Want to do something for our town, your family, our young people. Join us to pray the novena to Blessed Dominic Collins. 9 Days of prayer which begins on Tuesday 23rd October and finishes Wednesday 31st October, Feast of Blessed Dominic Collins. Mass will be celebrated in Holy Family Church, Youghal, in his honour at 7.30pm, 31st October 2012. Bearing witness to faith. All Welcome. Click on the short video below to find out more about the life of Blessed Dominic Collins

“Taken to Youghal on 31st October 1602, he was marched by a troop of soldiers through the streets to the place of execution”

Blessed Dominic Collins (1566-1602) Irish martyr, Jesuit brother
When the Desmond Rebellion was put down in 1583, Dominic Collins of Youghal became a professional soldier in the Catholic armies of Europe. Ten years later he joined the Jesuits in Santiago de Compostela. Sent back to Ireland in 1601 as a companion to Fr James Archer SJ with the Spaniards going to Kinsale, he was eventually captured and put to death for his faith. Patrick Duffy tells his story.

Early life: a soldier of fortune
Dominic Collins was born into a leading Catholic family in Youghal, Co Cork in 1566. Both his father and his brother served as mayor in the town.and he may have attended the Jesuit school set up in the town in 1577.
The local people recognised Elizabeth as Queen, but did not want Anglicanism as the new religion. So when the Desmond Rebellion was crushed (1583), there was little else for a young Catholic man of ambition to do but to seek a career on the continent. Sailing to France, Dominic enlisted in the Catholic army of the Duke of Mercoeur and quickly became a military governor. He later transferred to the Spanish army and was in the garrison at La Coruña.

Joins the Jesuits
Here in 1598 he met the Jesuit priest, Father Thomas White from Clonmel, who had earlier founded the Irish College at Salamanca and had come to La Coruña to hear the confessions of Irish soldiers during Lent. Dominic confided in Fr White his intention of joining the Jesuits. Fr White explained the difficulties of studies for the priesthood. Dominic said was happy to be a Jesuit brother.
The Jesuits were reluctant to accept him, feeling that a battle-hardened soldier would not settle into religious life, but Dominic persevered and was admitted to the novitiate in Santiago de Compostela. Here he proved his mettle when the Jesuit College was struck by a plague. Dominic tended the victims, nursing some of them back to health and comforting the others in their last hours.
A report sent to Rome at this time describes him as a man of sound judgment and great physical strength, mature, prudent and sociable, though inclined to be hot-tempered and obstinate.
Battle of Kinsale
At this time Ireland was in turmoil. O’Neill and O’Donnell had revolted in Ulster and in 1601 King Philip III of Spain decided to send an army to help them. An Irish Jesuit, Father James Archer, who was acting as O’Neill’s envoy with Rome and Spain, asked that Dominic, who knew the needs of soldiers, be sent with him to Ireland.
Siege of Dunboy Castle
After the shock defeat of the Irish and the Spanish at the Battle of Kinsale, Fr Archer went back to Spain. Dominic went with O’Sullivan Beare’s men to the Beara peninsula and was along with a group of 143 soldiers under the command of Richard McGeoghegan, who took refuge inside Dunboy Castle. This was a small square fortress on the mainland overlooking Beare Island. Here Lord Carew, the president of Munster and an army of 4,000 soldiers besieged them for several months.
During the siege, Dominic, though a veteran of many battles, could not as a religious take part in the fighting, but he could and did give bodily and spiritual assistance to the wounded and the dying. Knowing too how keen Carew would be to capture a Jesuit, he thought that by handing himself over as a hostage he could negotiate an honourable cease-fire. But Carew refused any negotiations and the besieged surrendered. Carew ordered Dominic and two others to be kept prisoners while the rest were hanged in the market-place, fifty-eight on that day, and the remaining twelve four days later. A plaque on the ruins of Dunboy Castle today commemorates their brave struggle.
Interrogation and torture
The three surviving prisoners were brought to Cork for interrogation. As the other two had little to reveal, they were soon executed. But Carew interrogated Collins, hoping he could persuade him to become a Protestant and thus gain a propaganda victory. He alternately tortured Dominic and made him primises of preferment to high ecclesiastical office. Some of Dominic’s own family visited him, urging him to save his life by pretending a conversion which he could afterwards repudiate. But Dominic would have none of it, and clearly made a choice of a martyr’s death.

