked their sponsors Noel Murphy’s Bar, who they described as “the greatest sponsors and supporters in the land”.

Ahead of the match, which was held in Mallow, Noel Murphy’s Bar shared to Facebook, “someone turn off the lights in the parish, there’s no one left”, as more than 80 supporters took a double decker bus from the pub on Pearse Sq bound for the match to cheer on their home side.

Book showcases Bunscoil Chríost Rí students’ creativity

Children at Bunscoil Chríost Rí celebrated the launch of their new book, celebrating stories rooted in local folklore, fantasy, and the world around them.

Legends of Our Land: Tales from Bunscoil Chríost Rí is an exciting creative initiative that empowers children to explore their creativity through illustration and storytelling.

Children’s book illustrator Celina Buckley facilitated a series of workshops in Bunscoil Chríost Rí, culminating in a professionally produced children’s book, featuring artwork and narratives created by the students.

Over several months in spring 2025, students took part in weekly illustration and storytelling workshops, where they learned how to draw, write, and bring their ideas to life.

The book was launched at a celebratory event at the Turner’s Cross school, with copies printed for every classroom in the school and the local library, and made available online as an e-book.

This initiative showcases the voices and talents of the school’s children to the wider community, creating a tangible cultural artefact that celebrates the unique identity of the school community.

Legends of Our Land: Tales from Bunscoil Chríost Rí is supported through Cork City Council by the Creative Ireland Programme, an all-of-Government five-year initiative, from 2023 to 2027, which places creativity at the centre of public policy.

Ms Buckley said: “Beyond the pages of this book, the project has fostered confidence, collaboration, and a sense of achievement in every child involved. It celebrates the power of creativity to bring people together and to build lasting cultural memory.

“A special thanks go to the teachers and staff of Bunscoil Chríost Rí, and especially to Ms Yvonne Kelly and the school principal Mr Eoin Fitzpatrick for their openness and support in making this project possible. Their belief in the power of creativity and in the voices of their students is what made this book a reality.

“These pages are filled with the imagination, talent, and heart of the children of Bunscoil Chríost Rí. I hope you find as much wonder in their stories as they poured into creating them.”

PwC Cork team volunteers at Togher Community Garden

Togher Community Garden recently welcomed members of PwC Cork for a day of volunteering.

“[On Friday] we hosted the most amazing team from PwC, who gave us their morning to volunteer in our community garden. They did Trojan work for us which will help us so much for the rest of the year.

“Thanks to Aline and Bernie of the Environmental Forum for organising this for us. Thank you, everyone, we hope to see some of you back soon.”

PwC Cork employee Shauna Chan said: “It was so rewarding to be able to help out at Togher Community Garden. To be able to taste the freshness in the produce grown here is amazing and the work they do is admirable.”

Lehenaghmore project

Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has issued an update on the Lehenaghmore Rd, footpaths, and houses project.

“We have received correspondence from a few residents asking for an update on the matters,” he said. “There is now a preferred bidder for the tender and the company in question have been notified by the council that they are the preferred bidder.”

He said that there is a ‘standstill period’ of two weeks as part of the process. This will end on Friday, and the contractor will be officially appointed next week, subject to the formality of National Transport Authority (NTA) consent.

“If the NTA grants approval quickly this will lead to construction hopefully beginning start of August,” said Mr Ó Laoghaire.

He said that the project is expected to last over 12 months, which will lead to disruption, so communication with residents will be crucial.

“This person, when appointed, will be very important — I have specifically suggested a WhatsApp with residents to ensure quick, efficient communication with residents. We will keep people updated as best as possible and will be ready to assist with issues as they arise as best as possible.”

Regarding housing, the city council has gone to a Part 8 application for 155 houses, a mix of social and affordable housing, including a creche.

“We understand that there are concerns regarding traffic in particular,” said the TD. “We also believe that the council should directly engage with residents in relation to this. We have today contacted the director of housing asking her to engage with residents locally.

Discussion on Lough’s future

Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice thanked those who attended the Run my Rep event held at the Lough.

“It was great to hear first-hand everyone’s ideas and suggestions on how the Lough can be improved,” he said. “It was also great to be able to share updates on the work myself and [councillor Niamh O’Connor] have been doing to improve facilities locally.”

Mr Rice said that key issues raised by members of the community included increased investment in the playground, public toilets, enhanced biodiversity, access to free drinking water, and fixing more footpaths.