Accessing Government Funding and Supports during Covid-19
As this is a stressful time for businesses it’s important to know what support and funding are available for businesses within the Ring of Cork and elsewhere in Ireland during the Covid-19 outbreak. Failte Ireland has prepared some guidelines. Last updated March 25th 2020. Original document provided by Fáilte Ireland  

Mother’s Day is coming up and we will all be celebrating a little differently this year. One thing is certain though, we need to celebrate all the wonderful mothers in Ireland. In this blog post, we are going to give you a taste of some experiences, activities and ideas you can do to treat your mother in a safe way this Mother’s Day. Always remember to keep hand washing / hand sanitising and note that social distancing is key in everything we mention below.
SUPPORT LOCAL WITH A DELICIOUS TREAT

Bitesize in Midleton are inviting people to order online this Mother’s Day. Treat your mother to a delicious chocolate cake. You can collect your treats from their store under strict social distancing procedures. To order your delights, pop over to their website here.
Another option for ordering a treat for your mother this Mother’s Day is the Village Greengrocer & Food Hall in Castlemartyr. They are currently open for business however you also have the option to order online and arrange to collect freshly baked goods in store. To order just simply contact them via the contact details here

BUY AN ONLINE PRESENT

Why not order a treat online for your mother? Lots of wonderful ideas for gifts online with The Jameson Distillery. Check out their website here.
Another fabulous option for gifts this Mother’s Day is to buy online at Shanagarry design centre through the Kilkenny Shops. You can order online here.
Another great idea for gifts this Mother’s Day is the Tregan Craft Centre, which is located next door to Titanic Experience. Although it is currently closed, you can order your gifts online and get them delivered to your door. Happy shopping here.

MAKE A HOMEMADE GIFT
If you are looking for some inspiration to make a Mother’ Day gift, check out Kilkenny at Shanagarry Design Centres Facebook page. Ann O Riordan of Eco Paisti Crafts is one of the many artists who operate out of Shanagarry Design Centre and she has posted fabulous arts and crafts videos for kids to make their mother something very special this Mother’s Day.
SHARE GOOD NEWS

Irish Distillers who are the makers of Jameson Whiskey are branching out into hand sanitising gel. The company is going to supply the gel for free to the Health Service Executive, in partnership with Cork firm Mervue Laboratories. Irish Distillers said it will use its expertise to help the national response to Covid-19. Well done Irish Distillers, we are very proud of you here at the Ring of Cork.
EXPLORE IN THE FRESH AIR
At the moment being out in the fresh air is one of the safest things to do. Always keep in mind social distancing while walking, running or sitting. Below are a few gems which you can visit to get a spot of fresh air this Mother’s Day.
BEACH WALKS

We are very lucky to be known along the Ring of Cork for our breath-taking coastline. We have lots of beach walks to enjoy. Some of the most spectacular spots for walks are Redbarn and Claycastle in Youghal, Rocky Bay near Crosshaven and the secluded White Bay beach near Whitegate. Other local favourites include Youghal Front Strand, Myrtleville Beach near Crosshaven and the very popular Fountainstown which has a direct bus service from the city.

And that’s not all, you also have Inch Beach near Aghada, Garryvoe Beach, Ardnahinch beach, Ballynamona in Shanagarry, Ballycroneen Beach near Cloyne and the quieterBallywilling Beach near Garryvoe.
FARRAN WOODS

If you are looking for an escape from the city, Farran Wood is exactly what you are looking for. It is located just off Inniscarra Lake and is surrounded by views of the lake, forest and countryside. You can enjoy a walk throughout the forest and pick from lots of different paths, some which offer a relaxed walk while others offer a more challenging walk.
BALLYCOTTON CLIFF WALK

Ballycotton is around 45 minutes from Cork City. A fishing village in East Cork overlooking Ballycotton Bay. The Ballycotton cliff walk is known for its spectacular scenery and wildlife.  The coastal cliff walk is one of the most beautiful walks in Ireland. It consists of 5 miles of cliff to the beach in Ballytrasna. Breathe in the fresh sea air and enjoy this natural beauty.
BALLINCOLLIG REGIONAL PARK

The Ballincollig regional park is located on the South bank of the River Lee. People are drawn to the parks natural landscape and peaceful walks. There are lots of walking trails to explore, all twisting and turning back and forth from the water, so you can make your walk as long or as short as you like. Each walk allows you to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the park.
YOUGHAL BOARDWALK

