A €5 million pedestrian and cycle bridge has been officially opened in Cork City.

Named after aid worker Mary Elmes, the bridge connects Merchants Quay and St Patrick's Bridge. It is expected to be used by up to 11,000 people each day.

Opening the new structure, Lord Mayor, Cllr John Sheehan said: "We must remember today that it was the ordinary people of Cork who decided to name this bridge after Mary Elmes. The general public and the City's Elected Members chose to honour Mary Elmes' unstinting courage, her values and her deep humanity. Already, the naming of this bridge after Mary has helped to spread the story of Mary Elmes in Cork and in Ireland and that in itself is a wonderful achievement."

-- Advertisement --

The bridge, which was delivered by the Strategic Infrastructure Directorate, will promote greater use of cycling and walking amongst people travelling between the City Centre and MacCurtain Street. It was funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and European Union Designated Urban Centre Funding from the Southern Regional Assembly.

Hailed as Ireland's Oskar Schindler, Mary Elmes is credited with saving the lives of hundreds of Jewish children during the Holocaust by hiding them in the boot of her car so they escaped death camps.

She is also the only Irish person honoured as 'Righteous Among the Nations' by the State of Israel in recognition of her work as an aid worker in the Spanish Civil War and in World War Two.

(CM/MH)