Large crowds attended the funeral services of former town councillor Tommy O’Connell over the weekend. The town was shocked and saddened on Friday 23rd as news spread that the popular and outspoken personality had died suddenly aged 66, at Cork University Hospital.  Mr. O’Connell had battled against illness for some months but his indomitable spirit and joie de vivre had never diminished.

Tommy’s passing came only days after his official letter of resignation on health grounds had been read to September’s town council meeting. The members in turn paid tribute to him and it is without doubt that he would have expressed a wry if good-humoured response the words of endearment from colleagues with whom he would never shirk from crossing swords if the occasion demanded it.

Tommy O’Connell first served as a Youghal Sinn Féin councillor in 1974, before resigning from the party four years later. He topped the poll as an Independent in 1979, joined Labour in 1981 and was re-elected under that party‘s banner in 1985. However he resigned from local politics a year later when his family emigrated to London for some years. In October 2010 he was co-opted onto Youghal Town Council a replacement for Labour colleague Donie Daly who resigned in controversial circumstances when the monthly council meetings were re-scheduled for Tuesday mornings. That co-option was withdrawn by the Labour party on protocol and procedural grounds. The councillor had to wait until the following February to be officially re-instated.

Humour

Tommy’s council chamber jousts with opposing views and factions were never shirked or half-hearted but his honesty and conviction inevitably earned the respect of friend and foe alike. Equally, regardless of the intensity of a political argument, he never carried his gripe into the personal domain and within minutes of a council meeting. A man blessed with a wonderful and mischievous sense of humour, he would engage in friendly chat and banter over a post-meeting cup of tea with all and sundry.

Mr. O’Connell’s contribution to the council stretched far beyond independence of mind and individual pursuit. His love for Youghal and its people was consistent and deep and he applied insight, reasoning and intelligence to that commitment.

Ever capable of fashioning a new initiative, Tommy frequently shone light on dark areas of economic and political stagnation. In recent times he advanced two prominent proposals to benefit the town. He sought a feasibility study into the re-introduction of drift net salmon fishing. He also proposed 50% rent & rate reductions for new businesses ion premises that had been idle for two years or more, which is the subject of on-going consideration by the town council and the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism.
The many who mourn his passing will remember Tommy O’Connell with a fondness that was well-earned and deserved in a community from which he asked for little and to whom he gave a lot. May he rest in peace; preferably of course with a fresh pint amongst former colleagues and friends who had pre- deceased him!

TO RAISED GLASSES, the cry “To Walter” resounded through Youghal at 17.59 yesterday as news spread like spilt porter that the town’s landmark Walter Raleigh Hotel was to reopen its doors.

The cry heralded the imminent arrival of Atlantic Hospitality Services (AHS), the Cork-based hotel asset management company that provides asset management services to owners, banks and receivers and who will oversee the running of the hotel in its next era. The hotel closed on Friday September 16th, with the loss of 30 full and part-time jobs. Its future has since been in doubt.

Yesterday though, web activists were sharing, feeding, widgeting, blogging, or just plain old fashioned copy and pasting the news that it would soon again entertain patrons. Texts were flying, phone calls were hoppin’ also “To Walter”

Past 17.59 the internet buzzed and Twitter tingled as people beseeched people to ‘follow us on’… “To Walter!”. Facebook echoed similarly as the sentiment went viral. By 18:00 hours, Youghal local radio CRY 104 FM rang out the headline:  “To Walter!” as the newsreader failed to contain his longing!

It is hoped to celebrate “Walter’s Day” as an annual event in the town in honour of the remarkable legacy of the English aristocrat Sir Walter Raleigh, the creator of hotels, colonies and Yawlies. A writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, smoker, spud planter and explorer will make a welcome return on September 22nd 2012. To Walter! – and not a McGuinness in sight! Oops!!
Enjoy this post irresponsibly.

Photographs: Michael Hussey | Actors from the Roanoke Island Theatre

ART AND CULTURE VENUES open their doors in Youghal on Friday night, Sept. 23th 2011. Drama, behind-the-scenes tours, and music performances are all part of the fare on offer. The night is one of the highlights of Youghal’s cultural calendar and will give people the opportunity to explore venues and facilities at night and for free!

