A record 540 people turned out for this year’s Emer Casey 10 km road race in Youghal, an increase of almost 12% on 2012. Considering that last year had been up 26% on the 2011 number and that there were even more events on this week as well, it’s a remarkable number.The full results can be seen HERE

The mens race was won by Alan O’ Shea (Bantry AC) in a time of 31:35. In second place was Sean McGrath (East Cork AC) in a time of 31:54. The women’s race was won by Lizzie Lee (Leevale AC) in a new ladies course record time of 35.18. Jerry Forde (Blarney-Inniscarra AC) won the wheelchair race in a time of 48:53. The course took participants through the historic streets of Youghal and finish at the Front Strand. The prize giving ceremony took place at PobalScoil Na Trionoide immediately after the race.
Below is a video clip of the Emer Casey Memorial 10k 2013 as the athletes pass under the Clock Gate and enter North Main Street in Youghal.

Below is the Emer Casey Foundation Memorial 10K Run in Youghal (2011)

Below is a Movie Clip of the Emer Casey Memorial 10k 2010 in Youghal

Youghal man John McGrath who lived in the Clock Gate from 1939 to 1959 speaks about his memories of those day and other stories. The tower built in 1777 was part of the towns fortifications. It served the town as a gaol and a public gallows until 1837. It then became a family home until 1959 when the last family left, which was the McGrath family.

Having grown up in the Clock Gate, John left for Britain during the 1950’s as did many of his contemporaries. There he observed the post-war housing improvements in Britain, thus, on his return he urged his parents to seek more comfortable and conventional accommodation. They reluctantly left the clock gate in 1959. The McGrath home offers a glimpse into the social, political, and economic changes experienced during the twentieth century.

The Clock Gate is undergoing extensive renovations and near completion of this phase of the refurbishment & development works.

Click on the HD Video (45 mins) below to hear the extraordinary story of “The McGrath’s of the Clock Gate”.

Photos and related videos below

Come along and check this band out. The CD is available on their website www.hellforleatherband.com and in some local shops. CLICK HERE

LOCAL BAND HELL FOR LEATHER are to release their brand new album “Just add water” on the 2nd of June 2013. The album recorded at Claycastle Recording Studios took just over 2 months to record and mix down. John Burke of Claycastle Studio spent many a long hour working on it, according to singer Mike Carey, he was great, he very so often we would have to poke him with a stick to wake him up.! But he did a great job getting all our songs down onto that big silver disk recorder thing.

The album contains a mix of songs from old to some new original songs written by the band themselves. There is something for everyone on this album. The lads have had an eventful year so far. They were the main band on the crowning night for the Irish Culchie Festival held in Cloyne, The were the main headline act at the Cork Folk and Trad Festival held earlier on this year. Paddy Casey joined them at a gig recently and spent over an hour on stage with the lads. They have toured Russia, They have played at local wakes and weddings.

Take a look at the cover for the album and then you will realise the lengths this bunch of lads will go for a bit of fun.
“Well, you see all these big bands getting the hair, make up, lighting etc right and they spend a fortune doing it, I don’t know what the fuss is all about sure we just had an old wash and cleaned ourselves up a bit and hey presto we have that natural look which is so much better and didn’t cost a fortune said accordion player Richie Carey about the album cover.

Ken Landers the drummer said that the launch night would start in Carrigtwohill’s Cousins Home bar on the 2nd of June and all going well it should end up in Youghal sometime around December next year. So far the songs have received a good response to the album and are getting lots of radio play, they have even had enquiries from America about touring there after the album was heard on line by a promoter in Dallas Texas. Things are looking pretty busy said loval man Shane Supple , but the best thing is the fun and craic the lads have when playing its all about that.

Come along and check this band out. The CD is available on their website www.hellforleatherband.com and in some local shops.

Respond Celebrate National Volunteering Week 2013

The Friends of Respond! in Youghal were set up over 20 years ago as a cross community, ecumenical group to advance the renovation of the old Protestant asylum, Shalom House. Respond! Housing Association collaborated with the local group and Shalom House was converted into 24 apartments for older people. Since then a further facility for older people was developed in the early 2000’s at St. Francis Court, Cork Hill.

The Friends of Respond! in Youghal are a dedicated group of local volunteers who have managed these developments for the past three decades.

It is fitting that in National Volunteering week this group is recognised for their selfless hard work and dedication to the Youghal community.

