All About Cork: Government extends Cork’s Field of Dreams contract

Down Syndrome Cork Field of Dreams has received a contract extension from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and The Marine, under its Rural Innovation and Development Fund.

Built on a three-acre horticultural site on the Clash Road, the Field of Dreams was established in 2017 to meet the ongoing learning needs of adults with Down syndrome from across Cork city and county.

The vision of Field of Dreams is to provide adults with Down syndrome opportunities for ongoing learning and growth, and for some, this will help them to move towards a life of greater independence and self-reliance, while for others, it will help them towards paid work.

Debbie Kelleher, care co-ordinator with Field of Dreams, said all at the local charity wished to offer their sincere thanks to Martin Heydon, the agriculture minister, for the funding.

“Down syndrome Cork Field of Dreams has been very fortunate since 2017 to have received significant financial support for our model of social farming,” she said.

“Our horticultural centre, leased from our partners in the Munster Agricultural Society, provides an ideal holistic setting for our adults with Down syndrome to train, upskill, and develop in confidence to reach their full potential.”

She added that Government funding enabled core skilled horticultural staff to be employed, to provide, maintain and develop the site in conjunction with its students.

“Today, we are proud to showcase our magnificent facilities, which include training rooms, a commercial kitchen with canteen, a covered courtyard, sensory garden, market garden, fruit garden, orchard, three polytunnels, a nursery, pumpkin patch and flower garden, as well as sheep and hens.

“We offer a range of bespoke education programmes to adults with Down syndrome, all of which are kindly supported by the Cork Education and Training Board. We held our graduation ceremony in June for 60 students,” Ms Kelleher added.

The centre offers employment opportunities for its graduates who avail of its employment programme.

“Funding from the Department of Agriculture is a critical component in assisting us to deliver the much-needed services for the Down Syndrome Cork members,” Ms Kelleher said.

Road bowling podcast

As outlined on this page last week, Cork County Library is currently running an exhibition entitled ‘Road Bowling in Cork and Armagh’.

The exhibition celebrates a sport synonymous with Cork that is also played in Armagh.

The sport dates back to at least the 17th century, and in its current form competitors attempt to propel a 28oz solid iron bowl, or ‘bullet’, along a predetermined course of country road in the least number of throws.

Kieran Wyse, of the Local Studies Library, has been in touch to let readers of The Echo know about his podcast discussing road bowling.

It can be found at: https:// tinyurl.com/bden8m25.

‘Road Bowling in Cork and Armagh’, will run until August 27, in the LHQ Gallery in the County Library on the Carrigrohane Rd, T12 K 335.

Hanly and friends at White Horse

On Saturday, singer and songwriter Mick Hanly plays Ballincollig alongside fellow Moving Hearts members Anto Drennan and Eoghan O’Neill.

Inspired by Seán Ó Riada and the playing of uilleann piper Willie Clancy, Hanly began his musical career performing songs by Woody Guthrie and Paul Simon.

Regarded as one of Ireland’s best songwriters, his songs have been covered by the likes of Mary Black, Christy Moore, and Dolores Keane. A Hal Ketchum cover of his ‘Past The Point of Rescue’ reached number two in the US country charts.

Joining Hanly in Ballincollig will be musicians Anto Drennan and Eoghan O’Neill. Drennan has played with recording artists as varied as Mike and The Mechanics, The Corrs, Clannad, Paul Brady, and Moving Hearts.

O’Neill is a founding member of Moving Hearts and has played on most of Hanly’s albums.

Mick Hanly and friends play The White Horse Inn at 8.30pm. For more see whitehorse.ie

Café a safe place for people with Alzheimer’s to meet

The Ballincollig Alzheimer Café will take place this Thursday, August 21, from 3pm to 5pm in the Chapel Gate Café.

Alzheimer cafés are a welcoming space for people with dementia, and for their family and friends and social and healthcare professionals, to meet, and to exchange ideas. The café is an informal way to meet others who are living with dementia, and to meet health professionals.

Each month, the café offers a safe space for a chat and a social occasion, and an expert speaker will discuss a topic of interest.

For further information, contact Karen Fitzpatrick on 087 3487511, or email Karen at ballincolligalzheimercafe@alzheimer.ie.

Heritage Week

Heritage Week continues until Sunday in Ballincollig Regional Park, offering a host of fun and informative events in the natural heart of the community.

A competition to name the creatures on the tree sculptures, sponsored by Café Chico, will run all through the festival, with entry forms available every day at the café.

Created earlier this year from two dead elms, the sculptures are the work of chainsaw artist Will Fogarty and are inspired by the River Lee and by native Irish wildlife.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 20, will see a ‘Heritage Treasure Hunt’ with Ballincollig Scouts, starting by the tree sculptures in the main car park at 6.30pm and running until 8pm.

Thursday, August 21 will begin with a morning ‘Tree Walk and Talk’ with Jack Casey and Ronan Nangle, starting at 10am by the tree sculptures in the main car park and running until midday.

Thursday afternoon is billed as a ‘Children’s Heritage Celebration’, kicking off at 2pm by the playground and running until 4pm. As usual, it promises to be a highlight of the week. It will feature the always-popular Teddy Bear’s Picnic, as well as a puppet show, a teddy bears’ hospital, and facepainting.

Friday, August 22 will also offer some fun for younger people, with a tour of a fairy trail starting by the tree sculptures in the main car park at 2pm and running until 3.30pm. The guide will be Kim the Elder Fairy. Fairy costumes will be appreciated, they are not obligatory.

Ballincollig GAA Club lottery

The numbers drawn in the Ballincollig GAA Club lottery, on Thursday, August 14, were 6, 10, 32, and 34. There was no winner of the €15,400 jackpot, but there were three consolation prize winners for club supporters, with €100 going to Patrick Howard, €50 to Alex Kavanagh, and €50 to Amanda Treadwell.

Ballincollig GAA Club has migrated its lottery to its club platform ClubZap. The new system is played with 36 numbers, and all players with remaining credit have been moved across with their same numbers plus their remaining credits. For further information, see ballincolliggaa.clubzap.com.

The jackpot for this week’s lottery draw now stands at €15,600.