Free sunscreen dispensers available across four Cork city locations

Free sunscreen is being made available in four locations across Cork city as part of a pilot programme.

The programme, which is running until the end of the summer, is a partnership between Cork City Council and the HSE, with the two initially going to share the costs. The dispensers are at Marina Park, Fitzgerald’s Park, Clashduv Park and Meelick.

The move is timely as Ireland is experiencing high temperatures, and it comes as the Irish Cancer Society says that there is an increased risk of skin cancer during the current spell of sunny weather.

The organisation said that according to a survey, seven in 10 people find that sunscreen is too expensive, and that one in 10 people surveyed do not wear sunscreen because they cannot afford it.

In its 2026 pre-Budget submission, the charity has made a direct appeal to local authorities across the country to allocate funding for free sunscreen dispensers, noting that these should be made available across parks, playgrounds, beaches and local sunspots.

“Nearly nine out of every 10 cases of skin cancer are caused by UV rays from the sun or sunbeds,” said Kevin O’Hagan, cancer prevention manager with the Irish Cancer Society.

“Sun safety is vital and that means protecting your skin, wherever you are, home or abroad. With most Irish people having fair skin, this will burn much quicker at soaring temperatures, and this greatly increases the risk of skin cancer.

“We want to commend Cork City Council on taking this step forward, and call on other local authorities to follow suit.”

Tanning brand TanOrganic recently carried out a survey that found that over half of respondents (54%) believe that SPF is too expensive, and 60% of them are influenced by the price of the SPF product when purchasing it, and not by the quality and ingredients.

Company founder Noelle O’Connor is campaigning for a change in how SPF is taxed in Ireland. “I believe SPF should classed as an essential product and should be VAT-exempt,” she said. “At the moment, renal transport patients are the only cohort that can get SPF on a medical card, so the removal of VAT on SPF would be a major step for the Government to take in encouraging the use of SPF in our country.”