All About Cork: Mahon rises to ‘clean to Europe norms’ in litter fight

Mahon, previously classed as ‘moderately littered’, has risen to ‘clean to European norms’ in the latest Irish Business Against Litter survey.

Mahon was 18th out of 40 towns and cities surveyed, jumping 15 spots since 2024. Six of the 10 areas surveyed received top marks.

“Mahon has seen one of the league’s biggest successes, coming from the bottom of the table just a few short years ago,” the report said.

“This didn’t just occur overnight and has been the result of both heavy investment in infrastructure, combined with a committed Tidy Towns group.”

Areas that had “significant improvement” included Avenue de Rennes, Mahon Drive, Ringmahon, and the Skehard Rd.

However, the retail area off Avenue de Rennes, and the residential areas of Cappanoole and Michael’s Drive, were still classified as ‘heavily littered’.

Avenue De Rennes was among the six locations to receive a grade A, and had “one of the biggest transformations”.

“Typically, it had been littered to varying degrees, over a prolonged period of time, [but] not so this time around,” the report said. “Certainly, the recent repaving, road-surfacing, bicycle path, and stainless steel bollards have contributed to the overall freshness of the road.”

Improvements along Ringmahon Rd, which was also one of the six locations in the area to receive a grade A, were “very positive”, and it was a “much-improved site”.

Another site deemed worthy of the top litter grade was the Joe McHugh Park, which was described as “a lovely waterside park environment, which has been sensitively presented and maintained”, with “a virtual absence of litter”.

Speaking to The Echo, a spokesperson for Mahon Tidy Towns said they are “so pleased to see Mahon rise significantly in the IBAL anti-litter rankings”.

“Mahon Tidy Towns was first set up when the area was ranked as the dirtiest town in Ireland.

“This progress shows just how far we’ve come,” the spokesperson said.

“This achievement is thanks to local businesses, Cork City Council, and the dedication of our diverse group of volunteers, who give their time week after week to keep Mahon looking its best.”

Sun rise at the stadium

Tree-recycling reminder

Independent councillor for the Cork City South East ward, Kieran McCarthy, is reminding people to recycle their Christmas tree.

In a post shared on social media, Mr McCarthy said that Cork City Council will be accepting Christmas trees for recycling until January 31.

There are recycling points at the Gus Healy Swimming Pool in Ballinlough (adjacent to the green), the Clashduv Park in Togher (adjacent to bring bank site), the Ballincollig Regional Park (on the green adjacent to bring bank site), the Murmont Rd in Montenotte (adjacent to the green), the Sam Allen Sports Complex in Gurranabraher (adjacent to the green), the Tramore Valley Park, and at the Cork City Council offices in Glanmire.

Trees can be recycled at these locations between 8am and 5pm.

Footpath repairs this month

Footpath-repair works are scheduled to take place in Blackrock this month, says Labour Party councillor for the Cork City South East ward, Peter Horgan.

Speaking to The Echo, Mr Horgan said that following discussions with the local authority last year, funding was secured for repairs along the Convent Rd, with works set to get under way “in the next month”.

“Addressing the state of our footpaths across the city, and especially in the South East ward, was a priority in 2025 for myself and my Labour Party colleagues,” said Mr Horgan.

“Working together, we’ve secured rolling funding to address the most dire footpaths.

“I’m glad that, after agreement last year by all councillors in the area, we will finally see the works begin shortly on the Convent Rd,” he added.

“It’s in a really bad state of affairs, so the works are very welcome to have, [but] we need to do more.

“We need more investment in our footpaths and roads in the ward.”

Charity darts exhibition at Blackrock Hurling Club

The Blackrock National Hurling Club, in partnership with the Cork Darts Players Association (CDPA), will host a charity darts exhibition this weekend.

The event, featuring William O’Connor, will take place on Saturday from 8pm at The Rockies Bar in the hurling club on Church Rd.

All proceeds from the event will go towards The Down Syndrome Centre Cork.

Doors will open on the night from 6.30pm, with tickets priced from €5.

For more information, email: info@blackrockhurlingclub.com.

Last chance to go skating on ice at the Marina Market

Members of the public will have their last chance to visit the Marina Market’s ‘On Ice’ skating experience this weekend.

The winter season event, which kicked off in November, will come to end on Sunday following an eight week residency at the facility on the Centre Park Rd.

Tickets to the event, which returned to Marina Market for a third year in a row in 2025, are priced from €18 for a child and €20 for an adult.

The ‘On Ice’ experience will be open to the public from 10am to 5pm from Friday, with group and family ticket options also available.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.onice.ie/.

Eilish McCarthy-run beginner dance classes for children

The Eilish McCarthy School of Dance has announced the launch of new beginner dance classes for children in Mahon.

In a post shared on social media, a spokesperson for the school said that beginner dance classes will take place at the Mahon Community Centre every Tuesday, and are available to both newcomers and existing class takers.

Two sets of beginner dance classes will be hosted at the centre, starting with classes for children aged between three and six years old.

The younger children’s classes will take place from 3.10pm to 4pm, at a cost of €8.

These will be followed by a session for children aged seven years old and above, which will take place from 4pm to 5pm, at a cost of €10.

Ladies’ lunch

The Rainbow Club Cork Centre for Autism, located at the Mahon Community Centre, will host its annual ladies’ lunch next week.

The event, taking place at the Carrigaline Court Hotel on January 17, has been described by the organisation as “our favourite event of the year”.

In a post shared on social media, a spokesperson for the club said “tickets for this wonderful event are still available” and encouraged members of the public to join in and “relax and enjoy each others company".

Attendees will be treated to live music, alcoholic bubbles, a range of pop-up shops, bags of goodies and a raffle.

Tickets are priced at €70 and are available for purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/23akmw3p.