“The Youghal volunteers epitomise the ethos of Respond! where generous people come together and provide the necessary supports for the more vulnerable members of their community. This Youghal collaboration is a model that Respond! would like to see replicated across the country”, commented Ned Brennan. Chief Operations Officer at Respond! Housing.

Housing charity Respond! chose a unique way to acknowledge the contribution of their 500 plus volunteers on the occasion of National Volunteering Week 2013, which runs from the 13th to the 19th of May 2013, by placing a mirror poster in each of their centres nationally stating ‘you’re what making a difference looks like’.

Respond! wishes to recognise the huge contribution volunteers make to their community during national volunteering week. Celebratory gatherings are being organised locally around the county with thank you cards and a small token of appreciation being distributed on estates by Resident Support Workers during their weekly visits to residents, to show Respond! gratitude for the work that is being done on the ground every day.

National Volunteering Week is a great opportunity to recognise the hundreds of men and women, who give freely of their time, day-in day-out, for the greater good of their community. Respond! believes that the success of many estates, community projects and centres nationally can be attributed to the work, dedication and vision of these remarkable people.

Respond! capacity building strategies seeks to ensure communities foster the growth of the individual resident for the continued benefit of the whole community in order to counter disadvantage and promote inclusion. Respond! community enablers and volunteers are key to the success of these endeavours.

Respond! Ned Brennan Chief Operations Officer stated:

“National Volunteers week is an occasion to showcase the power of volunteering, however Respond! specifically wished to mark this week of volunteering by celebrating and thanking each and every volunteer for their remarkable spirit of giving”.

Respond! believe that National Volunteering Week is an excellent platform for organisations to spread the word about the good works being accomplished by volunteers, and perhaps in the process encouraging more people to engage in voluntary work. If you are interested in volunteering with Respond! please visit our website www.respond.ie

 

Published on May 15, 2013

Sandra McLellan TD speaks on the lack of ambulance cover in Cork east which was highlighted following the recent tragic death of Vakaris Martinaitis (2). When he had fallen and an emergency call was made, his parents were informed that there was no ambulance available. Click on the video below.

Related Videos Below
Save Youghal Ambulance – Protest Walk – 29 July 2011

Save Youghal Ambulance On Tv3 News – August 2011

Youghal Ambulance joined by Midleton ambulance
Uploaded on May 17, 2009
ambulances and jeep parked up side by side with full blues

Youghal Emergency services – Video by Shane Supple

Uploaded on Mar 27, 2009
Youghal Emergency services in action in Youghal, An Excersise involving the RNLI, Coast Guard, The Ambulance Services, Civil Defence and Air Rescue, This excersise was carried out on Claycastle Beach area where there was a command post set up, including a decontamination area set up as well

A Walk Within The Walls by Shane Broderick I live in a small town in the southeast of Ireland, in County Cork. That town is called Youghal, or Eochaill in the old Irish tongue, which means ‘yew forest’ (so called for the yew trees that used to surround the town).

Youghal was once one of the busiest ports in Ireland and England, second only to Bristol, and it was completely surrounded by fortified town walls and it’s battlements. There is a large section of these walls still standing.

This town has been witness to some interesting (and bloody) events and to some famous (or infamous, as the case may be) characters. If the stones could talk they would have many a tale to tell.

Youghal has miles of blue flag beaches (if the Irish weather provides some sunshine) and beautiful vistas that provide a lovely town to relax in, it is close to the cities of Cork and Waterford if you’re in the mood for a shopping trip.

I’m going to share some of these places and people with you plus a short tale of the most interesting points in the town’s history.

The earliest evidence of settlement in Youghal is from Mesolithic times, some 8,000 years ago. Artifacts that have been found include a stone backed blade and a mudstone axe. Some arrowheads were also found in what is now the outskirts of the town.

The Celtic culture arrived around 2,500 years ago and many fine fortified enclosures, called raths, survive in the countryside surrounding Youghal. One of the earliest settlements would most likely have been a rath and this is remembered in the name of a very old road on the outskirts of the town walls called Raheen Road.

The earliest sign of Christianity in Youghal is from the 5th century and was the site of the church of Coran. The holy well of St. Coran is still on the site.

In the 9th century the town played host to the Vikings. They established a settlement here and used the town to invade the wealthy monasteries including nearby Dungarvan and Malona Abbey. It is recorded that, in 864, a battle ensued between the neighbouring Deise clan and the Deise destroyed the Norse fort. No evidence has been found to tell the location of the fort, but a stone in the transept of St. Mary’s Church still bears the faint carving of a Viking longship. Youghal received its first charter from King John in the 13th century and gained great power and influence in Europe as an important port. It suffered greatly during the plague and is thought to have lost half its population.

