The 3rd Annual Classic Ford 4 Cystis Fibrosis (CF 4 CF) run starting point this year was a Farrell’s,  Summerfield Bar,Youghal ( 29th August 2010) Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com Email: news@youghalonline.com

The route took the fundraisers to Dungarvan where they turn off along the coast road to take in a lunch stop in Tramore. After lunch the run headed back in the direction of Dungarvan and on towards Cappaquin, Lismore and then Fermoy to finish. The weather was great and there was fantastic support for this charity event. Build 4 Life was founded by friends and family of Cystic Fibrosis patients in Cork and Kerry.

The aim of Build 4 Life is to:-

* Raise Awareness of Cystic Fibrosis in the region
* Raise over €1 million to develop Ireland’s first dedicated Cystic Fibrosis treatment unit within Cork University Hospital.

We are appealing to organisations, schools, businesses and individuals to organise a fund raising event or make a donation to raise vital funds for Cystic Fibrosis.

Michael Del Punta is the latest singing sensation to come out of Youghal. The talented 19 year old crooner wows the diners with his singing in the popular Capri Bay Italian restaurant in Youghal, where he works as a part time waiter. The diners have discovered that Michael is not only good at serving tables, he displays his fine talents singing his favourite songs by artists such as Sinatra, Crosby, Tony Bennett, etc., much to their delight and surprise.Report/Photo: Michael Hussey & Tony Irwin for YoughalOnline.com

The UCC student found he could not afford to bring his girlfriend to fancy restaurants so he decided to work as a part-time waiter in town. After meeting the proprietor of Capri Bay, Gerald Esposito, he immediately got the job and has been working there part-time for the past seven months. While working, Michael would often break out in song in the kitchen, when Gerald and his father Rocco asked him, with such a magnificent voice, to go out and sing to the customers. This has proved to be so popular that he has been affably called ‘the singing waiter’ by the customers and now Michael sings regularly to the packed restaurant. Now, customers come from far and wide to hear Michael serenade them at the tables as ‘the singing waiter’.

A recent Youtube videoclip of Michael singing in the restaurant, made by YoughalOnline.com, is rapidly climbing in the rankings of the entertainment section and is just one of many to be uploaded by YoughalOnline.com in the near future. Michael was also interviewed by Shane Supple on Youghal’s local radio station, C.R.Y.

His debut self-titled EP, recorded at Claycastle Studios in Youghal, has exceeded all expectations, so much so that he had to order a second pressing, such is the demand for the singing waiter. Michael says his goal one day is to sing at Madison Square Gardens in New York City, sell twenty five million albums and appear on the Late Late Show!

Michael and his family, who have been living in Youghal for the past seven years, originate from Verona, Italy. Since he was a young boy, when his older siblings were listening to the likes of Depeche Mode, Michael Jackson, Madonna or Kylie, Michael’s first contact with music was through his mother’s record collection consisting of works by Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. He has continued this love of that ‘big band’ genre ever since. He has trained his voice with the help of well-known music conductor, Mary Peadar-Daly where she taught him to study his breathing technique so much so that Michael and his mature voice have been likened to Michael Bublé, although his favourite artist of all time and greatest influence is undoubtedly Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra.

After moving to Youghal from Italy and studying at the old Youghal CBS school (he was the last person to do the Italian Junior Certificate exam in that school), he completed his fifth and sixth year studies in Pobalscoil na Tríonóide and now currently studies Arts at UCC, Cork City.

Michael has proved to be so popular, he is asked to sing regularly by friends at parties and weddings and is growing in confidence all the time. Speaking exclusively to YoughalOnline.com, he said “I am amazed by the reaction of the Youtube video and would like to thank YoughalOnline.com and everyone involved for their support” and confidently added “the way I see it, you should be able to do whatever it takes to make it to the top.”

So on your next trip to Capri Bay Italian restaurant to hear the singing waiter, when ordering your “big-a pizza pie”, you’ll get “Amoré” than you bargained for!

For the latest updates on Michael Del Punta go to his fanpage on Facebook or click here to view his Youtube videos.

The Market was successfully launched on Friday last 20th August 2010. The weather smiled on us and we were delighted to be able to welcome so many townsfolk and visitors to the opening day. Their presence and wholehearted support made the day an outstanding social and commercial success. Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com Email: news@youghalonline.com

There was great a buzz and the stallholders were kept very busy. It was particularly pleasing to see so many families among the crowd and it was great to be able to involve the children by offering them balloons and lollipops.

Having inspected and purchased items from among the wide range of organic and locally grown vegetables, artisan cheese, fresh fish, baked goods, organically produced eggs, beef and lamb, and handcrafted jewellery available, the visitors to the market could also enjoy a delicious cup of either fair trade coffee or hot chocolate while catching up and having a chat with their friends and acquaintances.

