More than 6,000 children from primary schools across the county had their first taste of college life when Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) hosted the annual Cork City Primary Sports yesterday. CIT hosted the event, considered one of the most seminal in primary schoolchildren’s lives in Cork, while Páirc Ui Chaoimh, the usual venue,is being redeveloped.
More than 3000 schools took part with 200 primary school teachers acting as volunteers.

Lúthchleasa Bhunscoileanna Chorcaí committee PRO Gearóid Ó Murchú said: “Due to Páirc Uí Chaoimh being unavailable, we moved this year to the fantastic facilities at CIT. It was a carnival atmosphere and people traveled from all four corners of the county, from Eyeries to Mitchelstown to Youghal to Newmarket. A wonderful day was had by all at this 91st Cork Primary Schools’ Sports. We wish to thank all at CIT for the use of their amazing facilities and for the welcome and co-operation extended to us.”
The new venue led to severe traffic problems on the approach to the city centre and some state exams had to be delayed to allow Junior Cert and Leaving Cert pupils to get to their exam centres.

Mr Ó Murchú said: “We wish to acknowledge the traffic difficulties due to the unprecedented numbers and apologise sincerely for any inconvenience.”

*See today’s Evening Echo for more.

*Caption: Section of the Large crowd which attended the races at CIT.Picture: Jim Coughlan.

*Video by Larry Cummins

CITY Councillors have hit out at the illegal parking on Corkmarket Street’s market plaza and have urged officials to crackdown on the practice.
Large numbers of cars regularly use the open plaza area for long term parking especially on Sundays or in the evenings.

The pedestrianised area of the Coal Quay (Cornmarket Street) is often used as a free carpark on Sundays. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Council spent €1.2m five years ago to completely redevelop the street to make it a wider, more pedestrian-friendly area similar to the work on Patrick Street and the Grand Parade. It involved new paving, wider footpaths, new lighting and street furniture, a one-way traffic system and a large open plaza near the Bridewell Garda Station.
Original plans for the street were to include a canopy covering the market however this was dropped over fears of anti social behaviour.
Following the Cornmarket Street’s redevelopment, know to many Corkonians as the Coal Quay, it was planned to expand the number of markets and stalls on the street however this has yet to come about.
In the meantime the plaza has become a regular parking area for cars.
Sinn Féin councillor Thomas Gould raised the matter in City Hall saying it was frustrating to see cars parked illegally.
“We spent millions on the Coal Quay to modenise it and all we have done is turn it into a car park. The whole idea was to encourage more markets and more people to come into the area.”
“We have lovely bars and restaurants and could have a really good artisan food a drink area where people would come and then filter further into the city. However we need to address this problem.”
Fine Gael Councillor John Buttimer said it was planned to have different types of markets on different days such as antique markets and furniture markets. “However we have had little or no movement on that and people are now taking advantage of the situation. I saw close to a hundred cars parked on plaza recently. They were parked three abreast and it’s sad to see,” he said.
Speaking in City Hall last Monday night the head of the Roads Department Gerry O’Beirne, said the level of market trading they had expected on Cornmarket Street had not materialised and as a result the plaza area had become an area for unauthorised parking.
He said a solution would be to go back and look at an engineering solution to the problem.
Cllr Gould said that in hindsight it was wrong to drop the plans for a canopy because that would have ensured more markets would take place and keep cars off the plaza.
“The council needs to make a statement that this area is not for parking. There are car parks at Paul Street and North Main Street just yards away. North Main Street always has free spaces so there is no excuse.”
“This might not be the biggest issue facing Cork but after spending all this money we have a responsibility to get it right,” he said.

CORK City and Barcelona will explore closer links following a conference in City Hall yesterday.
UCC historians and the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (DIPLOCAT) organised the conference to discuss the influence of former Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney on the Catalonian independence movement.

Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Ken O’Flynn and Josep Suarez, Government of Catalonia head of delegation to the United Kingdom and Ireland, laying a wreath at the open conference and commemoration of “Terence MacSwiney and Catalonia”, in City Hall. Picture: David Keane.
Opening the conference, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Kenneth O’Flynn said that Cork and Barcelona – the capital of the Catalonian region of Spain – would look at closer civic links and a possible formal twinning.
Cllr O’Flynn said that the conference showed the impact that MacSwiney had beyond Cork.
“It is only now that we realised the international effect that he had.
“When I reflect on politics today, there are very few leaders like Terence MacSwiney, and Tomás MacCurtain.
“There are few willing to say ‘I will take on an empire,’” he said.
He added that MacSwiney “dedicated his life to his country and his city,” and is rightly revered by people in other countries.
During the conference, held in the Council Chamber, the audience was told stories of how the people of Catalonia reacted to the death of MacSwiney in 1920.
Trade unions and youth groups, and students stormed the British Consulate in Barcelona, escalating into a riot in protest that the British had allowed their hero to die on hunger strike.
Motions of support were passed at the Barcelona and Figueres City Councils. In Barcelona, Catalonian independence leader Manuel Carrasco i Fromigueara proposed a motion of support, and a motion to name a street after him. He was later executed by Franco during the Spanish Civil war, but he was represented at yesterday’s conference by his daughter.
McSwiney was also represented at the conference by his grandson Cathal Brugha MacSwiney, who read a number of extracts from his grandfather’s works.
He said that his grandfather wanted to focus on the arts as Lord Mayor, but circumstances in the war changed things.“He tried to lift people’s spirits through his poems and plays, and as an Irish language speaker,” he said.
Mr MacSwiney also told stories of the gifts and letters his mother received from the people of Catalonia after her fathers death. Other speakers went into further depth on the links between Charles Stewart Parnell and the Home Rule movement, and the Catalonians’ independence struggle.
While Ireland became a free state in 1921, Catalonia is still a part of Spain, but this could change in the coming years.
The audience were told that September’s regional elections in Spain will be seen as a de facto independence referendum, and that if pro-independence parties are elected, they will demand a ballot on independence. from the Madrid-based Government.

SPECTACULAR, beyond amazing – much more than music.

That’s how legendary rock guitarist Rory Gallagher is remembered ahead of a major tribute planned for the city at lunch time tomorrow to mark the 20th anniversary of his death.

‘Rory Gallagher on stage. Picture: RTÉ Stills Library’
Marcus Connaughton, presenter of Seascapes on RTÉ Radio 1 and author of the Rory Gallagher biography His Life and Times, recalls seeing Rory perform with his band Taste in Dublin in 1968. Marcus was just 16 and it left a profound impression on him.
Marcus and Rory were friends, meeting several times throughout Rory’s life and bonding over their shared love of the blues.“If I had one memory of him, it would be a time that we sat up in what used to be the Jury’s on Western Road after Rory had played the Regional Technical College (now CIT) Arts Festival until the early hours talking about music and, well, about everything. That was in 1993 – it was the last time that I saw him alive.”
Rory was famously shy offstage, but very generous with his time when it came to fans. Cork poet Louis de Paor recalls one such meeting. “I saw him for the first time in 1976 in City Hall. I was 15 and I got to meet him afterwards because my father knew his mother. I was an awkward teenager but he was even more awkward than me. That was very endearing when you had just seen him like a man possessed on stage. I didn’t know what to say – but neither did he.”
Sharon Crowley of Crowley’s Music Centre, whose father Michael sold Rory his famous Fender Stratocaster, met the guitar virtuoso a number of times during her teenage years in the shop.
He was a normal guy to me, just someone that my dad knew. I could sense there was a brilliance about him. We had people coming from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and even Japan just to get a piece of his legend. They used to love talking to my dad because he sold him the guitar. I remember opening one day to find a group of Japanese tourists outside. One woman ran in and jumped on my dad, wrapping her legs around him and hugging him because he had sold Rory his guitar.” Sheena recalls a replica of Rory’s guitar that sat in the shop window for many years. Valued at €3500, it won admirers all over the world.
“I remember the couple who eventually bought it. They were from East Berlin.They listened to Rory in their time behind the Berlin Wall and wished they could get to see him. To them, he represented freedom.”Eventually, they saved enough to buy the replica guitar – it had meant so much to them.”

DISCUSSIONS were continuing today between 16 Traveller families and Cork City Council over their move on Monday to a brand new custom-built €5m accommodation site in Hollyhill.

Pictures and video David Keane.

The new St Anthony’s Park Housing Scheme is located just yards from the existing 23-year-old halting site near the Apple campus.

The year-long construction project came to an end this week with the completion of the seven houses and nine mobile home bays with adjoining welfare units.

The transfer of the travellers to St Anthony’s Park on Monday will result in the immediate closure of the halting site. As reported in the Evening Echo in February the halting site land is set to be used by Apple for the further expansion of their European headquarters.

However, some Traveller families have told the Council they do not want to move as they cannot bring horses onto the new site. While some families have agreed to move others are still resisting.