During the Desmond Rebellion the town was sacked and the garrison was burned. Due to poor maintenance, the town soon fell to the rebels and the fortifications were broken. A few weeks later the English retook the town led by the Earl of Ormond, and they reoccupied the town. The lord mayor was then hanged from the door of his residence as punishment for failing to maintain the town’s defences. of the famous characters (and the namesake of a hotel) was Sir Walter Raleigh. He came to Ireland as part of an army sent here to put down the Desmond Rebellion. He was given 42,000 acres of land in Munster and his house, Myrtle Grove, was built in the 16th century. It was originally the residence of the college warden. Its exterior was altered in the 16th, 18th and 19th century’s but still keeps some of its original character. Some internal features possibly date back to the 1580’s.

In 1585, Raleigh planted what are thought to be the first potatoes in Ireland and also the first tobacco. There’s a funny story regarding the tobacco. Sir Walter lit up his pipe, much to the horror of one of his servants who, for the first time seeing someone smoking, thought his master was on fire and proceed to throw a bucket of water over Raleigh. He was the mayor of Youghal from 1588 to 1589 (which was probably for the best, seeing how precarious the job title seems to have been to some). He sold all his possessions and land to Richard Boyle in 1602, which brings us to our next person of interest.

Richard Boyle arrived in Ireland in 1588 almost penniless and with a stroke of luck married a wealthy heiress in 1595. The yew trees of Youghal were used to feed his ironworks and he also exported them abroad.

A cannon that is thought to have been made by Boyle’s ironworks is still in the gardens of the college that was later established from his residence.
There are still some remnants of his influence in town including his Alms houses and his monument in St. Mary’s Church. The Alms houses he built were for six retired soldiers and they were given the princely sum of £5 per annum. This was later extended to widows. They provide a similar service today and are still relatively original. He also renovated the south transept of St Mary’s Church (later called Boyles Chapel) after it had been damaged during the Desmond Rebellion.

Boyle built a magnificent memorial to himself depicting him, his two wives and some of his 15 children. Some of these are depicted lying down holding skulls (denoting that they died in infancy). One of his children was later known for Boyle’s Law in chemistry.

This beautiful monument is made from seven different types of marble and still retains a lot of its original paintwork. I’ve spent hours gazing at it picking out all the little details.

Boyle died in 1643 and was buried in the church.

I will now give you some of the history of some of the buildings from the other photos:

ST. MARY’S COLLEGIATE CHURCH
The church is thought to have been a monastic settlement of St. Declan of Ardmore (circa 450).
It was rebuilt in the Irish Romanesque style around the year 750 and the great nave was erected in 1220. The roof timbers have been carbon dated to around 1170. In the early 13th century there was a rebuilding under the master masons of 4 local guilds. Their marks can be seen on the gothic arches. It was on the 27th December when it was made into a collegiate church with the foundation of Our Lady’s

College of Youghal, by the Earl of Desmond, Thomas Fitzgerald. It is a building of great historical importance for Ireland and is a national monument. The stained glass windows in the photo show the coat of arms of important families in the town at the time

CLOCK GATE As I mentioned Youghal was one of the most significant maritime centres of medieval Ireland, commanding important trading routes to northern and western Europe. Built into the town walls were heavily guarded gates. When the town expanded south, a new ‘base’ or outer town (for the lower classes), also walled, was built alongside the inner town. A massive battlemented south gate was built (depicted in the Pacata Hibernian in 1633). It was comprised of a pair of circular towers connected by a portcullis and provided access between both districts and also doubled as a prison. It was renamed Trinity Gate.

The gate was originally equipped with a sundial, but on the 28th April 1620 the corporation ordered that a clock be placed there. In 1622 Balthazar Portingale was appointed as clock keeper and given free lodgings in exchange for ringing the bell. In spite of repairs it began to deteriorate and on the 20th October 1776 it was decided to demolish and replace it with a gaol and gaoler’s house with a proper building. The current building you see now was built in 1777 and it was enlarged some years later because of the amount of people arrested as rebels. It was also used as a public gallows and many people were hanged from the windows including some members of the united Irishmen. The building became a symbol of terror and tyranny, a reputation it kept until 1837. It has not been in public use since the 1970’s when it was a museum. It is currently under renovation to be opened once again to the public.