YOUGHAL TOWN COUNCIL
PRESS RELEASE DATED 20TH SEPTEMBER 2011.

In relation to adverse statements issued by various individuals relating to the closure of the Walter Raleigh Hotel, I am now issuing this statement on behalf of Youghal Town Council. Contrary to recent reports Youghal Town Council was not the creditor which allegedly forced the closure of the Walter Raleigh Hotel. The Reports also states the Walter Raleigh owed considerable “rent” to Youghal Town Council, Youghal Town Council have never “owned” the Walter Raleigh Hotel and were not renting the facility to Beechford Ltd., (operating Company). It is indeed very regrettable that the Walter Raleigh Hotel has closed and that this has resulted in job losses in the area, at a time when severe economic pain is being felt by all. All businesses are experiencing difficult trading conditions currently, people have very little disposable income to hand and the retail sector is severely hit as a consequence. Dance Licenses are issued by District Courts not by Town Councils and the operators who apply to the Court for same must have up to date Tax Clearance Certificates. The application by Beechford Ltd for a Dance Licence was not heard at Youghal District Court on Friday 16th September 2011.

Youghal Town Council charge commercial rates on all businesses within Youghal as all Local Authorities do Countrywide. In fact the rate charged by Youghal Town Council is one of the lowest in County Cork and considerably less that the Cork County Council charge. Beechford Ltd., T/A Walter Raleigh Hotel had trading difficulties and were having difficulties paying rates to Youghal Town Council. Youghal Town Council were in regular contact with the Management of the Hotel with a view to putting an easy payment plan in place to help to keep the Hotel trading and the staff employed. Regrettably the Management did not seem to have the appetite to engage in this dialogue, which would have put the Hotel in a better trading position….. one can only ask why not?

In an effort to help the Hotel over the summer period Youghal Town Council provided the 1798 Memorial Park free of charge to the Hotel to hold five weekend events to help generate much needed revenue. It now appears that the Hotel was actually being wound down with a view to closing in September. It goes without saying that Youghal Town Council will work positively with the appointed liquidator to ensure that a new operator is found for the Hotel, which is crucial to the economic infrastructure of the town. A creditors meeting is to be held at the Vienna Woods Hotel on September 27th when the full financial problems of the Hotel will be known and equally the truth in relation to which creditor forced the company into voluntary liquidation.

In the meantime it should be noted that Youghal Town Council are actively engaged in numerous easy pay rate payment plans with numerous businesses, which are actively trading and healthily going forward, directly because of that positive interaction. Youghal Town Council is eager to work with any business experiencing difficulties in an effort to keep that business financially viable and its employees employed.

Issued by Liam Ryan, Town Clerk on 20th September 2011.

FORMER YOUGHAL TOWN COUNCILLOR OLLY CASEY is set for a whale of an adventure next November when he travels to America to deliver his reminiscences on the filming of Moby Dick in Youghal to a theatre audience. Olly will be the guest of Paris-based Irish theatre company Gare St. Lazare Players Ireland, who will be performing their one-man adaption of Moby Dick in the Zeiterion Performing Arts Centre, New Bedford, Massachussets. The show runs for three performances on Fri/Sat Nov 4th & 5th during the renowned company’s ten-venue US tour  as part of ‘Imagine Ireland- a Year of Irish arts in America 2011,’ supported by Culture Ireland.

A themed lecture, walking tour, a children’s film festival and a related art exhibition will accompany the show’s run. Olly will also travel with some photos from the time and is keen to hear from anyone who has any relevant material or memorabilia that he could also bring on the trip.

Olly’s invitation comes after his recollections impressed the acting group when they performed the play at the Mall Arts Centre in April 2009 during his term as mayor. “As a 12 year- old I watched those scenes being filmed back in 1954? and I can remember it all as if it was yesterday,” says Olly. “A lot of what I recall would be undocumented and it seemed to strike a strong chord with the group. When I got the e-mail inviting ne to join them in November I was both honoured and delighted.”

