Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Kieran Mc Carthy pays tribute to St. Columba’s Girls National School for winning the Overall Best City School Garden in the Muintir na Tire Cork School Garden Competition 2024.

 Speaking at the Muintir na Tire Cork School Garden Awards in Cork County Hall Cllr McCarthy said “I am impressed with the work being pursued in primary schools who enter the Cork School Garden competition. They are all winners and what they are learning now will stand to them in time. I congratulate all the schools who entered in 2024.

I am delighted that schools are teaching children how to grow vegetables, fruit, and flowers, which is a skill they will never forget and is also an important climate action piece. I praise the commitment and dedication of the principals, teachers, SNA’s, Parents, and others involved in helping develop the gardens".

Sean Finn Muintir na Tire, Maeve Goggin, Colleen Forsythe, Ìde Murphy, Lesley McGuire, Saoirse Murphy,  Lord Mayor Cllr Kiieran McCarthy Priya Lather, and  Ellen Murphy  from Cork City Council .at the Muintir na Tire School Garden awards

Maeve Goggin, Ìde Murphy, Saoirse Murphy, Priya Lather. of St Columbas GNS at the Muintir na Tire School Garden awards

Back:Saoirse Murphy, Priya Lather, Front: Ìde Murphy, Maeve Goggin. of St Columbas GNS  at the Muintir na Tire School Garden awards

Back:Saoirse Murphy, Priya Lather, Front: Ìde Murphy, Maeve Goggin. of St Columbas GNS  at the Muintir na Tire School Garden awards

Ellen Murphy, Executive Scientist Cork City Council expressed her delight that biodiversity is now a major feature of most gardens entering the competition. She added that schools by allowing a patch of nettles to colonise a small corner of school garden, schools are providing food for the larvae (caterpillars) of once-common butterflies all of which lay their eggs on its leaves.  Even a narrow ribbon of lawn left to grow uncut is helping the butterflies, which depend upon various native grasses as a source of food for their larvae. Upcycling in the garden was especially important as it helps lessen the amount of waste going into landfills and reduce CO2 emissions by using old materials instead of new ones. She said Schools in the competition are encouraged to rethink, repair, refurbish along with reusing & recycling items. She said she was delighted that Colour and Art is now a feature of most gardens and commended the use of recycled materials in making this.

Mr Sean Holland Chair of Cork Muintir na Tire committee who organise the competition, which has been running since 2012 continues to be immensely popular with schools all over the county. He said the standard is extremely high and he thanked all the schools in the city that entered in 2024

He said ‘We saw many gardens, big and small, new, and established. each one unique’ He added that the children were amazing, welcoming, and eager to show off their garden and tell us about what they had done and learned’

Find out more about Cork School Garden competition at Muintircork.com