Work Night Tuesday 8 June
Work nights returned on Tuesday 8th June and planting an assortment of Plants, many of which are Pollinator Friendly at the new Ballincollig Parklet, was one of the first projects undertaken. Thirty-seven bags of our own compost from the Allotment Compost Bays were used.
EASTGATE TIDY UP
Despite the wet weather several Volunteers were out.
Henry, Ferghal and Declan tackled Eastgate tidying up the base of the large wall. They also brushed the stones back in to the gravel area.
FLOWERBED AT WESTCLIFFE
Due to lockdown and government restrictions the long, raised flowerbed that runs along Westcliffe’s front wall had gone unattended. However, on Tuesday during the Work Night Kitty, Mary and Carmel cleaned this bed. Gay joined them after carrying out a Litter Pick with Maureen. Although the work will continue what was achieved on the Tuesday Work Night has already made a difference.
Kitty, Maureen and Mary continued work on the flowerbed in front of Westcliffe and seventeen bags were collected for recycling.
Eleven bags were collected from An Caislean Residents who were busy again.
Henry, Gay and John were working on the Western side of Ballincollig and cleaned in front of a derelict house in Coolroe and along the stone wall. Four bags were collected from them.
The two Pats watered and fed all the Window Boxes, Pole Planters, Wooden Planters, Eastgate Planters, and the Towers on Main Street. After two hours they had only used six hundred litres due to the rainfall of the past few days.
Fearghal went around Ballincollig putting Cork City Council stickers on the Heritage Signs.
Poulavone Roundabout was the main focus and ten Volunteers spent the best part of two hours weeding, edging and strimming. The Roundabout had become somewhat overgrown while we were in lockdown.
The Volunteers also started cutting the grass on the Roundabout. After more than an hour and a half three one-ton bags of Grass and three one-ton bags of Green Waste were collected.
Eight Volunteers worked on the Poulavone Roundabout the following Work Night and it is great to see it looking good again. They worked for two hours and gathered six one-ton bags of Grass and six bags of Green Waste.
The grass has now been cut and the Flower-beds on the perimeter have been edged and weeded.
The centre section has been partially weeded and planting will be sorted in the coming week.
The rain on Tuesday night did not deter seven Volunteers from weeding the Flowerbeds at Poulavone Roundabout and getting them ready for planting. The work took a couple of hours to complete and fifteen bags of Green Waste were filled.
The newly painted bee boxes made a welcome return to the centre of the Roundabout.
We were back on the Roundabout on Thursday night.
The final stage of the initial work on the Poulavone Roundabout concluded with the planting of one hundred Pollinator Friendly plants. Five Volunteers planted a selection of plants in the five outer beds and the large bed in the centre.
Cosmos, Calenduia and a variety of coloured lupins were among the selection.
Four Volunteers cut the grass on the Poulavone Roundabout during Tuesday’s Work Night.
Eight one-ton bags of Grass were collected and it took an hour and a half to complete.
The intention going forward is to mulch the grass when we cut it.
On Thursday’s Work Night, three Volunteers were out dead-heading the Planters near Maxol and the Inniscarra Road Junction. They spent one and a-half hours on this work.
Tuesday Work Night
Ten Volunteers were out for Tuesday’s Work Night. While one went Litter Picking the remainder took on various jobs. The Flowers in the Planters on the Railings were deadheaded by three of them. The other six were cleaning Traffic Islands.
Our Crew cleaned around the Bus Stop and the base of the crossing at The White Horse and also cleaned the West Village Traffic Island at the Innishmore Junction Traffic Lights.
Thursday Work Night, three Volunteers continued deadheading. This is vital to keep the Planters looking well. Picture shows Christine busy at the West Village.
Ger worked his trusty weed remover at Muskerry Junction. Other Volunteers were also very busy.
Three Volunteers were doing some Litter Picking.
Thursday Work Night
On Thursday evening the two Pats spent two and a half hours watering as the warm weather made the flowers extremely thirsty. They used thirteen hundred litres of water but only got the North side of Main St. and the Planters at Eastgate watered. They will continue again on Friday evening.
There were eight Volunteers our on Main Street for the Thursday Work Night. Some were Litter Picking while others were clearing the weeds and sweeping kerbs. Volunteers were also dead-heading the Planters.
TUESDAY WORK NIGHT
Tuesday Work Night was another busy night. We had six Volunteers assisting in clearing the weeds on the street. One Volunteer was dead heading the Planters. The Waterboys were out for the second night watering and we had one Volunteer cutting the grass on Poulavone Roundabout.
THURSDAY WORK NIGHT
We had seven Volunteers out for the Thursday Work Night. They were Litter Picking and cleaning along the footpaths and kerbs on a section of Main Street. We took time out in the sweltering heat to enjoy an ice cream together.
Ten Volunteers were out for the Tuesday Work Night. The area beside the Bank of Ireland was tackled along with the footpaths out front. We cleaned under the railings, cleaned the kerbs and did the edging.
The result was incredible.
Another crew were picking Litter while some more were watering the Planters.
Denis was busy washing signs at Inniscarra Junction.
Christine and Maureen were deadheading the Planters. Unfortunately, due to the heavy downpours Thursday’s Work Night was cancelled.
There were seven Volunteers our for the Tuesday Work Night. We worked on the area near the Wildflower Meadow on the Link Road.
Before we cut the grass back slightly, we edged beside the footpath and it made a wonderful difference. This was such a positive step. Using spades and brushes and despite the fact it took an hour, it was so much better than spraying.
All the sods that were removed will be recycled and used to fill in areas that need building up.
There were also Volunteers dead heading flowers and litter picking.
