'Kindness is contagious': Lord Mayor of Cork begins school visits

Kindness is contagious, and one person’s good deed can encourage another, Fergal Dennehy, Lord Mayor of Cork, told pupils in Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn.

Mr Dennehy began the annual mayoral school visits yesterday morning in Montenotte, and also visited Scoil Mhuire and St Angela’s.

“We live in a time when so much of what we see, especially online, can be full of hate, nastiness, and negativity,” Mr Dennehy said.

“But the truth is, every one of us has the power to make the world a kinder, safer place, simply by looking out for each other.”

Mr Dennehy will call to more than 130 schools across the city in the coming weeks, meeting thousands of children and staff, in a tradition dating back more than a century and begun in 1920 by Terence MacSwiney.

Random act of kindness

“Looking out for each other can be something as small as noticing when a class-mate is feeling left out, offering a smile to brighten someone’s day, or carrying out a random act of kindness without expecting anything in return,” said Mr Dennehy.

“These small gestures may seem ordinary, but they have an extraordinary impact. They create ripples of positivity that spread through our schools, our families, and our city. My hope is that by sharing this message, even if it reaches just one child and inspires them to act with kindness, it will have been worthwhile.

“Because kindness is contagious, and one person’s good deed can encourage another, until it becomes a habit that shapes our community for the better.”

Mr Dennehy said he was delighted to embark on the school visits after he had postponed them last week out of respect for striking school caretakers and secretaries.

On his visits, Mr Dennehy will speak about the importance of kindness, and will distribute more than 40,000 bookmarks urging students to “mind each other every day”.