Cork Stimulus Paper



Cork at a glance

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland. It was founded as a walled port over 800 years ago and is situated on the south coast of the island of Ireland. 

The city is built on the River Lee which divides into two channels at its western end, and its centre is located on the island created by them. At the eastern end of the city centre the two river channels converge, and the Lee flows around Lough Mahon to Cork Harbour, one of the world's largest natural harbours.

Cork’s centre is compact and best explored on foot.  Some traces of its medieval streetscape can be seen in the alleyways off its North and South Main Streets, and there are some interesting buildings dating from the 18^th and 19^th centuries, particularly along its quays.  Last year it was named by the Lonely Planet Guide as One of the Top Ten Cities in the World to Visit. It was European Capital of Culture in 2005 and has long been known as  ‘Festival City’ with some of the most established festivals in Ireland taking place here – among them the Film, Choral, Jazz and Folk festivals.  Over the years they have been joined by many others, and today 22, including the Lifelong Learning Festival, are members of the Cork Festivals Forum - see www.corkfestivalsforum.com

There have always been considerable differences in the relative affluence and deprivation between various parts of Cork City; the most affluent in the east and west, while the south and particularly the north are the most disadvantaged. One indication of this is how publicly funded housing is concentrated in a number of areas, with the majority in the north of the city.

During the years of  the ‘Celtic Tiger’ Ireland had almost full employment and many without qualifications or skills found jobs, a lot of them in the construction industry. Sadly, they have been the first to lose their jobs, joined by many others in the retail and service areas of employment.

In the 2006 Census of Population Cork City had a population of 119,418, with suburban areas in its surrounding county bringing the total to 190,384. There will be a Census of Population in 2011 and those figures may have changed dramatically, given Ireland’s current drastic economic circumstances. Rising unemployment has meant that many Irish are emigrating and immigrants from the European Union, who came here over the last decade or so, have been returning home.

Disadvantaged Areas

 A government programme called RAPID was set up during Ireland’s recent prosperous years – it stands for ‘Revitalising Areas through Planning, Investment and Development.’ It’s aimed at targeting disadvantage and integrating services locally.   There are three RAPID areas are on the city’s northside:

Knocknaheeny/Hollyhill/Churchfield; Blackpool /The Glen/Mayfield; Fairhill/Gurranabraher/Farranree.  One is to the south – Togher/Mahon.

Community Education

The City of Cork Vocational Education Committee organises and funds Community Education. It has set up 10 Community Education Networks in the disadvantaged (RAPID) areas of the city which bring together local education providers to avoid duplication and share ideas and resources.  It has also established a Disability Education Network and Community Music Network, which operate citywide.

All these networks are central to the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival. For more information on Community Education see www.corkvec.ie

Cork – City of Learning

The idea of making Cork a City of Learning is an initiative of the Cork City Development Board (CDB). The CDB is one of 34 in the Republic of Ireland, set up as part of a process under the National Development Plan of 2000.  The Development Board is made up of representatives of local community and voluntary groups, employers, unions, state agencies, local development and the local authority, Cork City Council. It aims to identify key issues facing Cork and is tasked with developing a strategy reflecting the views of local people.

CDB’s Integrated Strategy for the Economic, Social and Cultural Development of the City took two years to develop and was published as ‘Imagine Our Future’ covering the years 2002-2012.  You can see the Strategy on www.corkcitydb.ie – click on ‘Imagine Our Future.’

Cork - City of Learning comes under its Stategic Theme 7. 

It states that:

‘We see Cork as a place:

(i) Where access to learning is available for all levels and to all ages in the city.

(ii) Where provision addresses comprehensively the diversity of learning needs.

(iii) Where an ethos of quality underpins the provision of continuous learning

     opportunities for all citizens in the city.

(iv) Where the city is recognised nationally and internationally as a centre of learning and research.

(v) Where available information and knowledge are catalysts for creativity and learning.

