Team Youghal boarded their Aer Lingus Flight just before mid-day on Monday (13th June 2011) to compete in the Race Across America which will state in Oceanside California on Saturday next at 10p.m. Irish Team. Their journey included a stopover at Heathrow Airport before touching down at LAX in California. The team will be based in Oceanside for the four days leading up to the race, using the time to get acclimatised to the heat and sunshine as well as training over the initial miles of this 3,005 mile race.

The 8-man cycling team, which will travel with a 10-man back-up crew, will depart from Oceanside, California on June 18, and race 24 hours a day across the continent, finishing in Annapolis, Maryland, about eight days later.

The Team of Irish amateur cyclists is indebted to American electronics company, Flextronics, which has a base in Cork, has signed a €20,000 sponsorship deal with Team Youghal, to allow it compete in the world’s longest endurance bike race – the gruelling 4,835km Race Across America. Other sponsors included Magners Irish Cider, Excelsys, Matheson Ormsby Prentice Solicitors, Irish Distillers, Youghal Town Council, Race Around Ireland, Lee Travel and Juliette and Brendan Casey.

The team is taking part to raise money and awareness for the Emer Casey Foundation.

Emer, who was from Youghal, in Co. Cork, was diagnosed with ovarian/uterine cancer in February 2006. She was just 27 years of age. She died on June 10 2006, four days after her 28th birthday.

Crew Chief Aonghus O’Broin, who is one of the driving forces behind the team said “This is a wonderful adventure by a group of very dedicated people from various backgrounds and I’m confident that Team Youghal will achieve it’s goal in reaching Annapolis in under 9 days”

The Team will host fundraising events before and after the race, including a function at The Consulate General of Ireland Offices, Park Avenue, Manhattan on June 28th and a 5km run in Central Park.

Folow the team by logging on to www.teamyoughal.com where there will be regular updates during the race. For more information on the Emer Casey Foundation please log on to www.emercaseyfoundation.com

This is the 30th edition of the race and Team Youghal will make history by being the first ever Irish Team in the 8 person Team Category. Crossing 12 states and climbing over 170,000 feet the race will start on June 18th and Team Youghal are planning to finish on June 26th in Annapolis, Maryland. The highest point of the race is Wolf Creek Pass, high up in the Rockies at almost 11,000 feet and the lowest point is 170ft below sea level. This is a non-stop race across the American Continent with racers competing 24 hours a day from start to finish.

3,005 Miles

The route is over 3000 miles, touching 12 states and climbing over 170,000 feet. Teams typically cross the country, averaging 350 to over 500 miles per day.

RAAM By the Numbers

• Total distance is more than 3000 Miles.

• All finishers will travel a combined distance equivalent to circling the earth at the equator seven times.

• Lowest elevation is 170 feet below sea level. Highest elevation is more than 10,000 feet high above sea level. This elevation range exceeds two vertical miles.

• Each  Team will climb more than 170,000 feet. This is roughly the distance from the ground to the edge of space, more than three times the altitude flown by commercial jetliners and almost four times the altitude of Mt. Everest.

• Racers have come from 5 continents – North America, South America, Australia, Asia, and Europe. More than 25 countries have been represented in the Race Across America.

• RAAM crosses the five longest rivers that are entirely in the US: the Mississippi, Missouri, Rio Grande, Arkansas and the Ohio.

• The RAAM staff during the race is more than 50 people. More than 200 people staff Time Stations. Racers are supported by more than 800 people. More than 200 vehicles are part of the RAAM caravan across the country.

• In the last four years, RAAM racers have raised more than $4,000,000 for charities.

The Emer Casey Foundation

The Emer Casey Foundation was established in June 2006 following Emer’s untimely death from ovarian cancer. The aim of the foundation is to raise awareness and to raise funds to secure the best independent advice in the area of ovarian/uterine cancer. The ultimate aim is to develop a test to detect the disease in its early stages.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancy in the western world. The poor survival of ovarian cancer patients can be attributed to:

1) lack of standardised screening test

2) late presentation of disease

3) high rate of recurrence

4) development of chemo resistance

5) poorly understood disease biology.