City Hall housing staff have been in discussion with the Traveller families for the past four years and the homes have been built to their custom specifications.

They include; seven fully fitted-out houses between one and four bedrooms in size, nine bays including new mobile homes as well as a separate welfare unit consisting of a kitchen/dining/living area, utility, bathroom and entrance hall.

Features of the development include solar panels and stoves with back boilers, to maximise energy efficiency, built in wardrobes, fully fitted kitchens and flooring is provided throughout.

St Anthony’s Park also includes a Community Centre where activities and community initiatives are planned such as a homework club, computer literacy courses, learner driver course and boxing. Two large green areas for recreational and play purposes are also provided along with a Grotto.

MMD Construction Ltd was the main contractor for the project which was designed in house by the City Council’s Architects Department and is funded by the Department of the Environment.

The Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Mary Shields said the state of the art development is very, not only for the Travellers themselves, but also for the area. “Cork City Council is rightly proud of this group housing scheme and of the fact that the Travelling community in this area will be accommodated in line with their culture and their needs.”

Valerie O’Sullivan, Director of Housing and Community Services paid particular tribute to the Council’s team which delivered the scheme from its inception to its completion. “There are great people working in the Council’s Housing and Architects Departments, without whom this could not be delivered to the Travelling Community.”

A MENACE to society will start a six-year jail term today arising out of a violent assault on his teenaged girlfriend in what the judge described as a despicable offence by a coward and a bully.
Judge Donagh McDonagh described Gino Delaney, aged 19, of 4 Plunkett Road, Ballyphehane, Cork, in this manner at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
Gino Delaney at Cork Circuit Court. Picture: Cork Courts Limited

Delaney went on trial on Tuesday on a charge of assault causing harm to the 17-year-old girl on Sunday, December 7, 2014. On the second day of his trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court he changed his plea to guilty. Detective Garda James Nagle said, “She called to her boyfriend’s home late at night. She had been admitted by the defendant. They had gone to his bedroom. During her time at in his bedroom an argument arose over an ex-girlfriend.
“It was alleged by the injured party that he hit her a number of times with his fists in her face. She suffered a broken nose, her teeth were displaced and she suffered bruising to her face and a blow to her ear.”
Judge McDonagh said, “This man is a menace to society. This is as dirty and as sordid an assault causing harm to come before the court, an assault by a young man of 6ft.3, a very large powerfully built young man. She was elfin-like by comparison.
We now know he is deceitful and two-timing. On top of that he is a bully and a coward.”
The judge said that Delaney had no concern for her and instructed his barrister, Dermot Sheehan, to cross-examine her at length on the opening day of the trial and attempting to besmirch her, something that would have been very difficult for a young person.
Judge McDonagh said he could not help thinking the accused only pleaded guilty when he saw the photographs of the injured party.
When first questioned by gardaí Gino Delaney claimed it was self-defence.
He apologised through his barrister, Dermot Sheehan, yesterday. “I am instructed by Gino Delaney to apologise to her, not only for the injury – clearly they were serious injuries – but also to apologise for the fact that she was in court yesterday and subjected to cross-examination over a period of a day.” Before the judge sentenced him Mr Sheehan BL suggested that the apology made in open court would not only go to the victim but that it could have a healing effect for others living in the Togher area of Cork.
Det. Garda Nagle read from the victim impact statement of the 17-year-old.
“Since the attack my life has changed so much for the worst. My change in appearance has overwhelmed me with depression. I still notice the differences to how I was before. It is a constant reminder that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I have lost nearly all my confidence. (There are times when) I stay at home crying not wanting to leave the house. I feel guilty for the pain and distress this has caused my family,” she said.
On that point, the judge said she need feel no guilt and that it was Gino Delaney who had caused the pain and distress for her family. She found the cross-examination deeply upsetting and all she wanted now was to be left alone. The detective said that was a most important point which she made at the end of her victim impact statement.
Delaney had a two-year suspended sentence and a concurrent four-year suspended sentence hanging over him for another assault causing harm and a car hijacking respectively. That total four-year term was activated yesterday in light of the latest assault and a consecutive four-year sentence was added with the last two years suspended.

GARDAÍ claimed one of the men arrested following an operation targeting heroin dealers was planning an armed robbery of a rural Cork post office.
Cork city gardaí this week arrested 16 men and nine women as part of Operation Emerson — an operation based out of Anglesea Street Garda station that saw undercover gardaí target heroin dealers.

