13 June 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Organiser of annual event which has raised more than €100k for charity recognised
The latest winner of the Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Awards has been announced as business owner Jim Griffin. Jim, who runs the family-owned Griffins Potatoes with his son, was nominated by the local community in Tracton for his volunteering and fundraising efforts.
Those who nominated Jim for the award described him as the “definition of community spirit” due to his help in raising thousands of euro for local charities and bringing visitors to the Tracton area, which covers Minane Bridge and Roberts Cove.
Every year, Jim volunteers his free time to organise the Roberts Cove Vintage Festival which has become a well-known event on the Cork festival calendar. Large crowds gather in the village every August Bank Holiday weekend to admire the vintage cars that come from all over the country. To date, the festival has raised more than €100,000 and the beneficiaries include St. Vincent de Paul, Kinsale Community Hospital, Kinsale Youth Support Services and the Tracton Arts and Community Centre.
Jim also organises an annual Vintage Tractor and Car Run which takes place over the New Year period which raises much-needed funds for charities such as Down Syndrome Cork.
Griffins Potatoes, which has been in business for at least 75 years, is a generous sponsor of Tracton GAA which fields teams in both Gaelic Football and Hurling and is the heart of the locality for both adults and children.
General Manager of the Cork International Hotel, Eoghan Murphy said;
“Jim Griffin is a very worthy recipient of a Community Spirit Award which was designed to honour people who very generously give their time and commitment to helping others in their local community. Jim is running a very busy and successful business and still manages to organise terrific festivals which not only raise thousands of euro for various charities but which bring so many visitors to Roberts Cove and Minane Bridge every year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jim for his efforts and to thank those who nominated him for the award.”
The Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Awards are sponsored by The Carrigdhoun Newspaper and Gerald McCarthy Giftware.
The judging panel for the Community Spirit Awards are made up of a mixture of representatives from the public and private sector within the community.
The judging panel for this award was:
- Carmel Lonergan, Group Director of Operations, Trigon Hotels
- Nicola Radley, Senior Executive Officer, Municipal District Operations & Rural Development at Cork County Council
- Vincent O’Donovan, Publisher of The Carrigdhoun Newspaper
Nominations are now open for next month’s awards at https://www.corkinternationalairporthotel.com/community-spirit-awards/
Image attached: (l-r) Vincent O’Donovan, Director, The Carrigdhoun Newspaper; Eoghan Murphy, General Manager, Cork International Hotel; Cllr. Jack White; Jim Griffin, winner of the latest Community Spirit Award with his wife Rose Griffin. Photo: Siobhán Russell
