67 Heritage Groups across Cork County benefiting from Grant Schemes and new publication outlining events from1920 - 1923
The total amount of funding allocated is €119,130 with a variety of projects set to benefit including video documentaries, exhibitions, archives, natural heritage projects and a wide range of heritage publications. Funding has also been allocated to establish the condition of important local heritage buildings.
Mayor Coughlan said, “I would encourage everyone to participate in the variety of events on offer over the coming months as we can remember our past together and what it meant for the Ireland of today. The period from 1920 to 1923 saw significant events taking place in our county, featuring many who were household names from an important time in our collective history. This funding is vital in helping us acknowledge and protect our heritage, so these stories will long outlive each of us and be told to generations to come”.
Chief Executive of Cork County Council Tim Lucey also highlighted how, “The supported projects are in keeping with the objectives of Cork County Council’s Heritage Plan and will result in increased awareness of heritage while promoting good heritage practice.”
Other projects and events supported relate to the centenary of the Civil War and will mark such occurrences as the burning of Mitchelstown Castle, the Battle for Cork, the killing of Michael Collins at Béal na Bláth and the deaths in December 1922 of Sean Hales and Dick Barrett. These were significant moments in the Irish Civil War relating to the County of Cork, showing the significance of the county and its people in the story of the Irish Civil War.
Some of the funding has been allocated under the 2022 County Cork Commemorations Grant Scheme, supported by Cork County Council through its Commemorations Committee and by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, while the funding of the 2022 County Cork Heritage Grant Scheme is from Cork County Council’s Heritage Budget as well as the Heritage Council.
Mayor Coughlan has also announced the publication of a book by Cork County Council titled ‘Centenary Timeline: The War of Independence and Civil War in County Cork 1920-1923’. This publication, in a chronological manner, sets out hundreds of the events that occurred in and with relevance to County Cork from the 1920 to 1923 period, documenting important local names and events as well as significant developments on the national level.
The publication will be available from bookshops throughout Cork in the coming weeks and it is anticipated that demand for the publication will be very high.