THE haunting strains of She Moved Through the Fair echoed around The Mizen Head Visitor Centre during a presentation to the judges of the Pride of Place awards.

BY PHILIPPA KENNEDY

Sung by the West Cork Ukrainian Choir, it underlined the way local people have given a heartfelt welcome to refugees from the war-torn country.

It was finals judging day for the prestigious All-Island annual contest organised by peace-building charity Co-operation Ireland.

Judges and representatives of the four Mizen Villages – Ballydehob, Schull, Goleen and Crookhaven sat enthralled as the choir sang three emotional Ukrainian folksongs along with the much-loved Irish folk songs that evoked their homeland.

The songs were met with rapturous applause.

As of July 2025, nearly 7,000 Ukrainians are living in Cork, making it one of the counties with the highest number of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland under the EU temporary protection directive.

The inclusion of the choir in the event marked the importance of inclusivity to the community.

The prestigious awards sponsored by IPB Insurance and now in their 23rd year, will be hosted by Limerick City and County Council on Friday November 7th with hundreds of delegates set to travel across the four provinces to the city’s Strand Hotel.

Established to promote the best in community development, the programme showcases projects that strengthen towns and villages across Ireland.

The cluster of West Cork Villages known as The Mizen Villages were entered by Cork County Councillor Caroline Cronin, a native of Ballydehob, who had precisely one day to put together the presentation after learning The Mizen Villages have reached the final in the Inclusive Communities category.

‘I lost my mother when I was young and the support my siblings and I had from our community was incredible, so I learned early the true value of community. I know and love the four villages and the passion people have for the place’ she said.

It is the first time the Mizen Villages have reached the finals as a single unit.

Speaker Florence Newman, representing the villages, summed it up: ‘Rural society was always based on the principle of Meitheall – neighbours came together and harvested each other’s crops moving from one farm to another. We live in a unique place in the world. We have rugged landscapes, craggy mountains, rocky foreshores, valleys, rivers, lakes, inhabited islands, uninhabited islands and amidst all of that we have the four Mizen Villages and the Mizen Head itself.’

Cork mayor Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, praised all the finalists and said: ‘This is a remarkable achievement for these communities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their outstanding contribution within their local communities and the positive impact this has had on the wider community.’