Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn

It is hard to believe that we are already in the middle of autumn. Where has the year gone? Our Libraries and Arts Service has been busy in the past few weeks with several initiatives. There are two great opportunities for a writer in residence and a heritage specialist who will work in Cork county to promote and engage people in local history, heritage, and research. Visit our website to find out more.

I recently welcomed the introduction of the library loan scheme for digital radon monitors at Cork County Hall. The availability of these digital monitors in our libraries will make it easier for everyone to take the first step in protecting their families from this harmful gas. I would strongly encourage people to borrow a monitor from their local library to help protect their family’s health.

We have received many high-quality submissions this year for the Best in Cork Awards and although the deadline has passed for entries for the Best Start-Up, Best Small, Best Medium, and Best Large Business, there is still time to enter the remaining categories until 12 November. This is a fantastic opportunity for businesses in county Cork to be recognised.

Another support for small businesses in Cork county was recently announced by our Local Enterprise Office. The All in a Day’s Work campaign is aimed at helping small businesses to save time, money, and energy. Small business owners invest their heart and soul into growing a business and the process can be difficult. There is a wealth of advice and support available that this campaign aims to shed light on.

Although the weather did not hold up, I had a lovely visit to Mallow in the past week to officially unveil the new Castle Playground, skate park, public realm and Town Park pathways. These projects exemplify Cork County Council’s dedication to creating vibrant and engaging community spaces and will generate fond memories for generations to come.

I had the pleasure to welcome the Cork U20 hurling team to County Hall for a civic reception in recognition of their All-Ireland final win over Offaly. The success of our U20 hurlers is a testament to their hard work, commitment, and unwavering determination.

Cork has always had a rich history of sport. Over the weekend, I took the time to watch Ireland in the quarter final of the Rugby World Cup. I was cheering Cork’s own Peter O’Mahony and the Boys in Green versus an outstanding New Zealand team. Although they could not pull of the victory in the end, the boys should be proud of themselves for the performance and desire they showed on the pitch and how far they have come in recent years.