Call for more sporting facilities in Cork's growing northside

A Cork TD has raised the need for sporting facilities in Ballyvolane and Glanmire, following the recent opening of a relevant grant scheme.

Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, Colm Burke, said in the Dáil: “It is important that I acknowledge The Glen.

“It won the senior hurling championship for the first time in 10 years.

“It needs to be congratulated as well. It has developed huge facilities as a result of getting grants down through the years. It has used them very effectively.

“It is important that we look at areas where there is a huge growth in population. That is happening in my constituency,” said Mr Burke.

“In Ballyvolane, more than 1,000 houses are going in. We need to make sure we continue to develop facilities in those areas.

“In Glanmire they are caught — no additional land is available and clubs find it extremely difficult to develop facilities because land is not available.

“Yet 30 acres was leased to the FAI more than 10 years ago. It is still lying idle and not being used.”

The minister of state at the department of culture, communications and sport, Charlie McConalogue, said Mr Burke had made a “very valid” point.

“In large urban and developing areas in his constituency and other parts of the country, we have to make sure we pay attention to that in relation to the round.”

He said that the 2026 round of the community sport facilities fund (CSFF), which opened recently and will remain open until February 26, includes a new provision for larger multi-sport facility applications.

“We also need to work with local authorities in particular in the identification of land in areas where it is scarce and encourage collaboration with schools where that is a possibility in some cases,” he said.

“We have made the conditions of this round more amendable to try to encourage schools and patrons to work with clubs.

“I encourage all schools and patrons to look at that.”