On Sunday 29th May, neighbours of the newly built Amharc Muileann, Bloodmill Road, Limerick, a Co-operative Housing Ireland estate of 137 homes, came together to celebrate Neighbours Day and World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development which both took place the last week of May.

The Member Association at Amharc Muileann, comprised of households living on the estate, held an international street feast where neighbours cooked and shared dishes from their culture. There was music, face painting and henna tattoos for adults and children alike to enjoy. The Member Association organised the street feast to bring together neighbours who have moved into the estate since January 2022.

Speaking about the event’s importance, Chairperson of the Member Association, Gerry O’Donovan said, “We set up the Member Association here because it was a new estate, and we just wanted to keep the community running . We have great community here, with many nationalities. The neighbours here are great.”  

Funding for the event was provided by Co-operative Housing Ireland through its Neighbours and Diversity Day initiative, which will see six similar events take place in communities across the country.

CHI Member Engagement Manager, Anthony Burrowes describes the aims of this new fund, “The fund was established to support Members who wish to celebrate the individuality of their communities and mark Neighbour’s day and Diversity day. It has shown the power and commitment of Members in Co-operative Housing Ireland by them taking the lead on these initiatives.”

Mr Burrowes continues, “We hope that this motivates other communities to take part in such events and to see that this is a one step forward in creating inclusive communities.”

Amharc Muileann is a development of 137 homes comprising a mixture of apartments, terraced, detached and semi-detached homes. The homes are one, two, three and four-bed catering for a diverse range of household sizes. The estate was delivered by Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI)  with the support of Limerick City and County Council, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, The Housing Agency and the Housing Finance Agency to meet housing need from the social housing waiting list in Limerick city area. The homes were developed by Formation Homes. CHI is an Approved Housing Body providing over 4,500 high quality homes to low-income households.

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