Lord Mayor Launches Community & Heritage Concert

05/09/2024

Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Dan Boyle recognised the work and passion of two prominent Corkonians by awarding the Historian of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards to Tom Foley and posthumously to broadcaster, Alf McCarthy (RIP) respectively at a small ceremony in City Hall on Monday, 2 September. The Lord Mayor was also delighted to announce the date of the annual ‘Lord Mayor’s Community and Heritage Concert’ which will take place on Saturday, 28 September 2024 at 7.30 p.m. in Cork City Hall. 

Lord Mayor’s Community and Heritage Concert

The Lord Mayors Community & Heritage Concert 2024 will explore the themes of musicals, movies and more. This year the concert will feature talented community music groups such as the Barrack Street Band, musicians from the Cork Academy of Music, the Voices of Cork Choir along with well-known singers Linda Kenny, Art Supple, Jimmy Hynes and Jimmy Brockie, amongst others. Tickets are distributed by the Lion’s Club through their community and voluntary contacts. 

Lord Mayor Cllr. Dan Boyle said: “It is indeed an honour to be officiating at this year’s Lord Mayor’s Community & Heritage Concert showcasing Corks history, culture and heritage. This social inclusion event not only brings the talent of Cork City together but it also brings the people of Cork together, bridging all social spheres as an act of integration in our city of welcomes”.

Historian of the Year Award 2024

Tom Foley, Blackpool native, was born in 1943 and grew up near the Grotto, on Dublin Street. In 1994, Tom, together with Jim Fitzpatrick and several others established the Blackpool Historical Society which operated out of the Blackpool Community Centre. Over the years they organised a great deal of exhibitions and lectures and built up a fine photographic collection of Blackpool. In 2000, the society published Rare and Recent Photographs and in 2003 Cork’s Own Blackpool; they also produced a DVD: Blackpool to the Fore.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Alf McCarthy (RIP) was Master of Ceremonies at Lord Mayors Community and Heritage Concert up until last year and his sad passing has created a huge void for all those who loved his charm and wit. The organising committee will miss him much this year. Former RTÉ presenter and producer was a presenter of Late Date on RTÉ Radio 1 until his retirement in 2015. He spent more than 35 years on air. Alf was also an award-winning actor and appeared in The Dresser, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Woman in Black and The Odd Couple in the Everyman Theatre in Cork and the film Strength and Honour. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

These awards are part of a broader initiative that aims to celebrate Cork’s past and keep its musical culture alive. This is achieved through the Lord Mayor’s Community and Heritage Concert, taking place on Saturday, 28 September in Cork City Hall. The annual event is organised by a voluntary committee comprising Committee Chair, former Lord Mayor of Cork, Mr Brian Bermingham, Cork historian Richard T Cooke, Concert Producer Billy O’ Callaghan, (Barrack Street Band), members of the Cork Lions Club, Pat O’Brien and Teresa Dineen and Sandy McGroarty and Kieran O’Connell from the Community Section of Cork City Councils. 

Celebrating Cork’s Past Exhibition

Normally, the Celebrating Cork’s Past Exhibition would also be held on the same day as the concert, but for this year the exhibition will take place later in the year. 
 
 For further information about attending the concert: 

Contact: community@corkcity.ie 

ENDS