Obliging

Herman Melville’s 1851 novel is often considered America’s greatest ever noel. John Huston’s 1956 film portrayal with Gregory Peck and Richard Basehart is likewise deemed a classic. Aficionados of either are sure to be intrigued by the Youghal man’s eyewitness accounts to his hometown assuming the mantle of a mid-19th century New England whaling port. “I remember seeing the repeated takes in the opening scenes and hearing Ishmael’s (Royal Dano) famous warning to Starbuck (Leo Genn): ‘At sea one day you’ll smell land where there’ll be no land and on that day Ahab will go to his grave, but he’ll rise again within the hour,’” he recalls with a chuckle.

Olly says that practically all the cast and crew lodged locally, “except Gregory Peck, who stayed in the Metropole in Cork. We’d follow them around, picking up their discarded cigarette boxes and asking for autographs. They were very obliging. If we asked ten times, they’d sign,” he recalls. Mr. Peck, for all his prowess and presence was “probably here more in a promotional capacity,” offers Olly, “as he doesn’t appear in the film until well out at sea.”

Pubs and prosperity

The filming centred round Barry’s Lane, where Paddy Linehan, proprietor of Linehan’s Bar, acquired a special dispensation to open from 6 am. “It was always jammed and Paddy, fast on the ball, erected a banner portraying ‘Moby Dick’s Saloon’ on the front of his premises. Linehan’s of course subsequently and ever since became Moby Dick’s Bar.

Across the laneway stood a pub of a different ilk. “That was Mrs. Boland’s house, its frontage altered to represent Peter Coffin’s (Joseph Tomelty) Spouter Inn,” informs Olly. “Then at either end of the lane you had the Youghal fire brigade creating rain by turning on the hoses while huge fans dispersed the spray onto the set!”

Though the town only features in the opening minutes the filming spanned June to most of August, providing an incredible boost to a local, depressed economy. “Certainly a lot of money was spent on supplies and materials,” agrees Olly. “Then there was work on the set itself. My mother, Margaret (‘Tilly’) got 30 shillings a day –that’s €9 a week- as an extra. My father John was earning £7 a week working at the gasworks so you can gauge how lucrative it was. I remember seeing hundreds gathering at the back of the town hall hoping to get hired as extras. At the same time you would get Gregory Peck dodging in and out the back and front entrances!”

Abiding memories for an ambassador

Olly’s insights are further augmented through his mother’s role as caretaker in the town, where she had close proximity to the many props and accessories stored there. Yet one of his dearest impressions of the time came many years later, as he perused some photographs of the occasion provided by council colleague Liam Burke. “I recognised my mother crossing the Market Square in her costume as an extra,” he says. “That image has really stayed with me.”

His most abiding memory from the live event however derives from watching the iconic, early morning scene of Captain Ahab’s ship, the Peaquod, sail past Youghal Lighthouse, “towards the world.” He reasons it as reflective of Walter Raleigh, to name but one, having also sailed from Youghal to visit the world.

Though not by sea, the lone traveller that will be Olly Casey will depart Youghal for the wider world next November as an ambassador for the town in similar vein. “Yes, I’m conscious that in a personal capacity I am promoting Youghal to some extent,” he agrees. “And it would be great if something positive for the town were to arise from it. We’ll wait and see.”

Lauded show

As for the other one-man performance, Gare St Lazare’s adaption sees actor Conor Lovett, accompanied by original music from Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh on fiddle, viola and uileann pipes “catche the humour and the wisdom of Ishmael’s commentary,” according to Zeiterion’s website, adding, “It is everything Moby Dick should be.”

The critics seem to agree: “A Must-see. Lovett holds us spellbound as he captures the humour as well as the wisdom of Melville,” swoons the Irish Examiner;  “A distillation of Melville’s genius,” urges the Irish Times. “Mesmerizin,” echoes Eamon McCann and “Lovett’s capacity to hold an audience is remarkable,” considers” the Guardian. Wait until they see Olly…..!!

Olly Casey is keen to hear form anyone who could lend memorabilia for his journey; Please contact him on 086-8105739

 

Differences Emerge As Walter Raleigh Closes After 109 Years Of Service.
By Christy Parker

YOUGHAL’S WALTER RALEIGH HOTEL has closed its doors after over a century of operation. The ‘Walter’ which opened in 1902, has entered voluntary liquidation, with the loss of 30 full and part-time jobs. The hotel was not represented at Youghal District Court in court on Thursday September 15th for an application to renew its dance licence. Owners Beechwood Ltd. opted to close the business the following morning.