Martyrdom
Taken to Youghal on 31st October 1602, he was marched by a troop of soldiers through the streets to the place of execution – the first time he had seen his home town in fifteen years. He wore his black Jesuit gown and addressed the crowd in Spanish, Irish and English, cheerfully telling them that he had come to Ireland to defend the faith of the Holy Roman Church, the one true path to salvation. So moved were the crowd that the hangman fled and a passing fisherman was forced to do the job.
Influence
Left hanging on the gallows, the rope eventually broke and Dominic’s body fell to the ground. Under cover of darkness, local Catholics took his body away and buried him with respect in a secret place. From that day he was venerated as a martyr in Youghal and his fame quickly spread throughout Ireland and Europe. In the Irish Colleges of Douai and Salamanca the Jesuits showed his portrait and many favours and cures were attributed to his intercession.
Although used to the rough life of the army camp, Dominic always kept a strange innocence and gentleness. He is one of the most attractive of all the Irish martyrs.

‘Culture Night 2012’ in Youghal,where arts and cultural organisations open their doors until late with a series of free events, talks, musical performances and tours for all the family to enjoy.

2 M.A.D. Birds
‘Making a Mark’
An exhibition exploring stitch and print by Youghal based artists Amanda Hogan and Martina Cassidy.
Amanda Hogan is a Textile Artist working in Contemporary Embroidery, exploring the fabic of domestic life in Narrative Stitch.
Martina Cassidy is a Graphic Artist working in many mediums. Art is about pushing the boundaries and always seeking something new.

CORK COUNTY WAS “A BUZZ” FOR CULTURE NIGHT

Cork County Arts Officers, Ian McDonagh, has said thank you to all of the many thousands of people who got involved in Cork County’s second ever Culture Night which took place last Friday night: “This is a community event, organised by all of the people involved in the Arts, throughout the County.”

All over the county of Cork people flocked to venues, galleries, churches, historic houses, artists’ studios and cultural centres for this unique celebration.

Cllr Barbara Murray, Mayor of the County of Cork, said: “I was delighted to see so much activity at the Cork County Library and County Hall was a buzz with the craft stalls and the various performers. It was wonderful to see this area fully utilized. I also spend some time in my home town, Youghal, and it was absolutely brilliant to see people out and about enjoying all the different events that had been organised, and all for Free.

Culture Night is an initiative coordinated by Temple Bar Cultural Trust and supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in partnership with Cork County Council, proudly supported by C103FM.

 

Mr Paul Boissier Chief Executive of the RNLI received a warm welcome from the Youghal RNLI Lifeboat Volunteer Crew and its fundraising committee on Wednesday the 3rd of October. Mr Boissier was accompanied by Owen Medland, RNLI Training Inspector and Emma Gibson, Area Fundraising Manager. Mr Boissier was visiting Youghal as part of his Irish station tour. He was given a tour of the station followed by a light lunch.

The Chief Executive thanked the crew and the fundraisers for their dedicated hard work at the station and said he could see that the station was kept to a very high standard, ensuring that Youghal RNLI would always be ready for those in trouble at sea.

Fergus Hopkins Youghal RNLI Operations Manager said “it was an honour to welcome Mr Boissier to Youghal Lifeboat station and on behalf of the crew, station officials, and fundraising committee thanked him for his kind comments about the crew and the Youghal station”. Liam Keogh Youghal RNLI Crew presented Mr Boissier with a glass plate with the Youghal coat of arms as a memento of his visit to Youghal.