Three Emer Casey PhD Fellowship students together with the DISCOVARY Consortium are dedicated to addressing these problems. They are carrying out research in the areas of chemo resistance, cancer stem cells, circulating tumour cells and the body’s immune response to cancer. The scientists have already identified a panel of proteins that can be found in the blood of ovarian cancer patients. They have developed a near patient testing device to assess  a patient’s response to chemotherapy and are currently working on new ways to isolate circulating tumour cells in a patient’s blood.

The foundation relies on fundraising to provide this invaluable research. From our sponsors, to those who take part in the annual 10K run/walks in Youghal, London, New York and Melbourne, or raise money at local fundraising events, the foundation is eternally grateful to everyone who supports this work, in any way, big or small.

Team Youghal is being backed in its fundraising efforts by some influential US groups, including the Irish US Council, Enterprise Ireland’s US division, The Irish Consulate General in New York, The American Chamber of Commerce, The trinity Foundation, The Discovary Consortium Matheson, Ormsby, Prentice Solicitors, Emer’s former employers, and The Cork Association in New York.

www.emercaseyfoundation.com

www.teamyoughal.com

Sinn Féin’s Arts and Tourism spokesperson, Sandra McLellan, has welcomed the launch of the ‘Culturefox’ app and called for local and regional arts, cultural and tourist organisations to engage with the system to make it a success. Culturefox is the new online guide to Irish cultural events allowing you to disseminate and capture information about Irish cultural events both here and abroad reaching thousands of daily users. The searchable events guide is freely available across all platforms on your mobile phone and as an app for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.

Speaking at a recent information day to mark the launch of the app Deputy McLellan said: “The application has huge potential and reflects the ever-changing way people are accessing information. I would hope that the initiative can be further expanded in the future to include virtual maps and interactive tours. In the meantime, I would encourage events organisers and service providers to embrace the system to ensure it has the most up-to-date and relevant information.”

After finishing second place in the league and narrowly missing out on medals it was not all disappointment for the Youghal U-14 girls soccer team as the season came to a close. Throughout the June bank holiday Youghal Utd ladies soccer had something to celebrate with the inclusion of Holly-Rose Twomey in the Cork team competing in the Gaynor Cup.

The competition was held in Galway where 18 teams challenged for the title of national champions. Holly-Rose had been training with the Cork squad since last October at C.I.T and was fortunate to be selected from 40 players to represent her county in Galway. The competition was of a very high standard but Cork started extremely well with 4 wins to top their group, beating Galway 4-1, Longford 4-1, Roscommon 4-1 and Sligo/Leitrim 3-1.

Though they had been installed as favourites after their group exploits Cork bowed out in the Semi-Final, narrowly losing to eventual winners Inishowen 2-1in what was described as the best and toughest game of the entire competition. This was a fantastic experience for all the girls involved with over 300 participants from all over the country. It shows how much girls soccer has grown and in particular how strong representation at county, provincial and national level is from Cork. Youghal Utd is particularly proud to have players like Holly-Rose represent Youghal Utd at such a high level and it proves that rural clubs can compete with the bigger city teams and break into national squads.

There is great thanks to be given to her team-mates at Youghal and to the club who have shown  respect and support for girls soccer. It is hoped that Holly-Rose’s success can inspire more girls to join up next season. Great credit must also go to Kate Sheehan who assisted the Cork coaching staff throughout the winter and played a pivotal role in Cork’s success at the tournament in Galway.

Team Youghal met up with one of their main sponsors on Wednesday afternoon (15th June) at the start line of the Race Across America in Oceanside California to make a presentation.

The sponsor in question was Magner’s Irish Cider who greatly helped Team Youghal with their kind sponsorship to compete in the Race Across America.

Magner’s have also made sure the team’s celebrations after the race will go well by donating several cases of cider, to the joy of team members.

Magner’s were represented by their West Coast Marketing Executive Molly Stokas, Marketing Manager for Magners in San Diego to hand over the Irish Cider.

