Youghal Credit Union, like all other Credit Unions, are a very important part of a community.  Apart from the banking and financial facilities which are available to customers, Youghal Credit Union each year sponsors a 3rd Level Sponsorship Award which this year, 2009, was won by Shauna Walsh, daughter of Eamonn and Maria Walsh, 17, Woodview Court. and student at Pobalscoil na Tríonóide, Youghal. Report Denise FitzGerald/ Photo Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

The Scholarship is open to all students who are pursuing a third level course, and who are also members of Youghal Credit Union since April 1st of that year. Entry forms are available in all Credit Union Offices. The closing date each year is the end of April, by which time students must have submitted their entry forms and a short essay on why they believe they should be worthy winners of the Scheme.  The winner each year is chosen by open draw.

The Scholarship itself is worth €1,300 each year, up to a maximum of four years and is usually paid in two instalments, e.g. October and January.  Payment to the student is dependant on the student maintaining satisfactory progress.

The official presentation was made to Shauna at The Youghal Credit Union premises in Grattan St, Youghal.  When asked about why she entered, Shauna said that the school encouraged all eligible students to fill in the entry forms as it is a super way of contributing to the ever rising expenses of third level education.  Shauna said she wrote a piece, not more than 200 words, on why she would like to win the Scholarship, and submitted  it with her entry form and Curriculum Vitae.  She “couldn’t believe it when she received a telephone from Frank Delaney, P & D Committee, Youghal Credit Union, saying she was the lucky recipient of the 2009 Scholarship.”  When asked as to her choice of course, which is Government, Shauna said she was passionate about politics, loved reading about the current situation in most countries, and enjoyed working with people..  At this young age, she said her ambitions would be to work in any Government oriented position and she would like, in time, to get involved in politics firstly on a local level, moving on to national politics  and then,  perhaps, Shauna may just become Youghal’s first ever Taoiseach!  Shauna is the 9th winner of this Award and, the number 9 being a particularly lucky number, who knows how far she will go.

Other recipients of the Award Scheme, which has been in operation since 2001, are Liam Kelly (2006) Jessica Power (2007) and Tara Gibbons (2008).

Community Radio Youghal are delighted to announce a new historical series of programmes starting on Sunday 13th September, The series of six programmes entitled “ Youghal a future from its Past” has been researched by local author and historian Maurice  Ahern.   – Photo: www.youghalonline.com

Each programme is divided into two parts, the first part narrated by Frank Keane while the second part features a discussion chaired by Pat Reilly with contributions from Maurice Ahern.  Editor of the series is Noel Cronin and director is Tommy Collins. The series is funded by The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) and is transmitted on Sundays from 10:00 a.m –10:30 a,m and repeated on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m

THE YOUGHAL BRANCH of the Labour Party had a hugely successful re-launch at The Quays Bar on Monday 7th September. A large attendence was presence for the first Youghal Branch meeting in many a long year. Tomas O’ Connell & Kevin O’ Brien were 2 of the members that linked this meeting with the meetings of old. Sean Sherlock TD chaired the meeting, whilst Cork County Cllr. John Mulvihill Snr ,was represented by Cllr. John Mulvihill Jnr.   Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

Cllr. Donie Daly opened the meeting by thanking all those in attendence, and it was heartening to see many young faces at the meeting. The Labour Party are giving  a fresh new political option for those people that are tired and frustrated with the old traditional civil war political ideology and weary of the extreme left wing policies of other parties.

The people of Youghal and East Cork in general have been given an opportunity, following Labours hugely successful local election to meet the challenges that lay ahead, with strong, youthful & vibrant public representatives serving them  at all levels.