The accused yesterday appeared before Judge Olann Kelleher at Cork District Court, where bail was denied to Michael Crinnion, aged 23, of 1, Blackwater Grove, Togher, Cork.
Crinnion was charged with six counts of possessing heroin with intent to sale and supply, and three further counts of possession of the drug. The charges arise from incidences at three locations in the city on February 25, March 10 and May 11 of this year.
Objecting to bail, Detective Sergeant Sean McCarthy told the court Mr Crinnion was arrested following garda investigations as part of Operation Emerson, and that he had sold drugs to an undercover garda. Det Sgt McCarthy also said gardaí had witnessed Crinnion “observing” three post offices in rural north Cork within a two-hour period last month. Det McCarthy said he believed Crinnion was planning an armed robbery of at one of these premises and that the accused would deal drugs if released on bail.

Crinnion’s solicitor Frank Buttimer said that it was “quite remarkable” that Det Sgt McCarthy could claim his client was planning a robbery and base this assertion on Crinnion being seen outside post offices.
“You don’t get up in the morning and decide to do an armed robbery,” Det Sgt McCarthy said.
“Significant preparation goes into an armed robbery,” he told the court, adding that Crinnion’s “general behaviour” while under garda observation also led him to believe he was planning a robbery.Under oath Crinnion told Judge Kelleher that he was not planning an armed robbery and did not visit the three post offices on the date in question. He said he had trouble with drugs in the past, but has since kicked his habit and is looking to enter rehabilitation.
Judge Kelleher said he was not satisfied with Crinnion’s evidence and remanded him in custody to appear again at the district court on June 17. The majority of the other accused were remanded on continuing bail to appear again at Cork District Court on July 8.

THE needs of members of the LGBT community must be looked after as much as the needs of others in the Church of Ireland, according to Bishop Paul Colton.
The bishop was speaking at the annual synod of the Cork, Cloyne and Ross diocese.

Bishop Paul Colton
He highlighted a recent funeral in Cork where a congregation gathered with a man who was burying his male partner of 35 years.
He said the couple had received the pastoral ministry and care of the Church of Ireland in illness and in death.
But he said the church has a responsibility to ensure such care and ministry extend to LGBT people when they are alive and well.
Referring to the recent Yes win in the marriage equality referendum, he said clergy and lay people will inevitably be guests at same sex marriage ceremonies and “no doubt, will be asked to say grace or prayers in such family contexts.”
He said the Church of Ireland cannot shy away from such issues.
Bishop Colton, who is a regular user of social media, said the medium “became, in some instances, a cauldron of extremes” in the marriage equality debate.
He described the debate as an energetic one and “for many, it was bruising”.
He added: “If it was difficult for those engaged in the debate on either side of a hypothetical proposition, how much more must it have demanded emotionally from those most affected, LGBT people themselves. This is where, whatever our viewpoint, as a caring church, we need to put ourselves in other people’s shoes.”
Bishop Colton said he was “profoundly uncomfortable” adjudicating on “the human and civil rights, the place in society, the equality or otherwise, of another group of people, a minority: LGBT people.”
And he said members of the LGBT community were objectified, “sometimes in a very dehumanising way”, during the run up to the recent referendum.
He added: “For vulnerable people, it was an emotionally destabilising time. That is why the readiness and courage of so many people among them to come forward and to tell their own very ordinary, and sometimes very difficult, stories were hugely important to all of us. In part, this is why too, I believe, we saw such a spontaneous outflow of relief, emotion and jubilation in those televised pictures from Dublin Castle.”
He said the Irish churches had been complicit in the years of marginalisation and stigmatisation – particularly before homosexual acts were decriminalised – suffered by people in the LGBT community.
He added there are other issues on which Irish society will be divided, including abortion and gender issues.

A MEMBER of a Watergrasshill cycling club is taking part in a daunting biking challenge that will see him travel a huge 4,233 miles coast to coast across the United States. The Trans-Am Bike Race takes cyclists through 10 states, with some racers achieving more than 250 miles per day.

