Over the winter Aquatrek delivered a series of Navigation and Safety nightclasses to seafarers – both professional and leisure boaters. Tonight their hard work has paid off as the students received their certificates qualifying them as Dayskipper and Yachtmaster Offshore navigators.

These courses (2 of each) run Monday – Thursday evenings, 7.30 – 10pm, from October to March, with a break in December – which was extended this year by the snow and ice. Some candidates are local but many travelled to town each week from Dungarvan, Waterford, Wexford, West Cork and 2 Dayskipper candidates even travelled from Carlow each Tuesday night. We have experienced pleasure boaters, new boaters, some who work on the water as fishermen and conservationists, we have RNLI Lifeboat crews from Dunmore East, Helvick and Youghal and this year we even had one of the crew from the Waterford-based Coastguard Helicopter (Rescue 117) on our Yachtmaster course.

Dayskipper courses introduce the students to the basics of Weather Forecasting, Seamanship, Rules and Regulations afloat and give them a solid footing in traditional and electronic navigation techniques and equipment. The Yachtmaster Offshore course develops the existing skills of qualified Dayskippers and improves their knowledge of meteorology with emphasis on causes of and effects of local winds and the behaviour of weather systems at sea. Navigation at this level is to the highest standards and equips the navigator to safely operate a vessel up to 150 miles from a safe haven, by day or night.

 

One of the highlights of both courses is the safety night when the students get first hand training in lifejackets, PPE, radio equipment, flares and learn about rescue by lifeboat and helicopter. The courses we deliver are RYA certified and come with 2 Admiralty Training Charts, a book of exercises, a professional course-notes handbook and uniquely – a CD ROM, fully operational Chart Plotter system for their computer, which runs the training charts and a vector chart which is used throughout the course in parallel with the paper charts to deliver a thorough understanding of the pros and cons of electronic navigation.

With their new RYA certificates these students can go anywhere in the world to charter a boat for holiday purposes or seek work as professional mariners – these qualifications are now transferrable to commercial Merchant Shipping qualifications such as Master and Mate. We wish them a safe future at sea – May they have as many safe berthings as unberthings.

In Ireland there is no compulsion to get training if you want to get afloat – you can simply buy a boat and off you go. The statistics are there to prove that the foolhardy seafarer is more often than not, the source of much of the work of our excellent Search and Rescue organisations such as the Coastguard or RNLI. A small amount of training is a huge step towards preventing accidents at sea and much of this training is applicable in everyday life as well.

Traditionally – our awards night includes a meal and some light entertainment which we’re having this year in The Quays Bar so we’d like to thank Seamus and Richenda and their staff for looking after us this evening but that’s not all… We also charged each guest a few euros over the cost of the evening in order to make a donation to charity. Previously the RNLI and the Youghal Bay Boat Club benefitted from the exercise but as today is Daffodil Day it was felt appropriate that we donate the raised funds to the Irish Cancer Society.

If you have an interest in the sea then why not follow our website at www.aquatrek.ie for news of activities and training opportunities, follow us on Facebook or call 024 90542 for more. Finally – Well Done once again to all our candidates in 2011 – we wish them safe passage and look forward to taking some of them with us to Croatia and Turkey later in the year where they’ll get the chance to put their new skills to the best of uses! FUN in the SUN!

Click on image to see the awards ceremony

McGoldrick Art & Photography raffle winner of  Will McGoldrick’s  photographs entitled ‘The Aisling’ was Maura Davis from Knockaverry, Youghal.

Anne Riordan from the Irish Heart Foundation and Will and Eileen. McGoldrick was delighted to present the beautifully framed photography to Maura. Anne Riordan said she was delighted with the sucessful fundraiser along with the recent fast organised by the foundation as every penny goes toward saving lives. All proceeds  from the raffle went towards the Irish Heart Foundation charity. The draw took place last Friday 25th march 2011.

If you haven’t yet visited the gallery, please come along and see what we have. Maybe you need a portrait, or a piece of Fine Art, or a simple, but quality image of Youghal. Come and see our inaugural exhibition. A display of images by Eileen & Will McGoldrick entitled “Between a Rock and a good place”, a mixed media Dream Sequence display, and a unique & vibrant view of rock formations in the East Cork / West Waterford area.

