All About Cork: Douglas's Mairead elected president of European Women's Gymnastics

It was a great day for Gymnastics Ireland at the European Gymnastics Congress in Prague, with Cork woman Mairead Kavanagh being elected president of European Women’s Gymnastics.

This is the first time that an Irish official has held the position on the influential Women’s Technical Committee.

Gymnastics Ireland’s chief executive Ciarán Gallagher, who has done so much to develop the sport of gymnastics in Ireland over the past decade, saw his major contribution to the sport being recognised when he secured a place on the executive board that is responsible for all gymnastics in Europe.

A great day was completed when former international trampolinist Andrew Coulter was re-elected to secure a position on the European Trampoline Technical Committee.

Mairead Kavanagh, who is Director of Community Support and Operations at Gymnastics Ireland, and as such part of their leadership team, took up her full-time position there last year.

She has been involved in the sport of gymnastics all her life.

A former national champion and Irish international, she has had an even more distinguished career as a judge, where she has officiated at Olympic Games, World and European Championships.

Kavanagh has been involved with Douglas Gymnastics Club all her gymnastics life, both as a competitor and an administrator, where she has been heavily involved in the development of that club into one of the largest gymnastics clubs in Ireland.

Before taking up her full-time position in gymnastics, she had a highly successful career in Irish banking.

Gallagher, who is the CEO of Gymnastics Ireland, is recognised as being the driving force that has seen gymnastics grow into a major sport in Ireland. Under his leadership, the sport has grown exponentially. Today it has more than 40,000 members and has a highly regarded High Performance programme, which produced Olympic champion Rhys McClenaghan. Ciaran was a board member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, serving max terms, which culminated with Ireland’s most successful Olympics last year in Paris. He is highly regarded throughout the gymnastics community worldwide.

Andrew is a former international trampolinist and an international judge. He was a member of the board of Gymnastics Ireland, again serving max terms, during a critical period of modernisation and restructuring. Today he is much sought after in the support & staging of gymnastics events not alone in Ireland but internationally.

Speaking of the appointments Gymnastics Ireland chair Shane O’Connor said: “A historic result for Ireland and Mairead as the new president of the Women’s Technical Committee. Also fantastic to have Andrew and Ciaran re-elected to their respective positions.

“It’s a fantastic endorsement of their abilities and great recognition for Gymnastics Ireland as an organisation. It is another landmark on the journey that has seen our sport go from strength to strength.

“The appointments are all fully deserved, and I have no doubt that Mairead, Ciaran and Andrew will play major roles in the development of the sport across Europe. The appointments are a great honour not alone for gymnastics in Ireland but for all sport in Ireland.”

Welcome for new fencing at Ballinlough playground

Cllr Peter Horgan has welcomed the confirmation of dedicated funding to install new perimeter fencing at the Ballinlough playground on nursery drive, ensuring a safer and more accessible space for local families and children.

“I’m delighted to confirm that funding has now been allocated for the long-needed fencing at the Ballinlough playground,” said Cllr Horgan, himself a father-of-three.

“Parents and residents have been clear for some time that improved safety measures were essential.

“This investment will help create a more secure environment for local children using the playground which is quite near the road.

“I look forward to seeing the works begin and to continuing the push for further improvements at Ballinlough’s public spaces.”

New Ballinlough officers

At the recent AGM of the Ballinlough Community Association the following officers were elected for 2026: Chairperson, Cllr. Terry Shannon; vice-chairperson, Nora O’Donovan; secretary, Lil Downey; assistant secretary, Janet Kelly; treasurer, John Keohane; assistant treasurer, Lil Downey, and PRO, Mary Cremin.

Credit union to hold AGM

Elevate Credit Union, headquartered at Douglas, with branches in Passage Wast, Glanmire and Grange, will hold their AGM on Thursday next, December 11, at 8pm.

This year’s AGM will be held online via Zoom.

How to join: The AGM will be hosted on the Zoom platform.

Each registered member will receive a unique access link, which must not be shared to ensure proper identification. Please ensure you only access the AGM from one device using this link. Registration: To register, please email agm2025@elevatecu.ie with the email address you have registered with Elevate Credit Union. Registration is open until 6pm on today, Monday, December 8.

You may need to provide proof of membership, including your membership number, during the registration process.

Voting and participation: Voting for resolutions and elections (Auditor, Board Oversight Committee, and Board of Directors) will take place via the online poll feature on Zoom.

Members will be prompted to vote yes/no as directed by the chairperson during the meeting.

Questions and comments are encouraged. Please submit any in advance if possible; however, members can also submit questions during the meeting through the Zoom platform.