All About Cork: Lord Mayor opens new section of Douglas community centre

1.  Bill Perrott, director Douglas Community Association, with son-in-law Rev Kingsley Sutton, daughter Daphne,  and sons Roy and David at the official opening. 

2. Nuala Keating, former director of Douglas Community Association, with her daughter Siobhán McCarthy at the opening.

New folk song honours Douglas man Finbarr Archer

A new folk song honours Douglas man Finbarr Archer and the lost mother and daughter of the 1985 Air India tragedy.

It begins, as many of the most moving songs do, in a moment of quiet recognition — a small act of love that ripples outward.

When The Bán(Sí), the Cork-based folk artist known for her deeply human storytelling and mythic lyricism, stumbled upon the story of Finbarr Archer, she felt something stir.

For nearly 40 years, Finbarr, who is known by many as the Lord Mayors driver, has tended the graves of Annu and Rena Alexandra, a mother and daughter killed in the 1985 Air India disaster. No family could come to Ireland to claim them so Finbarr became their kin.

Moved by his devotion, which was recently recognised by Cork’s Indian community, The Bán(Sí) wrote Two Lotus Flowers — a ballad of remembrance that transcends time.

Blending the raw intimacy of Irish folk with the spiritual gravitas of a lament, the song traces the enduring beauty of human care in the face of unthinkable loss.

“Grief is a river that finds its way to the sea, no matter how far it has to travel,” Bán(Sí) said. “When I read about Finbarr, it was like finding a source of something very old and precious — that Irish instinct to remember, to care for the dead, to grieve as if the loss were our own.”

Rooted in West Cork’s windswept hills, The Bán(Sí) has long been a voice for the voiceless — weaving themes of death, colonial memory, and resilience through songs.

Her recent sold-out performance at St Peter’s Church, and upcoming solo show at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh have cemented her as one of Ireland’s most captivating new storytellers. Drawing from a lineage of keening women, her sound — a fusion of accordion, layered harmonies, and poetic incantation — channels both the ancestral and the urgent.

In Two Lotus Flowers, she finds a sacred symmetry between Finbarr’s lifelong ritual of care and the global griefs that define our age — from the Air India disaster to the suffering of people in Palestine, Sudan, and beyond. The song becomes an act of solidarity, an invocation for tenderness in a fractured world.

“If there’s a kind of world I want to live in,” she reflects, “it’s one where we dedicate ourselves to each other across peoples — across time, across paths.” The Bán(Sí) has self-recorded and released Two Lotus Flowers this autumn, dedicating the first copy to Finbarr Archer himself — a quiet offering of thanks to a man whose compassion has outlasted decades.

“A few weeks ago, I bought a small card of thanks and wrote him a note with the website link of the song typed out in it and sent it to the Lord Mayor’s office at the City Hall. A few weeks went past and I’d heard nothing, assuming it must be lost under the fan mail and he’d get to it eventually,” said The Bán(Sí).

“Then one day, I didn’t know a bit until I had a missed call and a voicemail and I gave him a quick call back. He was absolutely delighted with it. Finbarr and his wife listened to it at home, and he tells me he even played it for the Lord Mayor. Funny thing, the next day I spotted the Lord Major speaking at an event and I thought, Finbarr must be here. So I went searching for him in the crowd and wasn’t long spotting him. It was lovely to meet him in person and he thanked me again.

“But it’s people like Finbarr that are the most deserving of thanks. I just translated what he did into a song. He’s an example to us all.” The song is available on Patreon and Bandcamp, accompanied by a visual piece honouring Annu and Rena’s memory.

Trad music workshops at Gaelscoil na Dúglaise

Comhaltas na Dúglaise are holding Trad music workshops an Gaelscoil na Dúglaise on Sunday next, November 16, featuring internationally accomplished tutors.

Mary Mitchell on tin whistle; Aoibhinn Queally on concertina; Cormac de Barra on harp and Lisa O’Sullivan on sliabh luachra tunes will all be part of the workshops.

The workshops will be from 10am to 12 noon with a break for lunch for an hour and resuming at 1pm until 3pm followed by a concert of tutors and participants.

Cost €20. Enquiries douglas@comhaltas.net.

Young at Heart tea dance

The Douglas Young at Heart Group will be holding a tea dance at the Rochestown Park Hotel on Sunday next, November 16, from 2.30pm to 5.30pm.

Music will be by Mary of Crystal Swing fame and all are welcome to attend.

Tickets are €10 each and you can get them by contacting Mary on 087 7781963, early booking advisable.

Mass for deceased members

Douglas GAA Club’s AGM is taking place on Sunday, November 30, as required by rule.

A spokesperson said: “As was the case last year we will also conduct a number of review meetings across the club.

“These review meetings provide members with a forum to hear about the season just completed and plans for the season ahead.

“Suggestions and concerns can be discussed. Members who are interested in getting involved in committees can also be identified.”

Three have already taken place, with the adult hurling and football one on tomorrow Tuesday, November 11.

One of the key outcomes of the AGM will be to appoint a club executive for the year ahead.

Should any member be interested in getting involved in helping with the administration of the club, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the club secretary secretary.douglas.cork@gaa.ie

Their annual mass for deceased members and friends will take place tonight, Monday, November 10, at 8pm in the hall. All welcome.

Their fundraising Lotto jackpot now stands at €3,250, and the second prize is €2,500.

This is a very important fundraiser for the club, so why not have a flutter? You can purchase tickets online through their website, or through the Clubforce Connect App, or you can purchase tickets directly in the club bar in advance of the draw at 9pm every Sunday evening. A direct debit option is available as well.

Also, if anyone is interested in becoming a promoter where you sell a book of 10 tickets each week to family, friends, workmates etc, you are automatically entered into a promoters only draw each Sunday.

Please contact Der Regan on 086 6093083 for further details.