Click on the audio track here to listen to Mr Paul Boissier speech

THE SACRED ROOTS all ages Busking Competition took place Sat August 11th in conjunction with the Tag Rugby Festivities in Youghal Co Cork. 14 acts took part and despite the showers, braved the elements and played some wonderful music for us. Bands , Magicians ,rappers and singer songwriters partook in the event that boasted a €1500 euro prize fund thank to the Vintners of Youghal.
Busking photos: Shane Supple | email: shanesupple@gmail.com

There were four categories

Overall winners with a pot of €600 went to Colin Turner, Georgia Theresa from Co. Wexford

Best under 16 winner with a pot of €400 went to the very talented Daniel Ryan from Youghal

Best Group went to the dance gurus Synergy from Youghal and Co Waterford with a pot of €300

Best Individual Performance went to Darragh Lee with a pot of €200

The Sacred Roots Project wish to thank Judges Claire Regan , Shane Supple and Sean Healy of CRY 104fm for judging the comp, and a special thank to the buskers for taking part and anyone who helped support them in anyway.
Please support local music

http://www.thesacredroots.com
‘Music Speaks Louder Than Words’

THE FIRST PHASE of a mobility-disabled access boardwalk running from Youghal Front Strand to Claycastle, (395 metres) delivered in partnership with Youghal Town Council and Failte Ireland was officially opened by Minister of State at the Department of Tourism & Sport on Tuesday 24th July 2012.  The boardwalk consists of hardwood timber deck supported on piled foundations, not requiring a railing, and once complete will span 1926 metres, eventually forming part of the National Coastal Walking Route.  The Minister also took the opportunity to officially ‘turn on’ the new 75kw wind turbine at Youghal Aura Leisure Centre.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Ring paid tribute to the vision of Youghal Town Council and its determination to undertake and complete such projects. “When I was here this time last year, I was hugely impressed with not only Youghal’s tourism offering, but the will and determination of the Council and the local community to see this town grow and succeed.  It is wonderful to see plans that were presented to me followed through and executed in full.  With over 180,000 people working  nationally in tourism, this sector is hugely significant in terms of growth in the economy and Youghal is certainly setting about playing its part in getting this country working again”, said the Minister.  The second phase of the development would see the completion of the link between Claycastle and Redbarn to the Quality Hotel and Self Catering Apartments.  The Minister agreed to review the submission to Failte Ireland, agreeing that the project would be of huge benefit to the local economy if completed in full.

Mayor of Youghal, Cllr Michelle Hennessy suggested it shouldn’t be underestimated just what the boardwalk had done for the people of Youghal.  “Not only has it become a major tourist attraction, but it has become a major social gathering for the people of the area, and has brought a new life and vibrancy to this area of the town.  The quality of the boardwalk is evident; – it consists of 395 metres of hardwood timber deck and again is wheelchair accessible.  The Mayor emphasised how important the delivery of Phase Two of the project, saying: “This will have a huge economic impact on the town once complete. The delivery of this Boardwalk shows the commitment of Youghal Town Council to improving the tourism infrastructure of the Town, in partnership with Failte Ireland and is a further step forward in maximising the potential of our natural tourism assets for the economic benefit of business in Youghal” said the Mayor.

In advance of the official opening of the Eco-Boardwalk, the Minister also commended Youghal Town Council in their efforts in securing a €400,000 grant under the Improved Energy and Enhanced Disabled Grant Scheme for Youghal Aura Leisure Centre.  The upgrade works have enabled huge energy savings – including up to a 40% saving in electricity to the Centre from the installation of a 75kw wind turbine.  Currently employing 39 staff, the grant has also facilitated an extension to the existing facility for the disabled, with the addition of a new changing area, a major upgrade of the turnstile system and automatic doors to changing areas.  All of the works completed at the centre serve to enhance the centre’s reputation as both a community resource and first class tourism facility.  Referring to Youghal’s Aura Leisure Centre, the Minister commented:

“This is a hugely substantial amount of money to be granted in this current economic climate and it can only have a positive effect on employment in the town, helping to sustain jobs and hopefully create new ones too.” Said the Minister.