After completing the race, the team will host a function at The Consulate General of Ireland Offices on Park Avenue, Manhattan.

This will be held on June 28th to raise funds for their chosen charity, The Emer Casey Foundation.

The Emer Casey Foundation was established in June 2006 following Emer’s untimely death from ovarian cancer. The aim of the foundation is to raise awareness and to raise funds to secure the best independent advice possible in the area of ovarian and uterine cancer.

Team Youghal will begin their toughest challenge yet, The Race Across America on Saturday 18th June. This is a 3,005 mile race from Oceanside California on the West coast of America, to Annapolis, Maryland on the East Coast.

The team will cycle 24 hours a day in a non-stop relay until they reach the finish line.

Follow the team by logging on to www.teamyoughal.com and on Facebook, where there will be regular updates during the race. For more information on the Emer Casey Foundation please log on to www.emercaseyfoundation.com

It was with great sadness that I learned of Dr Garret Fitzgerald’s passing.  I believe he will be remembered by all as a great statesman.  He will also be remembered as a great citizen and a great public servant who was wholly dedicated to social progress and improving the country for the benefit of all people.

As a politician Garret Fitzgerald was truly committed to reform and social progress.  He worked hard to instigate change not just within Fine Gael but within political life as a whole.

During his time as Taoiseach Garret worked tirelessly to achieve peace on the island of Ireland.  Many view his signing of the Anglo Irish Agreement as one of his greatest achievements.

He was also a committed European who fully supported Ireland’s membership of the European Union.  Even after his official retirement from politics he remained vocal in his support of the European project and campaigned hard for yes votes in EU treaty referenda.

He was also a great academic and journalist and used his weekly column in the Irish Times to espouse his views, advice and opinion on economics, politics and all aspects of current affairs.

On the occasions when I had met Garret, I found him to be very pleasant and warm.  He was always courteous, professional and generous with his time.  I extend my deepest sympathies to his family, he will be sorely missed by both young and old.

David Stanton TD
Constituency Office
29 St Mary’s Road,
Midleton,
Co. Cork
Tel: 021 4632867
Fax: 021 4621133
Email: david.stanton@oireachtas.ie

On Thursday June 16th, seventy years to the day that he commenced employment as a film projectionist in the Regal cinema, Youghal’s Mikey Roche will hold his first photography exhibition. The showcase, at the McGoldrick Art & Photography Gallery, North Main Street (adjacent to Clock Gate), will feature a selection of images that he has taken himself alongside some vintage samples that the 88 year-old acquired during his long and healthy life.

 

When not showing ‘movies’ Mikey was a keen amateur photographer, with ‘a natural eye for the moment.’ Proprietor Eileen McGoldrick decided the works deserved exhibition space after Mikey showed her some examples of his work. The photos, shot in black and white on 35 mm film, include images of a helicopter that crashed on the grounds of St. Mary’s Collegiate Church (top of ‘Nook Lane’) in 1950, a British War plane that landed on Youghal beach and depictions of pipe bands from an era much faded but still fondly remembered by many in the town for its close-knit sense of community simple pleasures.

At Mikey’s request, the original photos have been reproduced to a standard 10’ by 8’ size. “It is a pleasure and an honour to be involved in hosting this exhibition by a truly wonderful gentleman,” says Eileen. Mikey retired from his profession as recently as last August 2010 when the Regal closed its doors for the last time.

A biography of Mikey’s working life would surely delight all who ever stared at a silver screen and enhance enormously the culture of his native town. Meanwhile this exhibition of a lesser known side to his talents serves as a timely reminder that in life’s onward rush, some things and some people from the past will forever be irreplaceable. The Mikey Roche Exhibition runs from June 16th for three weeks. Details: (024) 90494; 087-22865921; 087-4116483. Web: www.mcgoldrickart.com; email: mcgoldrickart@gmail.com

Notice regarding an Information Meeting for Youghal Lions Club on Thursday 16th June at 7.30pm Walter Raleigh Hotel. There will be an address by Terrence Mangan District Governor of Irish Lions Clubs. The aim of the meeting is to attract new members – male and female. All are welcome – tea and coffee will be served.