McGoldrick Art & Photography will also host art lessons weekly, on Mondays. Two sessions, managed by Eileen, will cater separately for children and adults. Classes are open to all levels from total novices to budding Van Gogh’s! “It will be tailored totally towards the nurturing and developing the abilities of each individual,” says Eileen.

Details:  (024) 90494; 087-22865921; 087-4116483. Web: www.mcgoldrickart.com;  email: mcgoldrickart@gmail.com

 

ST. ITA’S GAA CLUB held their annual Table Quiz on Friday the 25th of March in the Quality Hotel, Redbarn, Youghal. It was a night for players supporters and friends to pit their wits against each other and see who was the best, it wasn’t about winning but at the same time it was a case of seeing how well you did against your rivals.

In this fun filled night with MC and Quiz-master Ted O’ Brien at the helm everything went to plan with many questions posing a small degree of difficulty for the entrants. Ted was as always excellent and every question was read out in a clear and concise manner. Ted was ably assisted by his team of Rosarie O’ Brien, Caroline O Brien, Ethel Doherty who were keeping tabs on the score. Eddie O Brien was the man responsible for  making sure the tally’s were correct and added to the score board. Mary Cunningham and Kay Supple were on hand collecting the score sheets after each round and keeping an eye on everyone in case some team decided to try gain any unfair advantage.

There was a raffle on the night and the following people must be thanked for supplying prizes. Ahern’s Centra in Killeagh, Jacko Patsy , Go Wild Hairdressing, Mina Mara Pharmacy,Sunset Tan Youghal, Priscella Supple, Sean Twomey’s Butchers, Luke Swayne & Adrian O Neil Hurley Makers, Denis Broderick & Sons, Perfect Cleaners, Nyland Hairdressing, Youghal Sports & Leisure, Next Door off Licence, Midleton Park Hotel, Solo Hair Salon, Londis in Killeagh and the Quality Hotel for the use of the function room for the evening. A big thank you must go to Martin Welsh as well for his help. The PA was provided by Art Supple and  he ran the raffle on the night. To everyone who took part and had a great night as well we must say thank you.

Moving on to the results the winners on the night were The Rebels on a score of 63, in second place we had Team Flavin on a score of 56 and The Untouchables, The Motherclub, and Limited bringing up third place with 55 points. Well done to all and you can view the full set of photos on the St Itas GAA Club website at www.stitasgaa.com

28 March 2011 Tens of thousands of gallons of water released in overnight incident.

Cork City Council has begun the clean-up operation after a water main burst and flooded properties on the northside of Cork city during the night. 29 people had to be evacuated from their homes as a result. The incident happened in the area surrounding the Fever Hospital Steps, below Sarsfields Terrace and Old Youghal Road at around 2-30 a.m. It sent tens of thousands of gallons of water cascading down the surrounding hills for several hours.

 

A similar incident 15 years ago, also caused major flooding in the area. A member of the ambulance crew on duty during the night required hospital treatment after he was knocked over by the force of water. Houses in Shandon Court were flooded to a depth of four feet, while over a foot of water flooded houses in Shandon View Terrace. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Michael O`Connell has visited the areas worst affected.

With the clocks having gone forward at the weekend, Cork East Fine Gael TD, East David Stanton has called for summer time to be extended for at least an extra month, and possibly all year round.

“Longer summer time, with the clocks moving forward earlier in March, could save energy costs by reducing consumption and carbon emissions.  In 2005, the USA extended summertime by four weeks, following research showing that this could reduce energy use by as much as 10,000 barrels of oil per day.

“American summer time now runs for eight months from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. Summer time in Ireland and Europe runs for just seven months, following standardisation across the European Union in 1996.  But the earlier change to summer time in the USA allows people to save on light bills because the evenings stay brighter for longer.

“Studies suggest that longer daylight hours in the evenings would benefit retailers, sand those involved in sports and other outdoor pursuits.  It could also boost road safety by reducing traffic accidents.   Proposals to extend summertime have been backed by road safety campaigners, environmentalists and the tourism industry.

“I wrote to the previous Government a number of times seeking an extension of summer time and my Fine Gael colleagues in Europe have also raised the matter in the European Parliament.  I am aware that the European Union recently conducted a review of European summer time but decided to retain the existing arrangement.

The summer time issue has been a hugely contentious issue for years in the UK. David Cameron has said he would consider moving clocks forward an extra hour all year round.  This would bring us in line with Central European Time in operation in most of Western Europe.