THE FIRST PHASE of a mobility-disabled access boardwalk running from Youghal Front Strand to Claycastle, (395M) delivered in partnership with Youghal Town Council and Failte Ireland was officially opened by Minister of State at the Department of Tourism & Sport on Tuesday 24th July 2012.  The boardwalk consists of hardwood timber deck supported on piled foundations, not requiring a railing, and once complete will span 1926 metres, eventually forming part of the National Coastal Walking Route.  The Minister also took the opportunity to officially ‘turn on’ the new 75kw wind turbine at Youghal Aura Leisure Centre.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Ring paid tribute to the vision of Youghal Town Council and its determination to undertake and complete such projects. “When I was here this time last year, I was hugely impressed with not only Youghal’s tourism offering, but the will and determination of the Council and the local community to see this town grow and succeed.  It is wonderful to see plans that were presented to me followed through and executed in full.  With over 180,000 people working  nationally in tourism, this sector is hugely significant in terms of growth in the economy and Youghal is certainly setting about playing its part in getting this country working again”, said the Minister.  The second phase of the development would see the completion of the link between Claycastle and Redbarn to the Quality Hotel and Self Catering Apartments.  The Minister agreed to review the submission to Failte Ireland, agreeing that the project would be of huge benefit to the local economy if completed in full.

Mayor of Youghal, Cllr Michelle Hennessy suggested it shouldn’t be underestimated just what the boardwalk had done for the people of Youghal.  “Not only has it become a major tourist attraction, but it has become a major social gathering for the people of the area, and has brought a new life and vibrancy to this area of the town.  The quality of the boardwalk is evident; – it consists of 395 metres of hardwood timber deck and again is wheelchair accessible.  The Mayor emphasised how important the delivery of Phase Two of the project, saying: “This will have a huge economic impact on the town once complete. The delivery of this Boardwalk shows the commitment of Youghal Town Council to improving the tourism infrastructure of the Town, in partnership with Failte Ireland and is a further step forward in maximising the potential of our natural tourism assets for the economic benefit of business in Youghal” said the Mayor.

In advance of the official opening of the Eco-Boardwalk, the Minister also commended Youghal Town Council in their efforts in securing a €400,000 grant under the Improved Energy and Enhanced Disabled Grant Scheme for Youghal Aura Leisure Centre.  The upgrade works have enabled huge energy savings – including up to a 40% saving in electricity to the Centre from the installation of a 75kw wind turbine.  Currently employing 39 staff, the grant has also facilitated an extension to the existing facility for the disabled, with the addition of a new changing area, a major upgrade of the turnstile system and automatic doors to changing areas.  All of the works completed at the centre serve to enhance the centre’s reputation as both a community resource and first class tourism facility.  Referring to Youghal’s Aura Leisure Centre, the Minister commented:

“This is a hugely substantial amount of money to be granted in this current economic climate and it can only have a positive effect on employment in the town, helping to sustain jobs and hopefully create new ones too.” Said the Minister.

Click here to enlarge image

This morning, Monday 9th July 2012, the Captain and Crew of the sailing Ketch ‘IRENE’, made a presentation of a framed certificate to Youghal Town Council at the Quayside Youghal. The certificate read “To the people of Youghal, Co. Cork to commemorate their visit from the 3rd to 9th July of the sailing Ketch Irene, the Master and crew would like to express their sincere thanks for the warm welcome they received”

The Captain of the ship Laurance Ottley said they have sailed 10,000 miles around the Atlantic but the visit to Youghal was by far the warmest welcome the crew have received in any of the ports they have visited.  Mr. Ottley said it was a happy coincidence to arrive in Youghal Harbour during the fantastic Queen of the Sea Festival which the crew enjoyed very much.  The Captain raised the sails to add a nice backdrop during the Queen of the Sea Contest final as the boat was berthed nearby and lowered it later that evening for the people at the Quayside to enjoy the Firework spectacle looking through the ships riggings.