The Organising Committee are most grateful to the Mayor, Councillor Mary Linehan Foley for her support, her good wishes for the future success of the market and for performing the Official Opening ceremony. They are also most grateful to former Mayor Cllr Sandra McClellan, the Town Manager Catherine Power the Town Clerk Liam Ryan, the other Councillors, townsfolk visitors and local media representatives  who took  time to attend the Official Opening and make it such a success.

The market will be continue to take place every in Dolphin’s Square every Friday from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm.

The Organising Committee would be delighted to hear from additional farmers, artisan food producers or crafts people who may be interested in participating as stallholders in the Market. Anybody wishing to do so should visit our website – http://themarketsquare.org and download the details of the Youghal Town Council Casual Trading Bye Laws 2010 and the Casual Trading License Application Form. When completed the Application Form should be forwarded to—

Ms Helen Mulcahy

Staff Officer

Youghal Town Council

Mall House

Youghal

Co Cork

Phone No: 024 92926

Liam McCarthy and his family are well known locals, and live in Tallow Street, Youghal where they run a Newsagents Shop.  Eleven years ago their son, Ben, was born and was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.  Over the years, the family became very involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Association and helping to raise funds for them.
Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com | Email: news@youghalonline.com

Several months ago Ben came up with the idea of holding a fundraising Barbeque, and on Sunday last in Farrell’s Bar, Summerfield, Ben and the entire McCarthy family, with the help of a very good friend, Henry Nicholson, organised the most lavish of Barbeques ever seen.

The range of foods was amazing, and the different accompanying salads, sauces and dips just had to be tried. Henry and the McCarthy’s all turned out in their CF aprons and hats, suitably gloved and bursting with energy and enthusiasm. A very large crowd turned up to support this fundraiser, and there was no better venue than Farrell’s Bar, Summerfield. The sun shone and brilliant music was played by the Drombue Hill Band.  The large green area in the front was filled with children running and playing, while the adults basked in the sunshine, chatted with friends and thoroughly enjoyed the hot food.

Liam, Vice Chairman of the Cork Branch of the Association, said that Cystic Fibrosis has the highest incidence of genetic conditions in Ireland, and funds are badly needed. A Day Unit in Cork has commenced, at the cost of €1m, and this Unit will be a great help to everyone.  However, as the HSE are not in a healthy financial position at present, fundraising events must be organised to help raise the necessary monies.  “This is the first time that we have organised a BBQ”, Liam said, “and it seems to be going very well.  Of course, the good weather is a great help and people are very kind”.

Liam and his family wish to thank Michael Farrell for the use of his wonderful venue, HB Ice Cream, Stephen Murphy, BWG Foods, The Butcher Boy Youghal, Michael Cunningham Butcher, Youghal, Palace Foods and the Drombue Hill Band. And last, but certainly not least, their good friend Henry Nicholson who cooked, and cooked and cooked…

Youghal Credit Union hosted a visit of seven Ghanaian credit union personnel who were on a study trip to Ireland. The visitors work with CUA which is the trade organisation of all credit unions in Ghana. Most of their week was spent in Dublin in the headquarters of the Irish League of Credit Unions studying various aspects of Irish credit unions.
Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com Email:news@youghalonline.com

As part of the study trip the group visited a number of credit unions in Dublin and Cork. Youghal Credit Union was chosen as a venue following the manager’s, Barry Treacy, coaching trip to Ghana in January to assist credit unions there. Barry is due to return again in 2011 to offer further assistance.

The group were welcomed by the local credit union Chairman, John Colbert, and a number of other directors. Following a tour of the building an informal meeting was held where various questions were asked in relation to the operations of Youghal Credit Union. The group thanked the credit union for their assistance and expect to implement their new ideas on their return to Ghana. As a token of their generosity

Stephen Kwasi Agyemang Asiamah , the head accountant of CUA,  presented the Chairman with a sash in the Ghanaian  national colours.The group then returned to Dublin where they will visit Aras an Uachtarain prior to leaving Ireland on Sunday.

Date published: Mon, 09-08-2010
Pakistan Floods Emergency Appeal

Over 1,600 people have died in the worst monsoon floods to hit Pakistan in 80 years.

Help us to respond.
During the last two weeks, heavy rains have caused the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history. Raging floodwaters have destroyed homes, bridges, roads, schools, water systems and medical facilities; washing away entire villages. This has come just one year after a military offensive in the region caused over 2 million people to flee their homes, with many of the same communities now affected again for a second time.

Latest Pakistan Flood news

Trócaire is getting aid to survivors and we have launched an appeal to the Irish public for help.

Trócaire has been working in Pakistan for almost 40 years which means we are well placed to respond quickly to this disaster and get help to where it’s needed most.

