March 2026
Hi, there! — Welcome to the forty-ninth edition of my monthly newsletter to keep you up to date on my work for Cork City North East.
This month, we have motions on drone operations in the city, pedestrian crossings in Glanmire, assistance for council tenants in energy-proofing homes, and an action plan for the Tarry Path area in Mayfield — as well as questions on access to traffic survey data.
I’ve also included updates on plans for the city’s new e-bike library, how to get solar panels for half the cost, and the campaign for a new city centre library.
Please also feel welcome to email me any time at email@oliver.ie. I’d especially love to hear your thoughts on this newsletter or any local issues I should know about.
Please also share this newsletter with your friends and neighbours in the ward.
Many thanks!
Oliver
p.s. You can use this link to easily read and share all my monthly newsletters ... oliver.ie/newsletter
Motions and notions
Each councillor can submit up to four motions each month to Cork City Council and ask two formal questions of the Chief Executive. One of these questions is asked at the Local Area Committee and must be about local operational matters.
Before the deadline each month, I meet with my local group, the Cork City North Greens, and we agree motions and questions for the month ahead. We call this our “motions and notions” meeting :-)
If you have ideas or suggestions for a motion, or have a question you want asked, just let me know!
Or join the Cork City North Greens ... my.greenparty.ie.
Questions
“To ask the Chief Executive for a list of locations in the city in the last three years where there have been road traffic surveys conducted (e.g. traffic number counts, ‘free speed’ surveys, etc.); and that the results of these be shared with elected members?”
Motions
“That Cork City Council will write to the Irish Aviation Authority in relation to the T2 geozone in the city, expressing concern about the impacts the proposed geozone will have on local commercial, community, and voluntary activity by prohibiting open category UAS operations in the city; and that this message will be forwarded to the Minister for Transport.”
“That Cork City Council will install a raised-table zebra crossing at Church Hill in Glanmire outside the church at the point where the existing footpath changes sides on the road, so as to allow for priority of pedestrians and continuous pedestrian infrastructure in the area.”
“That Cork City Council will report on options for Cork City Council tenants to access SEAI home energy upgrade grants, including PV solar, individual energy upgrades, and fully funded energy upgrades, including applications by Cork City Council to the SEAI as a landlord.”
“That Cork City Council will report on a comprehensive suite of options and sources for investment in the residential area of Mayfield north of the Old Youghal Road and south of the North Ring Road between Tinker’s Cross and Ballyvolane Cross; that these options will include active travel funding to improve the public realm, in-fill housing where passive surveillance is needed, deep retrofitting of the existing housing stock, and supporting the community to access funding such as the Community Climate Action Fund; and that this report will form the basis for an action plan for the area.”
Spoken contributions
At this month’s meeting of Cork City Council, I made spoken contributions on:
You can watch back my previous contributions in the chamber on YouTube and share these with the link oliver.ie/videos.
What’s happening?
E-bike library launching
This month, Cork City Council agreed to begin a new community-led e-bike library for the city. The new library will lend e-bikes to anyone who wants to try one out in the real world for up to three months, with a deposit of just €50.
The overall aims are to reduce congestion and lower the barriers to seeing if an e-bike is for you, as well as supporting the city’s climate action targets.
It’s not the first time a project like this has been tried. In other places, schemes like these have changed habits by providing people with real alternatives for local trips, the school run, and commuting to work.
As someone who’s an advocate of e-bikes, I believe in trying one out and seeing for yourself the difference they can make. That’s a view that is common among e-bike users.
In Limerick, a study of over 100 people who were loaned an e-bike for four to twelve weeks found that more than 40% intended to buy one afterwards, and another 35% were considering it.
In general, people find that an e-bike replaces 40–60% of previous journeys by car, mainly because of cost and convenience. I’m someone who’s habits an e-bike has changed in this way — not for any ideological reasons, but solely for convenience.
The library in Cork will be organised through local community groups, including local sports clubs. There will be both standard e-bikes and cargo bikes to borrow, and the scheme will be reviewed after two years.
Solar panels for half the cost
This month, I organised a meeting for residents interested in coming together to reduce the costs of purchasing and installing solar panels.
The talk was given by southside residents, Oliver Deasy and Finbarr Buckley, on the success of neighbourhoods coming together in the Douglas area to save on electricity bills.
Both are residents of Newton Court in Grange, where locals cut the cost of installing solar electricity on their homes in half by working together. He shared his experience of setting up a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC), with households combining their buying power to negotiate the best deal for themselves.
Households in the scheme typically installed enough solar to save 90–100% off the average electricity bill for an outlay of €2,500, and this could be financed through a credit union loan.
Residents of a neighbourhood coming together like this is a great idea to get the best value for money. We’ve a real example now in the city that can show other areas how to do it. We’re especially lucky to have the example of Newton Court and residents there with expertise, passion, and a willingness to share their experience and know-how.
The idea of the meeting was to spread that experience from Newton Court across the city.
There’s even stronger interest now after the meeting. A definite outcome is that I will next organise a follow-up meeting to establish an energy community on the north side of the city.
There are some exciting ideas already about the form that should take, unique to the north side. In particular, linking in with existing community organisations that can add unique value.
That meeting will be in the next short number of weeks to maintain the momentum that has people inspired.
New city library campaign
A new campaign for a revamped city library held a demonstration outside Cork City Hall this month, and I was happy to show my support.
The Cork Library Action Group proposes a new city library with ample space, a central location, accessible to all, and diverse spaces for different needs. They emphasise sustainability, cultural spaces, and facilities, including a library of things and a public consultation, including:
Distinct environments, an entrance floor as a new city square, a place for children and young people, and a lifelong learning hub with study spaces and workshops.
A mix of cultural spaces, an enhanced music library, an enlarged local studies center, and a “library of things” where patrons can borrow items like guitars and sewing machines.
Key facilities like accessible baby changing facilities, toilets, a small kitchen, a breastfeeding room, and seating areas.
However, above all else, they emphasise that public consultation is needed for the project.
Officials working on the project have agreed that all these points are relevant and will be considered in the design and project work for the new City Library, once approval for funding is granted by central government.
A business case for that has been submitted to the government and Cork City Council is waiting on the decision. In the meantime, the Cork City Library Campaign can be contacted at corkcitylibrarycampaign@gmail.com.
In the news…
A new dog fouling poster causes controversy!
Claire Byrne talks to Green Party councillor, Oliver Moran, about Cork City Council encouraging people to clean up after their dog with a controversial new slogan.
Newstalk, Friday, 20 March
Cork Docklands project promising thousands of jobs and homes moves ahead
Green Party councillor, Oliver Moran, said, “It’s often forgotten that the North Docks is an integral part of the docklands redevelopment, and so is Tivoli.”
Cork’s 96fm, Tuesday, 10 February
Cork hill highlights the limits of democracy in the digital age
Local representative, Oliver Moran, said, “I think it is a question of who is in control. Is it a roads authority like Cork City Council, or is it another type of authority?”
Prime Time, Tuesday, 10 March
Keep in touch
Thanks for reading! Please feel welcome to share this newsletter and invite other people you know to subscribe. If you can, please consider making a donation to my political activities in the ward.
You can also keep up to date with my activities on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Mastodon and TikTok. And don’t forget, you can email me any time at email@oliver.ie.
Have a great month!