Cork City Learning Forum was set up to progress this theme. Its membership is broadly based, involving stakeholders from early childhood education, primary and secondary education, tertiary education and training, higher education, providers and learners, community education, trade unions, the private sector, and other relevant public service providers. Members are nominated to the Forum by various representative bodies and report back to them on its activities.

The Forum set up a number of working groups, one of them on Lifelong Learning, which in 2004 decided to organise a pilot Learning Week – and that was how Cork’s Lifelong Learning Festival began.

History of the Festival

The festival is unique in Europe – the only event of its kind devoted to learning which caters for people of all ages, from pre-school to post retirement, and which is inclusive – welcoming participation from all communities, and from people with or without disabilities.  During the festival, learners of all kinds are given the opportunity to find out about opportunities, and to celebrate and showcase their learning experiences and encourage others to get involved.

The festival’s motto is – Investigate, Participate, Celebrate!

It aims to promote and celebrate learning in all its forms, across all age groups, abilities and interests, and to raise awareness of the wide range of learning opportunities available in the city.

In particular, it seeks to target those who do not usually participate in learning, including early school leavers, those who left school without qualifications, people who have problems with literacy, and so on.  It does so having events in disadvantaged areas and also by bringing learning opportunities out into the community with a range of free and accessible events in the city centre and in local areas.  For example, it uses shopping centres, libraries, parks, museums, the streets, as venues.

All events are free during the festival and it costs nothing for any group or organisation to get involved and run an event. All that is asked of participants is that they market their event as part of the festival, distributing programmes and posters which are supplied to them, contacting local media, sending out invitations, and so on.  No-one has to get involved – it is voluntary.

Since its inception the festival has promoted integration and inclusiveness. The emphasis has been on the fun side of learning – with lots of hands-on events, so people can give it a go – try out a skill or learn something new. With the downturn in the Irish economy, there has been more concentration on the role Education and Training can play in helping people find work. In 2010 its programme included a Forum on Employment in two of the city’s most disadvantaged areas.

Over its seven years the festival has helped develop new relationships between organisations – just one example is how branches of the library service provide venues for their local education network, and other learning providers in their area, as well as branches organising their own events.  The festival has also contributed to the success of the Community Education Networks themselves, as members work towards a common goal, planning events together.

CLLF is now recognised locally as an annual event which is anticipated by many.

It has grown from two days in 2004 with 65 events to a week long festival in 2010 with over 325 different events.  It has developed organically, as each year participants are joined by new ones; often an organisation will increase the number of events it presents during the week.  In some cases this is like a mini-festival.

In 2010 CLLF formally twinned with Féile an Phobail (Festival of the People) in West Belfast – one of the largest community festivals on these islands.  We are learning from each other and exchanging ideas and guests.

The festival is organised by a Co-Ordinator who reports to a Steering Committee of volunteers drawn from a number of sectors which currently includes Third Level, Further Education, Community Education, Traveller Education, and the City Library Service.  The Co-ordinator is the only person paid to work on the festival – she is employed on a part-time basis for 42 weeks a year and full-time for the other 10.

The festival’s main sponsors are Cork City Council and City of Cork Vocational Education Committee (VEC).  Its media partners are The Evening Echo and 96fm, both based in the city. It receives some sponsorship from local business and the education sector.

Discussion Questions

1. How do we encourage even greater participation by marginalised individuals and groups?
2. How can we get local business to support the festival – through direct sponsorship or benefit-in-kind? This is particularly challenging now, as Ireland is going through tough economic times.
3. What benefits should be gained from the Lifelong Learning Festival being linked to other festivals in Cork’s Festival Forum?
4. In what ways does the Cork experience illustrate good practice in integrating the social, educational, cultural, and economic strands of a  city development?

Written by Tina Neylon, Co-Ordinator of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival since its foundation in 2004. 

Tina has had a varied and interesting career; she has a background in Journalism – she was Literary Editor of The Irish Examiner, a daily newspaper; she was Curator of Fota House, a stately home near Cork; was the presenter of a live radio programme on the arts; and has  worked in PR for arts organisations.  As well as Co-ordinating the festival, she works as a freelance researcher, editor, and teaches Journalism.