Kinsale history comes to life in new book

JJ Hurley

Kinsale-based primary school teacher, Trish Kelleher, has just launched her second children’s book based on the story of the Pirate of Kinsale. Having being inspired by the success of her first book, Trish decided to follow up with her latest offering.

“That first book, The Giant of Kinsale, did far better than I expected — it was even shortlisted in the junior children’s category at the 2024 CAP Awards in Dublin”, she said.

Trish Kelleher with her latest publication.

‘The hugely talented freelance artist, Jeric Tan, illustrated the book, capturing the giant’s story beautifully. Thankfully, Jeric has also illustrated my latest book, The Pirate of Kinsale. It follows the same pattern — blending local history with meaningful messages that help children explore ideas around emotional wellbeing and resilience.

‘My own children, and the many children I’ve had the privilege to work with, are my greatest inspiration.

‘They are such wise beings with so much to share once we take the time to listen.’

Both The Giant of Kinsale (available now) and The Pirate of Kinsale will be available from Bookstór and Boland’s in Kinsale, and online at www.thegiantofkinsale.ie.

Shannon has exciting podcast

Cork County Council are delighted to announce the launch of “Cork Chronicles” a new podcast series dedicated to exploring the rich and diverse heritage of County Cork.

Hosted by the CreativeIrl Heritage Specialist in Residence, Shannon Forde, the podcast will delve into both iconic events and lesser-known local stories through conversations with local historians, heritage groups, and residents.

The first episode of Cork Chronicles features Dr Michael Martin of the Titanic Trail in Cobh and explores the poignant connection of the ill-fated Titanic to Cobh. The episode is now available on Acast and Spotify.New episodes will be released every Friday from the 5th of September. Follow @corkchroniclespodcast on Instagram for all the details on upcoming episodes.

Read more visit https://www.corkcoco.ie/.../cork-county- council-

Two local groups nominated for top council award

Five community groups in County Cork who have been nominated for the IPB Pride of Place Awards 2025 included in that line up are Tracton Biodiversity Group under Climate Action and Biodiversity and Kinsale Community Youth Café under Community Youth Initiative.

The IPB Pride of Place awards were established to promote and celebrate the best in community development. The awards recognise the selfless efforts of people in making their local neighbourhoods better places to live, work and socialise.

The winners of the IPB Pride of Place will be announced at an Awards Ceremony in November. We wish all of the County Cork nominees the best of luck

Café Morning tradition in Riverstick continues

On Thursday September 25th , the annual coffee morning takes place in Riverstick Community Hall from 10 am to noon in aid of Marymount Hospice. Like many Parishes across the county, Marymount has provided a special place in people’s heart as they often say their last goodbyes to loved ones at the important institution or had staff provide their outstanding care as they faced into a difficult journey as a

loved one passed on. In Riverstick, the late Eileen Kelleher was the one who religiously, along with others, organised the important annual fundraiser. While Eileen has passed on, the torch has been picked up by a new generation, including Valerie McCarthy. In addition to coming along, baking is always welcomed at what is also a fabulous occasion for the community to meet up.

Patrick Dyer takes bike to new heights

Kinsale’s Patrick Dyer recently travelled to Denmark for Ireland in the BMX world championship, a sport he’s pursued since the age of four. Now reaching the top of his sport, the 16-year-old is certainly one to watch. Patrick races for Cork BMX Club and Bosh Racing Team Cork BMX Club located in Tramore Valley Park and is supported by Cork City Council and Cork Sports partnership in conjunction with Cycling Ireland. To prepare for the recent World championships, Patrick entered all 10 rounds of the UK Nationals in 2025, where he qualified for the quarter finals in those competitions. In addition, he also took four top spots on home soil in the Irish races, claiming eight place nationally that saw him included in the recent Irish team that travelled to Denmark His ambition is to qualify for the World championships in 2027 and achieve a top eight in position in the UK.