BERE ISLAND

A Place Apart

bere island

Bere Island Events 2020

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For further information on any of the events please contact 027 75099. Further details for all events will be published over the coming months. (Please note this number is operational Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm, for queries  

Lonehort Battery
Until Spring 2020 tours of Lonehort Battery will take place by appointment only.  To book a tour with Bere Island historians and licensed tour guides contact Barry Hanley 086 8845709 or Teresa Hall 086 1981541.

All Islands Football Tournament
22nd-24th May
Islands from around the Irish coast compete in the annual All Islands’ Competition which this year takes place on Bere Island.  See Bere Island GAA Facebook page for updates.

Bere Island Midsummer Run
Saturday 11th July
A 5k and 10k run around the eastern end of the island, along with a 5k walk and children’s fun run.

Swim Week
13th-17th July
Swimming lessons for all levels organised by Irish Water Safety Week.

Cul Camp
20th-24th July
GAA skills camp for children organised by Bere Island GAA Club.

Children’s Summer Camp
27th-31st July
Arts and sports activities for children aged 6-12 at Rerrin GAA Pitch.

Sailing Week
27th-31st July
Organised by Bere Island Watersports Club, see the group’s Facebook page for booking details.  (Please note the course is now fully booked)

Bere Island Festival
4th-9th August
A full programme of events will be announced over the coming months.

National Heritage Week
15th-23rd August   
A full programme of events will be announced over the coming months.

Bere Island parkrun
Every Saturday morning at 9.30am from the GAA Pitch.  Click here for further details.

  

Community Groups

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Please note due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Ireland all the groups listed below have cancelled their meetings until further notice.

Bere Island Active Retirement Group

The  Active Retirement Group  hold fortnightly coffee mornings.  For further details contact Tim on 027 75099.

Parent and Toddler Group
The parent and toddler group meet every Monday from 10.30am to 12.30pm in the Community Centre.

After School Club
The After School Club is open every Monday from 3pm to 5pm in the Community Centre.

Community Information

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COVID-19 COMMUNITY INFORMATION:
The BIPG office is closed for the time being and staff are working from home. If anyone needs anything over the next few weeks including printing of Social Welfare forms or any other help or advice that is needed please contact 086 3877943 or 086 3863508.

The Rural Tansport Bus will be going out Tuesdays and Fridays at 10am. If you need shopping contact SuperValu and ask them to put it on the bus and Gemma will deliver to your door. She will also pick up prescriptions if needed.

Murphy’s Shop is open Mon-Fri 9am-2pm and 2.30pm-6pm, Sat 9am-1.30pm and 2.30pm-4pm, Sun 11am-12pm. Orders for the shop can be phoned in to 027 75004 or 027 75988 before 11am daily for collection or delivery with the post.

The Post Office is open Mon-Thurs 9am-2pm and 2.30pm-5.30pm, Fri 8am-2pm and 2.30pm-5.30pm, Sat 9am-1pm closed on Sun. AIB services available in these hours at PO. Please note the early Post Office opening at 8am on Fridays is to facilitate senior citizens to use the post office outside busy times.

Waste Collection & Recycling

Collections of household refuse will take place on the following dates in 2020:

Wednesday 8th April

Rubbish stickers are €10 and are available from Murphy’s Shop, Rerrin and the Projects Group Office. Please note, any bags which do not have a rubbish sticker will NOT be collected. Please note collection day is now on a WEDNESDAY

Materials for recycling can be placed in the appropriate containers at the recycling centre on the west end pier.  Donations towards the running of the  centre are greatly appreciated and can be left in the honesty box at the centre.

Clean Coasts bags for collecting rubbish from island beaches are available from Murphy’s Shop Rerrin.  Full bags can be left at Lawrence Cove Marina.

We thank you for your assistance in keeping our island tidy.

Rural Transport Bus

The rural transport bus travels to Castletownbere on Tuesdays and Fridays, travelling out on the 10am ferry from the west end and returning on the 1.30pm ferry.  The bus will pick you up from your home and drop you back afterwards. The bus also transports people to and from Mass on Sundays.The bus is free for holders of travel passes.

If you would like to avail of the bus service please contact 027 75099.

Repair and Leasing Scheme
If anyone has a property on Bere Island, which they would like to rent out for long term use, but it needs work done on it first, the Repair and Leasing Scheme provides funding for property owners to bring a vacant property back to use, in return for the property being leased to a local authority or approved housing body for a period of at least 10 years. Further details are in the link below:

Council Housing
Council housing will soon become available on Bere Island. Please contact your housing officer at Cork County Council if you are interested.

Bere Island parkrun

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parkrun photo

Runners line up at the starting line of the Bere Island parkrun

Bere Island parkrun is on every Saturday at 9.30am.  The park run is a 5k measured course around the eastern end of the island and is open to  runners, joggers and walkers.  

Parkruns are free 5k running events which take place every week. The run is free, although participants are encouraged to register online in order to obtain a bar code, which is scanned at the beginning and end of their run, allowing them to track their progress on a weekly basis.

The parkrun was founded in 2005, with the first run taking place in Teddington, England. The idea quickly took off and there are now parkruns worldwide, with all runs organised on a voluntary basis.

On any given Saturday on Bere Island, you could be running or walking  alongside islanders of all ages, visitors and members of the Irish Defence Forces who have a training base on the island. Past runners of the Bere Island parkrun have included Olympic silver medalist Sonia O’Sullivan, parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt, and the Running Guru, Noel Berkeley.

The Bere Island park run, which is on the Wild Atlantic Way offers spectacular scenery of Bantry Bay with a route which takes in a Bronze Age wedge tomb, remains of a Viking boatyard and a former World War One military battery.  At the end of the run everyone heads to the Bakehouse Cafe in Rerrin Village for a coffee, scone and a chat.

Bere Island Ferries leaves Castletownbere at 9.00am,  and provide bus transport to the starting line.  Call Colum on 086 2423140 to book the ferry and bus for a special deal of €10.   The ferry returns to Castletownbere at 11.15am

Or why not make a weekend of it and stay on Bere Island which has a variety of accommodation on offer.

Runners, joggers and walkers of all ages and fitness levels are all welcome to take part in the Bere Island parkrun. To take part, you need to register at www.parkrun.ie

Once you have registered you will be sent a confirmation email containing your barcode and information on what to do next. You will then need to bring your barcode to the parkrun event on Bere Island, or to any of the parkrun events on offer worldwide.

If you require any further information or would like to volunteer at any of the runs please email bereislandhelpers@parkrun.com.