Cork town to honour native son Graham Norton

TV chat show host Graham Norton is to be honoured in his home town of Bandon in west Cork later this year after the local town council approved a proposal to name a riverside walk after the star.

Bandon Town Council agreed the move after receiving a proposal to honour the celebrity talk show host from the Cork Rebel Week Bandon Host Town Committee as part of Cork's contribution to the Gathering which will run from October 14th-20th.

Norton was contacted by the committee about the proposal and expressed his delight at being honoured. He hopes to make it back to Bandon for the commemorative event in October, according to a source.

Mayor of Bandon, Councillor Gillian Coughlan said Bandon was extremely proud of Graham Norton and all that he had achieved and she was delighted that he had agreed to be honoured by having a riverside walkway named after him.

“I’m very pleased — I understand Graham wrote to the Bandon Host Town Committee and said he was humbled they wanted to honour him but suggested they name something already in existence after him rather than invest badly needed public funds on some new feature.”

Graham Norton Riverside Walk will run from the town along the southern bank of the River Bandon out to Glassyn.

The €200,000 development by Cork County Council and Bandon Town Council will also incorporate a skate park and a multi-use games area.