News

Cork County Council has today formally signed up to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP). Getting on board with this ambitious five-year roadmap to help bees and nature is further evidence of the Council’s commitment to playing a leading role in making its land more pollinator friendly.

An important milestone is being marked in West Cork this week with the return of live performing arts events. The West Cork Fit-Up Theatre Festival got underway on Tuesday and will run until Sunday, August 1st. Nine one-actor plays will be shown during the 12-day festival.

Cork County Council in conjunction with the Irish Coast Guard and Water Safety Ireland are appealing to members of the public to be mindful of their personal safety if they’re visiting the coast this week.

County Cork Alerts is now offering bathing water quality alerts for the 26 beaches in the county which are part of our bathing water monitoring program. 14 of these are Identified Bathing Waters, 10 of which are Blue Flag beaches. In addition, there are 13 Green Coast Flag Beaches. These alerts include bathing water quality results which are generally provided fortnightly during the summer bathing season and also any bathing restrictions if and when they are notified. The alerts are provided from data supplied by the EPA of monitoring carried out by the Council.

Cork County Council has announced the first recipients of its new Heritage Grant Scheme, with 23 Historical and Community groups set to benefit from up to €1,000 each in funding.

As part of Cork Pride Festival 2021, Cork County Council’s Library and Arts Service will host an online talk by Jack Fitzgerald of Gender Rebels Cork on Saturday, 24th July. The talk entitled “It’s No Big Deal: A Talk on Gender Identity and Sexuality” may be of interest to parents, family and friends of trans or transitioning young people.

The Haulbowline Island Recreational Amenity in the heart of Cork Harbour was officially opened today, Saturday 17th July

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Gillian Coughlan has officially opened the new Argideen Valley Trail walkway in picturesque West Cork. Works were recently completed on the installation of way-markers, map boards and interpretive signs along the new walking route that runs from Ballinscarthy to Timoleague and onto Courtmacsherry.  

Cork County Council will be the first local authority in the country to host a blended Council meeting, facilitating both online and on site attendees, following the completion of a series of upgrade works on Cork County Hall’s Council Chamber.

Cork County Council’s Beach Lifeguards are out patrolling the county beaches and have already had a busy season. The weather has been mixed but the beautiful County Cork beaches are being well frequented this season. 

The original Mallow Bridge was constructed in 1615 from timber. It and its replacements were swept away by floods in 1628, 1689 and 1712. A stone bridge was constructed in 1712 comprising of 15 equal arches. This too was badly damaged by a flood in 1853. The stone bridge was reconstructed in 1856. The reconstruction retained 4 of the original stone arches on the northern end of the bridge and the remainder of the bridge was replaced by 4 large segmental arches built using large blocks of dressed limestone. The use of segmental arches was a technological advancement at the time, enabling the spans to be wider and higher than previously possible. This increased the hydraulic capacity of the bridge and made it less likely to be damaged by floods.