26 January 2026
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
At the launch of Cork County Council’s Commemorative Landscape 2026-2040 publication. Pic: Brian Lougheed
Cork County Council has published a forward-looking publication titled: “The Commemorative Landscape of County Cork 2026–2040”, which examines, year by year, a variety of events that can be commemorated over the next fifteen years.
Identifying close to 800 occurrences from the County’s history, the range of topics are vast, covering not only Ireland’s Revolutionary Decade of 1912-1923, but a number of further areas including Culture, Civic, History, Ecclesiastical, Sport, Science, Environment and more. From the 1490th anniversary of Saint Finbar in 2040, who is associated with Guagán Barra and Templemartin, as well as Cork City, to the 250th anniversary of the Clock Gate Tower in Youghal in 2027, there is a wealth of information spread across the publication’s 300 plus pages.
The publication, which was undertaken by Cork County Council’s Commemorations Committee, working with Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting, contains information from numerous local groups and organisations and also features a range of detailed illustrations that were specially commissioned for the project.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley said, ‘This publication serves as an excellent tool for planning upcoming commemorations and will be of interest to staff of Cork County Council as well as hundreds of community groups and organisations across the County who continue to undertake the most memorable of commemorations in their own localities.’
Cork County Council’s Commemorations Committee, who undertook the publication, was established in 2015 and has since supported over 300 different commemorative endeavours and counting. Speaking on the publication, the Chairperson of Cork County Council’s Commemorations Committee, Cllr. Ian Doyle said, “The County of Cork is renowned for its history and heritage and this publication seeks to pay tribute to all of the people and key events and occurrences that make up our collective cultural memory today.”
Cork County Council’s Chief Executive, Moira Murrell said, ‘This project will have a lasting legacy by giving a clear overview of, and insight into, the commemorative landscape of the County of Cork, spanning the years of 2026-2040, and in turn, inform much of the commemorative activity within the County of Cork for many years to come. As Chief Executive I acknowledge the work of the Commemorations Committee and the support of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.’
“The Commemorative Landscape of County Cork 2026 – 2040” can be purchased from your local bookshop. For more information email commemorations@corkcoco.ie.