A summer school course in the latest Irish genealogy research, “Ancestral Connections: Names, Places and Spaces”, at University College Cork is now taking bookings.

Divers in Fermoy, County Cork, have been trying to solve the mystery surrounding a railway carriage found on the bed of the River Blackwater.

If you enjoy traditional music, song and dance, then your pulse will be racing at “Pulses of Tradition”, which returns to Triskel Christchurch at Triskel Arts Centre in Cork from June until September 2013. 

United States District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy of Montana and broadcaster and comedian Graham Norton are among four distinguished persons who will be conferred with Honorary Doctorates in University College Cork (UCC), Ireland on Friday 7 June. Irish writer and BBC broadcaster Fergal Keane, who specializes in war journalism and human rights reporting, and local Cork businessman Dermot O’Mahoney complete the four to be honored.
 
Judge Donald Molloy has been a leading reformer in judicial practice in Montana and has adjudicated on significant environmental rights cases involving cleanup of polluted sites and hunting practices. Judge Molloy presided over the largest criminal environmental case prosecuted in the United States, United States vs W.R. Grace. He decided several endangered species cases including those of the Grey Wolf, the Grizzly Bear, the Lynx as well as cases involving Montana's world-class fishery. These issues have been of particular concern to the Pacific Northwest region given a renewed focus on fossil fuel extraction by ‘fracking’ and other means. Some of the cases have involved the evolving question of the impact of global warming on various plant and animal species.
 
Judge Molloy has a strong personal interest in his Irish heritage and in the early 2000s studied the Irish language for a semester under the guidance of Traolach O'Riordain, originally from Cork, Ireland, who heads the Irish Studies programme at the University of Montana. Judge Molloy claims no expertise beyond his interest in the language and his love for Ireland. He has strong links with UCC’s Law and Irish programme whereby UCC students teach Irish in the University of Montana for a term, attend the University of Montana Law School while at the same time they clerk in Judge Molloy’s chambers or in courtrooms of judges or Magistrate Judge Lynch, working under Judge Molloy's supervision.
 
UCC also offers a Joint BSc degree with the University of Montana in International Field Geosciences. Students spend their third academic year at the University of Montana where they take a number of field oriented courses set in the Rocky Mountains and western United States.
 
Both Judge Molloy and his wife are natives of Butte, Montana, a place closely tied to many Irish families. Judge Molloy will receive a Degree of Doctor of Laws.
 
Graham Norton is an Irish broadcaster, author and comedian, and is one of the world’s most recognised entertainment personalities. Perhaps best known for the acclaimed The Graham Norton Show, the six-time Bafta Award winner grew up in Bandon, Cork, and then studied English and French at UCC.  As well as hosting one of the most listened to entertainment programmes in Britain on BBC Radio 2, the UCC alumnus holds a long list of credits to his name. He has hosted and presented on numerous TV series and chat shows across multiple networks in Britain, as well as being familiar to American audiences for ‘Would You Rather…? with Graham Norton’. He hosted this year’s Bafta Awards as well as providing commentary for the BBC at the Eurovision Song Contest, the fifth year he has done so. One of his best-loved performances among Irish audiences is in the guise of Father Noel Furlong in the cult classic TV show Father Ted. He also writes an Agony Uncle column with The Telegraph. Norton returns to UCC to receive the Degree of Doctor of Arts.
 
Irish writer, broadcaster and BBC Correspondent Fergal Keane is an acclaimed journalist who has received an OBE for services to journalism. Having grown up in Dublin and Cork, he has won numerous awards for his coverage of conflict, including a BAFTA, the Royal Television Society Journalist of the Year, Sony Radio Journalist of the Year as well as awards from Amnesty International, the James Cameron Prize and the Index on Censorship Prize for Outstanding Commitment to Journalistic Integrity. Audiences will recall his acclaimed 1996 BBC Radio 4 From Our Own Correspondent despatch Letter to Daniel, which was addressed to his then new-born son.  He is also noted for his coverage in South Africa during the early 90s and the Rwandan genocide. He was awarded the George Orwell prize for literature for his book on Rwanda “Season of Blood.”  In 2010, he published his first major history work Road of Bones: the Siege of Kohima 1994, and has also published memoirs and a number of other books. He will receive a Degree of Doctor of Literature from UCC.
 
Cork man Dermot O’Mahoney has been active in the Irish business, educational and voluntary sector for over 50 years. He is a director of City Life Wealth Advisors, which provides financial planning advice to individuals and companies.  He has also been a member of Cork Harbour Commissioners including two years as Chairman and served as Chairman of the Port of Cork from 2002 to 2012. His educational and voluntary activities include work with the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and acting as Chairman of the Hope Foundation Ltd, which works with the street children of Calcutta.  He has been a long-standing member of the Governing Body of UCC and served on the Senate of the National University of Ireland (NUI) for 10 years to 2012.  He is currently a member so the Investment Committee of NUI. Dermot O’Mahoney will receive a Degree of Doctor of Laws.

Intermediate football KO final
Second Half Dominance for Rangers
Rangers 0-17 Monaghan 2-03 

A man who mugged an 83-year-old woman in Cork city Center got more than he bargained for when he was chased down by a man who was training for the Cork City Marathon.

Scientists at University College Cork (UCC) have found that mice who were raised without bacteria in their gut showed autistic patterns of behavior. Scientists argue that their findings demonstrate the crucial role stomach bacteria plays in the development of normal social behavior.

Ring of Cork Festival showcases community spirit for the Gathering

Cork woman Mary Elmes is the first Irish person honored as “Righteous Among Nations” for her work saving Jewish children from the Nazi gas chambers during World War II.

In honor of Cork Rebel Week (October 14th - 20th), organizers are distributing a special rebel county passport.

After years of research Dr. Noel Buckley has traced legendary singer and actor Bing Crosby’s lineage back to his great-great-grandfather’s home in West Cork. 

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan has come to an agreement with US businessman Gregg Bemis to allow an investigation at the site of the RMS Lusitania wreckage 13 miles off the coast of Cork.

The Irish Times reports that Minister Deenihan has endorsed plans to begin a broad set of exploration objectives with US businessman Gregg Bemis, who owns the rights to the wreck.

What better way to celebrate all that the Ring of Cork has to offer, than a super festival in the year of the Gathering.  The Ring of Cork Festival will be held on Saturday May 18th in Midleton, Co. Cork and all are welcome from near and far to join in an impressive and truly unique line-up of activities, fairs and fun on the day.

A stop inside a traditional Irish pub is a must whenever you visit Ireland. Despite the smoking ban, and a fairly hefty tax-rate on liquor sales, the Irish pub scene continues to thrive and features as largely as ever in modern Irish life.