Funding from the Irish government through Irish Aid helped us to respond fast but more help is needed. We are calling on our supporters to give what they can to help some of the fifteen million people affected by the flood. The numbers affected are even greater than the Haiti earthquake and Asian tsunami combined.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trocaire/4875090677/#/photos/trocaire/4875090763/lightbox/

Cecil Dunne, Trócaire’s emergency officer in Pakistan says the situation is really desperate for survivors: “Floodwaters have washed away people, homes, bridges, water systems and medical facilities. Survivors have been left with nothing: no homes, no food and no livestock. Yet more rain continues to fall.”

We are getting food, water, water purification tablets, cooking utensils, high energy biscuits for children and sanitary supplies to survivors.
Survivors in northwest Pakistan appeal for help

escaping the floods in Pakistan. Escaping the floods in Pakistan.

What some of the survivors of the floods have to say:

“Right now everything is out of our hands, there is not even rubbish to search through because all is washed away.  We sit here and wonder if it will be the rain or the heat from the sun that will kill us off”

“We only want you to rescue our children”

“These roads and bridges are not our losses, these are the governments’ and will be replaced.  Our losses are our homes and our belongings, who will replace these?”

“Do not come to watch us die, please do something……..”

Our response

Trócaire is getting food, water, water purification tablets, cooking utensils, high-energy biscuits for children and sanitary supplies to survivors.

In one area called Nowshera, in the northwest, our partners began providing pre-cooked meals to over 300 families the weekend the flooding began.  In another area near the city of Peshawar, Trócaire’s partners are providing food, water and sanitary supplies to over 1,500 families in four villages.

Families in Peshawar have lost everything and will need support in the coming weeks and months to rebuild their lives. As the floods swept through the northern districts, Trócaire began looking south to Sindh, where the waters would inevitably flow and where we worked with communities to prepare for the worst. We and our partners helped families prepare to move quickly to higher ground if the waters came, which they sadly did. Families were also stockpiling food, water and other essentials. This last few days, as the rains continued to pour, these evacuation plans became a reality.

Our work so far has included the evacuation of 8,000 such people trapped in at-risk areas from the area surrounding Manchar Lake in the southern province of Sindh.
In the northwest of Pakistan, Trocaire’s already supporting another 10,000 survivors with food, water, water purification tablets, cooking utensils, high energy biscuits for children and sanitary supplies to vulnerable families.

Specifically, 5,700 families have received food packages; 4,500 families received packages containing blankets, plastic sheets for shelter and kitchen utensils; and 5,000 families have received hygiene kits. The threat of disease is huge.
Threat of disease

“All the water systems are contaminated so getting people clean water is crucial,” according to Cecil Dunne. “Without clean water disease will spread like wildfire.”

“People are extremely vulnerable and desperately need our support – not only in the coming weeks but in the coming months and years that it will take to rebuild communities.”

Donate to our Pakistan Flood Emergency Appeal

Info: Courtesy of Trocaire

A 39 year old man living in Youghal is being questioned at Youghal Garda Station in connection with the major alarm involving all the emergency services at Claycastle strand last night (Thursday 19th August 2010). Report/Photo: www.YoughalOnline.com

The man is being held under Section 12 of the Criminal Law Act 1976. Reports that shots were heard in the area and of a person alleging he had self-inflicted gunshot wounds let to the high drama at Youghal beach last night (Thursday August 19th). Gardaí received a 999 call at approximately 7pm alleging a man had serious, self-inflictred injuries. ”The man gave details of an exact location but a search failed to locate anything. We resumed the search this morning but no-one has been recovered” a Garda spokesman said. It is now believed that the claims were false.

It is understood the caller claimed that a shot had been fired in the Redbarn area at approximately 7pm. Gardaí, local fire units under the command of Station Officer Tommy Roche and the Youghal Coast Guard branch were immediately alerted and raced to the scene. The Coastguard helicopter was scrambled from Waterford to assist with the search, in adverse weather conditions and rapidly failing light.

The helicopter did a full sweep from Redbarn strand back towards town and hovered just metres above the Claycastle strand area shining it’s bright lights at a particular spot where the sluice gate is situated on the beach. It was thought that the helicopter was honing in on the GPS coordinates of the mobile phone used in the 999 call. The search was called off at 10pm and resumed at 9am this morning.

Last night’s drama brought excitement amongst tourists and locals for over three hours. At one stage the carpark at Claycastle was cordoned off by Gardaí and access to the area was prohibited to clear the area for the helicopter to land. It is believed that whoever made the false alarm was watching the events as they occured. The entire emergency operation is understood to have cost thousands of pounds.

Youghal Garda station – Tel: 024 92200

Garda Confidential: 1800 666 111

Youghal Labour Town Councillor Donie Daly resignation from Youghal Town council has been officially accepted by his party. The resignation will be effective from September 13th next.

