20 May 2021
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Thousands of native Irish bees have been introduced to the campus of TELUS International Ireland in Cork to mark World Bee Day (20 May 2021) as part of the company’s bid to protect local biodiversity. Working with beekeeping services company An Beach Dubh, two hives of up to 60,000 native Irish honey bees — Apis mellifera mellifera — have been installed at the Mahon headquarters of the leading global customer experience (CX) innovator.
The partnership between TELUS International Ireland and An Beach Dubh is part of an initiative to repopulate urban areas with native high-quality bee colonies and raise awareness of the importance of bees. It will also see the production of 40kg of honey over the course of the year.
HR Director at TELUS International Ireland, Miriam Manning with fourth generation beekeeper and founder of An Beach Dubh, Séadna Mac Giolla Coda as two hives of up to 60,000 native Irish honey bees are introduced to the campus of TELUS International Ireland in Mahon, Cork for World Bee Day (20 May) as part of the company’s bid to protect local biodiversity.
PIC Darragh Kane
HR Director at TELUS International Ireland, Miriam Manning with fourth generation beekeeper and founder of An Beach Dubh, Séadna Mac Giolla Coda as two hives of up to 60,000 native Irish honey bees are introduced to the campus of TELUS International Ireland in Mahon, Cork for World Bee Day (20 May) as part of the company’s bid to protect local biodiversity.
PIC Darragh Kane
Speaking on the installation of the beehives, Miriam Manning, HR Director at TELUS International Ireland, said: “Embracing the value of green spaces is a key mission of our Cork campus, and we are delighted to take that further by working with An Beach Dubh to protect native bee populations.
“Mahon is not only where we work; it’s where we live and engage, and we want to play our part in protecting and enhancing it.”
TELUS International Ireland is also part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, creating native meadows in the verges of its Mahon car park, berry bushes for birds and pollinator-friendly flowers in its famed garden.
Ciara Parsons, Horticultural Therapist at TELUS International Ireland, added: “As part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, the garden at our Cork campus is already full of bee-friendly wildflowers and we are certain our new hives will be happy and healthy in their new home.
“Our team places huge pride in our gardens, and the arrival of these beehives will make our outdoor projects more sustainable than ever, while enhancing biodiversity outside of our campus too.”
Installing and tending the hives is Séadna Mac Giolla Coda, a fourth generation beekeeper and founder of An Beach Dubh. He will carry out regular apiary inspections on the hives throughout the coming year along with beekeeping demonstrations for staff members.
Séadna stated: “Irish bee populations have been declining since 1980 as increased development has led to habitat loss. As bees are such important pollinators, this could be devastating for food production and biodiversity.
“Working with TELUS International Ireland, we are delighted to reintroduce high-quality bee colonies into the Mahon area to mark World Bee Day. My focus is on the conservation of our native Irish honey bee, and this latest partnership with TELUS International Ireland will provide the hives with a safe habitat along with nurturing an understanding and care for bees and pollination within the wider community.”
About TELUS International Ireland
In December 2019, TELUS International completed its acquisition of Voxpro, with the sale seeing the ownership of the business, including facilities in Cork and Dublin, business operations and employees transfer to TELUS International.
TELUS International Ireland is a leading Irish-based provider of digitally-enabled customer experience (CX) and business process solutions, and is a key location in the TELUS International family. It has two sites strategically located in Ireland — Dublin and Cork — supporting some of the world’s top brands.
With almost 2,000 staff operating out of Ireland, TELUS International Ireland is committed to promoting and celebrating diversity and inclusion within its team, company and the community where it lives, works and serves. This includes inclusive, high-impact days like TELUS Days of Giving.
Horticultural Therapist at TELUS International Ireland, Ciara Parsons with fourth generation beekeeper and founder of An Beach Dubh, Séadna Mac Giolla Coda as two hives of up to 60,000 native Irish honey bees are introduced to the campus of TELUS International Ireland in Mahon, Cork for World Bee Day (20 May) as part of the company’s bid to protect local biodiversity. Pic Darragh Kane
Bees in one of the two hives at TELUS International Ireland.
Up to 60,000 native Irish honey bees are introduced to the campus of TELUS International Ireland in Mahon, Cork for World Bee Day (20 May) as part of the company’s bid to protect local biodiversity. Pic Darragh Kane
