County Mayor's Diary Cllr Mary Linehan Foley
The turn of September into October is one of the most beautiful times of year with the leaves rusting and the skies glowing tangerine at twilight.
It is enough to inspire, with some people writing stories and others painting and decorating. There’s no slowdown as the weather worsens, and that brings out the most creative part of ourselves.
I got to see and experience this every day during my last week as Mayor of the County of Cork, beginning with the announcement of €217,000 being allocated to 111 successful applicants across 29 towns and villages under the 2025 Streetscape Enhancement Scheme.
The programme is all about improving the appearance of the main streets of towns and villages by supporting streetscape enhancement works.
The scheme involves four different support measures, ranging from 60% grant aid for works to 100% funding for materials, and it includes painting of premises and improvements to shop-front signage.
In total, 197 applications were received by Cork County Council under the 2025 Streetscape Enhancement Scheme, which shows the drive and desire by people to better their local communities.
Cork County Council will support the successful applicants every step of the way by offering guidance on colour palette and design, on conservation principles for traditional shop fronts, and on the use of the Irish language in signage.
I am thrilled that this process is officially over the line as it gives us an opportunity to reward property owners that are maintaining and improving our towns while making Cork county a more attractive place to live and visit.
I see how this works on my travels, and how creative expression can lead to something great.
That was nicely followed with National Public Libraries Open Day on Saturday 27 September at various venues across Cork county.
This was a celebration of libraries in our communities and a campaign to raise awareness of what is on offer.
The Open Day urged people to ‘take a look’ at services like the availability of ebooks, eaudiobooks, enewspapers, emagazines, and elearning Courses, alongside access to printing services, and study spaces.
What tied everything together for me was the announcement that applications were open for the 2025 Dearcán Bursar, a programme that runs in collaboration with Cork County Council Arts Office, Cork County Local Enterprise Offices, and Benchspace Cork.
Once again, we are empowering creatives, and this time we are turning the spotlight on to makers in jewellery and fine metalwork.
The successful applicants will avail of a year-long supported programme that includes free access to Benchspace’s extensive facilities, and a €10,000 expenses stipend.
This is so important for rising artists as it allows them to work in a supportive space that designed for them to reach their fullest potential.
Anyone interested in the programme, can apply on corkcoco.ie with the closing date set for 5pm on Friday 24 October.