Mayfield native Donncha Cuttriss, a clubman with the Over the Hill Cycling Club in Watergrasshill, set out on June 6 from Astoria in Oregon. He is aiming to finish up in Yorktown, Virginia.
The race can take anywhere between 15 and 40 days to complete, depending on the skill level of the rider – early form indicates that Donncha will be on the quicker side of this scale.
In the space of less than three and a half days, Donncha has clocked up a massive 833 miles.
He is comfortably in the middle of the leading pack, with Australian cyclist Jesse Carlsson out in front at the time of writing.
The challenge is one of endurance, with long stretches of cycling at night, short refuelling breaks that are often separated by several hundred miles, and limited space to pack water and food.
The Over The Hill Cycling Club sent its best wishes to Donncha via its Facebook page, noting that he was in flying form throughout his training.
“Donncha – all the best from the gang at Over The Hill, we’ll be watching the blue dot closely!”
It is the second year in a row that Donncha has attempted the race, having made it more than half way last year before an injury curtailed his progress.
Ultra-cyclist and adventure racer Donncha has previously grabbed the headlines in Cork in 2013 when he cycled up Patrick’s Hill 150 times to raise money for charity.
He also has form when it comes to tackling cross-country routes in America, becoming the first Irishman to complete the 3,000-mile route from California to Maryland in 2011.

ALMOST 50 people were staying with friends or sleeping rough in Cork last month as rising rents kept them from finding accommodation.
The Cork Simon Community dealt with 46 people in this situation in May, who were saving money to afford rent and a deposit for their own apartment. That compares to 24 who were in the same position in May 2014.

Paul Sheehan, from Cork Simon, said that most of these people do not have drug problems or similar issues that often lead to homelessness.
“They are educated. They are experienced. They might even be employed in some cases,” he said.
The cost of a single-bedroom apartment in the city exceeds both the income for a full social welfare payment and the cap on rent supplement. The cost for an apartment begins at about €800 per month – €48 more than four weeks of social welfare. Add a month’s rent as a deposit, and people are facing a €1,600 bill to get housed – just over two months in social welfare payments.
The problem is even worse for those under 26, who receive €100 a week.
Rent supplement for a single person is limited to €485 per month.
“You’ll get nothing in Cork for €485 a month,” said Mr Sheehan.
“Someone depending on rent supplement hasn’t a hope. They will couch-surf with friends, staying a few nights with each, but inevitably, they end up sleeping rough.”
One former businessman, who did not want to be named, and who has ended up homeless said it could happen to anyone.
In recent days he took to the streets to beg for money for rent, after sleeping in his car and in doorways for the last fortnight. He lost his business during the recession, and his landlord recently asked him to vacate his flat to accommodate a family member.
“I’m well dressed. No one would know I was homeless but I sleep in alleyways,” said the man. “Nobody believes that anything bad can happen to them, but middle-class people, with honours degrees, can end up homeless too.
He is currently saving enough for the first month’s rent and a deposit, but his social welfare allowance is not enough.
“I had no money, and €188 a week wouldn’t feed a mouse,” he said.
This has led to him begging for money from strangers, in the hopes that he can find a home again.

A Summer’s Evening on the Quad celebrates its 10th anniversary and €400,000 raised for charity this July 4.

Director of Productions Linda Kenny
The Celtic Tenors, Peter Corry and Alex Sharpe will be on hand to wow the audience at the ‘Music of the Movies’ themed concert, with numbers from Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Guys and Dolls and more. Linda Kenny is taking on the role as Director of Production and will also perform as a special guest. All of the artists will be backed by the talented Cork Youth Orchestra under the baton of conductor Tomás McCarthy.
The event is being held in association with An Garda Síochána Bridewell Community Policing and is generously supported by BAM Construction, Evening Echo, Cork’s 96FM and The River Lee Hotel.
Down Syndrome Cork, Brú Columbanus, the Cork-Singida Partnership, FirstLight Ireland and Student Counselling at UCC are all set to benefit from the fixture which started out as a fledgling concert has morphed into a successful annual event for charity.
Tickets are €30 and are on sale from UCC Visitors’ Centre (visitorscentre@ucc.ie) on the main campus, from Down Syndrome Cork Merchant’s Quay, Cork (or info@dsicork.org/021 4300 444), as well as Pro Musica Cork (info@promusica.ie).

