Month: May 2021

Park Life? Savage Garden? The Imperial Hotel is crowdsourcing song suggestions for a playlist to match the green outdoor vibe of their South Mall parklet Read more

The Metropole Hotel Cork is hosting the annual event which includes virtual cocktail tutorials, recipes and a live masterclass Read more

It@cork are hosting a three-day virtual technology festival from 25 – 27 May 2021. it@cork TechFest will be superb 3-day event of keynotes, panels, and workshops. During this event you will hear from legends, luminaries and thought leaders on everything tech and future forward. For more information and to get your ticket check out: https://hopin.com/events/techfest it@cork Skillnet have kindly sponsored the next one hundred tickets so sign up quickly to get your free ticket now.

Other relevant information:

it@cork TechFest highlights:

• Event Host – Jonathan McCrea (Broadcaster of Futureproof on Newstalk)
• Tracks - Innovate | Transform | Inspire
• High profile speakers from around the globe
• Keynote speakers include: Marcus Weldon, Former President of Bell Labs, Corporate Chief Technology Officer, Nokia, Rory Fitzpatrick – CEO at National Space Centre, Caroline Dowling - Plural Non-Exec Board Director & Board Advisor
• Wide range of breakout sessions and technical workshops including: Funding & Supports to Innovate In-house, Open Source, The bots are coming: how to start your own digital workforce, Transformation Leadership in the ICT Sector, Inspiring a new Generation : Why Cyber Security is the New Tool to Have, How to unleash the collective communications power of your team and deliver results, plus many more.
• Interactive panel discussions
• One-to-one networking opportunities
• Virtual Exhibition Stands

Each event ticket will give attendees full access to the three day event and it promises to a highly engaging virtual technology festival.

Free Digital Advertising Webinar which we are hosting in partnership with IAB Ireland on Tuesday 25th May from 10am-12pm.

This workshop has been designed specifically with retailers in mind. It will provide an overview of the latest digital opportunities and innovations and their role in respect of eCommerce, digital marketing, and customer experience.

The presenters will use relevant case studies and provide practical actionable learnings for Irish retailers. To find out more about the event, please visit the Retail Ireland Skillnet website https://www.retailirelandskillnet.com/product/digital-advertising-workshop/.

To register for the event- click here https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GqgnRaMMTKaka8MGFvtaOQ

Where:  ZOOM Webinar hosted by IAB Ireland
When: Tuesday 25th May, 10am - 12noon

Who: Multiple team members from an organisation may attend

Cost: FREE
Duration: 2-Hour Workshop

Book Your Place Now<https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GqgnRaMMTKaka8MGFvtaOQ>

Event Schedule

*       10:00am - 10:10am: Opening Address: Arnold Dillon, Director, Retail Ireland

*       10:10am - 10:20am: IAB Ireland welcome, overview of eCommerce opportunity and intro to webinar: Suzanne McElligott, CEO, IAB Ireland

*       10:20am - 10:35am SEARCH: Learn how SEO can maximise traffic to your business and boost your ranking in your retail segment: Issy Chappel, Agency Development Manager, Ireland, Google Customer Solutions

*       10:35am - 10: 50am DISPLAY: Boost awareness and visibility of your online retail offering with targeted Display advertising: Doug Farrell, Group Head of Digital Strategy, DMG Media Ireland

*       10:50am - 11.05am DIGITAL AUDIO: Learn about the latest digital advertising opportunity matching the impact of radio with the data and targeting of digital to localise your retail offerings: Rob Timony, Business Director, Audio XI

*       11.05am - 11:20am VIDEO: Understand how video builds retail brands, helps to personalise your retail experience, showcase new products, share your staff expertise: Mark Corrigan, Commercial Director, Packed House

*       11:20am - 11:35am CONTENT/NATIVE: Gain deeper engagement with online customers, engender trust in your retail business and build loyalty through content marketing. Mark Whyte, Director of Brand Partnerships, Reach plc

