Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton has contacted Iarnrod Eireann asking them to enter into discussions with local people in Youghal regarding future use of Youghal Railway station.

 

“The old railway station in Youghal has been lying idle for many decades now. The station is very well situated close to the beach area and is a great location for development of a tourist amenity. If it were developed for this purpose it would surely prove an added attraction for visitors to the Youghal area.

“I have written to Iarnrod Eireann to gauge their interest in developing the old station. I think the feasibility of developing the station as a tourist amenity such as an aquarium,a museum or a similar facility. I believe that this deserves serious consideration.

Deputy Stanton concluded by stressing the need to develop the full tourism potential of Youghal and that he believes every possible avenue to attract tourist to the area should be explored.

 

 

Click on image to enlarge

JOHN GOGGIN has retired from the Youghal lifeboat crew after seventeen and half years of voluntary service. John first joined the lifeboat in July 1993. He was promoted to Helmsman in March 2005 and to Senior Helmsman in 2009. Youghal lifeboat crew gathered at the station last Sunday (3rd April 2011) for a special retirement function where they presented him with a Rynhart statue as a memento of the occasion and to wish him well in the future.

In the seventeen and half years as a voluntary crew member, the Youghal Lifeboat was launched on service 260 times where 284 people were rescued, 23 of which were lives saved.  Of those 260, John crewed 65 of them where 70 people were rescued inclusive of which five lives were saved.  John had his first callout in March 1994.

Here is a brief account of some of his call outs:

In June 2003 a diver went missing in the vicinity of Ballycotton Island.  The Youghal Lifeboat was launched to assist the Ballycotton Lifeboat, the Coast Guard Helicopter and the dive vessel to search for the diver. Thankfully a yacht located the diver and stood by him until the Youghal Lifeboat arrived on scene where he was taken on board the Lifeboat and subsequently air lifted by the Coast Guard Helicopter and brought to a Cork hospital.

In August 2010 a boat ran aground below Ballinaclash Pier.  The Lifeboat arrived at the scene and found the boat was stuck in a mud bank.  One crew member (John) went to the boat to check on the casualties and found they had no injuries.  A second crew member was then sent to assist in taking casualties into the Lifeboat.   Due to the high density of the mud it was decided to call for assistance from the Waterford Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter.  The Helicopter arrived on scene and air lifted the causalities to the Ferry Point where they were met by the Youghal Coast Guard.

John has been a keen sailor and diver for many years and first became interested in the Youghal RNLI when he had to call to 999 as he had experienced engine failure out at sea. He was towed to safety by the Youghal Lifeboat.  The crew who were involved in that call are still members of the Youghal RNLI today. Seamus Mason who is the Station Mechanic, Noreen Varney who is the Station Press Officer and Fergus Hopkins who is the Station Operations Manager; Johnny decided shortly after that to apply to become a crew member.

John is married to Marie and has four children – Keith, Denise, Michelle and Sarah. He also has one granddaughter Kayla.  John’s daughter Denise is also a crew member of Youghal RNLI and became interested through her many visits to the station with her dad.

John is sad to retire from the Crew of Youghal Lifeboat as it is RNLI policy to retire at the age of 50, but he is very confidant that he is leaving it to a very capable crew who are highly trained by the RNLI. John has enjoyed his seventeen and half years and has made many friends and hope’s to keep in touch with them.

Congratulations to John for his service with the Youghal RNLI Lifeboat.  All the crew and everyone at the station wish him well and are sad to see him go.  They would also like to wish him a very happy 50th birthday.

 

Click on image to see the Youghal RNLI in a joint excerise with the Irish Coast Helicopter off Youghal Harbour – Pictures: www.youghalonline.com

Round 3 of the Championship comes close to Youghal with stages at either side of the Tallow road and another just outside Clashmore .

Next Sunday’s (April 10th 2011)Moonraker Forest Rally is the third round of the 2011 Valvoline Forest Rally Championship and another great event is anticipated. The series got off the best possible start for Owen Murphy with a brace of victories on the Mitchelstown (Sean Conlon Memorial Forest ) and Carrick-on-Suir (Willie Loughman Memorial Forest) rallies. Murphy who hails from Ballincollig drives the Hankook Evo 9. He is a former Billy Coleman award winner and he has a useful seven points lead in the Valvoline championship.

In the opener in Mitchelstown, John Reid led from the start, but he spun his Corolla WRC in the early kilometers of the last stage at Kilworth and it cost him 37 seconds and pushed him down to second place overall. Andrew Purcell who was second most of the day behind Reid, also succumbed to the Kilworth challenge when he slipped off the road and into retirement. Murphy who was third overall at the start of Kilworth emerged from the final test with his maiden rally win.