STAFF and patients in the children’s ward at Cork University Hospital are getting ready for a big move as the first phase of the building of a new state-of-the-art children’s unit
begins.
Staff Nurse Tricia Foster CUH with Dillon and Margaret Sheehan from Mitchelstown and Staff Nurse Eleanor Fehily from The Childrens Ward CUH, getting ready to move as the first phase of the building of a new state-of-the-art Children’s Unit begins. Picture: Ger McCarthy

Dillon and Margaret Sheehan from Mitchelstown celebrated the news with staff that work is set to commence on a new ground floor which will include a paediatric assessment unit and triage facility, a children’s school and haematology oncology Unit.
The first floor will have a paediatric outpatient facility, day care unit, and specialist treatment rooms.
Speaking about the work, Miriam Forde, fundraising manager at CUH said: “On behalf of myself and the whole fundraising team here we really want to thank the people of Cork for all of the fundraising that they have done and continue to do.”
“It is nice to be able to mark the beginning of phase one of the development in a fun way.”
The current children’s unit was built in the 1970s and provides care to children from two-days-old to 16 years of age.
Each year, 7,500 children are admitted to the unit while 5,000 attend the children’s day unit and 10,000 are seen in the out-patient department.
More than 5,000 children with acute problems are seen in the paediatric assessment unit and the emergency department.
The total funds required to be raised by CUH Charity to refurbish the inpatient unit is €1,500,000 with an ongoing children’s appeal supported by many groups and businesses around Cork city and county.
The development of the unit will allow for the children’s unit and the children’s leukaemia/oncology unit from the Mercy University Hospital to relocate to CUH.
Funds raised will aid the transformation of the children’s unit into a single centre of excellence — providing an extensive range of specialist services for children in the Munster area.
For more information on how you can help support the unit, visit www.cuhcharity.ie

IMAGINE how frustrating it must have been, being John Lonergan.
You’re a multiple world Irish dancing champion, touring the world with the amazing Riverdance show. But you never get to show your friends and family your best moves.
Well, all that changed last night for Ballyphehane dancer Lonergan, as — 21 years after THAT Eurovision performance — Riverdance finally made its debut in his home city.
The show launched the 2015 Live at the Marquee season with a hop, a skip and a mesmerising leap into the air. For most of the crowd, our feet still haven’t touched the ground.
And, people of Cork, the secret is finally out — we now know that our man John Lonergan is a genuine world class act.
Paula Pomares from Spain, Emily Hyde, Lilly Stack, Elizabeth Tuohy, Sophia Stack, Maeve Sreenan, Zoe Maguire and Emilia Stack from Blackrock pictured at the Riverdance at Live at the Marquee, Cork last Thursday.
Picture: Miki Barlok

He took centre stage for many of the show-stopping numbers last night, beside an entire troupe of dazzling dancers, singers and musicians.
The show’s director, John McColgan was the first person on the stage, welcoming the audience to his travelling show and praising Cork crowds for their legendary passion.
Then he turned on his heels and we were off on a magical journey of Irish music and dance with a dreamy Celtic theme — for the first half at least.
The second half had a multi-cultural hue as the theme of emigration was explored, including my personal highlight — a breath-taking, testosterone-fuelled sequence between male American dancers and our boys, as they dared each other on to ever more ambitious moves.

Sarah and Mary-Rose O’Sullivan from Frankfield pictured at Riverdance.
Picture: Miki Barlok

A Spanish senorita performing a flamenco-style routine brought colour and vibrancy, while an eastern European themed dance added to the cultural melting pot.
All these acts from around the world underlined that, although dancing has a huge variety of different styles, it shares common ground — courtship, flirtation, love and, ultimately life.

There was something for everyone in this show, playing to a packed marquee — at one stage I whispered to the other half that the Clannad-style singing was the only part where it dragged, to which she responded: “That’s my favourite bit!”
Oh, and a big, big hand for the remarkable drummer — who was bashing away like Animal from The Muppet Show all night, and took centre stage for a quite brilliant bodhran routine near the end.
The fiddler should also take a bow for injecting the chorus of The Banks as the audience by the lovely Lee sang along. Nice touch!

Sarah Hegarty from Dublin and Maggie Costello from Ballincollig pictured at Riverdance.
Picture: Miki Barlok

There’s a tendency to dismiss Riverdance as an aye-diddly-aye slice of Paddywhackery for the second and third generation Irish around the world who are mourning a Celtic Xanadu that only exists on tea towels.
That’s an outrageous slur.
Riverdance does a thousand times more for Ireland’s image abroad than a million cabinet ministers swapping shamrock on St Patrick’s Day.
Last night’s show was fresh from a visit to China and is heading off on a mammoth North American tour later this year — and the Irish should be proud that a small country off the western European mainland can provide such a vibrant cultural face to the world.
Long may this dance continue.
Riverdance runs at the Marquee tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at 8pm, plus there is a 2.30pm matinee show on Saturday.

