I have been a Lady Mayoress for half a term now. After the Lord Mayor’s account of the first half of his mayoralty, it is my turn to account for my first entry into the role of Lady Mayoress.

In these first six months, I have had the opportunity to meet with wonderful people and to become familiar and support many projects borne by Corkonians:

Dear guests,

Dear volunteers,

Dear performers,

Dear donors and sponsors,

Dear municipal staff,

Dear family,

Dear friends

Dearest  Lord Mayor,

5 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with a cancer. After a second wave of chemotherapy, it became clear she could not cope with the pain at home anymore. We had done not our best to ease her pain, to be the best possible support, but we had also reached out limits. She asked to be transferred to a palliative care centre.