The Sean Cronin Park.

This park, off the Ringmahon Road, alongside Ballinsheen was opened by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Joe O’Flynn on 5th June 1999.

It was named after a local man Sean Cronin “in recognition of the tremendous effort, commitment and dedication in pursuance of the development of this park” made by Sean.

Sean was born in 1924 at Kilcorney in Duhallow. As a young boy he cycled to Macroom, 13 miles away, each day for an education. A noted footballer in his day, he played with Kilcorney, Millstreet, Lees and his beloved Ballinure. Having worked all his life in the Post Office, he rose through the ranks to become the Cork Head Postmaster at the GPO in 1987.

When Sean retired, he became active again in the GAA. and was a founder member of Castle Rovers Underage GAA club in the 1990s.

He contributed enormously to the work of the Mahon Community Association and was a member of the Downstream Crossing Committee from 1990 to 1996. This committee oversaw the difficult discussions with Cork Corporation on the construction of the nearby River Lee Tunnel and towards securing local amenities such as the lovely Mahon Walkways and the many sports pitches for the community.

The Committee also campaigned against the thick unhealthy smog, which used to envelop Mahon in the early days, and it played a major role in getting the then 1995 legislation banning the smoky coal in Cork enacted. Sean along with the late Dave McGrath and other members of the committee played a very active role in achieving this aim.

Sean also campaigned in the 1990s to convert the fields which contained Coakley’s Quarry near Ballinsheen into a public park for the people of Mahon and Ballinure.

The report from the Ballinsheen Quarry Improvement sub-committee of which he was an active member convinced the City Hall officials to transform what was waste ground into a public green area for the benefit of the community.

It was indeed fitting and appropriate that the new park was named the Sean Cronin Park, a wonderful legacy and memorial to an outstanding community person.

Sean passed away on the 13th September 1998.