*       11:35am - 11:50am SOCIAL: Create a compelling customer journey, sell through social channels, amplify your customer service online: Meabh Connellan, Strategy Director, Dentsu Ireland

*       11:50- 12:00 Questions and Close

12 MAY 2021: Network Ireland Cork has announced the finalists for the 2021 prestigious Businesswoman of the Year Awards. Twenty-five finalists are shortlisted for the awards across eight categories, which will take place on 2 June. Registration for the virtual awards ceremony is free for Network Ireland members and their families and €20 for non-members at https://networkcorkawards2021.eventbrite.ie. Guest speaker will be Christine Armstrong, author of The Mother Of All Jobs, and the event will be MCed by Cork's 96fm presenter Keith Cunningham.

Finalists for the Power Within Champion Award — recognising those who overcame challenges — include Miriam Bourke, Invesco; Kathy O'Dwyer, Career Training Internships; and  Diane Higgins, Diane Higgins Design. In the Solo Businesswoman category are Noreen Roche, Epona Retreat Centre; Lucie Al, Lucie Al Portraits & Lucie Al Creative; and Michelle Dinneen, Ardin Career Development.

Up for Emerging New Business are Ingrid Seim, Avenues Consultancy & Coaching; Karen Goodliffe, SurePlan Financial; and Noella Carroll, Pinnaklo Ltd. In the Established Business category are Adrianna Hegarty, Hegarty Properties; Carol Brick, HerMoney; Kathy O'Dwyer, Career Training Internships; and Liz Gavin, Eur Digital Village.

The three finalists in the Employee - Rising Star category are Ciara Keane, DePuy Synthes Johnson & Johnson; Elena Canty, Event Plan; and Kate Scannell, Grant Thornton. Up for Employee - Shining Star are Miriam Bourke, Invesco; Sinéad O'Dea, Griffith College Cork; and Konstantina Stefanidou, Depuy Synthes Johnson & Johnson.

For Creative Professional, finalists include Fiona Kennedy, Fiona Kennedy Music; Stef McSherry, Kinderama; and Monika Nowakowska, Lady of the Valley. In the STEM category are Anne Marie Butler, Edlong; Lena Angland, Wanderful; and Tara Shine, Change by Degrees.

Judges include former Tánaiste Mary Harney, who was a guest speaker at a Network Ireland Cork webinar last year; Sharon Corcoran, Director of Economic Development & Tourism at Cork County Council; and Vicki Crean, AIB Manager of Service and Sales, Cork City. The category sponsors are DePuy Synthes, Grant Thornton, Kinsale Gin, Lady of the Valley, O'Flynn Exhams, Partnership International and Transilient Coaching.

The winners from the Network Cork Businesswoman of the Year Awards will go forward for the national Network Ireland Business Awards on 8 October in WIT Arena, Waterford.

Speaking on the Businesswoman of the Year Awards, Network Ireland Cork President, Barbara Nugent said: “In these challenging times, many business women have proved their resilience and innovation in the face of adversity and their ability to create concrete and sustainable solutions, not only for their own businesses, but also for the wider community. We are delighted to applaud these exceptional business women by celebrating them, and their professional achievements, on 2 June.”

The organisation’s Vice-President and Awards Co-ordinator, Maria Desmond expressed her appreciation to this year’s judges and sponsors on behalf of Network Ireland Cork. “We thank our category sponsors; our Network Cork sponsor, LEO; and our official Network Ireland partner, AIB for their support in the promotion of female business leadership. We would also like to thank our judges for their hard-work and the unenviable task of whittling the huge number of entries down to 25.”

Speaking ahead of the awards, MC for the evening Keith Cunningham said: “I am honoured to be involved in Network Cork’s Businesswoman of the Year Awards. With eight awards up for grabs, and one overall winner, it’s going to be exciting to see who wins. Wonderful to see such a diverse range of skills with high business acumen of the finalists who all work in and around Cork”

Network Ireland Cork is a not-for-profit Cork organisation that is the largest branch of Network Ireland in the country.

For more information see www.networkireland.ie/cork.

