The Cork Lions Club was formed in  1957 - click on link Cork Lions History which was produced to celebrate our 50th anniversary ahead of the Conference in 2008

It is affiliated  to the International Lions organisation worldwide and one of 116 Clubs in the island of Ireland - part of Lions Clubs International District 105-I (Ireland)  

It now has over 50  year of dedicated Service  to the Community within the Cork area and also has helped some International Lions Appeals,eg. Campaign Sight First. 

There are currently 25 Members who are active in both fundraising and Services.

The Lions are a non –profitable voluntary group where every Euro collected goes directly  to the benefiting Charity. In most cases the expenses of the event are met by the organising Members themselves.

We the Members of Cork Lions Club are just ordinary  people, men and women , from the local  community who come together to improve  the quality of life for people who find themselves in a less fortunate situation than ourselves..

Cork Lions Club Officers

President - Teresa Dineen                       

Secretary - Aisling Barry                         

Treasurer - Kenneth Kling.                    

PRO - Pat O'Brien.                                    

Membership Officer - Simon Stokes       

Who are Lions Club International ?

Lions Clubs are an international network of men and women who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities across the world.

Lions are ……

·                  Members of the world’s largest and most active service club organisation.

·                  Men and women who believe that by working together they will accomplish far more than would be possible as individuals.

·                  Members committed to solving worldwide health and social problems, and who realise that solutions are possible when every Lions Club participates.

·                  People who cherish the fellowship of their own Club, but who also feel a close kinship with Lions in over 200 countries throughout the world.

·                  Individuals dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical and moral standards in their Club – and in their personal lives.

·                  People who are serious about their commitment to humanitarian service, but have fun along the way.

We cover all costs from our own dues, ensuring that all donated funds go to the causes. Transparency and accountability operate at every level; in fact, The Financial Times has ranked Lions Clubs International Foundation the “best among non-government organisations worldwide with which to work”.

We are proud that our organisation is close to a century old, and that it has a distinguished history of doing good works for the world. Local communities respect and trust their clubs, both because those clubs are made up of neighbours and friends who have a long record of support, and because of the Lions Clubs International name and legacy.

We have fun in our clubs. And when we meet fellow Lions for the first time, we treat them like old friends.

When you join Lions, you join a global service network. So at the same time you’re helping your own community locally, you can also contribute to Lions community efforts in other countries.

Lions Clubs began in 1917 as the dream of a Chicago businessman who believed that local business clubs should expand their horizons from purely professional concerns to the betterment of their communities and the world at large.

Jones’ idea struck a chord within his own group, the Business Circle of Chicago, and they authorised him to explore his concept with similar organisations from around the United States. His efforts resulted in an organisation meeting at a local hotel on June 7, 1917.

The 12 men who gathered there overcame a natural sense of loyalty to their parent clubs, voted the “Association of Lions Clubs” into existence and issued a call for a national convention to be held in Dallas, Texas, USA in October of the same year.

Thirty six delegates representing twenty two Clubs from nine states heeded the call, approved the “Lions Clubs” designation and elected Dr.William Woods of Indiana as their first President. Guiding force and founder, Melvin Jones was named acting Secretary. Thus began his association with Lionism that only ended with his death in 1961.

That first convention also began to define what Lionism was to become. A Constitution and Bye-Laws were adopted, the colours of purple and gold approved, and a start made on Lionism’s Objectives and Code of Ethics.

One of the objects was startling for an era that prided itself on mercenary individualism and has remained one of the main tenets of Lionism ever since. “No Club”, it read, “shall hold out the financial betterment of its members as its object”.

Community leaders soon began to organise clubs throughout the United States and the association became “International” with the formation of the Windsor, Ontario, Canada Lions Club in 1920.

The International Association of Lions Clubs is today the largest service club organisation in the world with over 1.3 million members in more than 46,000 clubs in 202 countries.

The International Association of Lions Clubs is the largest non-governmental organisation associated with the United Nations and was called upon by the United Nations and the World Health Organization to raise funds for an international program of sight conservation. In 1990 the International Association of Lions Clubs began a program of fund raising that they called “Campaign SightFirst” in order to prevent 40 million cases of blindness worldwide. Over US$ 148 million have been raised by Lions all over the world for this program. In the last three years Lions world wide have raised an additional US$200 million towards "Campaign SightFirst II".