Deputy Mayor Eoin Flanaghan was delighted to accept the presentation along with his fellow Councillors, Tara O’Connell, Mary Linehan Foley, Sammy Revins, Michael Beecher and Liam Burke. Also present were Paddy O’Beirne from the Youghal Kathleen and May Society and musician Michael O’Connell.

It is hoped that the Irene will pay a return visit to Youghal to coincide with the Moby Dick Festival organised by the Youghal4All Group.  The Irene sets sail tonight at high tide approximately 10 p.m.

The 120 feet ketch Irene of Bridgwater has docked at Youghal Quays today, Tuesday 3rd July 2012, and will remain berthed there until the weekend. The international crew of eight are looking forward to staying on dry land for a couple of days and hoping to see the  ‘Youghal Queen of the Sea Festival 2012′ which begins this weekend  the 6th, 7th and 8th of July.

Article below from www.sail-world.com  – 18 Mar 2012GMT

Sailing ketch Irene – goodbye billionaires, hello cargo!

Last month the British sailing ship Irene, a 1907 West Country trading ketch bought and restored by owner Dr Leslie Morrish in 1965 and restored again after a fire in 2003, set off from Plymouth on what may turn out to be an historic attempt to set the model for the return of sail power for cargo transport.
Over the next four months or so, according to a report in the Guardian, Irene and its crew will carry organic beer from Devon to France, olive oil from Spain to Brazil and then – all being well – bring cocoa, coffee, Amazonian ‘superfoods’ and rum from South America and the Caribbean back to the UK.

Not that it will be rowed, as most such sailing vessels were in the past, into and out of harbours – the ship’s diesel engine will be fired up to do that. But for the rest is will use merely the power of the trade winds to cross the Atlantic.

The hope is that, with this symbolic season of journeys, Irene – a lovely wooden sailing ship built to transport bricks and tiles – will blaze a trail for other wind-powered cargo ships.

The project, New Dawn Traders, was hatched by Jamie Pike, a Bristol environmentalist and champion of the slow food movement. He wanted to find a way of bringing goods back from South America under sail and approached Irene’s owner, Leslie Morrish, a retired psychiatrist who spent years restoring the vessel and keeping it at sea.

The finances did not add up for a one-way journey, just as they don’t for one-way aviation or road transport. It would have cost Pike £100,000 to charter the boat, a sum he simply did not have, but then Irene’s captain, Laurance Ottley, met someone in the olive oil business and came up with the idea of sailing a consignment out to Brazil (which has a growing appetite for luxury goods thanks to a booming economy) and letting Pike fill the boat up with goods for the return trip.

Dropping off 2,500 bottles of organic ale from Devon for beer-loving Bretons was another wheeze designed to add profit to the enterprise.

A 10-strong international crew has been recruited, including a French paramedic and a Finnish shipwright. Morrish, now in his 70s, will be on board, as will Pike. Ottley, more used to dealing with the likes of Mick Jagger and Pierce Brosnan than a load of olive oil, will skipper the vessel.

For Pike, this trip, which began on Valentine’s Day, is about romance but also about getting an important environmental message out. ‘It’s great to be doing this romantic trip on a lovely old ship,’ he told the Guardian before the ship sailed. ‘But there’s a bigger debate to be had about shipping in general. Is there an alternative to huge polluting cargo ships? We want to help launch that debate.’

The Irene and her dedicated crew are not the only one seeking solutions to the great fuel dilemma.

As previously reported in Sail-World, there are some interesting schemes in the offing aimed at creating wind-powered cargo vessels. A British company called B9 Shipping, for example, is aiming to produce a fleet of Flagships of the Future – cargo ships using wind and renewable energy. Sailors in France and the Netherlands are hatching schemes similar to the New Dawn Traders. On a local level, there are examples in south-west England of goods being moved up river and along the coast by sail.