It is clear that the debate is not over. I really believe that this issue should be looked at again at national and EU level.  The USA seems to have benefitted from extending their summers by one month, surely the environmental, road safety and tourism benefits mean it would be worth doing the same here?

Contact: David Stanton TD, tel 021 4632867, email: david.stanton@oir.ie  web: www.stanton.ie

East Cork Under 21A Football Semi Final

Erin’s Own 1-08

Youghal 0-08

By: Derek Kiely in Carrigtwohill

ERIN’S OWN will progress into this year’s East Cork under 21A football final after a hard earned win over Youghal in Carrigtwohill last Saturday afternoon, ( 26th March 2011) where only the width of the crossbar separated the sides at the final whistle.

Erin’s Own started brightly with four unanswered scores, with Diarmuid Ryan, Mark Collins, Calvin O’Callaghan and Andrew Power all raising white flags.

Youghal’s first score came on the 19th minute when Edmund Flavin pointed from play. This score followed a great spell of Youghal pressure which included a fantastic save from the Erin’s Own goalkeeper Ryan O’Neill.

Youghal hit a couple of wides and rattled the Erin’s Own crossbar and when Ryan sent a free over seconds later for Erin’s Own, he re-established the four point lead.

Erin’s Own were awarded a penealty on the 24th minute and Diarmuid Ryan gave his side a strong seven point advantage.

Youghal rallied with two late first half points from Adrian Curtin to leave five between the sides at the short whistle.

The second half was a very competitive 30 minutes, where after an exchange of three points each, Youghal started to get right back into this match. James O’Mahony kicked over a point from play and a free on the 45th and the 48th minutes, plus a point from Keith McCarthy in between made this a one score game with twelve minutes to play, but neither side could add to their tally and with Erin’s Own squandering some late chances to put this game to bed everyone’s interest lasted right through to the end.

Youghal had some very late half chances to earn extra time, but going for goals restricted their chances with a tight Erin’s Own defence.

Erin’s Own will now meet either Aghada or Midleton who play next week.

Scorers for Erin’s Own: D RYAN 1-3, C Alvin O’Callaghan 0-2, A Power, M Collins and I Mylod 0-1 each.

Youghal: J O’Mahony and A Curtin 0-2 each, C O’Sullivan, E Flavin, K McCarthy and D O’Mahony 0-1 each.

ERIN’S OWN: R O’Neil; N Fouhy, C Dooley, S Crowley; C Cronin, J Sheehan, N Scanlon; C O’Mahony, M Carroll(Cpt); Calvin O’Callaghan, A Power, D Smiddy; M Collins, D Ryan, Cian O’Callaghan.

Subs: I Mylod for M Collins (31) K Moynihan for C O’Mahony (52)

YOUGHAL: S O’Sullivan; K Daly, A Kenny, M Cronin; A Curtin, C O’Mahony (Cpt) P O’Sullivan; D Mulcahy, C O’Sullivan; O Murphy, S Spillane, E Flavin; K McCarthy, J O’Mahony, D O’Mahony.

Subs: D Scanlon for K Daly (29), D Power for S Spillane (41) A O’Connor for K Scanlon (52)

Referee: Brian Murphy (Carrigtwohill)

 

Champion Jockey Davy Russell, got caught up in a minor sea drama near Youghal bridge on the river Blackwater last Friday (25th March 2011). Report/Photo Michael Hussey

The Youghal man was enjoying the splendors of the River Blackwater in his speedboat, when he got into difficulty as his boat had broke down. Luckily for Davy, local fisherman (and part time punter) Barry Clohessy, on hearing of the misfortunes of his favourite jockey raced to the scene in his trawler to help.

Throwing a tow-line, the fisherman towed the speedboat with Davy in tow back to the safety of the jetty in Youghal harbour. Although he is one of Ireland’s top jockeys, Davy was a little bit embarrassed of his misfortune on the Blackwater river and thanked the Youghal fisherman for his assistance.

The fisherman explained that he has the odd “Punt” on the horses and was more than happy when his favourite jockey Davy Russell rode the winners, 7-1 “First Lieutenant” and the 16-1 “Carlito Brigante” to victory in the recent Cheltenham National Hunt Festival 2011.