The boardwalk in Youghal offers a beautiful walk into Youghal town. The Eco-Boardwalk is a 400 metre hardwood panelled beach walkway, stretching from Front Strand Beach to Claycastle Beach. A lovely way to get some sea air with a beautiful walk and spectacular views.
GLENBOWER WOODS

If you are looking for a woodland walk in East Cork, Glenbower Wood won’t disappoint. It is located in the friendly town of Killeagh as you take the turn off by the Old Thatch pub in the village. You can walk through the forest trail and enjoy the surroundings in this picturesque gem. As you enter the park, you can take one of the beautiful trails on offer. Go for a walk in this peaceful destination, enjoy the fresh autumn air and admire the vibrant leaves changing colour. The perfect walk this Autumn.
CROSSHAVEN GRASSY AND CLIFF WALK
The Grassy and Cliff Walk in Crosshaven is always a great walk with spectacular views of the harbour from start to finish. The walk takes you along the Point Road until you reach the grassy walk at the end of the road. You can climb up the path to the most sensational viewing area. You have breathtaking views of Spike Island, Haulbowline and Cobh. You can continue the walk or return to the village along Camden road. If you continue the walk you will be brought along the cliff on a well-worn path which will bring you down to Graball Bay.
CROSSHAVEN RAILWAY WALK

A very popular walk is from Kilnagleary, near Carrigaline, which brings you right into Crosshaven. This walk runs along the old Cork to Crosshaven railway line which was in use from 1904 to 1932. As you walk along the path, you have the Owenabue River by your side all the way to Crosshaven. A walk with a beautiful view.
KNOCKADOON CLIFF WALK

Another fabulous cliff walk is the Knockadoon Head Looped Walk. This walk is a mixture of cliff, track and road walks. Nothing beats a walk with the fresh sea air.
CURRAGHBINNY WOODS

Another fabulous wood to explore in the winter months is Curraghbinny Wood which is located on a prominent hill overlooking Cork Harbour. It is a compact wood, covering just 35 hectares but its beauty punches way about its size. It has an old world feel largely due to the amount of carriage paths running through the wood and its location close to the stunning architecture of the Terrace and the Villas at Curraghbinny Pier.
MARLOGUE WOOD

Marlogue wood is located on the south east of Great Island and bounds the Ballynacorra River and Cork harbour. It is a hidden gem with an old world feel that has much to offer including a variety of mature trees and tracks suitable for walking.
EXPLORE BY BIKE

The Ring of Cork is full of places to explore by bike. Some of our favourite places to cycle is the Ballincollig Regional Park, Rostellan Peoples Path, the Crosshaven Railway Walk or the Cork city to Passage West trail.  There is plenty to choose from along the Ring of Cork.

We hope everybody is staying safe at this time. Please following the guidelines of the HSE and WHO. Wash your hands and keep social distancing. 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful Mothers. 

More St Patrick’s Day 2020 Parades have been cancelled due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland. The parades in Carrigtwohill, Cobh and Whitegate join the already cancelled Midleton and Youghal Parades. You can find more details about each parade below. It is hoped that some of these parades can be rescheduled to later this year.

Carrigtwohill

In light of recent developments regarding Covid-19 (Corona Virus), we The Parade Committee, have decided to take the difficult decision to POSTPONE this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The Health & Safety of the most vulnerable in our Community must come first !

However, all is not lost, we have, to-date, received such fantastic support and generated such great Community Spirit – we are hoping to reschedule the Parade for a later date.

Any entry fees already paid can be collected from the office or if you prefer, we can arrange to post out to you!

Finally, thank you to the entire Carrigtwohill Community – Clubs, Groups, and Businesses that have given us their support year-on-year.

Cobh

Cobh St Patrick’s Day Committee would like to thank each & every person, group and business who have supported our efforts over the past several months in getting our town and island back celebrating St Patrick’s Day.
As a committee we have been blown away by the Kindness, Support and Generosity our community have shown us.
We created this committee to get our Community and Children back celebrating our national Day and boy, did we succeed.

We have worked tirelessly throughout the past year to make this happen.

We raised €24,975.27 before overheads in the past several months while creating a massive awareness campaign to put St Patrick’s Day back on the map for the children and people of Cobh & Great Island.

We had a family festival with some free goodies planned in the promenade with awards throughout the day, live entertainment from local performers and we planned to finish our day off with a bang by having a firework display in front of the promenade with the help of DSG.

