Marina toilets open six months after installation

Public toilets at the Marina - which were first installed in October 2025 - opened to the public over the Bank holiday weekend after Cork City Council said it concluded terms with a contractor for their upkeep.

Last month, the Cork Independent reported the toilets had not opened due to what a council spokesperson called “unforeseen operational issues”.

It is understood these involved a dispute over who would be responsible for their upkeep and cleaning. At the time of their installation, it was understood this was to be Cortado Coffee.

However, the council has now confirmed the toilets - which are located beside Cortado Coffee at the end of the promenade - were opened to the public on 2 May.

“The toilets will be maintained by a contractor engaged by the council and will be open seven days a week in line with the café’s extensive opening hours,” said a council spokesperson.

The council did not provide any further information as to the identity of the contractor.

Cllr Peter Horgan said it had been “a long, long process to get it done, but finally they’re now open for use”.

He also said he would be working to have more toilets installed further along the promenade at Holland Park.

Cllr Niamh O’Connor, who raised the issue of the toilets in the January meeting of Cork City Council, said the process of opening the toilets “shows what happens when you include basic amenities as an afterthought”.

“Public toilets are a necessity, they are an accessibility issue and they should be included in the design of all public spaces from the outset.

“Marina Park is an amazing amenity, but until now it has been inaccessible for lots of people and that is simply not good enough.

“We have to learn from this and include public toilets and other basic infrastructure in our plans for all public spaces going forward,” she said.

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