DAY OUT
There was great excitement last Saturday as 22 of our Volunteers set off for the annual Day Trip. Kevin our driver from Ballincollig Coaches collected us early and we set off in high spirits for Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. The Wild Goose in Mallow was our first stop where we enjoyed a fabulous breakfast. Thank you to all the wonderful staff.
With full bellies we headed on to Bunratty where we experienced a magnificent step back in time. We were able to buy a quarter of loose sweets from the many jars and smell freshly baked bread and burning turf. Although the rain spoilt the time at the very top of the Castle the experience of the place was wonderful. Our trip was complete with a visit to Durty Nellys.
Sadly, it was time to head home with a final stop for dinner at the Corbett Court in Ballyhea where we enjoyed good food and excellent service. A lovely day was enjoyed by all the Volunteers.
ENTENTE FLORALE ANNIVERSARY
Last Sunday morning while we were enjoying our chat and cuppa after the weekly litter pick at The Plaza, Mary brought out one of our Entente Florale flags which we used when Ballincollig represented Ireland in The Entente Florale Competition 10 years ago. It brought back lovely memories of the judges from several European countries visiting Ballincollig. It was an amazing experience.
Ballincollig was awarded a silver medal the prize giving taking place in Nieupoort in Belgium. It was a very special trip. And what we saw changed the way we do things in a great many areas, things we are still practicing today.
HELP FOR POLLINATOR FRIENDS
As autumn approaches and our pollinator friends are preparing for winter here are five essential tasks that can be undertaken to support them:
Plant Late-Blooming Flowers: Provide nourishment for bees with late-blooming flowers such as asters, sedums and soon the Ivy will bloom.
Leave Some Garden Mess: Allow leaves and plant debris to remain in a corner of your garden. They provide shelter for overwintering insects.
Build solitary Bee lodges: Craft solitary bee lodges to provide nesting spots for solitary bees. Details in the next newsletter – bee ready for learning!
Limit Garden Cleanup: Avoid excessive garden tidying to provide hibernation spots for pollinators.
Create Water Sources: Set up shallow dishes of water with stones for bees to drink safely.
TUESDAY WORK NIGHT
There were 13 Volunteers out for Tuesday’s work night. They worked on the Poulavone Roundabout cutting the grass and doing a tidy up in preparation for the Autumn and Winter.
Two Volunteers cut the grass while the rest were weeding the outlying beds and the large centre bed. A large volume of weeds was removed from the roundabout. Also, a quantity of foliage from around some of the shrubs which will help them grow stronger. We were delighted with the amount of work we got through in the hour.
HEDGE CUTTING
At this time of year, it’s unlikely nesting birds are still in the hedges. Maybe now is a good time to cut them. The following steps should be taken –
Set up guidelines, to keep both the sides and top level. Avoid cutting too far into the old wood and aim to cut back to the base of the new growth. Start at the top and use shears to cut through the soft new growth. Cut the sides next. Create a slope with the top narrower than the base. This will help light get to the base and stop the hedge becoming top-heavy.Then clip the ends of the hedge. Remove all loose clippings from the hedge. These can look unsightly and unfortunately harbor disease.
Find a practical guide to pruning here: http://spr.ly/6182Pg2Rw
LITTER PICK
On Sunday morning 18 Volunteers were out for the weekly litter pick. Pat collected 16 bags of general litter including 1 bag of Glass, 1 bag of Cans and 1 bag of Grass Cuttings from Leo Murphy Terrace. We covered all the usual places in the hour.
Afterwards, we all met up in The Plaza for a cuppa and chat.
THURSDAY WORK NIGHT
Thursday night of last week was the final Thursday Work Night of the season. The Volunteers went back to tackle the second bed at the top of the Car Park.
FRESHENED UP
In the last few weeks Denis undertook to clean the old gate on the Main Road in West Village. It certainly looked a lot better afterwards. However, on Sunday morning he gave it a fresh coat of paint which has made such a difference.