Cork City Centre is a key economic driver for the entire region. The pedestrianisation is part of the long term development plans and a reimagined Cork City. It will help to make the city an attractive destination to use and enjoy for more than shopping alone.

The process has unfolded fast last year because of a stronger need for the use of outdoor space to facilitate social distancing and outdoor dining et cetera.

Before deciding on the permanent pedestrianisation there has been a consultation period to allow for tweaking and modification of the plans.

CBA asked for a review of the success of the pedestrianisation after a period (6 months or a year) and change if unsuccessful.

Deliveries and Stocking up

Both business on the pedestrianised street and delivery services will have to adjust and look at the efficiency of their deliveries.

However Cork City Council is open to working together with businesses if a specific situation comes up that needs to be solved, especially in relation towards the re-opening where businesses might need to re-stock completely.

Accessibility for people with a disability

There has been consultation with 6 representative groups of the disabled community.

There are the same number of disabled parking bays as before. They are in different locations, but the number has stayed the same.

Cork City Council is aware that adapting to the changes will be a challenge especially for people with a sight disability and might require relearning.

Infrastructure

The A frames that are currently in place will be replaced by automated bollards that can be removed (lowered) by emergency services.  The A frames will stay in place for a while to allow a chance to get used to the new situation.

What is the reason for Resurfacing?

Before a vehicle grade tar was used that is now replaced by a pedestrian friendly surface. The difference between a street for pedestrians and a road for cars will be clear.

Outdoor Dining

CBA is asking for clear guidance on the exact rules for outdoor dining and for a management plan for licences that are not working.

While Cork City Council is very much supportive of businesses putting out street furniture this is still subject to licencing! If you do not have a licence or you do have a licence that you don’t comply with you are in breach!

Many licences are bespoke as the situation is different for every business and needs to be adapted to the situation.

The fees for outdoor licencing have been waived for the time being to support businesses who are limited because of COVID, but you still need a licence and enforcement of licencing will start again.

Winter Proofing

There is a Fáilte Ireland Grant available for winter proofing. It is called the Local Authority Weatherproofing & Outdoor Dining Infrastructure Scheme

It is advisable for streets to come together to facilitate something spectacular instead of every individual business taking care of their own. Click the links below to find more information on the Outdoor Enhancement Scheme.

Best Practice for Outdoor Dining and Urban Animation Guide from Failte Ireland

Outdoor Enhancement Scheme

Public Toilets

At the moment there are toilets available in the English Market and in Merchants Quay Shopping Centre. Plans are underway to facilitate more facilities.

Service Centre

Service Centre for Cork City is the one number for all of Cork City Council’s services. You will be connected to the right person depending on your query.

021 4925000

servicecentre@corkcity.ie

Could eating concentrated greens be a natural way to lower blood sugar and reduce the risk of diabetes?

Cork food research company seeks participants for new study on the health benefits of broccoli. Get a FREE diabetes test and get paid €700 to take part. 

Cork based nutrition research company Atlantia Food Clinical Trials Ltd is seeking volunteers to participate in an exciting new study that will investigate the health benefits of broccoli and its potential power to naturally lower blood glucose levels and reduce the risk of diabetes.

The discovery that a compound in broccoli might impact blood sugar levels was first identified during research into treatments for early-stage prostate cancer.  Participants were given a concentrated broccoli soup weekly for 3 months and researchers observed an unexpected benefit of reduced blood sugar levels.

Atlantia, who specialise in food and supplement studies with a focus on health and disease prevention, now want to explore these findings further and are recruiting up to 40 people in Cork to participate in their upcoming prediabetes broccoli study.

Selected participants will receive €700 to take part in research over a 9-month period.  They will consume one portion of concentrated broccoli soup per week over 12 weeks (made up from a sachet with water added). They will then take a break for 12 weeks before recommencing. Over the course of the trial, participants will be expected to attend 9 morning visits. Those involved will not only be compensated financially but they will also have the added benefit of getting insights into their own health and wellbeing and the satisfaction of contributing to food based medical science advancements.