Hotel manager Michael Davitt has claimed that Town Council had objected to the licence –or were intending to do so- in lieu of rates arrears. This has been dismissed by Youghal Town Clerk Liam Ryan as “totally untrue.” Mr Davitt’s claim that the town council were overtly insistent and uncompromising on the rates issue has also been rejected by Mr. Ryan. The manager confirms that the hotel had financial difficulties but insists that the issue of rates arrears coupled with the alleged dance licence objection “was the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

Payment plan

Responding fully to Mr. Davitt’s assertions, the town clerk says the hotel’s closure “is very regrettable at a time when severe economic pain is being felt by all.” He proceeds that the local authority “was in regular contact with the hotel management with a view to putting an easy payment plan in place regarding rates arrears. Regrettably,” he notes, “the management did not seem to have the appetite to engage in this dialogue, which would have put the hotel in a better trading position. One has to ask, ‘why not?’” he adds.

The official proceeds that last summer the council provided the hotel with free use of the nearby 1798 Memorial Park to help generate revenue but notes that “it now appears that the hotel was actually being wound down with a view to closing in September.” He says the council “will work positively with the appointed liquidator to ensure that a new operator is found for the hotel, which is crucial to the economic infrastructure of the town.”

Creditors

A creditors meeting is scheduled for the Vienna Woods Hotel on September 27th “when the hotel’s full financial problems will be known “and equally the truth in relation to which creditor forced the company into voluntary liquidation,” Mr Ryan observes. The main creditor is understood to be a large financial institution. Meanwhile, Mr Davitt says that traders and those who had paid deposits on intended functions “would be fully reimbursed.”

Mr. Ryan stresses that the council is “actively engaged in numerous easy pay rate payment plans with numerous businesses, which are actively trading and healthily going forward directly because of that approach. The council is eager to work with any business experiencing difficulties in an effort to keep that business financially viable and its employees employed,”  he finishes.

The launch of the photographic exhibition “Last Days. The End of Carpets at Youghal” will take place in the Mall Arts Centre, Youghal on Friday 23rd September 2011 at 7pm, in accordance with Corks Culture Night. This photo exhibition is steeped in the history of Carpet production in Youghal.

Tremendous pride was taken in the producing of these high quality carpets and this exhibition honours the skill and workmanship involved in this process. The striking photographs of this exhibition encapsulates the immense impact of the imminent closure of the factory. The exhibition was previously displayed in May 2007 and was compiled by Marcella Reardon and Derek Speirs who witnessed and documented the final days of the factory’s operation in December 2006. This launch marks the homecoming of the exhibition, as the collection is returned to Youghal on a permanent basis. There are over 30 photographs within the collection – some which are 6ft x 6ft in size! The official launch of the exhibition takes place at 7pm in the Mall Arts Centre on Friday 23rd September. Una Whyte, the talented concert Harpist and Vocalist will perform a recital at the opening of the exhibition. Previous factory workers as well as those involved in compiling the exhibition will be present to mark the homecoming of the collection.

The production of carpets in Youghal began in 1954 with just four employees. At the height of its operations, nearly 800 staff were employed in Youghal alone and 3,600 in the entire company.  The industry was monumentuous to the development and progression of the surrounding communities – not just Youghal, but East Cork itself and South West Waterford. The exhibition will run for a week and is free of charge for all to view in the Mall Arts Centre. It is open on the following days: Friday    23rd September 3pm – 10pm Sunday  25th September 3pm – 6pm Monday  26th – Friday 30th September 9am to 4pm daily For more information please see www.themallartscentre.com or contact Joyce on 083-3606507.

Click on image to enlarge

Following the official opening of “The Beauty of Youghal”photographic exhibition in aid of Trocaire’s Famine Appeal at Youghal Credit Union almost twenty exhibits sold within two hours resulting in disappointment for people who wanted the same prints later. Bob Rock has agreed to reprint any such items as required. So if you were disappointed drop in and place your order.

