A CORK VILLAGE has successfully bought its village green at auction, after starting a crowdfunding campaign to partly fund the bid.

The .19 acre green in Glounthaune had been owned by a local businessman since the 1960s, who used the car park to park trucks. That man has since died, and the man’s family, who are based in the UK, wanted to sell it.

The Glounthaune Community Association said that it’s been raising funds in a number of ways in order to keep the village green in the ownership of the local community, including a GoFundMe page which raised €4,985 of a goal of €10,000. 

In a post on the Glounthaune Community Association’s Facebook page today, a post said:

Great news!! We were successful at auction today and secured the village green site. Many thanks to all that supported us… A great victory for the community.

It’s not yet known how much the land cost, but it’s understood to be slightly over the asking price of €25,000.

Speaking to Patricia Messinger on C103′s Cork Today Show, Richard Cuddy from the Save Glounthaune Village Green group said that the green was unique as it was separated by the railway track. 

It’s used for children’s parties, St Patrick’s Day celebrations, and yoga classes. Locals found out about the sale after seeing a “For auction” sign next to the park, and held a public meeting to purchase it on behalf of the community. 

The land is zoned for residential use, so whoever buys the land could potentially build on it. Cuddy attended the auction on behalf of the community, which took place at The Imperial Hotel at 11am this morning.