Speaking about the study, Project Manager Rebecca Kerin said, “The broccoli being used in the study is a variety that is naturally selected to be very high in  glucoraphanin and approximately 9 times higher than those found in standard broccoli.  So while you could achieve a similar effect by eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables, consuming the more concentrated variety given in the soup is more manageable and sustainable”.

To qualify as a suitable candidate for the Prediabetes Broccoli study, you must be aged between 18-70 years old, have a BMI between 20-40 and have a raised blood glucose level, so Atlantia is offering free blood tests to anyone interested in participating in the study.

“While not everyone will meet the markers to qualify for this particular study, it is a great opportunity for a free health check particularly if you are worried you might be at risk for prediabetes, you have a family history, are overweight, or have been advised by your GP it is something to be mindful of.  If you do not qualify for this study, you might potentially qualify for a different study as we are recruiting more than 2000 participants for various trials over the coming month”, Rebecca continued.

Know the risk factors:  Prediabetes or impaired glucose tolerance is mostly asymptomatic but is still considered a serious health condition, which puts people at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.  Risk factors include a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, high blood pressure, being aged 45+ or having a family history of the disease. Atlantia is offering anyone who thinks they might be at risk of developing diabetes the opportunity to visit their clinic for a FREE no obligation test.  While there, you can learn more about this food study and others.

Atlantia is currently recruiting over 2000 people to take part in various natural food studies in areas such as memory/cognition, muscle repair/recovery, stress, low mood, female health, and general health.

To book your free glucose test and to learn more about participating in a food study with Atlantia see www.atlantiaclinicaltrials.com/cork, email: studies@atlantiafoodtrials.com or phone: +353 (0)21 430 7442 for more information.

About Atlantia Clinical Trials

Atlantia Clinical Trials specialise in conducting scientific food studies with a focus on natural approaches to health and disease prevention. Their extensive and well-equipped medical grade research centre was established 10 years ago as a spin out of University College Cork and is the only food research centre of its kind in Ireland.  Atlantia primarily works with companies that want scientific evidence to prove their food or food supplement has a health benefit. Atlantia has a sister clinic site in Chicago and tests a range of products, such as probiotics, prebiotics and botanical extracts, across multiple health areas such as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, sports performance, cognitive, metabolic and joint/bone health.  Clients include The Smarter Food Company, PepsiCo, Nestle and Danone and research findings have been published in leading scientific and medical journals.

Risk Factors for PreDiabetes Expanded:

There are various factors that can increase your risk of developing pre-diabetes these are the same risk factors as those for type 2 diabetes. They include:

• Overweight or obese with BMI >25 (most people with pre-diabetes are overweight or obese).
• Having a family history of diabetes. This refers to a close family member with diabetes - a mother, father, brother or sister.
• Doing little physical activity (sedentary lifestyle).
• Risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels or large waist circumference.
• Women with polycystic ovary syndrome and are also overweight.
• Gestational diabetes (Developed diabetes during pregnancy).

Parameters for inclusion in study:

The cut-offs that Atlantia use as inclusion for this study are: Glucose- 5.5mmol/L to 7.3mmol/L. HbA1c- 37mmol/mol to 53mmol/mol. Anything higher and study doctor will recommend the participant to consult their GP.

GPs/ Doctors disagree on what is technically “pre-diabetes” values but these are the criteria we used based on guidance from James Ryan, Consultant Endocrinologist at the Mater Private Hospital, Cork.

Winners of the 2021 Cork International Choral Festival were announced yesterday evening at the festival’s final online gala concert performance, presented by Berlin based a cappella group ONAIR.

The festival which ran from April 28 – May 2nd, was staged online for the first time ever this year and featured 82 choirs (including 48 international choirs) from across Ireland and around the globe, who submitted their competition entries by video.

This year’s festival opened on Wednesday night with the reading of a specially commissioned poem ‘A Singing City’ by Cork poet Billy Ramsell, read by arts broadcaster Elmarie Mawe.