The first order of business was the election of Chairman, former Councilllor Tomas o’ Connell , who was proposed and seconded and was elected unopposed. Tomas deemed it an honour to accept this position and will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the post. The
other officers elected on the night were as follows:
Deputy Chairman – Sean Rush
Secretary – Shannon Coleman
PRO – Cllr. Donie Daly
Treasurer – Catherine Power
Womens Officer – Tara O’ Connell
Youth Liason – Freda Landers

The fact that women are in the majority on the committee, was remarked upon by Deputy  Sherlock , as unique in all his years in politics. This augurs well for the development of the party in Youghal that so many bright, intelligent women deem  the Labour Party, over all other
parties, to best represent their views and opinions.

Following the election of the committee a general discussion took place regarding various topics affecting the town, such as littering, unemployment and businesses rates.
The branch decided on a date for future meetings and based on the success of this re-launch  the Labour Party in Youghal has seemingly risen phoenix like from the ashes and should go from strength to strength in the months and years to come.

Cllr. Donie Daly
Ballyglavin
Youghal,
Co. Cork

Tel:- (086) 8103886
Email:- doniedalyyoughal@gmail.com

YOUGHAL CYMS can boast two Irish Snooker International players heading to Wales for the ‘Home Internationals’, but what make this fact even more interesting is that the two players are father and son Brendan and Christopher Cooney. Report: Derek Kiely   Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

This is the first time a father and son have played on the Irish squad in the home internationals and as Brendan and Christopher take to the green baize in the ‘Pontins Sands World Snooker Centre’ in Prestatyn they will be creating a little bit of Irish snooker history.
Brendan brother of GAA President Christy Cooney is the current Irish over 40’s number one is no stranger to international snooker at this stage after racking up no less than 66 International caps which include two European Championship finals and a World Championship semi final in San Jose, California USA.
Cooney told Echo Sport “It is great to go to Wales with Christopher, he has worked hard and put a lot of time into his game and for me to have my son on the Irish squad is a very proud moment for both me and my wife Siobhan. Sacrifices have been made along the way, but to be honest Siobhan has made more sacrifices than anyone else, she can be a bit of a snooker widow at times and without her we wouldn’t be able to play at all”.
Christopher is a fourth year student at Youghal’s Pobal Scoil Na Trionoide and this will be his second international cap, having represented Ireland at Under 14 level in the Celtic challenge in Carlow a couple of years ago.
“I am thrilled to be picked to play in Prestatyn, when I got the letter from RIBSA Coach PJ Nolan telling me I was on the squad it was brilliant. It is a privilege and honour to represent Ireland and I hope that I can play well, I am really looking forward to it” Christopher said.
There will be six nations represented in Wales. The host country Wales along with Rep. of Ireland, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Jersey will compete for the coveted title of home international champions.
The teams will play three frames per person with a point scored for every frame won, in a round robin format. Brendan will play in the ‘Masters’ section alongside Wexford’s Joe Delaney and Ernie McMullen. As for Christopher he will play in an Ireland under16 team, which has three Cork cue-men on it.
David Cassidy and Ryan Cronin both from the ‘Crucible Snooker Club’ will play alongside Christopher in the same format as the Masters.

Brendan Cooney said “The set up in Prestatyn is second to none; it is the official qualification centre for professional snooker so the tables are excellent and playing conditions are superb. We start play on Saturday through to Tuesday next week and the under-age players start on Monday through until Thursday, so it will be an opportunity for me to watch Christopher and an opportunity for all the other Irish players to get into the arena to support the lads”.
Ireland has no fewer than twelve teams going to Wales with a total of 41 players from senior level through to Ladies teams. There will also be senior billiards teams on show, including the legendary Timmy Murphy from Cork’s AOH Snooker Club – Words courtesy Evening Echo Sport.

Monday Sept. 7th  at 7.00pm in The Mall Arts Centre-Youghal

Cork County Council Arts Office and South and East Cork Area Development (SECAD) are preparing a new strategy to support the development of youth arts in South and East Cork. Their aim is to develop a co-ordinated strategy that will guide future development and investment by Cork County Council, SECAD and others. The strategy, while underlining a long term commitment to youth arts will not be able to address all the current needs and possibilities in the community. It is crucial therefore, that through consultation we identify important areas that need to be developed.