Another member of Irene’s crew, Lucy Gilliam, a former government environmental scientist, said she hoped the voyage could help provide a ‘narrative’ for the story of trade by wind power.

‘People aren’t really aware of the damage these huge cargo ships are doing to the planet,’ she told the Guardian. ‘There needs to be a great story to get a popular movement going. People are inspired by tall ships. There’s something magical in seeing a tall ship in a harbour or at sea.’

Up until recently, Irene has been used for charter trips around the Mediterranean for the rich and famous. The ship’s captain Laurance Ottley, who has already spent seven years on these charters thinks Irene will be much happier in her new task.

‘I believe it’ll be happier doing what it’s designed to do rather than pampering to the desires of billionaires. It will be doing proper work again.’

 Article below from www.ireness.com

The History
Built by F J Carver and Son in Bridgwater, 1907, Irene is the last of the West Country Trading Ketch’s still under sail. She sailed for 50 years as part of the fleet of British Merchant vessels through two world wars and a Great Recession.

For many years she belonged to the Bridgwater Brick and Tile Company plying the waters of the Bristol Channel between Bridgwater and Ireland, carrying cargoes of tiles and bricks. Later she was used for transporting coal and clay around the coast.

She was built to be beached and often unloaded her cargo into carts to be taken by horse across the sands to small isolated communities.

She retired from her trading service in 1960 and then changed hands a few times before being converted to a house boat.

In 1965 she was found in a derelict state in the Hamble river  by her present owner, Doctor Leslie Morrish. He bought her for £2,500.00 and began a restoration job that lasted nearly 20 years. His initial task was to motor-sail Irene around to Brentford on the Thames, Irene’s home for the next 15 years. The trip was not without mishap; going under Hammersmith Bridge the bowsprit stuck in the last span of the bridge, pierced the pavement, shut the bridge in the rush hour and cut off the gas supply to half of south London. It was a dramatic start to a new life.

When Irene reached Brentford Leslie Morrish and his family lived on board using her as a house boat and restoring her at the same time. Once she had been restored to her former glory she was used for many commercials, film and fashion shoots. Irene played the part of “The Flying Dutchman” in the epic film biography of the composer Richard Wagner.

LAST OCTOBER we were proud to announce that Claycastle had won the right to host the 2012 National Matchplay Championships here in Youghal. This is a major tournament and we are privileged to host such an event. It will be the largest tournament hosted by Claycastle in the history of the Club since it’s opening in 1986. This major championship will take place over the upcoming June weekend (2nd,3rd and 4th). The first National Matchplay was held in 1961 at the Hillview course in Clonmel and 51 years on the championship is just as valuable and substantial to those who partake and is the flagship event on the pitch and putt calendar. This will be the first time that Claycastle are to host this event and I’m sure it wont be the last time. It is also without doubt an exceptional honour for our club.

Last year the club hosted the Munster Matchplay Championships to celebrate the Club’s 25 year history and it proved to be a massive success. It’s great now to be given the opportunity to go one step further and host an All-Ireland Championship.
Not only will the Championship help promote the game of pitch and putt in the Youghal area it will also bring much needed business to the town and its surroundings with the crowds that will be arriving across the weekend. With much of the accommodation in the Youghal area booked out already for the June weekend, it appears as though it will be a very successful few days for the Club and also the town.
Qualifying took place a couple of weeks ago throughout the country where a total of 98 players qualified, 64 gents and 34 ladies.

