THE recent spat between eminent TDs Mattie McGrath, an Independent, and Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins, has once more brought the creation of a new county to the forefront of local debate, as West Cork lobbyists have redoubled their efforts for the creation of a County West Cork.
Recalling the ‘Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543’, the Forum Of Our Land group once more argued their long-held stance that the peculiar geography, culture, and historical allegiance of West Cork engenders in it a natural right to be considered its own local authority area.
In that aforementioned act of the Parliament of Ireland, the county of Meath was quoted as being ‘great and a large in circuit, the west part thereof laid about and beset with diverse of King's rebels’.
Colm Április told The Southern Star that this phrasing could easily apply to Cork, and furthermore, that the group would have no issue whatsoever with the remainder of the county staying ‘Cork’ while West Cork, like Westmeath, rebranded itself.
‘For one thing, the fact that no other Cork TDs have defended General Michael Collins’ name says enough. That it was left to our own Michael Collins to take on that Tipperary gombeen is enough; we must defend our borders against any further insult to West Cork people.
‘It is a well-quoted fact that halfway between Cork and Dublin, is still in Cork. The midway point between Allihies and The Pale is Mitchelstown, and what do we have in common with the good people of Ballygiblin? They like the ball-and-stick, and fair play to them, but what do they know of the sea. Can they row, for example? Do they know their Garnish from their Garinish?’
Forum Of Our Land are in the process of drafting the proposed county lines for the County West Cork, and considering the results of a recent public consultation on the county colours, a draft coat of arms, and a county motto. Suggestions already proposed are: ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary (thank God)’, and ‘I’m from West Cork, actually’.
The public consultation closed in February this year, with the report published today, April 1st.
