Cork community groups on shortlist for arts and heritage category in  lord mayor's awards

The Graffiti Theatre Company, running since 1984, is one of the nominees in the arts, culture and heritage category of this year’s Lord Mayor’s Community and Voluntary Awards.

The theatre works with children and young people, offering arts engagement opportunities through theatre productions, workshops, and early years events from their premises in Blackpool.

Many past Graffiti Youth Theatre members are now counted amongst the paid staff and volunteers of the company.

2026 also marks the 40th anniversary of Graffiti’s home in The Fitzgibbon Theatre on Assumption Road. The building symbolizes a partnership between the theatre company and Cork City Council, as well as a link with the built heritage of the Blackpool Community.

Niall Cleary, Graffiti’s CEO and artistic director, said: “Community is at the heart of everything we do at Graffiti Theatre Company.

“Whether it’s in Blackpool, our home for the past 20 years; in the schools, crèches and communities we work with across Cork city; through the children and young people who create and share work with us every week; or through the dedicated staff, artists, volunteers and supporters who share our vision of a Cork where every child has access to the arts, this nomination belongs to all of them.

“Being shortlisted for this award, as we mark 20 years in Blackpool, is wonderful recognition for the community that has come through the doors of our theatre at the former Assumption Convent and continues to believe that access to creativity is a right, not a privilege.”

Another nominee, Cork LGBT Archive, gathers, preserves and shares the history of Cork’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

It was established in 2013 and includes a physical collection, a digital archive and a public engagement programme, with publications, exhibitions, documentaries and walking tours.

Their volunteer programme provides an opportunity for people to engage with their history and heritage, as well as providing an important safe community space.

A spokesperson for the group said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for the Lord Mayor’s Awards in recognition of the work we do in preserving and sharing the rich history of Cork’s LGBT communities.

“This year we are being acknowledged for developing Ireland’s first and only Permanent LGBT Exhibition in collaboration with the Cork Public Museum. This creates a wonderful opportunity to showcase our rich history, and to show that We Were Always Here.

“This connection with our history is particularly important in light of the recent increase in homophobia and of transphobia in our society — it is important for young people in particular to know that gender divergence and same-sex love have always been part of Cork and Irish society. This exhibition will also always be here — it is significant it is a Permanent Exhibition that will be here long after temporary exhibits are gone.

“The Cork LGBT Permanent Exhibition will be launched on Tuesday, August 18, in the Cork Public Museum.

“We are looking forward to celebrating this landmark occasion with the Cork queer community and to acknowledging the decades and decades of activism in Cork — we stand on the shoulders of those who were brave and proud, demanded respect and equality and changed our society for the better.”

The Everyman Theatre Volunteer Team is the third nominee on the shortlist.

Front of House Volunteers’ duties include ushering for all performances, selling programmes and merchandise, assisting with fire safety procedures, helping customers and most importantly providing a warm welcome to audience members and visitors to ensure their visit is a memorable one.

Volunteers are local people with a love of theatre who give freely of their time to contribute in many ways to the successful running of the theatre.

The Everyman Volunteers are vital members of the Everyman team and the time and commitment that they have continually given to the theatre over the years is invaluable.

The group has evolved greatly over time with members coming from many different backgrounds and given the team has been in place now since the Everyman was based in Fr Mathew Hall.

Robbie Cotter, Everyman Theatre Volunteer coordinator, told The Echo: “The Everyman Volunteer FOH team’s nomination for the Lord Mayor’s Civic, Community and Voluntary Awards 2026 is fantastic news and is a wonderful way to recognise the outstanding commitment and dedication all our volunteers have given to the Everyman and to the Arts in Cork.

“The Everyman Volunteers are vital members of our team and the time and loyalty that they have continually given to the theatre for nearly 40 years has been invaluable.”