7 December 2019
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Christopher O’Sullivan has congratulated the communities of Courtmacsherry and the Seven Heads Peninsula on their recent win in the Islands and Coastal Communities category of the 17th annual IPB Pride of Place Competition in association with Co-operation Ireland.Boherbue were also awarded runner up in their category of Community Well Being at the Awards ceremony which took place in Kilkenny on Saturday November 30th.
The local development committee of Courtmacsherry and the Seven Heads Peninsula in a bid to maintain the population and remaining business in the village organised a large number of local festivals, began working in the community to generate activities to bring people into the village, and campaigned tirelessly for inclusion in the Wild Atlantic Way. When the last shop in the village closed the local community set up a co-op shop to serve the needs of the community. The shop has been operating for a number of years now and is a unique development in the county
The County of Cork was well represented on the national stage with a total of four County Cork communities nominated for the prestigious Pride Of Place Awards by Cork County Council. The nominees included Ballinhassig Village Association, Boherbue Tidy Towns Group, Beara Tourism Development Ltd and Seven Heads Peninsula Tourism & Courtmacsherry Development Association.
Courtmacsherry & The Seven Heads Peninsula, Co Cork Back Row L-R Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Christopher O Sullivan, Tom Dowling, Chairperson, Pride of Place, Dr Christopher Moran, Chairman Co-operation Ireland; Cathoirleach of Kilkenny County Council Cllr Peter Cleere and George Jones, Chairman, IPB Insurance Front Row L-R Assumpta Drake, Stephen Finn, Cllr. Paul Hayes, Martha Drake, of Courtmacsherry pictured at the IPB Pride of Place Awards in association with Co-operation Ireland awards ceremony in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny on Saturday 30th November 2019.
Sponsored by IPB Insurance the popular Pride of Place competition, run by Co-operation Ireland in partnership with Cork County Council and other local authorities, acknowledges the work being done every day by communities all over the island of Ireland.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Christopher O’Sullivan attended the award ceremony and said “This is such a well deserved win for Courtmacsherry, a place quite close to my heart, and for the dynamic and energetic community who take huge pride in their beautiful locality. My congratulations go out to all the communities from around the county nominated this evening. They have all, without exception, demonstrated dedication, community spirit, inclusiveness and pride of place and a very real commitment to working collaboratively with the council.”
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey commending the competition, said “The high standard of competition and the achievements of the nominees, acknowledged here this evening at the IPB Pride of Place Awards, demonstrate the potential for local communities around the county to foster productive partnerships with Cork County Council.”