The fisherman jokingly said the jockey appears to be a “Novice” and this could be his “First Time Out” in the water but luckily the “Forecast” was good and he was only a couple of “Furlongs” from the shore when he gave him a hand back to the “Parade Ring” in Youghal’s quays.

Davy Russell in turn said there will be a “Stewards’ Enquiry” as to why the speedboat had “Broken Down” as he was sure she was a “Stayer” and was going well on the “Home Straight” and should have gone the “Distance”. Maybe it was because he was rushing back under “Starters Orders” to do an exclusive radio interview with another “Jockey” of sorts, Disc Jockey and “Apprentice” sports broadcaster Mick Sheehan on Youghal Local Radio CRY104fm for the “Good Morning Youghal Show” with Mick Sheehan and Farrell’s Summerfield Bar.

Russell had a heavy fall aboard “Academy Rose” when in contention two flights from home in Thurles Race course last Thursday. Scans subsequently revealed that he had sustained a hairline fracture to a metacarpal bone in his left hand. Russell is now expected to be out of action for up to two weeks, leaving him fighting against time in order to be fit for the Aintree Festival which begins on April 7.
Hopefully Davy won’t get stuck at the “Water Jump” in the forthcoming Aintree Grand National as he knows all in Youghal will be wishing him well and a speedy recovery.

It was “Even Money” that the paparazzi were around when a celebrity like champion jockey Davy Russell is in town and he was more than happy to pose with fans and stand in for a Photo……Finish!

National Pyjama Day – Friday 25th March 2011

Julie Ann Rock and her staff and children all wore their pyjamas at the Rocking Horse CRECHE/Pre school for the 2011 National Pyjama Day in aid of the The Hospice Homecare for Children Campaign. Childcare providers and their children at the Rocking Horse Creche/Pre school were delighted to hold a Pyjama Party in conjunction with the NCNA and all their créches and nurseries around Ireland to help raise money for the The Hospice Foundation. All staff and children had breakfast together in their PJ’s and then everyone had fun doing their Stretch and Grow excerises in their pyjamas. It was a fun day for everyone involved and helped raise money for such a worthy cause.

The Rocking Horse Creche / Pre-school
Raheen Road, Youghal, Co. Cork.
Prop: Julie Ann Rock A.A.Sc.
Phone 024- 93562
Hourly – Daily – Weekly Contracts

A big thanks to children all over Ireland for spending Friday the 25th March 2011 in their pyjamas and helping to raise money for The Hospice Homecare for Children Campaign. Everyone had a very fun (and comfy!) day!

National Pyjama Day is taking Place on Friday 25th March 2011. The recipient charity for PJ Day 2011 is The Hospice Homecare for Children Campaign.
A big thank you from NCNA for taking part in national pyjama day, lodge money raised before fri 1st April to be included in a free draw. Hope you have or had a wonderful day. Send photos to be included on our website photo gallery to info@ncna.ie

Welcome

NCNA National Pyjama Day has been in existence since 2003 and is NCNA’s Biggest Annual Fundraising Event. The brain child of Rita Melia, National Policy Advisor with the NCNA, the event has raised almost €2 million for children’s charities over the past 7 years. From humble beginnings in 2003 with a fundraising total of €38,000 to 2010′s total of €293,000 NCNA National Pyjama Day has gone from strength to strength and is now one of the most popular fundraising events in the childcare sector.

So whats it all about?

National Children’s Nurseries Association develop, organise and promote National Pyjama Day each year. The Event takes places on the last Friday in March each year and the childcare sector are invited to take part. As National Pyjama Day has got bigger and better over the years, so too have the huge amounts of money going to charity. So what makes National Pyjama Day unique from other fundraising events? Well, ‘its children helping children’ says Rita Melia of NCNA. ‘Each year the childcare services in this country astound us with the amounts of money that the children in their care and their families raise.’ NCNA Staff visit services on Pyjama Day to take photographs and enjoy the fun- of which there is plenty- each year!!

What happens?

NCNA send out Pyjama Day Packs once services have registered, which give providers sponsorship cards, posters, balloons, lodgement slips, special activity day sheets and much more! On Pyjama Day NCNA Staff and charity volunteers set off in their Pyjama’s to enjoy the fun! Although we cannot visit all our members, all participating services are invited to send in photographs of their National Pyjama Day for the NCNA website and bulletins. After Pyjama Day the participating services send NCNA their fundraising monies and receive their National Pyjama Day Certificate with their service name and total on it. Once the sponsorship money starts to arrive NCNA make the first Cheque Presentation to the selected charity or charities. There are normally two cheque presentations. The charities then set out doing the work we have supported and keep NCNA Members informed of the wonderful projects that they have supported! It really is children helping children and in 2010 €290,000 went to the Make-A-Wish Foundation®.