Area Focus Groups

Four meetings will be organised in September. They will give those involved in providing and supporting youth arts the opportunity to add their information, opinion and perspective to the emerging picture and to jointly investigate key development issues. They will be open to youth and community organisations, arts organisations and artists.

Date / Time / Venue are listed below:

Youghal- Monday 7th -7.00pm at The Mall Arts Centre

Carrigaline – Thursday 10th- 7.00pm at The Carrigaline Community Complex

Glounthane -Monday 14th- 7.00pm at The Glounthane Community Centre

Ballincollig -Tuesday 15th -10.30am at the VEC Offices

Please let us know in advance if you plan to attend one of these groups. Contact Mary McGrath to book a place.

Youth Focus Groups
Five of these sessions were carried out in June in conjunction with a range of youth work organisations. Another two are planned for early September. The outcomes will feed into the area focus group meetings.

Open Call
Individuals and organisations who would like to make a written submission to the consultation are able to do so. A brief information sheet is available to help facilitate this. The deadline for submissions will be 11th September.

For further information please contact:

Mary McGrath
marywhitegate@eircom.net 086 8139019

Jim Cathcart
jim.cathcart@hotmail.com   087 6923127

Oona Colin’s inauguration as new Facilities Coordinator of the Mall Arts Centre took place during the Diva Party held in the popular centre.  “This is my first event since taking up my position and I’m very excited” Report/Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

If you’d like to make a booking or organise an event, call Oona now on 083 360 6507 or email her at themallartscentre@gmail.com for more details on the terms and conditions.

Oona’s first event, a clothes swapping party, consists of bringing a minimum of three items of new or nearly new clothing, washed and ironed ready to be swapped with other ladies.  “everyone has clothes they’ve bought and never worn or clothes that have only been worn once to a wedding or an event, that we’re hanging onto even though we know we’ll never wear them again” says Oona.  So at a swapping party you bring these items along and swap them with other swappers.  They can be clothes, bags, shoes or accessories.

To add to the excitement of  going home with a bag full of “new” clothes, Avril Geary, a well known local stylist was present on the night giving expert fashion advice along with an experienced seamstress who proposed alterations where necessary.  It’s a perfect girls night out and a fabulous way to revamp your wardrobe for free !

Being a  pilot event, it was aimed at ladies ranging from sizes 10 – 14.  “When you’re swappng clothes, obviously you have to have a size range, so as I’m a size 12-14 myself, I thought I’d start with my size and if it all works well, then the next one can be aimed at the more voluptuous  lady or the more petite size 6 – 10.”

Oona Colin’s recent appointment as Facilities Coordinator of the Mall Arts Centre and St Mary’s Collegiate Church, a National Monument, consists of marketing and promoting these two  fabulous and unique venues. “my aim is to get all sorts of activities into these venues, from musicals to theatre, concerts, comedy and children’s shows.”

Both these venues are available for rent .   So if you’d like to make a booking or organise an event, call Oona now on 083 360 6507 or email her at themallartscentre@gmail.com for more details on the terms and conditions.

Click on images to see who was at The Diva Swap Party

The winner of the second car draw for 2009 in Youghal Credit Union Ltd. is Mrs. Betty Hennessy,Youghal. The draw was held in the main Credit Union office and was officiated over by Peter O’ Donnell, Chairman, Youghal Credit Union Ltd., Mayor of Youghal Mrs Sandra McLellan and Mr Tommy Collins of Community Radio Youghal. Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

To enter the draw members must sign a new authorisation for to pay for the €6 per draw. The draw will be held every six months with the next draw due in January 2010 for a new Car. It is important to bear in mind that members who signed for the original draws last year will only be included in future draws if the have signed a new authorisation form. The new authorisation forms are available at all our Credit union offices in Youghal, Killeagh

The Youghal RNLI are among the most worthy of recipients for fundraising events, and were delighted to receive a cheque in the amount of €1,100 which was presented to them by Youghal Sea Angling Club. Report: Denise FitzGerald/ Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

Every cent helps in the wonderful, life saving work which the RNLI do on a daily basis, and for those making a living on the sea or, indeed, for those who venture out on the waves for sport and pleasure, the existence of the RNLI is crucial.    Youghal Sea Angling Club are always safe in the knowledge of the close proximity of the RNLI and showed their gratitude by presenting the cheque to Youghal Lifeboat.

