All of these Cork streets are to get permanent outdoor dining structures
Ah, the great outdoors.
Fáilte Ireland has announced over €1 million in funding for five Cork streets with the purpose of providing permanent outdoor dining facilities throughout the city.
The allocation of funds is part of a €9 million programme that will see 38 streets across Ireland develop their capacity for outdoor hospitality.
Local authorities across Ireland were invited to apply for the scheme, and the five Cork streets chosen were:
• Beasley St (€236,160)
• Caroline St (€375,083)
• Pembroke St (€302,187)
• Princes St (€112,150)
• Union Quay (€284,130)
Cork has already greatly benefitted from the introduction of outdoor dining structures, such as the bespoke umbrellas on Princes St.
Fáilte Ireland has also provided an illustration of what some of the permanent outdoor dining would look like — including renderings of Pembroke St and Union Quay.
Speaking at the announcement of the funds, Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin said: “The aim of this Scheme is to support tourism and hospitality jobs and help businesses develop new ways of catering for domestic and international tourists outdoors.
“Access to outdoor dining facilities will continue to be a key part of industry recovery as we look forward to 2022 and beyond.”
CEO of Fáilte Ireland Paul Kelly said: ““This scheme supports resilience and survival in the short term and the recovery of the tourism sector in the long-term. Outdoor dining and hospitality will now be a permanent feature of our hospitality offering and businesses need to be supported to facilitate this for longer periods throughout the year.
“We have already seen the success of the first part of this Scheme, which provides individual businesses up to €4,000 towards the cost of outdoor seating. This second part of the Scheme being announced today is implemented in partnership with Local Authorities and will build on strengthening the outdoor dining offering around Ireland.
“We have learned during COVID-19 that people want the option of dining outdoors; this scheme will make dining areas suitable in a wider range of weather conditions so that they can be used for longer periods of the year, helping businesses towards sustainable recovery.”