In the second round hosted by the Carrick club, it was the Impreza WRC of Jeremy Drislane who won the first stage at Kilsheelin. A spin on the second relegated him to fourth as Murphy went fastest to move into a lead that he would never surrender. Liam Ryan was the chaser and with good times in Gurteen and Anner he was second overall at first service, 46 behind Murphy and 17 ahead of McAree. With the second half of the rally held in the dark, the crews headed back to Kilsheelin, Gorteen and Anner. McAree was the main mover, putting his night nav experience to good use by winning the three stages and this was enough to claim second place from Ryan by 4 seconds. John Reid withdrew after stage one with flu infection and Andrew Purcell crashed out on stage two.

Organised and promoted by the Munster car Club, the Moonraker rally is based in Lismore. The Lismore House Hotel is the main sponsor and rally HQ. Brian O’Leary is the Clerk of the Course and he has announced that the event contains a mix of some new stages and old favourites. The stages are based in the Tallow/West Waterford area and are reported to be in good order. The total stage distance is 65km, with the first stage commencing at 09:30, with the winner on the finish ramp at 16:30. A total of fifty six cars have entered the event.

For further information log on to www.munstercarclub.com

Photos Ger Leahy

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD, has welcomed today’s position paper from the Catholic Schools Partnership and its consultation process in relation to the patronage of primary schools.

He said that the paper was a very positive contribution to what is shaping up to be a very engaging discussion and he looked forward to developing this important debate in the weeks and months ahead.

“The Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the primary sector which I have established, will be formally launched later this month.

“It will allow the education stakeholders involved and the general public to have their say on which direction they would like to see policy evolve in this important area.

“I believe today’s statement by the Catholic Schools Partnership will contribute to providing a platform for what I see is an essential and informative debate within the education agenda,” said Minister Quinn.

 

Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton has, today,(Wed. 6th April 2011) written to Cork County Manager asking him to investigate putting in place toilet and shower facilities at Youghal Strand.

“Every year thousands of people travel to Youghal, in particular over the summer months, to enjoy Youghal Strand, yet there are no proper toilet or shower facilities available there. I think, in this day and age, it is vital that such facilities be made available. I am asking Cork County Council to examine putting such facilities in place as soon as possible.

Deputy Stanton went on to say how important the tourism industry is to the people in Youghal.

“With many industry closures in Youghal over the past few yours much effort has been put into developing local tourism. Youghal Strand is a wonderful natural amenity and I believe everything should be done to enhance its attraction to tourists. The River Blackwater estuary on the outskirts of Youghal also has great potential for further touristic development as does the historic town centre.

“I hope that Cork County Council will look upon my request favourably and examine the possibility of developing toilet and shower facilities along Youghal Strand.

In February and March of this year introductory film making workshops took place in four venues. About 40 young people from the Pobalscoil, Youghal Nagle House, Inch and Killeagh Foroige youth clubs, all new to the world of filmmaking learnt the basics during this one day workshop.
The First Cut! one-day workshop is designed to give participants a solid introduction to the basics of digital filmmaking.

The morning consists of a workshop in film technique, which gives participants enough information to be able to plan a film of their own, and a hands-on workshop in the use of camera and sound equipment.

The afternoon is devoted to filming an exercise which allows participants to put their newly acquired skills into practice. Great fun was had and some good films were made.

FILM FILM FILM FILM…….

Times: 10.00-5.00pm

Venue: Hot Spot Youth Cafe, Nagle House, Youghal

YOUGHAL WORKSHOP WILL TAKE PLACE DURING EASTER HOLIDAYS ON Wednesday 20th & Thursday 21st April

THERE IS NO CHARGE TO PARTICIPANTS.

PLACES WILL BE OFFERED ON A FIRST COME BASIS,

CONTACT  Mary Mc Grath asap to book your place.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Cut! Youth Film Project is delighted to offer a series of Two-Day Film Workshops as a follow-up for young filmmakers who have already completed our basic film workshops.

These will take participants further into the film-making process, expanding on what is already covered and upgrading skills. It will also include a full day devoted to the shooting of a short film, giving participants the opportunity to experience the film making process in more depth.

These workshops will take place in five centres around South and East Cork, with the young filmmakers involved attending the one happening nearest to them. Workshops will take place in: Youghal, Midleton, Glanmire, Ballincollig and Togher.

This project is organised by FIRST CUT Youth Film Project in association with Cork Film Centre and funded by The Arts Office of Cork County Council and South and East Cork Area Development Ltd, (SECAD).

The first day will include hands-on workshops in using equipment and in film theory. It will also include the preparation of the story for the short film. The second day will be all action, getting the film shot.

The finished film will be screened at the First Cut! Youth Film Festival in October.

First Cut is also offering one-day Animation Workshops with experienced animator Jane Lee. In these fully hands-on workshops participants learn to animate using a range of techniques – from plasticene model animation, clay-mation and even acting to camera using live action filming techniques. These will take place in Cork City at Cork Film Centre.

For examples of both animations coming out of Jane’s previous workshops and Jane’s own work, visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/janepaperplane#p/u

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE PLEASE CONTACT MARY MC GRATH, CO ORDINATOR @ 0868139019 OR / @ firstcutfilm@gmail.com

 

TO PUT YOUR NAME DOWN FOR A PLACE ASAP AS PLACES ARE LIMITED.

