About Us

The Cobh (Great Island) Community Centre is an amenity open to everyone in Cobh and Great Island and we very welcome new visitors from far and wide.

Come in, have a look around, join a group or two, or three…

We look forward to meeting you!

Gwen is the Manager of the Centre and works closely with the Board of Management in developing the Community Centre and it’s services within the wider community of Cobh. Catherine, Beata, Melissa and Catherine J are part of the team and are integral to the day to day operation of the centre.

The Community Centre is very lucky to have Charlie as our Maintenance Supervisor with six dedicated caretakers: John, Dave, Tim, Ger, Abu & Killian. From 7am – 7pm, one of the caretakers will be around ready to give a helping hand. The Centre also could not function without the many volunteers who help us in so many ways.

Cobh (Great Island) Community Centre Executive Committee:

John Coleman                                Chairman
John Clifford                                   Vice Chairman
Nick Roberts                                   Secretary
Wendy Bradshaw                           Financial Controller
Mary Cloke
Gwen O’Halloran
Martin O’Leary
Moggy Somers
Michael Farrell
Don Stockley
Majella Smith
David Lynch
Beata Biernat

Cobh (Great Island) Community Centre Board of Directors:

Michael Walley                                 Chairman
Wendy Bradshaw                             Financial Director
Bill Ramsell                                       Company Secretary
John Coleman
John Clifford
Glenn Casey
Fr. Pat O’Donoghue
Michael Farrell
Cathal Rasmussen

In 1994 a committee was formed in Cobh to provide a community centre for the area which would fulfil an obvious need and be a focal point for all age groups.

Cobh Parish donated a site for the project. This site had housed
a Youth Club – known as “The Boys’ Club’ – since the ‘fifties,
but the building had deteriorated over the years and part of it was declared unsafe in the early 1990s.

After Outline Planning was granted work began in preparing plans and in 1997, Planning Permission was granted. In 1998 fundraising began and people of Cobh showed fantastic support for the project within the community.

As a result of discussions with Public Representatives, the Government allocated a grant of €450,000 in the Budget of December 2001 and in the meantime, Cork County Council and Cobh Town Council, together with Cobh Parish, pledged €76,184.28 each.

The concept of present steel-framed modern structure came about in 2004 as it was considered a more economical option. Planning Permission for this structure was granted in August 2004.

While the new structure is steel-framed, it retains some of the existing old stonework on the quoins, front porch and on the front boundary wall, retaining some history from “The Boys’ Club’ and making it an attractive building overall.

Links to Local Organisations:

Carrignofoy Community College 
http://homepage.eircom.net/~cobhcc/

The Cobh Edition http://cobhedition.com/

Cobh and Harbour Chamber of Commerce 
http://www.cobhharbourchamber.ie/

Cobh Tidy Towns http://cobhtidytowns.com/

Cobh YMCA http://www.ymca-ireland.net/cobh

Colaiste Mhuire Cobh http://www.colaistemuire.com/

St. Marys National School http://www.stmaryscobh.scoilnet.ie/

SECAD – South and East Cork Area Development Ltd
http://www.secad.ie

Sirius Arts Centre
http://www.iol.ie/~cobharts/

Springfield Ramblers
http://www.springfieldramblers.ie/

Visit Cobh / Cobh Tourism  http://visitcobh.com/

Links to National Organisations: 

Barnardos www.barnardos.ie

Basis www.basis.ie

Citizens Information www.citizensinformation.ie

Combat Poverty Agency www.combatpoverty.ie

Crisis Pregnancy Agency www.crisispregnancy.ie

Department of Health & Children www.dohc.ie

Department of Social and Family Affairs www.welfare.ie

Dessa www.dessa.ie

Child and Family Agency  www.tusla.ie

SOLAS (formerly FAS) www.solas.ie

Free Legal Advice Centres www.flac.ie

Government of Ireland Portal www.irlgov.ie

Information Society Commission www.isc.ie

Money Advice and Budgeting Service www.mabs.ie

Office of the Children’s Ombudsman www.oco.ie

Office of the Information Commissioner www.oic.gov.ie

Office of the Ombudsman www.ombudsman.ie

One Family www.onefamily.ie

Pensions Board www.pensionsboard.ie

Pobal www.pobal.ie

Social Welfare Appeals Office www.socialwelfareappeals.ie

South and East Cork Area Development Ltd. www.secad.ie

The Office for Social Inclusion www.socialinclusion.ie

The Pensions Ombudsman www.pensionsombudsman.ie

The Wheel www.wheel.ie

Treoir www.treoir.ie