Coal Quay Shawlies: Breda Dineen Scanlon, Liz Donovan &Valerie Dineen Power, members of the the Coal Quay Family Festival: Winners of the Community Spirit Award, presented by Gerald McCarthy, alongside Peter Loughnane: Sales & Marketing Director, Cork International Hotel, 30th November 2022. The Community Spirit Award is sponsored by Gerald McCarthy Gifts & Awards, in association with the Cork International Hotel & The Carrigdhoun Newspaper. Photo Siobhán Russell
The Coal Quay Family Festival is the latest winner of the Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Awards. The annual event takes place in August and celebrates the history of the popular market spot.
The Coal Quay market dates back to the 1840s and was known for its female traders dressed in black shawls. They sold fruit, vegetables, flowers, holly at Christmas as well as secondhand items including clothes and shoes.
The Coal Quay Family Festival showcases the heritage, traditions and culture of the area through music, song, stories and exhibitions. Participants dress up in traditional clothes often wearing the very shawls their ancestors wore more than 100 years ago.
At part of the festival, boys wearing caps and braces and girls in aprons and hats push old-fashioned prams through the streets giving out candy apples, crubeens and chester cake to the public.
General Manager of the Cork International Hotel, Eoghan Murphy said, “The organisers of the Coal Quay Family Festival have succeeded in keeping the memory of their ancestors alive over the last 10 years. They are very worthy winners of the Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Award. The people behind the festival are passionate about raising awareness of just how hard the women worked – spending six days a week at their stalls in all kinds of weather to be able to feed their families. They also create a wonderful atmosphere in the Coal Quay and surrounding areas. This year was the 10th anniversary of the festival and the Shandon Bells chiming with the Banks of My Own Lovely Lee could be heard across the city.”
The Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Awards are sponsored by The Carrigdhoun Newspaper and Gerald McCarthy Giftware.
The judging panel for the Community Spirit Awards are made up of a mixture of representatives from the public and private sector within the community.
The judging panel for this award was:
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Carmel Lonergan Group Director of Operations, Trigon Hotels
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Nicola Radley Senior Executive Officer, Municipal District Operations & Rural Development at Cork County Council
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Aisling Killilea Bank of Ireland Manager Carrigaline and Douglas
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Vincent O’Donovan and Jack White, The Carrigdhoun Newspaper
Nominations are now open for next month’s awards at: https://www.