The seat is being co-opted to veteran Labour member and former councillor Tommy O’Connell, pending ratification by the Labour party and subsequent acceptance by the town council. The Labour party are unlikely to have completed their ratification prior to September’s council meeting.

Cllr Daly formally resigned his position at the local branch’s AGM. Sources in the party say the councillor resisted attempts to persuade him to stay on. A branch spokesman expressed “full and total confidence in Donie Daly” but appreciated that “events had forced his hand.”

As is well documented, Cllr Daly has quit amidst the town council’s monthly meeting from Monday evening to Tuesday mornings. Mr. Daly, a freelance financial consultant, says he cannot attend daytime meetings due to travel and work commitments.

Split
The council switched from Monday nights last April during a work to rule action taken by the council executive over pay and conditions. When that issue was eventually resolved, Cllr Daly’s eight colleagues were split 4-4 on whether to return to Monday nights, before the mayor’s casting vote decided in favour of Tuesday mornings.

The decision has sparked immense controversy in the town, given that Cllr Daly polled 383 first preferences in his first council election in 2009. He was Youghal’s first Labour councillor since 1986 when, ironically, his co-opted successor resigned.

Mr. Daly’s outspoken views had rankled several council colleagues. “It was becoming very difficult for me to have any sort of working relationship with some of them and I wasn’t surprised that daytime meetings were retained,” he says. “Nonetheless, I will now work alongside Tommy O‘Connell and the Youghal Labour party on behalf of those who voted for me and for the town in general.”

Parish Priest
Tommy O’Connell, 64,  first served as a Youghal Sinn Fein 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. While “sad  to see Mr.  Daly forced to resign by an intransigent council,”  Mr O’Connell warns that “a silent priest never got a parish and I will serve the town straight and honestly.”

One of the few occasions that the whole Murphy family from O’Reilly’s Terrace, Youghal, has been together over the years and the first time since the death of their mother Pearl who passed away on August 19th 2009.

In the intervening 33 years, apart from the greying and loss of hair, the unexpected appearance of various wrinkles and the mysterious gaining of the odd few kilogrammes, the family has grown with the addition of 31 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. All are still living in Youghal with the exceptions of Tony’s family in Dungarvan, one grandchild in Boston and David who has been in London since 1972. The family’s history and loyalty are obviously deeply rooted in Youghal or they simply have no sense of adventure!

Arrest imminent in car burning attempt

Youghal gardai now hope to interview an individual in regard to an attempt to burn out a car at the Estuary estate last Friday night. The news follows an request for public assistance by Community Garda Peter Queally.

Garda Queally described the incident as “very concerning” and had asked that anyone who had noticed anything suspicious in the vicinity of Raheen Road, the Spa and Magnier’s Hill, between 2 and 4 am, to contact gardai on (024) 92200. “If it had not been spotted, it could have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to other cars in close proximity, not to mention people and property,” observed the garda.

The gardai are also seeking help in solving another car related incident from the previous Sunday night (August 8th). Between 11.30 pm and 1.30 am, Garda Queally related, a silver Mitushibi Crew Cab suffered slashed tyres and graffiti at Blackwater Heights.

Drugs

Meanwhile search warrants and street searches by the local drugs squad last week had resulted in three arrests for possession. Gardai say there has been no major arrests in terms of dealers in recent months and continue to appeal for any information. Meanwhile Munster Area drugs services co-ordinator, Gordon Kingsley will address next September’s Community Alert meeting on the issue.

Shoppers harassment

The gardai are set to disperse ASBO’s (Anti-Social Behaviour Orders) in the coming days in lieu of a “worrying trend” in antisocial behaviour against shops and shoppers on the main street, Garda Queally has revealed. He says a group of individuals, generally aged 13 to 17, have been causing nuisance and intimidation in recent times. This has included verbal abuse, noise making and some criminal damage. “The most worrying aspect for us is the intimidation side of things and people have been reluctant to make formal complaints due to the large number of youths involved,” Garda Queally explains. “We can’t act without an official complaint but we can move on it in a different way,” he proceeds, before revealing that gardai are now considering issuing ASBO’s to those involved. “The parents of these kids could also help us out here,” he adds. Meanwhile, as the Chamber of Commerce issues advisory letters, witnesses to such behaviour are asked to contact gardai.

Socially monitored alarms

Garda Queally says there are now a new stock of application forms available for person socially monitored alarms. Over 40 have been installed in Youghal in recent months, through the Community Alert group. The group hopes to complete another tranche of 15 applications in line with government requirements in the coming weeks. The forms can be acquired at the garda station.

Finally the next community alert meeting is at the Walter Raleigh hotel on Tuesday September 7th.