Local history champion Kieran honoured with January Cork Person of the Month gong
THE widely respected historian and author Kieran McCarthy has been unveiled as the winner of the prestigious Cork Person of the Month award for January.
Awards organiser Manus O’Callaghan said that Kieran was richly deserving of the accolade.
“For more than two decades Kieran has been a strong advocate for recording and preserving the city and county’s rich and vibrant history, culture and heritage,” Mr O’Callaghan.
“His love of local history has inspired many successful heritage initiatives. He organises local history walking tours, community talks, sand writes regular news paper columns,” he added.
A firm believer in preserving Cork’s history for future generations, Mr McCarthy has also started many projects including the Discover Cork Schools Heritage initiative as well youth projects including McCarthy’s Community Talent Competition and the Cork City Musical Society.
Mr McCarthy is also a prolific author having written 19 books including ‘North Cork Through Time’, ‘Cork 1916 – A Year Examined’ and ‘In the Steps of St Finbarre – Voices and memories of the Lee Valley’.
He also hosts the fascinating historical website www.corkheritage.ie.
In between all of this, Mr McCarthy is also a Cork City councillor and a member of the EU Committee of the Regions.
Speaking at the awards ceremony Mr McCarthy said he was passionate about recording and preserving Cork’s history.
“Cork has a great story to tell, one of ambition, and determination, and it’s important that we champion it. I have always been passionate about Cork’s local history, both urban and rural, and passing it on to the next generation,” he said.