WATER GATE This used to be the only access from the quay and was one of the busiest places in town. It is known locally as Cromwells Arch as it was from here that he left Ireland in 1650s after he had overwintered in the town. This was after his campaign (or more accurately slaughter) in Ireland. It was originally built in the 13th century and was restored in the 18th century, and lies adjacent to the site of The Exchange and a stonesthrow away from the Clock Gate.

THE EXCHANGE The first was built in 1672 and was situated just outside the town walls fronting onto the medieval quay. It was once a theatre where groups from all over would come to perform here. The immediate area including the dock was used
for the filming of the movie Moby Dick. The pub that was used as the filmmaker’s HQ was renamed Moby Dick’s. The exchange building was also used as a courthouse.

THE LIGHTHOUSE The picturesque (as I’m sure you will agree) lighthouse is situated at the entrance to the harbour. The Geraldine owners of the town originally built a tower on the sight and generously funded the nuns of the Chapel of St. Anne under the condition that they maintain the light in the tower. It was demolished in 1840 to make way for the current lighthouse to be built, due to the large number of vessels using the harbour, which was over 500 circa 1850.Construction began in 1852 and it was made from granite.

THE RED HOUSE Built in the 18th century for the Uniacke family, it is thought to be the only example of the Dutch or Queen Anne style townhouse in use as a private house in Ireland.

NORTH ABBEY RUINS The Dominican Priory was founded in 1268 by Thomas Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, whose grandfather had founded the abbey in South Abbey. It was initially dedicated to the Holy Cross but was changed to Our Lady of Graces.

This was brought about by the rediscovery of a small ivory statue of the madonna and child. This made the priory the centre of Marian worship for several centuries till it was dissolved in the 16th century. That statue can now be found in Cork City and is said to have caused some miraculous healing. If I remember correctly it was originally washed up in the centre of a solid oak log, which was very easy to lift and was said to have given a blind man his sight back. Some ruins of the abbey still remain and it is situated in the main cemetery of the town.

As you can see it is a town steeped in history and I hope you have enjoyed the trip through time and the history of my town. I love walking past these places everyday and I always try to imagine the things that have happened there. I also loved getting the opportunity to share my photos with everyone. I have also included an old map of the town so you can see the setup of the town walls way back when.

A Walk Within The Walls -An Historic Youghal Guide

Click to enlarge the article below:

Shane Broderick Photography

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BoatWarden a new, Irish developed, boat security product

BoatWarden is the solution for many boat owners who worry whether their boat is secure. Secure from the damage caused by leaks, broken moorings and, yes, theft too. An Irish company has developed a product range to solve these problems.

Click on the video below to see Kevin Hennessy explain how BoatWarden work

BoatWarden is a new electronic security system fitted into your boat which you control and monitor, from anywhere, using the BoatWarden phone App. From the comfort of your armchair, or from a beach in the Med., you can click on the App. and get an up to the minute status report, a location map, the alarm status, the battery levels and more. If anything goes wrong your boat will sound an alarm and siren and you will get an instant alert by text – this text will also be sent to a list of your friends too if you wish. Using the App. you can you can control your boat from anywhere. You can control the alarm, the bilge pumps, heating, lighting or just about any other device on your boat. BoatWarden is a complete solution to Protect, Monitor and Control your boat from your phone.

BoatWarden is designed to withstand the rigours of marine environment and there are BoatWarden products for most types of boat and outboard. Prices start at just €499 inc VAT for BoatWarden Pro the expandable solution for yachts and motor cruisers and €349 inc VAT for the BoatWarden Mobile designed for smaller boats and outboard engines.

BoatWarden

BoatWarden website and online ordering system at www.boatwarden.com

BoatWarden was developed in Ireland by Kevin Hennessey who has been boating all his life. Kevin’s father lost a boat that pulled from its moorings and Kevin nearly lost his own when it’s bilge alarm failed. He looked for a solution that did not exist and so in 2009 he began developing BoatWarden. In 2010 the first BoatWarden systems were installed. The beta users then told their friends and today close to 100 BoatWarden systems have been sold by word of mouth.

So, what does BoatWarden monitor? Everything is customisable, and your own unique requirements are easy to manage, but as a starting point, here’s some of the main ones:

Low Battery Alarm
If you don’t have shore-power you’ll be keen to monitor your boat’s battery levels – if they fall below 11v you’ll get a notification.

