Covid memorial in Bandon unveiled by Graeme Norton

A memorial to those who lost their lives during the pandemic has been unveiled in west Cork by TV presenter and author Graham Norton.

The Bandon native joined older people from the HSE Bandon Day Care Centre and local Transition Year students at the Allin Institute in the town to unveil the large waterside plaque they created.

Entitled ‘Light to Dark – Womb to Light, Every Spring Rebirths’, the intergenerational monument was created as part of the Creative Bandon ‘Making Meaning of Covid project’.

Made from Kilkenny stone, the tablet holds clay tiles created by the participants depicting daily rituals, habits and friends that helped them through the pandemic.

The dedication acknowledges that the World Health Organization records some 6.9 million people lost their lives from 2020 to 2023 worldwide due to the virus, and also remembers the lives and efforts of all the people of Bandon who were affected by Covid-19.