Bob would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who contributed to getting the project up and running,John Colbert, Chairman,Youghal Credit Union,Barry Treacy,Manager,All the staff who have the important job of collecting the money, Sandra Mc Lellan,TD, thanks for the memories, Sandra, Councillor Michelle Henessy, thanks for coming Michelle, Janet Twomey, Regional Development Officer,Trocaire,Tony Troy who helped hang the prints,the’re still hanging Tony, Anthony Cooper for making the collection box, if we fill that Tony we’ll have solved the hunger crisis.Finally, thanks to everybody who showed up for the launch,those who bought a print or made a donation and if you have not yet, do drop in even if you are not a customer, they will be glad to see you.

Click on image to enlarge – Pics; Youghalonline.com – Landscape pics by Bob Rock | email: news@youghalonline.com

Team Youghal Completes The Race Around Ireland For The Third Time – By John Hennessy

TEAM YOUGHAL made history in Navan, Co. Meath on Sunday, September 11th, when they started the Race Around Ireland for the third successive year in a row. Christy McCarthy from Team Youghal left the starting line in Market Square, Navan, at 05:15pm, after playing the National Anthem on the bagpipes for the opening of the race, and then headed North for his first stint in the toughest cycling endurance test in Europe. The Team cycled straight into Hurricane Katia on Sunday night and most of the day Monday which saw them going through Nothern Ireland, over to Donegal and then down to Sligo. One of the cyclists commented that it was the first time he had to cycle down a hill.

Tuesday saw a let up in the weather as the Team headed for Galway and continued down into Limerick and Kerry. In the early hours of Wednesday morning Team Youghal entered their home County of Cork as they continued on their journey in The Race Around Ireland.  Before reaching County Cork they cycled through the Black Valley in Kerry around midnight so did not get to see the beautiful landscape that rural Kerry has to offer. However this was not the case for West Cork as the Team headed into County Cork as the sun rose, in good form, in good weather and going strong.

The Team cycled through West Cork and reached Cork City around 3:00pm, Wednesday, where Christy McCarthy took on the infamous Patrick’s Hill in Cork and won. Team Youghal then continued on to their home town of Youghal and arrived around 5:00pm to a huge welcome. This boosted the spirits of everyone on the Team and gave them energy for the final leg of the journey.

Team Youghal then continued up the East Coast of Ireland into Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow, Dublin and Co.Meath. They completed two major climbs during this journey, namely, Mount Leinster and The Sally Gap.

At 10:40am Thursday morning Team Youghal crossed the finish line in Navan to complete their Race Around Ireland in a time of 89 hrs 25 mins. During the race the Team cycled 2,172 km with an average speed of 24.29 km/h with someone in the saddle at all times.

This year Team Youghal completed The Race Around Ireland for two local charities; Youghal Hospice and Youghal Meals On Wheels.

Click on image to see Team Youghal cycle for local charities in the Race Around Ireland. Pics: John Hennsessy | Ed Guiry | Youghalonline.com

Opponents hold second public meeting – By Christy Parker

Eras Eco Ltd’s plans to upgrade its sludge drying plant to process hazardous waste faces a fresh challenge as Bord Pleanála are now investigating whether its planning application to Cork County Council was legally valid. The planning permission was granted last June under regular planning criteria but the Bord is considering whether the proposed extension should instead have been sought from the Bord, under what is known as a ‘Strategic Structure Development.’

On foot of this uncertainty, An Bord Pleanála is seeking the views of several relevant parties, including Eras Eco Ltd, Youghal Chamber of Tourism and Commerce and the Heritage Board. It will rule on the matter in the coming months. Consequently, Youghal Chamber’s previously entered appeal to An Bord Pleanála against the planning permission is on hold.

Should the Bord deem the application to have been invalid, then Eras Eco Ltd. will have to re-apply under Strategic Structure Development criteria, effectively starting the entire process again.  While this procedure is actually a simpler process from the company’s stance, it also offers opponents a fresh opportunity to submit objections.

Should the Bord rule that the original application was valid after all, the appeal by the Youghal Chamber will be re-activated and proceed as normal.