Whenever a Lions club gets together, problems get smaller. And communities get better. That’s because we help where help is needed – in our own communities and around the world – with unmatched integrity and energy.

Our 45,000 clubs and 1.35 million members make us the world’s largest service club organisation.

We’re also one of the most effective. We get the job done.

The only town in Ireland to be awarded three Blue Flags for 2011, Youghal was celebrating last night (Thursday 9th June 2011) and hoping that the announcement by Environment Minister Phil Hogan will draw much-needed additional tourism into the area. The east Cork town gained an extra flag for its Front Strand while retaining the standard for both Redbarn and Claycastle – much to the delight of the Town Council.

“We had an inkling of the news last week but we now have three Blue Flag beaches that stretch across all areas of our strand. This is a very rare achievement and we are absolutely thrilled,” Helen Mulcahy, acting Town Clerk, told the Cork News.

“We were very disappointed when we lost the Blue Flag for Front Strand. There was a problem with the water quality but it really was borderline and could be attributed to bad weather at the time. Readings are taken at certain times of the year though, and they don’t always do justice to the quality of the water.

“However, this year we ticked all the boxes. We’ve been working very hard cleaning the beaches and putting various facilities in place like wheelchair ramps and litter bins. We’ve been going around the clock trying to meet all the criteria and thankfully we have managed to do just that. This is a great achievement for the Town Council, the local Tidy Town group and for Cork County Council.”

There are high hopes the news will result in more tourists coming in to visit the town, which has suffered badly from factory closures and job losses over the last number of years. “Youghal has been very badly hit recently, especially by the amount of unemployment we’re seen. One of the few assets the town has left is its beaches and we have to do everything we can to exploit that,” Ms. Mulcahy added.

“Youghal has beautiful strands and it’s a wonderful place to come and visit or spend some time on holiday. If visitors come, it could well generate more employment in the locality and hopefully start something positive. People come from far and wide to use Blue Flag beaches and tend to avoid ones that aren’t designated with the award. So we do expect a good response from the public and for them to come in their droves, especially if the sun starts to shine.”

Cork received 11 Blue Flags in total for criteria such as water quality, information provision and beach management and the national total of 82 is an increase of eight from 2010. The other beaches in Cork are Garryvoe, Garretstown, Garrylucas, Inchydoney, Owenahincha, the Warren, Tragumna and Barleycove.

Source: thecorknews.ie

GiGis Reunion Night in aid of The Youghal Cancer Group

YES we are bringing back Gigis, well sort of!! The Rugby Club will be hosting a’ Gigis reunion’ night in aid of The Youghal Cancer Support Group on the 11th of June. It promises to be a fantastic night with Gigis Djs and Bouncers ,the classic songs we all loved to dance to and the night wouldn’t be the same without the dreaded slow set! and a few surprises.

 

Art Exhibition at South Abbey National School, Golf Links Road, Youghal on Thursday 16th June at 7 pm

South Abbey National School are celebrating their move to their new building at the Old CBS in Golf Links Road by putting on an Art Exhibition. The pictures have all been produced by the children at the school and parents, friends and anybody interested in seeing the brand new school are very welcome to come along at 7 pm on Thursday 16th June.
60 children and 7 staff made the move in March from their old building which, after 125 years, had become unsuitable as a place to teach children. They found in the former CBS building a brand new, spacious school which had been extensively refitted out by the owners, Fitzgerald Brothers, well known builders from Killeagh. The building now includes extra insulation, a modern heating system and more importantly plenty of room to expand.

South Abbey is under the patronage of the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. It has over the years developed under the leadership of the Principal, Sinead Solleveld, a very inclusive approach to educating young children. The school now has children of all religions and from all around the world.  Sinead is keen that parents are able to take this opportunity to see her school and confirms that her staff and children are really thrilled with the new building and the wonderful space and light they now have. To commemorate the move they have adopted a new motto for the school – “Is Feidir Linn!”