M.D.P. - 2019
2019 was a busy year for Mallow Development Partnership (M.D.P.) in the areas of tourism, heritage, arts, education, infrastructure and our involvement in several community events.
In tourism M.D.P. have been working hard to raise the profile of Mallow Town and the North Cork region through meetings with Fáilte Ireland and other like-minded organisations. Workshops were attended with the aim to increase our presence with those responsible for the Wild Atlantic Way campaign, as well as connecting with other marketing groups and using online facilities to help promote the Mallow area to a global audience.
M.D.P. continues to maintain the town’s only official website at mallow.ie which offers a free service to all users and we also actively promote local items of community interest through our own social media channels to our growing audience.
Our heritage highlights for 2019 included walking tours through Mallow Town - stopping at the many places of historical importance with narrative provided by local historians. As well as providing these walks for the general public to enjoy, M.D.P. have also coupled with local schools to provide a younger age group with private tours and thus enhance their knowledge and appreciation of the vast richness of heritage that surrounds those living in our town.
August 2019 also saw Mallow Heritage Group put on a 2 week exhibition at Mallow Library titled ‘Mallow in Uniform – Military’ at which a magnificent collection of treasured photographs were assembled on display. It proved most popular and plans are already underway for similar exhibitions in 2020 to coincide with centenary celebrations of the capture of Mallow Barracks and the War of Independence.
The Mallow Arts Collective staged the 3rd annual Mallow Arts Festival which was a resounding success. Almost 8,000 people attended the 47 different events over 5 days packed with fun and variety. Relatively new in festival terms it is already growing strong and showing great potential to be recognised on the national stage in the coming years.
M.D.P.’s education committee also worked hard throughout 2019 organising the annual Munster Maths & Science Family Fair held in October at Carrigoon GAA Grounds. This is a flagship event, not just for Mallow but nationally, and saw a record number of exhibits on display with footfall of all ages surpassing 5000 people who enjoyed a fantastic experience on the day.
The Fair was piloted in 2010 with a view to providing an interactive family day out showcasing the fun side of STEM in our everyday lives and to allowing young people to see the wide range of career possibilities open to them. Year on year it has grown steadily and plans are already underway for its special 10th year anniversary celebrations in 2020.
In infrastructure, and despite many setbacks with the long awaited Mallow Relief Road, M.D.P. have continued over the year to highlight the crucial importance of this road for Mallow and for all traffic using the ‘Crossroads of Munster’ and we will continue to reiterate the independent economic and social case as presented to central government by M.D.P., Cork County Council, Mallow Chamber of Commerce, local industry and the community at large.
Our office here serves as a hub not just to our own groupings but also to other local community-spirited organisations and we pride ourselves in maintaining our assistance to all free of charge, as well as the many events undertaken by us as free for all to enjoy.
Our array of projects running throughout the year can each take many months of preparation by committees and are only possible through the commitment of our many volunteers as well as some key sponsors.
We would like to thank all those involved with Mallow Development Partnership for their tremendous efforts and perseverance throughout 2019 and we look forward to 2020 in anticipation of continuing our role as an active community group helping to develop Mallow and the North Cork region.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
