Mahon’s long-awaited centre finally happening?

Mahon will soon have a new community centre, a meeting heard this week which is due to include a public library on the ground floor and a youth resource centre upstairs.

The announcement about the new two-storey building came at the Mahon and Blackrock Community Safety Forum on Tuesday 3 September.

Fianna Fáil Cllr Terry Shannon told the Cork Independent: “The community will get a fully functioning and resourced library on the ground floor, fully staffed, with study areas for children. On the top floor, there will be a community space and a youth resource centre with dedicated youth facilities. This will finally replace the dilapidated porta cabins. Young people will have their own modern, state-of-the-art space in Mahon.”

The new centre will be located near Nagle Community College and Holy Cross Catholic Church.

Cllr Shannon added: “We brought in the Education and Training Board and Cork City Council, and a memorandum of understanding was signed a couple of weeks ago. Funding has already been provided for the design.”

He also hinted at more good news soon. “We’re looking at the possibility of setting up an interim library while the new building is being developed.”

Residents at the forum welcomed the announcement. Many said that young people in the area are often blamed for antisocial behaviour, but this happens largely because they have nowhere to go. Sports are not an option for everyone, some said.

Garda Sergeant Fergus Twomey, in charge of the local garda district, shared concerns raised by residents and encouraged community cooperation. “We need more eyes and ears in the community. We can’t see everything, hear everything, or know everything. But the more information we get from the community, the better we can respond to the issues they raise.”

failures, wastewater security and other matters. There was a hope that following the meeting earlier this year we would have turned the corner but we have not. The people deserve to know and hear in public the answers.”

Seven councillors have now written to the Lord Mayor, asking that Uisce Éireann be invited to a public meeting in Cork.

Green Party/Comhaontas Glas Cllr Honore Kamegni said residents in his ward have been hit hard by pumphouse failures.

“They’ve been left in the dark, with no reliable information about timelines for repairs or improvements,” he said.

“Enough is enough, Uisce Éireann must be held accountable! The people of Cork are being let down by Uisce Éireann, and this continued failure in providing basic water services is simply unacceptable. We are calling for a public meeting to get clarity. The people of Cork deserve honesty, accountability, and above all, solutions.”

Green Party/Comhaontas Glas Cllr Oliver Moran added: “The current arrangements, where water services are severed from local government, is creating information gaps, suspicion, and friction where it doesn’t need to be.”

Social Democrats Cllr Niamh O’Connor said “access to clean and reliable drinking water is one of the most basic amenities people in this city should be able to rely on.”

Independent Cllr and former lord mayor Kieran McCarthy told the Cork Independent he too is waiting for clear answers.

“Patience is really, really important when dealing with them. They need to step up their communication with the public,” he said.

Cllr McCarthy added that Uisce Éireann officials had visited City Hall recently, but councillors were disappointed that no senior executives attended.

“City Hall asked for the chief executive, and instead we got the local southern team. I think we were disappointed with that, especially as Ireland’s second-largest local authority.”

Another former lord mayor, Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle, also backed the calls: “Water discolouration and supply issues persist across Cork, raising numerous concerns.”

In response, Uisce Éireann told the Cork Independent that senior management had already met councillors last year and that further briefings are planned.

“In 2024, Uisce Éireann initiated a series of dedicated briefings with elected representatives and has since held multiple engagements that have been attended by senior management from Uisce Éireann. We remain committed to ongoing dialogue and look forward to welcoming Cork City’s elected representatives at our next briefing.”

The utility company said it “understands the concern that instances of discoloured water can cause” and insisted it is taking “comprehensive action” to address the problem.

It said a dedicated task force has been working in Cork for the past nineteen months, carrying out more water testing, flushing old mains, replacing pipes, and improving treatment processes.

Uisce Éireann has also invested in specialist systems to remove manganese from the source water and reduce its impact on the city’s cast iron network. A new online reporting form and information page have also been set up for customers.

The utility has thanked residents for their patience, but many households remain unconvinced as the dirty water continues to flow.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.