CITY & COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS HONOURED
Marie Barry from Mayfield, Cork City and John Arnold from Bartlemy, County Cork are Joint October Cork Persons of the Month to mark their community contributions over the decades.
Marie Barry is the president of the Mayfield Ladies Club and has been an active member of the club for the past fifty years. Over the decades they have helped women who moved to the new housing estates in the Mayfield area get involved in their new community and introduced them to their new neighbours. The Ladies Club also volunteered for local organisations, like fundraising for the GAA Mayfield Club, the Over 60’s Talent Competition and many such projects
They hold weekly meetings for their 65 members, often with an invited guest speaker. Nominator Paddy O’Brien, spokesperson for the elderly in Cork said “ The Mayfield Club is a great social club where woman can meet for a “cuppa” and chat and support each other, and especially support members who have lost partners and family members. “
Marie Barry from Gardiners Hill added “ I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of all present and past members of our club – this is indeed a very special recognition. “
John Arnold has dedicated his life to community work, both in his native Bartlemy near Fermoy, where he runs a farm, and far beyond – and is a respected and much sought-after social historian. He has spent half a century involved in the GAA at local level with Bride Rovers and at national level. He has always been involved in a wide range of community work, from documenting families and life in Cork for generations to come, to recording the dead in the county’s graveyards. His door is always open when visitors to Cork from far and wide arrive in the county seeking information on their heritage. John has been involved in acting, the arts, and storytelling, and has been a long time volunteer for the annual Cloyne diocese pilgrimage to Lourdes on more than 30 occasions. He has written many books and a popular weekly column for The Echo over the past 20 years. He has a great interest in current affairs and contributes to national debates on all media, including TG4 as he is a fluent Irish speaker.
Marie Barry and John Arnold will now go forward, with the other Persons of Month chosen this year, for possible selection as Cork Persons of the Year, at a Gala Awards Lunch to be held in January next.
