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Jennifer Horgan: ‘It is what it is’ mentality won’t build a better future for Cork

From roadside kindness to theatre ambition, small acts of belief show Cork’s future need not be shaped by resignation

Cork won’t succeed unless the whole city moves forward together. Picture: Chani Anderson

Fri, 27 Feb, 2026 - 00:55

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Jennifer Horgan

Jennifer Horgan is a teacher, poet and columnist living in Cork City. Her areas of interest include justice, arts and culture, gender equality and care.

Do you think people are saying this more often than before? I’m aware it’s not new. Sources trace its first use back to an American article written in the middle of the last century.

There are more public examples at the start of this one. George W. Bush said it when he thought he might lose to John Kerry in 2004, and Britney Spears used it two years later after she was snapped driving with her baby on her lap.

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