All of this is distinct from Eras Eco’s application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a licence to commence operating their newAquaCritox® technology at the plant if and when the planning application is finally given. The licence application can be made at any time, even prior to of the status of the planning application being decided but will also invite public submissions.

Public meeting

The second and meeting of the Blackwater Estuary Action Group (BEAG) at Youghal GAA’s Club Aras on Tuesday August 24th was primarily focused on this impending licence application. Amongst those who addressed the near 300-strong attendance was local woman Karen Gallogley, who protested against the original sludge drying licence application by the plant’s previous operators AVR Solutions Ltd, in 2005.

Mrs Gallogley explained that once it is lodged, notice of the licence application will be conveyed in the local press, the EPA website and indeed by word of mouth. “There will be just one EPA inspector overseeing the application,” she advised “and we must write in with our objections.” To this end, BEAG  would provide three –as yet unnamed- premises to where letters could be brought before being forwarded to the EPA. The public consultation period would last about four months and “the EPA will only accept submissions during this time,” she stressed.

Meantime, Mrs Gallogley claimed, the EPA had been investigating possible odorous emissions at the plant, with a report pending for some three years. She urged the gathering to contact EPA inspector Caomhin O’Nolan regarding this report, express their concerns about the plant and request information during future developments.  Mr O’Nolan’s contact details were provided.

The meeting had commenced with an address from BEAG representative Aoife Hennessy who described the groups as representative of concerned residents across east Cork, west Waterford and the Blackwater valley generally. She said AquaCritox®, eras Eco’s proposed advanced technology,  had not previously been commercially employed and she feared that Eras Eco’s operations record to date, -with many incidences of licencing limits having been breached- did not inspire confidence.

Ms Hennessy questioned from whence waste would arrive, worried that it would be parked on site and wondered whether the company would in time seek to extend its licence further. “This threatens Youghal as a heritage and tourist town,” she warned, adding, “We are continuing our research and have also been in contact with other action groups and environmental campaigners.”

Natasha Harty

One such campaigner was Natasha Harty of Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (CHASE), whose organisation is currently winning a ten year-battle to prevent an incinerator being built in Ringaskiddy. Addressing the meeting, she said an oral hearing, if acquired, could prove very positive as such a procedure usually “brings out very useful information that otherwise might be lost and also draws in expertise from varied quarters.”

Ms Harty also drew referred to the successful and “exciting” campaign to deny pharmaceutical company Merrill Dow a manufacturing plant in Youghal 23 years ago, in which she was active. “There were many diverse groups and individuals, with sometimes opposite ideas, but who decided early on not to fight against each other,” she recalled. She said each group left other groups pursue their own courses of action, rendering it “very difficult for the opposition to cope” with the multi-pronged approach. “You have to be prepared to give your time, effort and money,” she advised, “because it can be a long and expensive process.”

In conclusion, the speaker urged absolute unity, as against “wasting your time and energy taking offence” with others.

Recap

BEAG activist Michelle Ryan Hennessy then recapped information for the benefit of those who had not attended the inaugural meeting at Farrell’s bar a fortnight previous. She repeated that in 2009 alone Eras Eco Ltd had reported over 40 exceedances of limits involving various substances, including cyanide, ammonia and sulphates. She proceeded that BEAG would strive to support Youghal Chamber financially should it require a barrister (Senior Counsel) in the course of its resistance and was now providing €250 as a starting point.

Swiping the floor

There followed an open forum from the floor in which various views –most of them angry!- were delivered across a wide area of opinions, allegations, dire warnings and possible courses of action. It was asked whether Cork County Council had a contingency plan for the emergency services in case of an accident. A potential threat to Youghal’s three blue flags was invoked, as was the legacy of Thalidomide, despite expert opinion of the time. Possible air-borne poison was pondered, not to mention long-term uncertainty regarding exposure to chemicals in water supplies, or traffic accidents involving chemical-laden trucks. Amidst such dread came the insistent argument that, as long as a community “stands together,” exterior agencies cannot impose their will on it. “They can’t,” stressed he speaker.

