INSIDE
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Serving Cork for 120 years
Panto season keeps Cork sisters on their toes
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Pages 22-23
Inside
PLUS
Edition No: 36076
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WHAT THE CLASSIC FESTIVE FILMS TELL US ABOUT LIFE – PAGE 25
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€3.5m bridge for city Concerns over tunnel gridlock SENIOR gardaí have raised questions about the city’s ability to cope with an unforeseen closure of the Jack Lynch Tunnel, in the wake of last Thursday’s traffic chaos, writes Ronan Bagnall. The unprecedented tailbacks were discussed yesterday at a meeting of the city’s Joint Policing Committee by councillors, gardaí and city council officials. Chief Superintendent Michael Finn said Thursday’s gridlock raised questions about the city’s capacity to deal with any closure of the tunnel in the future. “We’re going to have to go back and look at our traffic systems. The volume of traffic that was there, the city could not cope with it,” he said. Meanwhile, the meeting also heard that 6,000 traffic fines were handed out in Cork city in the first 10 months of 2015. The City Council also ranked the top five locations for fines to be issued, with the South Mall the most likely spot for motorists to get caught. ■ See Page 2.
WEATHER TONIGHT
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NEW CYSTIC FIBROSIS UNIT OPENS AT CUH
■ Alan Healy
Nursing staff applaud Build4Life founder Joe Browne (above) at the opening of the Cystic Fibrosis In-patient Ward at CUH yesterday. Picture: Gerard McCarthy THE chairperson of a Cork charity responsible for the largest philanthropic donation ever made to Cork University Hospital received a standing ovation at the opening of the hospital’s new Cystic Fibrosis Unit yesterday. Special tribute was paid to Joe Browne, founder of Build4life, which has raised almost €4 mil-
■ Audrey Ellard Walsh lion since 2007 to develop facilities for adults and children with Cystic Fibrosis attending CUH. The new unit, which is the second largest adult CF centre in Ireland, cost €2.3 million to build and outfit and has 22 isolation units. Mr Browne said: “This is the cul-
mination of many years’ work by hundreds of people.” Professor Barry Plant, Lead for Cystic Fibrosis Medicine at CUH, said: “Per capita there are more people in Cork with CF than anywhere else. We should be leading the charge with the best care and research for cystic fibrosis.” ■ See Page 4 for more.
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A NEW €3.5m pedestrian footbridge across the River Lee from Merchant’s Quay to Patrick’s Quay is to be built by Cork City Council with a decision to fund the project expected from the government in the coming days. The Harley Street bridge is one of five projects worth €20m that Cork’s city and county councils have submitted for funding. These include the €7m Marina Park at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, a €2.4m cycle greenway linking Passage West with Carrigaline, €1.1m invested in Cork’s historic spine and €6m in development works on the Lee’s southern channel to create flood defences and amenity spaces. The Harley Street Pedestrian Bridge is one of the elements of the city’s Movement Strategy that plans to pedestrianise Patrick Street and revert MacCurtain Street back to a two-way traffic system. Development on the historic spine includes work to the Shandon Butter Exchange building, the Lido in Blackpool and the cottage buildings inside Elizabeth Fort.
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