About Us

County Cork has a population of 399,216 (2011Census), which represents a 10.3%  increase over the 2006 Census. The county is served by 48 councillors, representing ten electoral divisions, and is the largest elected assembly outside of Dublin.  There are 186,200 households in County Cork and there are 302,642 names on the 2011/2012 Register of  Electors.

Cork County Hall was officially opened on the 16th of Apil 1968 by Mr. Martin J. Corry T.D., Chairman of Cork County Council, in the presence of the County Manager Mr. Michael Conlon and the elected members. The original County Hall was designed by Mr. P. L. McSweeney, Cork County Architect and the General Contractors were P.J. Hegarty & Sons, Ltd. Cork. The re-developed Cork County Hall was officially opened on the 26th of June 2006 by Councillor Michael Creed, Mayor of the County of Cork, in the presence of the County Manager Mr. Maurice Moloney and the elected members. The re-development works were designed by Shay Cleary Architects and the General Contractors were Rohcon Ltd.

County Hall stands 65 metres tall,  Ireland's tallest building for forty years until the Elysian Tower (81 metres) in the city centre was completed in 2008.

Cork County Council employs 2,780 people, and the annual turnover (revenue and capital) in 2011 was €459 million(est). There are three divisional offices in Mallow, Clonakilty and Skibbereen; 12 Town Council offices in Bantry, Bandon, Clonakilty, Cobh, Fermoy, Kinsale, Macroom, Mallow, Midleton, Passage, Skibbereen and Youghal; and 22 Area Offices.

Infrastructure

County Cork covers an area of 7,459 square kilometres (2,880 square miles), which is 11% of the Irish State and makes Cork, Ireland's largest county. With over 7,500 miles of public roads, Cork County Council's transportation network equates to 14% of the nation's total. Over  €550 million was spent in the last five years on road maintenance and improvements in Cork County. An additional  €12 million has been spent on improvements to piers and harbours in the last 5 years.

Ireland's only cable car spans the 200 metres of Dursey Sound in West Cork, and can carry six passengers at a height of 25 metres over high water. It can also operate in up to force 8 weather conditions. The distance from Dublin to Dursey is 400 kilometres (250 miles). Mitchelstown, at the other end of County Cork, is exactly halfway between the two.

Planning

Nearly 30,000 planning applications have been received and processed in the last 5 years by Cork County Council's Planning Department. Over the past 3 years, planning permission has been granted for 7,000 one-off houses. The Cork Rural Design Guide, published by the Planning Policy Unit,  is invaluable for anyone proposing to build, renovate or extend individual houses.

Fire and Building Control Dept

Cork County Fire and Building Control Department provides a quality fire and building control service in order to achieve the following objectives:
- Assist the public in maintaining adequate fire safety in buildings. 
- Ensure that building construction is in compliance with the building regulations. 
- Prepare for major emergencies.

The Department is located at four regional offices:
- Ballincollig Cork. (HQ) 
- Market Green, Midleton. 
- Bantry Fire Station. 
- Mallow Fire Station.

The Fire service operates from 21 fire stations around the county. It functions within a budget of €14,000,000 and responds to approximately 3,000 emergency calls. It processes Fire Safety and Disability Certifications as required under the Building control Acts. It also exercises it's responsibilities under the Fire Services Acts in the public interest. Please review the Fire and Building Control Section of this Website for additional information.

Environment

The coastline of County Cork measures approximately 1,100 kilometres (680 miles), which is 19% of the Irish State's coastline. County Cork has achieved Blue Flag status for nine of its beaches. The county also has the greatest number of rivers in Ireland, with 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) of main river channels. These are the source of over 30 million gallons (136 million litres) of drinking water every day. The level of unpolluted waters in County Cork is 81%, which is significantly higher than the national average.

Library

County Council Library Services - Interesting Facts

• There are nearly 50,000 registered library users in County Cork.  
• The cost of joining your local library is only €2.50.  
• There are almost 1,300,000 visits to the Councils library network annually.  
• The number of items borrowed through the library network annually exceeds 1,200,000.  
• The Council adds nearly 60,000 books per year to its lending stock.  
• There are 128 people working in the 28 library locations across the county.