THE young man who died in a tragic road accident in Glanworth yesterday morning has been described as “hugely respected, exceptionally hard-working and a huge loss to his community”.
25-year-old Damien Forde from Burnfort died when his tractor hit a ditch just after midnight yesterday on the Glanworth to String Cross Road at Glanworth. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He is survived by his parents and six siblings.
He was believed to be carrying out duties relating to his agricultural work at the time of the accident.
The summer months are known to be peak silage-cutting days for farmers and agricultural workers and tractors are often seen around the roads late at night.
County councillor John Paul O’Shea said that the area had suffered heart-breaking tragedy in recent months and that the whole community wanted to support the young man’s family in their time of grief.
“He was very well-liked and comes from a very respected family. He was a typical exceptionally hard-working man in his field of employment and he is a huge loss to his community. Everyone is devastated for his family.”
Fellow county councillor Noel McCarthy said: “It was dreadful to wake up to such tragic news. People in agriculture work so hard and do one of the most difficult and challenging jobs to make Irish society a large part of what it is. There are risks and dangers that agricultural workers face daily. It is so sad for all involved.”

THE first major BMX event in Cork in almost 30 years will take place in the Tramore Valley Park this Sunday.

It follows the false start last weekend when a major family fun day at the former landfill site had to be cancelled due to insurance issues.
Round 3 of the Irish National BMX Series will take place from 1pm at the Tramore Valley Park on the brand new Olympic-standard track built by Cork City Council.
Cork BMX Club are hosting the event. It has been 27 years since Cork last hosted a national BMX event at nearby Vernon Mount.

Riders from the ages of four to 50 will compete for valuable points on the National Series and teams will travel from England, Dublin, Meath and Belfast for the event.
Meanwhile, tomorrow from 1pm members of the public will also have the chance to come to the park and try the track themselves either on their own bikes or with bikes supplied by the Cork BMX Club. Barry O’Keeffe of the Cork BMX Club said the public were welcome to come on both days and that Sunday’s event would see the top BMX riders in the country competing. “The event on Sunday will showcase Irish BMX racing at this superb new facility and Cork BMX Club looks forward to welcoming back old friends after a 27 year hiatus as well as a new generation of riders to Tramore Valley Park- the new home of BMX in Munster.”

FOR more than half a century, The Chicken Inn has offered fresh meat and poultry to the people of Cork. With daily deliveries, Tim Mulcahy promises the freshest meat available, alongside their own slow-cooked products. In this week’s Trading Stories he talks about what it was like growing up in a family business, and how things have changed over the years.

A MEDICAL intern gave an insight into the hectic life of Cork University Hospital doctors, working around the clock to meet the needs of patients.
Hayley Holt, a student of medicine, had travelled all the way from her home town of Missouri to work with renowned paediatric consultant, Dr Colm Taylor at Cork University Hospital. The 20 year old, who currently resides in the city centre, had moved to the area to learn about a system that favours accessible healthcare.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first came over,” she confessed.
But it wasn’t long before Hayley was alerted to the difficulties facing doctors in Cork.

Hayley Holt. 

“Cork doctors are pressed and overworked with much lower compensation for the number of hours they work,” she said. “In the US there are nurses who get paid more than the doctors do over here. I see the number of hours put in and their dedication. Most days consultants are there from 7am to 7pm and have very few staff under them.”

Hayley also made reference to the well documented waiting times that patients often have to endure before getting surgery.
“I wanted to see a similar model to the afforable care act in the US – which favours accesible healthcare in action before it becomes enforced. In the US everything is privatised so without insurance a person seeking healthcare has to pay hundreds of thousands.
“However, the new affordable care act, also known as “Obama Care,” is controversial as it means a rise in taxes.” Nonetheless, she added that accesible healthcare in Ireland comes at a cost.
“There are children out there waiting lengthy periods, particularly for orthopaedic surgery to correct issues like a flat foot. This means that a child might have to spend up to two years living in pain.”
Meanwhile, Mary Kent from Bishopstown was casting her mind back to the turning point that drove her to lose as much as seven stone over the course of three years.

Mary Kent.

“I went from 16 stone to nine stone but my reason for doing so differed from the reasons that most people would give. At the age of 30 I was diagnosed with epilepsy,” she said.
“My worst fear was that if I fell over nobody would be able to pick me up.
“I’ve been maintaining my weight for two years now by running and I haven’t had any seizures since losing the weight.I was having them quite frequently before that but this could be for a number of reasons. I’m feeling much better in myself, especially now that it’s coming up to Summer. There was a time when I felt I had to be covered up with a sarong on the beach everyday.” Bus driver Tom Williams, who lives in Ballincollig was also reflecting on distant memories. The Dublin native had to raise his three children single handedly after his wife’s death in 1997.

