The Kanturk/Mallow Municipal District of Cork County Council is delighted to have been shortlisted for the prestigious Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards 2017 for “The Living Space Project” at mallow Castle.
“The Living Space Project” was an initiative to enliven public spaces through a series of free, fun, summer arts events, developed by Cork County Council. Street circus, aerial shows, theatre, music of all genres, puppet shows all converged on the Town and events culminated in a “Picnic in the Castle” in the newly refurbished grounds of Mallow Castle. Events took place on three Saturdays and one Sunday during July and August 2016.
Each day/programme focused on different art forms and included a mix of professional artists and local arts organisations, consideration was given to: variety for all ages, audience participation, educational/developmental acts and balance between easily accessible and high quality cultural experiences.
The awards presentation will be this coming November and Mallow hopes to be a winner! Winners will be presented with an individual engraved piece of Waterford Crystal all those shortlisted will be awarded a Citation of Best Practice.
Welcoming the nomination, Local Independent Cllr. John Paul O’ Shea said “The Project showcased Mallow to local and wider audiences and brought various groups together. It confirmed that working together could bring about very positive results growing cultural, social, and economic and tourism benefits. I am delighted Mallow is being rewarded for this initiative. The timing for such an accolade is good as significant works to the gardens of Mallow Castle had just completed providing a wonderful backdrop for some of the organised arts events”.
A recent outdoor theatre performance of “Murder on the Terrace” was highly enjoyable and we look forward to Picnic in the Castle again this year on August 13th next, with workshops from Centre Stage School in Twinkle Toes Ballet (3-6 years), Commercial Jazz (7-11 years) and Theatre Tots (3-6 years) Billy Bubbles Magic, Punch and Judy shows together with Circus outside the Box, Face Painting, music and more!
