The North Cork town of Mallow is set to become the first town in the County to offer free Wi-Fi from this summer.
This was the news from the recent Kanturk/Mallow Municipal District Meeting of Cork County Council where the Chairman of the District, Cllr. John Paul O’ Shea (Ind) asked for an update on placing the free Wi-Fi service on the new Plaza in Mallow as it was in the original plans to do so.
The plaza which was designed by Cork County Council’s Architects Department was officially opened by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins in November 2014.
Welcoming the new initiative, Cllr. O’ Shea said “I believe that complimentary Wi-Fi has become an essential service for tourists and shoppers alike and I am delighted the IT Department of Cork County Council has come on board to assist the town of Mallow in improving what it has to offer as one of the largest towns in Cork. It is important for Mallow to be the first in County Cork to offer this service and we will be following similar towns such as tourist haven, Killarney in County Kerry and Drogheda, County Louth who have already provided complimentary Wi-Fi in their towns over the last few years”.
The new plaza in Mallow is located adjacent to the iconic Clock House and Mallow Castle and showcases a bronze statue of the Mallow born Young Irelander, Thomas Davis. It also features attractive local stone paving, new lighting, seating area and other street furniture. The Plaza also featured prominently during the recent Christmas season with new Christmas lights displaying an array of Christmas lanterns erected on the plaza to showcase the new amenity.
Cllr. O’ Shea added “It is proposed that the Wi-Fi will be streamed from Mallow Library, which is adjacent to the Plaza. Surveying and testing of the Wi-Fi strengths required will be carried out by the IT staff of Cork County Council over the coming weeks with the aim to make it available to the public in the early summer”.
Cllr. O’ Shea concluded “Smart phone usage is on the increase as is web surfing, social media and working remotely for business people so anything that the Kanturk/Mallow Municipal District can do to support this, we should assist with it. Towns like Mallow need rejuvenating and I strongly believe by offering services like complimentary Wi-Fi is one way of helping this process and will encourage shoppers and tourists alike to come to Mallow and enjoy all what it has to offer”.
The Plaza during Christmas 2014. Wi-Fi will be available on the Plaza from this summer.