DISGRACEFUL
It is disgraceful to see some of the rubbish collected this week from in and around the Old Aldi Site. Seven bags were removed from the ditch and footpath.
SOME OF THIS WEEK’S WORK
In 2022 work was done realigning the rear exit of Muskerry Estate which included putting two new pollinator friendly flowerbeds. Unfortunately, the beds were not properly tended to and became overgrown with weeds. On Monday Gay, Tommy and Sunday tackled these flowerbeds and removed several bags of weeds. Hopefully now this will allow the plants to strengthen and grow.
Tuesday morning the lads started off by filling the reservoirs in the planters at Eastgate. They took 700 litres of water and feed. Tommy and Sunday cut back overhanging branches, bindweed and briars on the Inniscarra Road path leading to the pedestrian entrance of the Regional Park. They collected 1 plastic bag of flower cuttings, 6 bags of weeds and grit plus a one-ton bag of cuttings.
Also on Tuesday John, Sunday & Tom removed 5 one-ton bags of bindweed from around the Beech hedge opposite Coolroe Heights.
Sunday removed the Weeds from most of the laneway running from Ballincollig Community School to Westgate. Wayne and Jimmy used 700 litres watering the Planters at Eastgate.
WEEE
Ireland Collection Day Events 2023
The schedule for FREE Recycling Day Events for Household Electrical, Lighting and Battery waste is from 29/08/2023 to 23/09/2023 in Kildare, Galway, Cork, Roscommon, Carlow and Galway.
Cork Tuesday 5 September 10am to 4pm Aldi Car Park Glanmire and Thursday 7 September 10am to 4pm Aldi Car Park Macroom.
NATIONAL WOMEN’S ENTERPRISE DAY 2023
Thursday, 19th October – Dunmore House Hotel, Clonakilty, Co. Cork
Dunmore House Hotel, Clonakilty is the venue for this year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day on 19th October. A full day programme ‘Empowering Business Together’ encouraging and stimulating female entrepreneurship in the Cork and Kerry region. The day promises to be a celebration of female entrepreneurship and an exciting opportunity for networking and inspiration with LEO clients from across the South West.
MC Amy-Jane Keating – Host and Creator of the “Go Do You” podcast series
Guest Speaker Pat Kane – Sustainability Advocate, Strategist, Speaker, Writer, and founder of rezuzi.ie
Panel Discussion with our LEO ‘Leading Lights’
LEO Cork North & West – Caroline Murphy, West Cork Eggs
LEO Cork City – Kathy O’Dwyer, Career Training Internships
LEO South Cork – Wendy Oke, TeachKloud
LEO Kerry – Anna & Orla Snook O’Carroll, Valentia Vermouth
Keynote Speaker – Laura Dowling, Fabulous Pharmacist and Founder/CEO of fabU Wellness
For further information on this year’s event and to book your place, just click on the following link:
National Women’s Enterprise Day 2023 – South West – Local Enterprise Office – CorkCity
THE ANNUAL COMMUNITY & HERITAGE CONCERT
On Saturday September 30th at 7.30pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Cork City Hall
The Lord Mayor’s Community & Heritage Concert 2023 will explore the themes of musicals, movies and more.
This year’s concert will feature talented community music groups such as the Barrack Street Band, the Voices of Cork Choir along with well-known singers Soprano Linda Kenny, Art Supple, Jimmy Hynes amongst others.
Alf McCarthy will be the MC for the night.
Tickets are distributed by the committee to people who wouldn’t normally get the chance to attend such an event.
Lord Mayor Cllr. Kieran McCarthy said:
“I am delighted to be officiating at this year’s Community & Heritage Concert showcasing Corks history, culture and heritage. This concert epitomises social inclusion and community participation at work. I know that it will an enjoyable and entertaining evening, showcasing the best-in-class talent that Cork has to offer”.