Youghal Town Council

There was a call for the Youghal Town Council, as landlords of the Eras Eco site, to behave in accordance with that status and seek a meeting with its tenants apropos their behaviour to date. Indeed the town council and the town clerk were on the receiving end of speculation as to whether more could have been done -and should yet be done- to address the situation. Aoife Hennessy said the group would be applying through the Freedom of Information Act to acquire a copy of the 35-year leasehold, which was issued to the site’s original occupants, Youghal Waste Disposal & Recycling Ltd about 10 years ago (who had sold it on to AVR Environmental Solutions Ltd., who in turn passed it to Eras Eco Ltd.)

With a HSE/ambulance meeting taking place in town simultaneously, only two politicians were present, they being Sinn Fein councillors Michelle Hennessy and Eoin Flanagan. Cllr Hennessy argued that while she was “totally against toxic waste coming to Youghal” and had also protested against AVR’s tenancy, the town councillors had no authority in planning matters. Very little pre-information on the Eras Eco proposal had been provided and the issue was never discussed in the council chamber. What information had been forwarded to the councillors from the company, “made no mention of toxic waste,” she explained “It (toxic waste) wasn’t brought to our intention,” she concluded.

EPA

A further speaker called on the gathering to continue to make their views known to the local council and indeed to the county manager also. He also concurred with Natasha Harty’s view that a unified, multi-pronged campaign was preferable and said he believed he EPA had a conflict of interest in ruling on a licence application.

Mrs Gallogley argued against “wasting energy” in looking back before recalling that the EPA had told her that the last spot check it had undertaken at Eras Eco Ltd was “at the start of 2010” She compared Eras Eco’s self-monitoring to “Leaving Cert students correcting their own exams!”.

Youghal Chamber of Commerce director Eileen Quill advocated “bombarding” he EPA with “letters, postcards, e-mails” so the watchdog be aware that “they are being watched too.” She compared the Eras Eco performance to date as “anti-social behaviour at a very advanced stage” and reiterated the Chamber’s commitment to fighting the company’s intentions.

The next speaker also supported a multi-pronged approach and appealed for expertise in any related sector, down to truck seizes and capacity, to come forward and join the fight.  The sentiment was echoed by a lady who advocated opposing the company on the grounds that its plans could jeopardise the preserved natural resources of its adjoining lands.

Cllr Murray’s letter

As the meeting concluded, Michelle Ryan Hennessy referred to a letter BEAG had written to each town councillor seeking information, by way of compiling “a history of events,” on when the councillors had first become aware of the planning application, the extent of any subsequent discussions with the town clerk and whether they were aware that the town clerk had written to Cork County Council stating the Youghal administration, as landlords, had no objection to any planning permission being granted. (This allegedly occurred on December 3rd, 2010, some weeks before the Eras Eco application was lodged and six months before it was granted).

Cllr Murray had been the only respondent. Her letter, read to the meeting, firstly took issue with “the general tone and aggressive wording” of the request.  She said her stance was clear throughout and that she had been instrumental within the Chamber of Commerce n objecting to the planning application as well as the appeal to Bord Pleanála. She had become aware of the planning application during Christmas week through an Evening Echo editorial, had also read the site notice and received the letter from Eras Eco circulated to all councillors (but which, according to Cllr Hennessy, did not mention ’hazardous waste.’)

The councillor explained that planning applications are not discussed at town council meetings and that councillors have no input in the planning process (other than re-zoning). She was unaware of the town clerk’s letter but described it as “an executive function” essential to efficient day-to-day running of the town hall. (Simplified, this means that the letter formed part of the regular, required procedure within general planning processes between Cork County and Youghal Town councils and was not pertaining specifically to the Eras Eco proposal.)

Cllr Murray said she was available and willing to assist with any future initiatives BEAG might consider, while warning that possible recruitment of legal advisers and other expert opinion would likely prove very high. “Funding is a major issue and needs to be immediately addressed,” she urged. She also proposed the names of several barristers who deal in planning issues.

On a footnote, several employees of Eras Eco Ltd. distributed fours page information brochures on the company’s plans and the associated AquaCritox® technology. It was acknowledge at the meeting that this was an acceptable action by workers keen to retain their employment. The company currently employs seven full-time and three pat-times staff.