Youghal Lifeboat Station is one of the oldest stations in Ireland as it dates back to 1839. The first lifeboat was funded by the people of Youghal at a cost of £76 to build and put into service.  The Royal National Lifebaot Institution(R.N.L.I) took over the running of Youghal Lifeboat in 1857.
Today, the station operates one of the fastest and most modern lifeboats in the RNLI’s fleet, The Atlantic 75 Class Lifeboat. This boat is a rigid inflatable, 7.5 metres in length, carries a crew of three and can reach a top speed of 32 knots. This lifeboat is named the Patricia Jennings and this new boat has been on station at Youghal since September 2002.

A Motorcycle rally for Cork kids with Downs Syndrome took place last Sunday 30 August 2009. The event was organised by the Cork Lions Club. The rally hopes to raise cash to continue the Speech Through Therapy Project at the Cork Downs Syndrome group. Report/Photo Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

The cavalcade left St Raphael’s Hospital grounds in Youghal at 1.00 pm and the main street reverberated to the sound of hundreds of the motorcycles as they left the town on the planned route towards Dungarvan – Cappaquin – Lismore – and continued on through Rathcormac and Watergrasshill, before returning to Cork city. A barbeque and musical entertainment from the 60s took place at the Clarion Hotel from 6pm that evening when the bikers parked up. Over 300 motorbikes took part in the event.

Bikers, quite rightly, relish the opportunity of displaying their cherished steeds in all their chromed glory and to do this whilst riding alongside their fellows. The bikers have always been delighted to support the children by their generosity and dedication to this event. Well done to all those involved in this worthy cause.
If you have photos of the bikers travelling on route to the city please sent them in to us and we will add them to the gallery below. E Mail to news@youghalonline.com

Click on image to see the bikers travelling down Youghal’s Lighthouse Hill toward the town centre

Journalist Christy Parker meets Sinead Kane – Ireland’s first blind solicitor

A young Youghal woman has created history by becoming Ireland’s first blind solicitor. Sinead Kane, who has only 5% vision in each eye and is officially registered as blind, says she is “extremely proud” of achieving a goal that she almost abandoned several through stress and physical pain.

The courageous 27 year-old also initiated a legal amendment to the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. 2008, ensuring that blind solicitors to be accompanied in court by personal assistants. Her tenacious efforts been personally acknowledged in writing by President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Brian Cowen. One of two children born to Marion (nee Crotty) and Paddy Kane, Sinead’s disability is inherent and also afflicts Aisling, her older sister by two years.

Sinead was motivated from childhood, when she witnessed her mother’s battles against discrimination. “I remember restaurants refusing to serve my mother, who it totally blind, because they claimed her guide dog was a health hazard,” she recalls. “But I also remember being with her in Dail Eireann when she successfully lobbied people like Dick Spring to introduce anti-discriminatory legislation outlawing such discrimination. She researched tirelessly and introduced the concept of a New Zealand-style Environmental Health Card, which our government adopted prior to the Disability Act.”

Her sense of injustice was reinforced through to her own painful experiences in adolescence. “I was the only one in school with a disability and I’d feel ashamed and isolated,” she recalls. “There were no special needs provisions and mostly the teachers didn’t understand. I used to be sick with stress and would walk the beach to rectify my head.”

