There was plenty of fun – and a great sense of purpose – at Mallow Castle this week, as pupils from the Convent Primary School and Scoil Ghobnatan joined members of Mallow Rotary to plant hundreds of crocus bulbs for World Polio Day.
Now in its seventh year, the Mallow crocus-planting initiative has become almost a local tradition. The project has even received national recognition, winning the Best Environmental Project award from Rotary Ireland at the 2024 District Conference.
The humble purple crocus carries a powerful message. It was chosen by Rotary as the symbol of its global fight to eradicate polio, with the flower’s colour representing the purple dye used to mark the finger of a child after receiving the life-saving vaccine.
Since 1998, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, led by UNICEF and supported by Rotary, has immunised more than 2.5 billion children. Thanks to these efforts, Africa was officially declared free of “wild” polio in 2020.
Polio – or poliomyelitis – is a paralysing and potentially fatal disease that mainly affects children under five years of age. While there is no cure, it can be prevented through vaccination. Globally, Rotary’s work has helped ensure that 19 million people can walk who might otherwise have been paralysed, and 1.5 million lives have been saved.
Mallow Rotary would like to express heartfelt thanks to the school principals, teachers, and especially the students for their energy and enthusiasm. Special appreciation is due to Mallow Tidy Towns and Noel O’Mahony of Cork County Council for their support on the day.
Come Springtime, the burst of purple around Mallow Castle will not only brighten the landscape, but also remind everyone that small local actions can make a big difference in changing the world.