Cork City Council has welcomed the award of €496,742 from the Department of Rural and Community Development to tackle dereliction and reinvigorate rural towns and villages. The funding, delivered through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), builds on investments made along the northern edge of the city since 2019 and confirms 2025 allocations for Blarney, Kerrypike, Tower and Upper Glanmire.

In Blarney, €135,500 will go towards resurfacing and upgrading the car park at O'Shea Park, home to Blarney FC, including drainage, lining and public lighting. Kerrypike will receive €159,352 to complete the tarmacking of car parks at Ballycannon Park and the Community Centre, install fencing and lighting for the ball wall and tennis court, and purchase a lawnmower.

-- Advertisement --

Tower has been allocated €121,050 to upgrade and extend its playground to meet the needs of children aged six to 12, who currently lack a safe play area in the locality. Upper Glanmire will receive €81,340 to improve facilities at the Community Centre, including an accessible bathroom, radiator upgrades, and landscaping and planting of nearby green spaces.

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy, said: "All applications were prepared in partnership with local community groups and the City Council is looking forward to working with all stakeholders in the rollout of the projects. All are very positive developments for Blarney, Kerrypike, Upper Glanmire and Tower and will further improve amenities and infrastructure for their communities, whilst connecting to the City Council's broader implementation of its Climate Action Plan, Parks and Recreation and Cork Healthy Cities programmes".