Her natural enthusiasm for life and an equally inherent consideration for others helped Sinead cope with a disability she, at the time, rejected. She work voluntarily with CASA and others organisations, earned a Gaisce award, performed in musicals, practiced Tae Kwon Do to yellow belt standard and acquired certificates in Leadership Skills, First Aid, Running, Outdoor Pursuits and Profile Modelling.

Yet secondary school, a trial worsened by an awareness of deprived rights, motivated her to consider a career in law. A crucial comment passed to her decided the issue. “Someone said ‘You’ll never be able do that. It’s a reading-based career.’ At that moment I decided to prove I could succeed,” she says.

College

Sinead commenced law studies at UCC in 2001, delighted to study in an environment accommodating towards disabled students. Difficult challenges were to follow however. Physically, her wrists ached from holding specialised but heavy magnifying glasses, her back ached from the posture strain of leaning over textbooks too large for a lectern. Her eyes became extremely sore and tired, as she was compelled to study twice as long as her peers. Socialising ceased almost completely.

The psychological strain was equally unrelenting. In her second year, the task seemed beyond her and she opted to quit. Her mother asked her to accompany her to London before finally deciding. She agreed. On arrival, her mother introduced her to some blind barristers, solicitors and a judge! “I felt totally inspired,” Sinead reveals. “I changed my mind and never again had a doubt.”

She gained her Bachelor of Law in 2004. A year later she wrote a minor thesis of 12,000 words on Victim Impact Statements, which brought comments of recognition from Brian Cowen. That year she also gained her Masters in Law, having studied Advanced Medical Law, Constitutional Law, Criminology, Immigration Law Juvenile Justice and Penology. In April 2005 she successfully sat her Law Society exams, a gruelling challenge from which she emerged triumphant but “exhausted!” From 2005-6 she provided bi-monthly support for barristers and solicitors at Corks Legal Aid Centre as well as consulting its members on the nature of legal advise to walk-in clients.

Apprenticeship and Family Law

Following four months attendance at the Cork Law School, in November 2006 she began her apprenticeship with the Legal Aid Board. She undertook a secondment with Frank Buttimer & Co. Solicitors, Cork, followed by a year’s ‘in office’ training with the Board. Confident and at ease, she regularly attended courts, met clients and took instruction, drafted legal documents and handled her own files. She found the Legal Aid personnel “very welcoming and helpful” and enjoyed her time there immensely.

Vibrant and articulate, Sinead would probably be employed by the Legal Aid Board had not the Celtic Tiger rolled over very dead. “They didn’t want me to leave but the recent State-imposed public embargo forbade them from keeping on apprentices,” she explains. Jettisoned in a country that can ill afford to dispense with excellence, she at least departed, last April, with a glowing reference from Moling Ryan, Chief Executive of the Legal Aid Board. It was a rare contribution for that office to bestow on an apprentice.

Looking to the future

The Legal Aid Board is particularly active in Family Law and it is in this sphere that Sinead perceives her future. For someone so au fait with childhood difficulties and who regularly volunteers her time to Childline, she embraces the prospect. “I can be difficult to work within the confines of the law on emotional issues but I feel I can make a real contribution to people’s lives in the Family Courts,” she asserts.

Since being rendered unemployed, job applications to solicitor firms have been unsuccessful and she concedes that, once again, her disability may not always be understood or accepted. Typically though, this only serves to motivate her further as she recalls the advice given her by leading Family Law practitioner Geoffrey Shannon that “there is no problem that doesn’t have a solution.” She will, if necessary, establish her own practice. “Some people may think my disability would be an impediment but I think I’ve already disproved all that,” she states. “Besides, I believe there are already two blind barristers working in Ireland.”

The altered sky above Sinead’s life reflects not just a change in her professional landscape but in her most grounded perceptions. No longer dismayed by disability, her success has reinforced her belief that “everything happens for a reason” and that one’s reaction to a challenge dictate their future. “If you can believe it, you can believe it; if you can dream it, you can achieve it,” she laughs. Case closed.