Thursday’s Work Night found us on the Link Road where we cut a strip of grass alongside the footpath below the Wildflower Meadow. Efforts to finish the edging were interrupted due to a torrential downpour. Next Tuesday’s Work Night will see this area completed.
While the edging was being done another one of our Volunteers spent time removing suckers from some trees.
Two more Volunteers were litter picking and another was busy dead heading the flowers.
Tuesday Work Night we had eight Volunteers working at the Innishmore entrance to the Regional Park. This was the first of two nights cutting back overhanging hedging and pulling weeds beside the Pedestrian Path to the Park.
While we were there, we also took the opportunity to clean the kerbs and do a general tidy up. Next week we hope to return to finish this work.
Everything we cut back was Green Waste and was all put into our Green Waste Skip.
Students will be returning to school in the coming weeks so Thursday Work Night we decided to tackle the area from Gaelscoil Ui Riordan to the traffic lights at the Link Road Junction.
There are Wild Flowers (Pollinators) planted in this area. The edging takes a little more effort but it is definitely better than spraying.
The project was completed the following week.
TUESDAY WORK NIGHT
We were back on the Pathway again this week having cleared much of it during last week’s Work Night. On Tuesday’s Work Night with the kind support of Finbarr O’Neill, we managed to get the blinding down on the path.
There were nine Volunteers working on this project and it certainly worked out well.
THURSDAY WORK NIGHT
Our Volunteers managed to get three quarters of the grass on Poulavone Roundabout mulched, edges brushed and some of the Flowerbeds weeded.
The evenings are beginning to close in quickly so we will have to return to complete the job early next week.
WORK NIGHTS
There were eleven Volunteers working on the Tuesday Work Night. Three were dead heading the Planters earlier in the day while two more were litter picking.
Six Volunteers cut the remainder of the grass on the Poulavone Roundabout. They then started on another project in the area which had been identified earlier.
At the top end of the Cycle Lane from Carrigrohane to Poulavone we noticed briars and over hanging branches that needed to be cut back.
Our volunteers spent the remainder of the night cutting back and tidying this area making it safer for cyclists. More work needs to be done to complete this project.
Thursday Work Night saw six Volunteers completing the work that was started on Tuesday’s Work Night. The kerb on the cycle lane from Carrigrohane to Poulavone was cleared. This has made the cycle lane much safer for its users.
TUESDAY WORK NIGHT
Tuesday’s Work Night, nine Volunteers were working near Poulavone Roundabout. Briars and bushes on the footpath were cut back in front of Bridgewater. We had to go back there on Thursday to finish this work.
On Tuesday 31 August, the day we take as being the ‘last day of summer’, the grass on Poulavone Roundabout was cut and mulched.
Despite the hundreds of vehicles driving around the roundabout, the many bees were oblivious busy flying from flower to flower.
Ballincollig Tidy Towns Volunteers, in association with McDonalds Ballincollig, have maintained the Roundabout to a high standard and we are already planning additional Pollinators for next year.
TUESDAY WORK NIGHT
Ten Volunteers worked on the Footpath from Gaelscoil Ui Riordain to Limeworth on Tuesday Night to try and finish off the work started two weeks ago.
They worked flat out and filled five one-ton bags with Green Waste.
However, the darkness and rain got the better of them and they had to abandon the work.
TUESDAY WORK NIGHT
Eight Volunteers were out for the Tuesday Work Night and they finished off the job near Gaelscoil Ui Riordain as it was rained off last Thursday.
The Edging Machine was working it’s magic and it really made such a difference.
All the sods that were removed will be recycled at the Allotment.
As there is a selection of new Graffiti around Ballincollig, one Volunteer was kept busy trying his best to remove it from several signs etc.
A further two Volunteers were kept busy Litter Picking.
TUESDAY WORK NIGHT
Tuesday’s Work Night began somewhat earlier at 5.30pm when Tony started cutting the grass on Poulavone Roundabout. Seven more Volunteers joined him and between them all they managed to cut the whole lot of the Grass and also cut back and weed the five perimeter Flowerbeds.
The grass is mulched as it is cut. It takes approx. two hours to cut the entire Roundabout and in doing so the person will have walked three and a half miles.
THURSDAY WORK NIGHT
There were six Volunteers out on the Poulavone Roundabout for the Thursday Work Night. The centre section was given an overhaul for the autumn. The flowers were cleaned up and cut back.
Darkness cut the work short but in that time four one-ton bags and six small bags of Green Waste were collected and removed to be taken to the Allotment for recycling.
It will be necessary to spend some more nights on this project to get it finished.
WORK NIGHTS
Tuesday’s Work Night began at 5pm with the Volunteers managing to avoid the rain.
There were eight Volunteers working on the Poulavone Roundabout and they continued to trim the many shrubs.
Seven one-ton bags of Green Waste were taken away for the Compost Bays. The Grass was also cut and the edges strimmed.
Some more Volunteers were busy doing Litter Picks on the streets.
The light was fading as the Volunteers were tidying their stuff away.
This is the last Tuesday Work Night for this year.
Ten Volunteers gathered on the Poulavone Roundabout on Thursday for what was the last Work Night for 2021.
Everyone worked really hard to get this project completed.
We were delighted with the Poulavone Roundabout this year and the plan is to make it even better in 2022, with the support of McDonalds Ballincollig who are it’s sponsors.
Twenty bags of Green Waste were taken from the Roundabout and these will be put in the Compost Bays at the Allotment.
We also had some other Volunteers picking litter in the Town Centre, as part of the Work Night.
Although the Work Nights have now come to an end, Ballincollig Tidy Towns will be organizing Saturday Mornings in the coming weeks to tackle some more projects.