Tom Williams.

“I used to be a fisherman but when my wife died I had to change my career path and started work with Bus Eireann instead,” he said.
He recounted his most memorable catch to date.
“I caught a sturgeon which is very rare.The eggs of the famale of the species are used to make caviar.The first one we caught was 12 feet but we left it go as weren’t quite sure what it was. However, later on we found a smaller one that now sits in a glass case at Kinsale’s Good Food Circle.”
At this point, Lily O’Halloran from Dripsey boarded the bus on-route to an appointment with a consultant. “I have a lung related condition caused by an immune deficiency,” she explained. “Luckily, it’s kept under control. I have six grandchildren but still feel 35. You don’t feel old until you’re sore so I’m lucky to have my health.”
Wexford man, Ray Price had travelled a little further afield for his dental appointment.
“Part of my tooth has fallen out mainly from wear and tear,” he said. “Technology has progressed a lot now so there is little reason to worry about visiting the dentist.”

A PLANNING application has been lodged for a new café on the South Mall.
Mary Dorgan Silke and Kevin Silke are seeking the go ahead to convert 96 South Mall from an office building to café use.
96 South Mall. Picture: Google Maps

96 South Mall is located at the eastern end of the street adjacent to the former TCH building on the corner of Parnell Place. The application states that the office area in question has been vacant for many years.
Meanwhile, a Supermacs drive- through restaurant looks set to be developed in Tivoli.
A planning application has also been lodged for a two-storey restaurant on a largely vacant site on the Dunkettle side of the Topaz filling station. The application has been lodged by Pat McDonagh of Atlantic Enterprises based in Galway.
It will involve the demolition of a building in the Tivoli Gardens terrace.
The application includes a road safety audit and traffic assessment along with a flood risk assessment report.The new drive-through will cover a total floor area of 441 square metres and will include road access, parking and public lighting.
Supermacs currently has nine outlets in Cork city and county.

THE Minister for Health has been urged to urgently make a decision on a location for a new hospital in Cork to ease “difficult” conditions in existing facilities.
At the presentation of the report were: Seán O’Driscoll, Advisory Board member and chairman and CEO of Glen Dimplex; Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar TD; Michael O’Flynn, chairman of the advisory board and chairman and MD of O’Flynn Group, and Professor John Higgins, Director of Reconfiguration and Head of College of Medicine and Health, University College Cork.
A report by the Non-Executive Advisory Board on the Reconfiguration of Acute Hospital Services in Cork and Kerry has stressed the need for the development of a new hospital in Cork to address population growth here and the overcrowded hospital network.
As far back as 1968, the Fitzgerald report recommended that Cork should have two large-scale hospitals. Cork University Hospital (CUH) was built as a result, but the second proposed hospital was never developed. Back then, the population of the city and county stood at 400,000 but has grown to 519,032 at Census 2011.
A report by the advisory board was presented to Minister for Health Leo Varadkar and Minister of State Kathleen Lynch yesterday, reaffirming the need for another large hospital here.
The report said: “The board is hopeful that the site for a new hospital in Cork will be agreed and planning progressed as soon as possible to benefit the huge number of patients attending for such appointments in sometimes difficult environmental conditions in confined spaces.
“This new hospital is envisaged as a specialist, elective facility providing outpatient, elective inpatient, day patient and ambulatory diagnostic services.”
A ‘Reconfiguration Roadmap’ for acute hospital service in Cork and Kerry was published in 2010 to overhaul the delivery of hospital services in the region. Back in 2010. Back then, a timeframe of 10 to 15 years was envisaged for the development of the new hospital, projecting a completion date between 2020 and 2025.
The advisory board is urging the Minister for the decision on the location to be made without further delay.
A suggestion has already been made by Fine Gael Senator Colm Burke that Blarney would be an ideal location for the new hospital, because of available land banks and its transport links to the rail corridor.
The advisory board has listed a number of other ‘outstanding projects’ that still need to be delivered to fulfil the aspirations of the Reconfiguration Roadmap.
These include the consolidation of CUH and Mercy University Hospital (MUH) paediatric services at CUH – phase one of which is about to commence. It also highlights the ongoing work to develop a regional gastroenterology service at the MUH and scoping work for a regional laboratory service for Cork and Kerry hospitals is also underway.