Illumination of St. Colman´s Cathedral, Cobh

The new LED lighting for St. Colman´s Cathedral in Cobh with will be switched on at a ceremony on the Cathedral grounds commencing at 6.45 pm on the eve of St. Patrick´s Day. The Cathedral is an iconic landmark building of stunning architecture that dominates the town and its beauty and appeal will be further enhanced by its illumination.

In 2010 *See You In Cobh* and *Cobh Tourism Ltd*. embarked on an ambitious fundraising drive to illuminate the Cathedral. The *”An Audience with ….”*series of concerts was launched which were well supported by the talented performers and the people of Cobh throughout the autumn of 2010 and the spring of 2011. By last summer the matched funding capital requirement for an application to be made to South and East Cork Area Development for grant assistance for the project had been raised.

This application was successful and South and East Cork Area Development Ltd (SECAD) have provided 75% of the cost of the lighting project for St. Colman´s Cathedral through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the National Development Plan.

The running costs to light the entire south and west elevations of the building are a quite remarkable 23 cent per hour because of the new LED technology that will be used and this means an annual running cost of less than €500 per annum. Speaking about the project, the chairman of See You In Cobh, Hendrick Verwey said, “The seed capital for the project was raised by the people of Cobh by sustained community effort and this is a clear message that communities acting together can achieve great things. The assistance of SECAD means that we have achieved our goal very much sooner,” he concluded. He also thanked Fr. Michael Leamy, the administrator of Cobh Parish for his foresight, cooperation and assistance in making this project happen.

It is firmly believed that the illumination of the building will encourage people to stay in Cobh longer or to visit the town at night with the adherent economic benefits accruing to the businesses of Cobh and that it will also further enhance the sense of place and pride in their town of the people of Cobh. The lighting Ceremony will be attended by representatives of Cobh Town Council, SECAD, Cobh Parish, the concert performers and the Boards of Cobh Tourism Ltd. and See You in Cobh. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and also to join in the celebratory concert and Céilí in the Commodore Hotel at 8pm.