Five Cork groups win Pride of Place awards

Five community groups from Cork were honoured at the IPB Pride of Place community awards last week.

The awards ceremony, held at the Limerick Strand Hotel on Friday, saw community groups from across the country come together to honour the selfless efforts of people who make their local neighbourhoods better places to live, work, and socialise.

Among those recognised in Cork was Céilí Cois Lochra, which took first place in the Creative Communities category.

“If you find yourself in Cork during the summer months, make sure to visit The Lough on a Wednesday evening,” the judges said.

“Whether you are dancing under the open sky or simply enjoying the music, the Céilí Cois Locha provides an unforgettable experience that captures the spirit of Irish culture and community.

“The Céilí is now a microcosm and celebration of modern Ireland — an intergenerational multicultural community event with Irish music and dance enjoyed by an attendance of all colours and creeds.”

Also recognised in Co Cork was the Tracton Biodiversity Group, which took first place in the climate action and biodiversity category.

“We were really impressed by the group’s approach to influencing the County Development Plan and their capacity to share their expertise and knowledge in a constructive way to achieve outcomes,” the judges said.

“An example being achieving a change to the design of the Ringaskiddy dual carriage to recreate a local habitat which is home to many endangered species.

“They have also completed significant habitat mapping which formed part of their submission to the County Development Plan.”

Several other Cork-based projects came in runner-up places, including Clogheen/Kerry Pike in the Urban Neighbourhoods Under 3000 category; The Cork Dragons in the Community Wellbeing Initiative category; and the Cork Tourism Committee in Community Tourism Category.

• For more information on the IPB Pride of Place awards, visit: www.prideofplace.ie