Annual Creative Ireland conference comes to Mallow next week
ONLY a number of days away is the much anticipated 3rd Annual Creative Ireland County Cork Conference, which will take place in the Hibernian Hotel in Mallow on Thursday 17th October from 10:00 – 17:00.
Many are now most familiar with the concept of Creative Ireland - a national programme that seeks to put culture at the heart of who we are and what we do as a people.
The focus of the Conference this year is on supporting creativity in young people in the understanding that we are never too young to express ourselves and explore every avenue of creativity. The upcoming Creative Ireland County Cork Conference provides a wonderful forum for these discussions.
There is a wonderful line-up of speakers for the 2019 Conference including Stefani Preissner, Mary McGrath, Justine Foster, Sarah Fitzgerald and staff of Cork County Council’s Library Service will also give an overview of some of the wonderful cultural opportunities for young people to avail of through their local library branch.
Short films produced by young people will be shown on the day as well as one or two special performances and it should be a most enjoyable and informative day for everyone in attendance, from young people interested in culture and creativity to groups and organisations that are involved in cultural initiatives at the local level.
‘Creative Ireland is making a real difference in the County of Cork with communities and individuals getting involved in a range of different creative undertakings’ said the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Christopher O’Sullivan.
Speaking of the upcoming conference he furthered ‘ The Creative Ireland County Cork Conference is this year focussing on supporting creativity in young people – a wonderful opportunity for people to learn about a range of different opportunities and how vital youthful creativity and cultural expression is for all of us’.
The conference is open to all and free of charge, however advance booking is recommended as places are limited and there has been much interest in the conference to date.
For those looking to attend they are simply requested to email creativeireland@corkcoco.ie. The conference forms part of the Creative Ireland Programme in the County of Cork and is an action of County Cork’s Culture and Creativity Strategy 2018-2022.
CREATIVE COUNTY CORK OUTREACH
A further action of the County Cork Culture and Creativity Strategy, under the objective of Liberating Creativity, is Creative County Cork Outreach – where it is aimed to reach out to people that might often feel side-lined by cultural activities and pursuits, and to promote the holding of cultural events where people of all ages can interact.
With the support of Muintir na Tíre, the HSE and Cork County Council through the Creative Ireland Programme, a wonderful initiative called Cultural Companions is being developed for the City and County of Cork.
The aim of Cultural Companions is to address the issue of social isolation amongst older people by facilitating their engagement in arts, heritage and cultural opportunities, and by providing volunteer companions for encouragement and support.
To this effect, a Cultural Companions Coordinator is now being sought. The Coordinator will set up local networks of people interested in arts, heritage and culture that will accompany each other to events – like-minded people that meet up regularly to go out together either with one other person or as part of a small group.
The Co-ordinator will work under the direct supervision of the Community Development Worker of Cork County Federation Muintir na Tire to implement the Cultural Companions Initiative and other parts of the work programme.
For those interested in taking on the role, a Cover Letter and CV should be sent to deniskelly@muintircork.com. More information on the job and the Cultural Companions initiative as a whole is available on www. corkcoco.ie/arts-heritage/creative
BUILT HERITAGE
Cork County is certainly home to a wealth of cultural heritage, as too it is home to some outstanding built heritage. Indeed, the County of Cork has many thousands of buildings, which are important for their heritage value and the sense of place and common past that connects us all. T
hese buildings by their very nature require the appropriate care and conservation from time to time and it is important to recognise projects that employ good conservation practice.
Our ecclesial heritage in the County is one such aspect of our collective built heritage and the recent announcement of the 2020 John Betjeman Award comes as good news for those involved in recent conservation projects to such places of worship.
The Award is being run by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) and celebrates excellence in conservation and repair projects at places of worship of any faith, furthermore setting out to recognise the highest standards of craftsmanship used in carrying out these projects.
To mark the 30th anniversary of this award the Society is extending the competition to include faith buildings across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Closing date for entries is 25 February 2020 and further details and application forms are available at https://www. spab.org.uk/about-us/awards/ john-betjeman-award.
There are many groups and organisations looking to carry out important conservation works in their locality and it is hoped that the 2020 Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund will be announced in the coming months.
NEWCESTOWN AMBUSH
Last weekend the annual commemoration of the Newcestown Ambush took place, said ambush having taken place on the 9th of October 1920.
Over the next few years there will be much commemorative activity in the County with such important ambushes as Crossbarry, Kilmichael and Cúl na Cathrach, however, the Clonmult Ambush of February 20th, 1921, is a further event that is never from far our thoughts with regard to the War of Independence. It was the I.R.A.’s worst defeat during the War, where 12 Volunteers lost their lives that day. Historian Tom O’Neill, a number of years ago, wrote a most insightful publication on the Ambush.
This has been long out of print and due to much demand, a revised edition is to be launched in Midleton on Sunday 13th October. The launch takes place in the G.A.A. and commences at 19:30; all welcome.