The success of NCNA National Pyjama Day would not be possible without the support and dedication of all the children, families and staff in childcare services throughout the country. To one and all- THANK YOU!

National Pyjama Day 2011- whats in store?

NCNA is delighted to inform you that the recipient charity for PJ Day 2011 is The Hospice Homecare for Children Campaign.

1369 children are living with life limiting conditions in Ireland today and between 350 and 400 children die each year of these conditions. The aim of this programme is to enable families to have their children cared for at home with appropriate care and support. NCNA National Pyjama Day hopes to raise €350,000 to help establish a network of 8 outreach nurses throughout the country.

The Pyjama Day Nurses will:

·        Coordinate care for children with life limiting illnesses in their home

·        Liaise with the support teams in the community

·        Carry out nursing procedures in the home setting

·        Provide supportive services for children, parents and families.

NCNA is inviting you now to be part of this wonderful initiative, where the monies raised by children will help children and families in their communities. Register now for NCNA National Pyjama Day and help to make this new initiative happen. Anyone who registers before 11th February will be included in a draw for a lovely hamper of books for your childcare service, kindly sponsored by Easons.

Maeve Governey is the Pyjama Day promoter for National Pyjama Day 2011.

The Youghal Daffodil Day committee, volunteers and sellers are holding their annual fundraiser today in aid of the Irish Cancer Society with street stalls in the town selling fresh and silk daffodils, cards, shopping bags etc. Daffodil Day stalls are all over town and you may make a donation and or buy a raffle ticket at locations near the Post Office, Crowley’s Garage, Credit Union, Rivergate Mall, Merricks, Super Valu, Tesco and Costcutters. Helen Mulcahy from Youghal said she brought her children Ciarán and Muireann  specially to town today (March 25th 2011) to buy her daffodil flowers and raffle ticket as she does every year to support this charity. Please support this worthy cause.
Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

Thanks for being our hero!

Daffodil Day was proudly supported by Dell

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support us on Daffodil Day Friday 25th March!

Whether you took to the streets and sold Daffodil Day merchandise or bought some on the day, please know we simply could not do it without you.

Every daffodil, keyring or pin sold allows the Irish Cancer Society to continue to provide its free nationwide cancer information and patient care services.

We hope you had a great Daffodil Day in your community and would love to hear about your successes! Please email photographs from your day to webmaster@irishcancer.ie and we will include them on our website. Don’t forget to caption your photos from left to right so we can properly identify you and all your helpers.

You can also enter our exciting Daffodil Day Photo Competition by posting your photos of Daffodils taking over the world to our Daffodil Day Campaign event page on Facebook. The person with the winning photo will win a 2 night break in any Carlton hotel around Ireland – the wackier the better! Closing date is March 31st 2011.

And, if you didn’t have an opportunity to support us you still can, visit www.gardenofhope.ie our online Garden of Hope, where you make a donation online and leave a message for a loved one touched by cancer.

Thank you for your continued support!

The Daffodil Day Team,
Irish Cancer Society

TWO men are helping Youghal Gardaí with their investigation into a foiled raid on the clothes bins in Tesco Youghal’s recycling facility, in the early hours of Sunday, March 6th. - By Christy Parker

The Gardaí arrived following reports of a noisy disturbance at the location at about 3am. They discovered a D-reg 04 van parked at Gallagher’s Mews – which is divided by a wire fence from the dozen recycling bins in Tesco car park. A Garda spokesman says three males were engaged in ‘throwing clothing across the wire into the waiting van.’ One of the bins had sustained considerable damage. Residents say one of the individuals was ‘quite small,’ raising the possibility of a child having been used to gain access to the bins’ interiors.

The Garda patrol car subsequently failed to start, and the gang escaped on foot. The van was taken away for forensic investigation. Some hours later, two Eastern European men presented themselves at Youghal Garda Station, claiming their van had been stolen overnight. ‘It is safe to say they quickly became suspects, and are now helping us with our inquiries,’ says the Garda spokesman.