County Council begin campaign to put Cork on Pope Francis visit itinerary

A request is being made for Pope Francis to come to Co Cork when he visits Ireland next August, with the racecourse in Mallow likely the best venue to host him.

The newly revamped Pairc Uí Chaoimh and the magnificent grounds of Fota House have also been proposed.

Cork County Council is writing to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Papal Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, to invite Pope Francis to the region.

The Pontiff’s visit is part of the World Meeting of Families.

Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O’Flynn proposed the motion, pointing out that when Pope John Paul II came to Ireland in 1979 he visited many locations, but not Cork. More than 2.5m people attended events in Dublin, Drogheda, Clonmacnois in Co Offaly, Galway, Knock, Limerick,and Maynooth during that visit.

Mr O’Flynn said Cork should have been included that year, but claimed Galway got the nod as “Bishop [Eamonn] Casey pulled a stroke”.

“Cork is the second city and largest county and the Pope should come here,” said Mr O’Flynn. “Pairc Uí Chaoimh would be an ideal venue, or Mallow racecourse, or Fota. I don’t want Cork city and county to lose out on this occasion.

“Someone also suggested Spike Island, but I think logistics would be a problem. If we could decide on a venue we could set out an itinerary. It’s an opportunity that we should not let slip up.”

His party colleague, Gearoid Murphy, said that while there were differing opinions on the Catholic Church in Ireland now compared to 1979, “the message of Pope Francis is a very positive one of peace, love, understanding, and humility”.

However, Independent councillor June Murphy said that if the Pope did come to Cork, she would like to see him going to the gates of Bessborough and apologise publicly to all those who had been in the mother and baby home.

Independent councillor Danny Collins, based in Bantry, said that the racecourse in Mallow would be the most appropriate place as it is very central to all of Munster.

The other advantages the racecourse had, he said, was that the town was served by a number of main roads and a railway station.

While Pairc Uí Chaoimh has undergone a €80m revamp, and will host a series of sell-out Ed Sheeran gigs next year, it only has a capacity in the stands and terraces for 42,000. Managing traffic in Mallow would also be far easier than in the city centre, Mr Collins added.