Huge well done to Claycastle’s Paudie O’Sullivan, Anthony O’Loughlin, Gary O’Sullivan & Martin Keohane who all qualified for this year’s National Matchplay Championships and we wish them the very best. It is fantastic to have four home players at the event and there is no reason why any of these four players cannot go all the way and lift the Cup. They all know their way around Claycastle and have great experience in the game of pitch and putt. With Ireland’s number one ranked player John Walsh from Cork City (Collins) qualifying he will no doubt be among the favourites for the title and has showed his class around Claycastle on many occasions and will be hoping to win the Matchplay for a second time.Winner of the Claycastle Scratch Cup this year Kieran Dunscombe (St.Annes) certainly cannot be written off as he knows his way around the Claycastle course. Current holder of the Gents’ trophy is Kerryman Damien Fleming from Killarney (Deerpark) and is an automatic qualifier for this year’s event after winning in Collinstown Co.Westmeath last year. Also qualifying automatically will be Margaret Hogan (Tullamore) who was last year’s winner in the Ladies’ championship and will be looking to win her fourth National Matchplay title after previously winning the title in 1980,1989 and 1997. Ger Ward from Dublin (Portmarnock) will be among the favourites for the Ladies’ title hoping to make it a record ninth All-Ireland Matchplay title to her name. Her last win came in 2007 defeating the well experienced and number one player in the country Chrissie Byrne from Kildare (St.Bridgets) in the final who also cannot be written off for the title.

Looking ahead to the event it looks as if it will be a competitive championship with the best of the best showing how the game is played to perfection here in Youghal.
A lot of effort and hard work has been put into the course by members in their numbers since the news broke that we would host the Championship and I’m sure anyone who arrives in Youghal will not be disappointed in what they see. Without this generous assistance and co-operation from members, hosting this National event would just not be possible.
The Claycastle pitch and putt Club committee show great pride in the course and in the Club itself and are very strongly knitted together in decisions which are made which is vitally important for the Club to move forward and succeed.
Finally we are really looking forward to the upcoming National Matchplay Championships and we hope that everyone will enjoy both the pitch and putt at Claycastle and also what Youghal has to offer over the weekend.

THE LATE MIKE O’BRIEN, SAILOR AND FISHERMAN, OF GRATTAN STREET, made a special request last November that a model of the famous schooner ‘Kathleen and May’, which he had in his living room, be entrusted to the local Youghal Credit Union after his passing.

Mike was then ninety years of age and not in the best of health.  Sadly he passed away two months later  –  the following January 2012.  His family and a few good friends then set about granting his wish.  It was agreed with the Credit Union that they would accept the entrustment and display the model in a public place on their premises.

So on Monday evening May 28th, in the presence of a large gathering of friends, sailors and fisherman, the large model in a glass case was handed over by Mike’s brothers, Justin and Jacky at the Credit Union premises.

The Chairperson, Mary O’Brien told of how the committee were delighted to house the iconic model and the awareness of our maritime history that it would bring to all viewing it.  Then Mary Cotter, a niece of Mike, mentioned the happiness that the event brought to the O’Brien family as they saw Mike’s wish reach fruition.  Frank Mills paid tribute to the late Mike and told of how he had come into possession of the model.

About thirty years ago, it was made in Gloucester by Tommy Jewel, owner and captain of the vessel, before being sent over the Irish Sea in a yacht to Youghal where it was presented to Mike.  Mike and Captain Jewel had sailed in it together in the 1950s and 60s.

Mike Hackett then spoke on behalf of all Mike’s other friends present in paying tribute by mentioning how helpful Mike had been where the research of maritime history was concerned.  He was most knowledgeable and experienced, and a lot of the recorded history of the port of Youghal is thanks to him.

In selecting the Credit Union building, he was very wise: it is located on the quayside;  within a hundred-yards of the tourist office; just across the road from Mike’s house; and has tremendous business and footfall so that many many people will see it every day.

And lastly:  as Queen Elizabeth of England celebrated the 60th anniversary of her corination, she is to sail down the Thames in the royal yacht escorted by forty-seven tall-ships  –  and the ‘Kathleen and May’ will be one of them.  Then the schooner will be bound for Liverpool where she will join the other famous schooner ‘De Wadden’ at the Maritime Museum on Merseyside.

Click on the short video below to see the ‘Kathleen & May’ on her centenary visit To Youghal back in July 2008 – Film: Kieran McCarthy and Michael Hussey

Pictured below are family and friends of the late Mike O’Brien at the presentation on Monday evening May 28th 2012 at Youghal Credit Union