Lord Mayor hosts Civic Reception for Cork Primary School Sports

13/03/24

It is now the largest one-day children’s athletics event in Europe, bringing thousands of ambitious young athletes to race every year.  

During the civic reception, the Lord Mayor saluted the generations of teachers and volunteers who give so much of their free time to ensure the success of the annual event.  

Lúthchleasa Bhunscoileanna Chorcaí, or Cork Primary School Sports, is an annual track-and-field athletics event for primary school children. Beginning in 1924, Cork Primary School Sports, has been held 89 times. Originally running in the Mardyke, later Páirc Uí Chaoimh and now the track at Munster Technological University (MTU), the event has long been an unforgettable experience for tens of thousands of Cork children. 

The inaugural staging of an event for children with physical disabilities in UCC last year was a welcome development which will now become a permanent fixture on the calendar.

Speaking at the event, the Lord Mayor said: “The collaboration between Cork Primary School Sports and the Office of the Lord Mayor is valued greatly.  The attendance of the Lord Mayor of Cork at every event since its inception 100 years ago is a source of great pride for me personally and for the Office of Lord Mayor. Lúthchleasa Bhunscoileanna Chorcaí has made an important contribution to Irish athletics, not only nurturing elite talent but encouraging participation at grassroots level.  It has also made a valued contribution to the sporting life of this city.”