Irish Food Board 4 Star Award under the Garden Centre Quality Awards 2011 in Dublin. The National Amenity Horticulture awards recognise and promote excellence across the industry of Garden Centres. Research carried out on behalf of Bord Bia has found that 43% of people are willing to spend money on their garden and that gardening, plants and flowers are seen as a credible and acceptable treat in recessionary Ireland.  35% of respondents claimed that the economic downturn has not had any effect on their buying habits.

Bord Bia presented Quality Awards to 86 horticultural businesses, which have successfully achieved the standards as set out by its Quality Assurance Programmes. This included fifty garden centres who achieved star ratings from 2 to 5 star gold, 12 Quality Approved Landscape Contractors, and twenty four Quality Approved Nurseries.

Gardening Campaign
Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive, Bord Bia said “Quality Award recipients pride themselves on delivering above and beyond consumer expectation. They have to make significant investments in training, infrastructure and procedures to attain a Quality Award and consumers can benefit greatly from identifying them before they plan a trip to the local garden centre or engage a landscape contractor.”

Carol Marks,  Bord Bia said “The research has shown that the garden is viewed as an extension to the home with people seeing it predominantly as a place to relax but also a place for entertaining, eating and for children to play. As a result of the economic downturn people are spending more time at home and many are now engaging more with the Horticultural Industry.”

 

 

 

YOUGHAL ADULT EDUCATION NETWORK invites you to join us for a celebration of learning in Cumann Na Daoine, Catherine St on Tuesday the 12th of April.  Try your hand at new skills in a range of workshops  – from felt making to low impact exercising, compost demonstrations to computers, there’s bound to be something to catch your interest.  You might even enjoy a free mini facial from local ITEC Beauty Specialist Diploma students.  Dig up the past with the Youghal Heritage’s mock archeological dig- Warning: You may find Bones!!!

Find out more about a range of courses from information stands, learn about supports available to learners and meet with members of Cumann na Daoine’s groups and others involved in learning provision in Youghal.

Free refreshments and homemade cakes by the students of Youthreach Youghal

There will be representatives from County Cork VEC, BTEI East Cork, Youthreach Youghal, Cumann na Daoine, Rapid Youghal, Youghal Community Gardens, Youghal Family Support Group, East Cork Traveller Advocacy Group, South and East Cork Area Development, Dept of Family and Social Affairs, FAS, St. Johns Central College, Tipperary Institute, CIT, Volunteer Service Oversees amongst others on hand all day to discuss how you can get involved in your own personal life long learning.

So please do come and join us between 10:00 and 1:00.

CORK EAST FINE GAEL TD, DAVID STANTON secured a Dail debate regarding the severe shortage of second level school places in East Cork. Deputy Stanton secured a commitment from the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn TD that he would meet him to discuss how the shortages in school places can be addressed.

“The large population growth in the Midleton area in recent years had led to a huge demand in school places. Analyses I carried out in 2007 and 2010 shows that there were 1,500 extra pupils in local primary schools in just three years. Figures from the Department of Education show that as many as 64 new primary classrooms will be needed by 2015 and 77 new classrooms required by 2020. Both Midleton Educate Together and the Gaelscoil desperately need new premises.

“However, while it is clear that primary school enrolments are steadily increasing it is the post primary sector which is seriously under pressure to meet demand for places. Secondary schools in Midleton and Carrigtwohill are full, and schools in Fermoy and Cobh are also under pressure. Many of these schools have applied to the Department for extensions and improved facilities but these have not yet been approved.

“The Department of Education has estimated that almost 400 extra second level school places will be needed by 2015. Longer term estimates show that one new secondary school will be needed in Midleton, one if Carrigtwohill and one in Cobh by 2020. It is clear that in the long term Carrigtwohill needs a new co-educational school and I understand that the VEC are examining this option at the moment. Second level provision in Midleton is also an urgent issue and I hope that something can be done to address this.

“I am regularly contacted by parents who have children on waiting lists for secondary school and are very concerned. It was a recurring issue on the doorsteps during the general election campaign also. People are very worried. Minister Quinn described the shortage of second level places as a “serious crisis”. I hope to work with him to address this crisis and secure viable long-term solutions to second level schools places in the East Cork area.

Contact: David Stanton TD, 29 St Mary’s Road, Midleton, Co. Cork

Lucinda O’Sullivan is Ireland’s most widely read Food and Hospitality Critic. Every year she awards her “Great Places to Eat” star to what she deems to be the best in class. Green Barn is thrilled to be included in her line up and looks forward to an exciting 2011.

Lucinda O’Sullivan – Sunday Independent.ref Green Barn Bistro
“Take yourself over to the Café & Bistro for a good wholesome bite to eat – or even just a coffee and a scone. Tadgh Foley is the Manager here and he is very well known on the Cork hospitality scene. You can either kick start the day at anytime with an all day breakfast, have morning coffee, or a full lunch with dishes such as  fresh fish of the day, seafood pie, a grilled steak sandwich, or maybe an open smoked salmon sandwich.”