2017 Press Releases
Pat Cotter honoured for contribution to Cork's cultural life
Pat Cotter, UCC General Services Duty Officer, has been honoured with the Lord Mayor's Civic Award, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the cultural life of Cork as co-founder of the annual outdoor concert A Summer's Evening on the Quad.
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Des Cahill, presented Cotter with the award, which recognises his work on "a landmark music event in our city calendar, which raises valuable funds for local and regional charities."
“Twelve years ago, A Summers Evening on the Quad began as a simple idea for a community event, to bring music lovers onto UCC’s beautiful Quad and raise funds for local charities. I never imagined then that the concert would be so successful, growing bigger and better each year. The concert has welcomed more than 22,000 people through the gates of the university, creating a very unique, outdoor, cultural experience in Cork and one of the biggest community events in the south," Cotter said.
"I'm honoured that A Summer’s Evening on the Quad has been recognised by the Lord Mayor of Cork and feel greatly privileged to have been presented with the Lord Mayor’s Civic Award. I accepted the award on behalf of all my colleagues and the Community Gardaí who willingly and tirelessly work with me on the concert each year. I’m deeply grateful to the University for its unfailing support of the concert and thrilled that our work has been recognised for promoting the cultural life of Cork and look forward to many more years of A Summer’s Evening on the Quad," he added.
The next instalment of the concert, which has raised more than €550,000 to date for charity, will take place on July 15 in the magical night-time setting of UCC’s iconic Quad, with performers including Dr Ronan Tynan, the Band of An Garda Síochána led by Insp. Pat Kenny, Fiona Murphy, Karen Underwood and Cork Operatic Society. Gerald Kean will return as the MC for this not-to-be-missed event, this year themed Classics on the Quad, with tickets costing €30.