COFFEE MORNING
With Cork City Partnership
September 21st 2023
11am – 1pm
The Hall, St. Finbarr’s GAA Club,
Togher
Contact Michael O’Donnell
083 360 4611 or
modonnell@partnershipcork.ie
Unit 2, Greenwood Estate,
Togher
EXHIBITION
Celebrating Cork’s Past
History is all around us alive and continuously evolving. Since time began, mankind has been recording history on cave walls, rocks and wood for future generations.
Celebrating Cork Past Exhibition, which is supported by the Cork City Council, Cork County Council and Cork Lions Club, is carrying on this grand tradition.
‘The County of Cork is steeped in heritage and this exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for heritage groups and societies from throughout the city and county to come together, promote their heritage, make new connections and learn from one another. It is a great family day and I people from throughout the county are encouraged to attend on the day, to support the ambassadors from their own localities and the heritage heroes from throughout Cork County and City’, commented Cllr. Frank O’Flynn, Mayor of the County of Cork.
The exhibition will take place from 11am to 5pm on Saturday 30th September at the Millennium Hall in Cork City Hall. All are welcome and admission is free.
For further information about exhibiting or attending the concert: Contact: community@corkcity.ie
HIGH ALERT
For text message SCAMS!
A recent report shows fraudsters stole nearly €85 million (€84.6m) through frauds and scams in 2022.
FraudSMART is warning Age Friendly Ireland members to be on high alert for text message scams.
Consumers are being urged to be on high alert to text message fraud, this type of fraud (known as smishing) is now the dominant channel for fraud attempts, with 1 in 2 adults having received fraudulent text messages in the past 12 months.
The text messages often include a link and sense of urgency requiring immediate action. If you receive a text asking you for personal or financial information, whether its purporting to be from your bank, eFlow, the HSE, parcel delivery services, AN POST or any other company, DO NOT click on any links, especially if there is a sense of urgency to the message. Pause for thought and if in any doubt look up the company phone number or email address elsewhere and contact the company independently.
Find a wealth of information and tips to keep you aware of how to protect yourself from financial scams at https://www.fraudsmart.ie
ART OF READING BOOKCLUB EVENT
Hollyhill Library is proud to present Laureate of Irish Fiction Colm Toibín in conversation with Aingeala Flannery to discuss her recent novel ‘The Amusements’.
Readers, book lovers and book clubs everywhere are invited to attend 2.00 pm Saturday 02 September.
Spaces are limited and booking is essential.
To book contact Hollyhill Library on 021 4924928.
DOOMED INHERITANCE
Cork City Libraries in collaboration with the Cork Design and Fine Arts Society present a lecture on the burning of Mitchelstown Castle. Bill Power, author of Doomed Inheritance, will present this discussion.
Mitchelstown Castle was looted and burned on the 12th and 13th August 1922 and was the biggest house ever destroyed in Ireland.
Come along to the City Library on 13 September at 7.00 pm.
CORK PAST AND PRESENT
Cork Past and Present is a dedicated local History site which is currently being updated!
Many new digitized items such as the Goad Insurance Plans of Cork, Cork related Illustrated London News Images and ‘A History of Douglas’ by Con Foley have been added to Cork Past and Present.
Check it out at: https://buff.ly/3PgRMnc
CORK COUNTY OLDER PEOPLE’S COUNCIL
Cork County Older People’s Council are inviting all older people in Cork County to attend their AGM on Wednesday, 13th September 2023 (11am-4pm) in the Kingsley Hotel.
The Cork County Age Friendly Programme has been operational for several years and continues to grow from strength to strength. Widespread public and stakeholder consultation has informed the priority needs and shaped the actions to be delivered in implementing this strategy.
Special Guest Speakers on the day will give advice on road safety and advance care planning, followed by an open discussion and workshops to inform the Cork County Age Friendly Strategy 2023-2028.
To confirm attendance please email agefriendly@corkcoco.ie