GPS Tracking
Remotely ask the system where it is and you’ll instantly get a reply. Similarly you can set a ‘fence’ around your boat and if your boat moves out of this (ie: stolen or dragging a mooring) you’ll hear about it instantly

Bilge Levels
The cold weather last winter has sadly shown many boaters just how easy it is for water to get in and do serious damage. BoatWarden has a unique bilge sensor which you simply install above your automatic float switch. It has a 10 second delay to allow for normal wave action, but if it detects high water it’ll send you an alert and also switch on your bilge pump for 2 minutes. This monitor provides a full solution, as well as peace of mind.

Outboard Security
Our unique BoatWarden outboard security system has been driven, in part, by our customers and their insurance companies. Outboard theft is sadly becoming more and more commonplace so we’ve designed a solution that includes an IP67-rated wire-snap that triggers the onboard alarms and notifies you immediately if it’s breached in any way. Tracking options, should the thieves continue to remove your outboard, are also available.

Unwanted Entry
Hatches, doors, windows and even canvas studs can be monitored to alert you (and the unwanted visitors) to the fact that there’s been a breach.

Shore Power Monitoring
This is particularly useful if you leave your boat to its own devices for periods of time. If a breaker trips, someone disconnects you, or you run out of credit at your marina then you run a very high risk of damage being done on board. Whatever the reason, if you lose your 240v then you’ll hear about it instantly.

Passive and Reactive
Not only will all of these features respond to activation – you can also remotely manage them. You can turn lights and blowers on and off, pump the bilge, check location, switch on and off functionality all from the shoreline or thousands of miles away.

The installation is smaller than a cigarette box and works from the boat’s own power and also its own back-up battery – monitoring your boat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Following on last years huge success, Glenbower family fun day in aid of Crumlin hospital and Youghal Cancer support group drew a large crowd from the surrounding areas, and further a field to celebrate May Sunday 2013 in Killeagh Co. Cork. Killeagh women and organizer Deirdre Fitzgerald for the second consecutive year, with the help of many people in the community held a day for families to gather and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Glenbower Woods. Children enjoyed face painting a bouncing castle, pony rides and a pet’s corner along with many other fun activities along the avenue in the woods. People out for the day got to enjoy live music by Pasty Irwin and band, and Dj David O keeffe. The Home produce stall did very well, with everybody enjoying home baking and refreshments made by many women in the community who worked closely with Deirdre. A lot of local business people helped make the occasion possible by donating prizes for the raffle along with their time and energy making the day a memorable one.

The funds raised all went to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin and the Local charity Youghal Cancer Support Group. Through public donations Crumlin Hospital now provides cutting edge laboratory facilities and investigations into the causes and treatments of many childhood illness and diseases- which has won international recognition. Public fundraisers such as the one held in Glenbower on May 5th help these facilities work at full pace.

The Local Charity that came out in pink on the Family fun day was THE YOUGHAL CANCER SUPPORT GROUP- who is dedicated to opening a Support center in Youghal to offer help and support to all those who are, or have suffered the trauma of cancer. They have been fundraising tirelessly for over two years now and have achieved amazing results that brings them closer to the valuable community facility that will offer therapeutic support to families and sufferers of cancer. The best of luck to them in the coming months!

- Siobhan Fogarty

The Duke of Kent, Prince Edward, accompanied by the British Ambassador Domnick Chilcott, visited the Youghal RNLI station today ( Friday 3rd May 2013). The Duke was welcomed to the Youghal RNLI by Fergus Hopkins, Youghal RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager and Tadgh Kellegher, Chairman of Youghal RNLI. The Duke was then given a tour of the station where he chatted with members of the crew, station personnel and the fundraising committee. The Duke who holds the title of President of the RNLI also visited lifeboat stations in Helvick, An Rinn, Tramore and Dunmore East in Co Waterford. This was the second time the Duke of Kent paid a visit to the Youghal. He last visited the station back in 1998.

Click on the video below – Audio courtesy of Community Radio Youghal CRY 104fm

Welcome to our May Newsletter !!
MAY 2013
Welcome to the latest issue of our monthly newsletter, in which we will be keeping you informed of all events happening in both The Mall Arts centre and St. Mary’s Collegiate Church.
We would like also to introduce our NEW WEBSITE with its beautiful new look and complete redesign.This was made possible with funding from the Cork County Council Community Development Fund. We hope you like it !
We also have a new online booking facility for all of our future events.
Click here to visit the new website http://themallartscentre.com/
https://www.facebook.com/YewWoodVenues