We teamed up with Cobh Zero Waste to create a green zone within our festival to teach kids and family’s in a fun way how to dispose of their waste correctly. County Clean kindly agreed to sponsor supply of the Bins and removal of waste.

Janssen Sciences Ireland, Cobh Museum, St Colemans Cathedral, The Irish Naval Base and Belvelly Castle all agreed to light up their wind turbines and buildings green around the harbour and island.

Cobh Credit Union gave our committee great support by becoming our Main Sponsor to enable us invest into this year’s parade. The support that they have shown us is incredible.

Cobh Municipal District office headed by Paraig Lynch with the support of all our Councillors have given us great support with investment from a Municipal Grant and funds from the monies collected through Parking Meters throughout the town.

Also to mention Sorensen Civil Engineering have been wonderful to deal with while sponsoring this year’s safety barriers.

Our parade was gearing up to be a wonderful display of various groups, society’s, sports clubs, schools, businesses and much much more.

Garry & Anne Wilson who have brought back Belvelly Castle to its glory giving our Island a major boost was the Parade’s Honorary Guest’s for 2020.

We started our efforts by climbing the highest mountain in Ireland and now with deep sadness we have to POSTPONE our celebrations for this years St Patrick’s Day. The health and well-being of our community is paramount and supersedes any event regardless of work and plans gone into making the event super special for Cobh and Great Island.

Thank you all kindly for your support and understanding with the situation we find ourselves in with the extremely Contagious COVID-19z.

We will post updates on our Social Media accounts once we know and decide when it is safe to launch the event.

Whitegate

The Whitegate Residents Association are saddened to have to announce that following numerous discussions over the last 48 hours we have this morning made the decision to cancel the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Whitegate Village. While we had hoped that everything would be ok for the event to proceed the simple fact is that the COVID -19 Virus is spreading and while all efforts are being made to contain it, it is our view that as the parade organisers we must make sure that all decisions in relation to the parade put safety first. It is clear to us that large gatherings could increase the potential risk for the virus to spread and therefore it is incumbent on us to make this decision.

We would like to thank all the groups, businesses and companies who had registered to attend this year’s parade which was gearing up to be one of the biggest yet. While we understand many people may be disappointed with the decision, we are sure that you will all understand the importance at the current time to put safety first above all else.

The organising team had put a huge amount of work into the planning for the parade and while we are disappointed to have to cancel, we can assure you that work will being on delivering a superb parade in 2021 from here on.
Finally, we would like to thank all of the Doctors, Nurses, Health Care workers and medical experts throughout the country who are doing to much to try to contain this virus and we hope that everyone stays safe over the coming weeks.

Midleton Patrick’s Day Parade organisers have made the decision to cancel this years parade. In a statement they said:

As concerns grow amid the Covid-19 virus spread we find ourselves in the position of having to make a hugely tough decision to POSTPONE our festivities and parade. Our ethos and focus over the last 3 years has been on safety. With this in mind we feel the best compromise to ensure the health and safety of our whole community would be to postpone our parade.

We as a committee have put countless hours of our free time into volunteering to organise this each year so our decision to postpone does not come easily but we stand over our ethos of safety first and hope to hold your support going forward.

We have not made this decision lightly and we all share in the disappointment of this decision.
The parade in Midleton on St. Patrick’s Day has always been such a well-supported event throughout the entire community and has grown year on year. Young and old alike line our town to watch/partake in the parade. Their health and the health of our community as whole is our primary concern.

Thank you to the public, clubs, groups, societies and businesses especially those affected by this decision for your continued support of the parade. We hope to have you all out in force to celebrate everything Irish in the near future.

If anyone needs to contact us you can do so through social media or by e-mailing midletonstpatrickparade@gmail.com

Orginisers of the 2020 Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Youghal have made the decision to cancel this year’s parade due to Covid-19 concerns.

In a statement released by Youghal 4 All, they said: “It is with deep regret that Youghal 4 All has found themselves in the position of having to cancel the St. Patrick’s Day Parade due to our concerns about COVID-19.

The festivities in Youghal on St. Patrick’s Day have always been well supported and it is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the rich and varied culture of the town.

Young and old alike throng the streets to watch the parade. Their health and the health of our community is our primary concern.

We would like to apologise to the public, clubs, groups, societies and businesses affected by this decision but feel that we must act in the best interests of public health and safety.”