Four online gala concerts, by acclaimed Irish ensembles Anúna, Chamber Choir Ireland, Resguram and German group ONAIR were staged each evening, along with pre-concert talks, workshops and events, as well as the fiercely contested national and international competitions.

Speaking as the festival drew to a close, Artistic Director, Peter Stobart said, “I am delighted that we were able to go ahead with the Festival in a new way this year, even if we have all been missing the usual personal interactions which are such a huge part of the normal Festival experience.

“We were pleased that choirs from across the globe were able to create and send us their choral videos and that the appetite to join us has been as strong as ever. 

“My thanks go to all those who have taken part for putting their time and energy into this different way of making music, and especially to the unseen sound and video engineers who have worked so hard behind the scenes.

“The Festival will be back next year, and we hope to have a much more live experience for you once again.”

Festival manager, Elaine Fitzgerald added, “We are really pleased to have been able to stage the Cork International Choral Festival in 2021 after the disappointment of 2020. It is a fantastic achievement by the entire team who have worked so hard for 12 months to see it come to fruition. We are equally thrilled by the participation of the choirs from across the globe who have played a huge role in this year’s festival and we look forward to welcoming as many choirs and singers as possible to Cork in the very near future."

At 5pm the jury results were finally announced for all sections of the prestigious and varied national and international competitions.

The following are the results for all categories: (pics of winning choirs here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1XTsuO9su4UK9CsInALktIa05OFjMuIyp )

Ibec Workplace Choir of the Year Competition

1^st Place

Fidelity Sings – [Workplace - Fidelity Investments]

Conductor:       Peter Mannion

93.33%

2^nd Place

Banknotes – [Workplace - Central Bank of Ireland, Dublin]

Conductor:       Tracy Nagle

92.00 %

3^rd Place

Coombe Workplace Choir - [Workplace - Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, Dublin]

Conductor:       Lisa Price

91.33%

International Awards

International A Cappella Virtual Choir Competition

1^st Place

Moran Singers Ensemble, Israel

Conductor:       Naomi Faran

92.33%

2^nd Place

Gita Suara Choir ISBI Bandung, Indonesia

Conductor:      Karisman Ferdinandus Tumanggor

90.00 %

3^rd Place

Cake O'Phonie, Switzerland

Conductor:       Antoine Krattinger

89.33%

International Upper & Lower Voices A Cappella Video Competition

1^st Place

Guangdong Experimental Middle School Male Voice Choir, China

Conductor:       Honghao Zheng

92.00%

2^nd Place

Coro Polifonico di Ruda, Italy

Conductor:       Fabiana Noro

90.33 %

3^rd Place

Ensemble «Voix Claires» , Germany

Conductor:       Sebastian Göring

90.00%

International Children's voices A Cappella Video Competition

1^st Place

Ponomarev Vesna Children's Choir, Russia

Conductor:       Nadezhda Averina

95.00%

2^nd Place

Moran Choir, Israel

Conductor:       Naomi Faran

92.67 %

3^rd Place

Guangdong Experimental Middle School Children's Choir, China

Conductor:       Mingjing Xie  and Yeqin Pan

91.00%

International Mixed Voices A Cappella Video Competition

1^st Place

Guangdong Experimental High School Mixed Choir, China

Conductor:       Howard Zheng & Mingjing Xie

92.67%

2^nd Place

Boğaziçi Jazz Choir, Turkey

Conductor:      Masis Aram Gözbek

90.33 %

3^rd Place

Maulbronn Chamber Choir, Germany

Conductor:      Benjamin Hartmann

90.00%

National Awards

National A Cappella Virtual Choir Competition

1^st Place

Euphonics, Dublin

Conductor:       Ciarán Kelly

90.67%

2^nd Place

Guys & Dolls Quartet, Cork

Conductor: N/A

89.33 %

3^rd Place

Dulciana Vocal Ensemble, Dublin

Conductor:       Judith Lyons

87.67%

Seán Ó Riada Composition Competition

The Seán Ó Riada Trophy

Awarded to Composer, Norah Constance Walsh , for her work On a quiet day in the future