Youghal

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Safety Plea for Footpath Beside Youghal’s Historic Walls. By Michael Hussey

RAHEEN ROAD in Youghal has become an accident waiting to happen, and as a long‑time resident of the area, it is hard not to fear that a serious collision is only a matter of time. The road is one of the main routes between the town and the schools and colleges, and it is used daily by residents of Raheen Park, Sarsfield Terrace, Ardrath Crescent, Aher Terrace (the Town Wall houses), visitors to St Raphael’s Centre and people heading to the soccer pitch at Ardrath Park. Yet despite this constant mix of children, students, workers and older people on foot, there is no footpath on the town‑wall side of Raheen Road. Pedestrians are forced either to walk in the live traffic lane or to pick their way along a wet, slippery grass bank while cars and vans pass within inches of them.

The danger is worst in the dark winter evenings when people are walking home from town, school or work. Drivers coming over the hill can suddenly meet someone walking on the road and are often forced to swing out towards the centre or even the opposite side to avoid them, creating the risk of a head‑on collision. With more traffic using the road every year, and St Raphael’s earmarked for further development, this situation is simply not sustainable.

Another worrying hazard has also grown up over the years at the Spa Hill–Raheen Road junction: as you reach the end of Spa Hill and look right, the bend in Raheen Road creates a complete blind spot, so motorists edging out cannot properly see traffic coming down the hill and are forced to “nose out” onto the main road, hoping nothing is bearing down on them.

What makes the contrast even sharper is the excellent restoration work now underway on the adjacent Youghal Town Walls, funded by a €95,000 heritage grant from the Irish Walled Towns Network capital conservation fund, administered by The Heritage Council. That project is breathing new life into a collapsed section of wall and will be a major attraction for visitors and locals alike when finished. With a properly designed, well‑lit footpath along Raheen Road and perhaps a small viewing or rest area, this route could become a safe, scenic walking corridor where people pause to enjoy the walls and the harbour views, instead of hurrying along the edge of the carriageway in fear of the traffic.

After raising these concerns with the Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, I was encouraged by her positive response and her recognition of how serious the issues on Raheen Road have become. She and I also discussed the redesign at The Cross junction, and we both agreed that the upgrade was absolutely necessary to protect pedestrians and manage the heavy school and commuter traffic, even if some people are unhappy with the changes. The Mayor also pointed out that the plans for The Cross were publicly advertised, put on display and open to submissions, as the law requires, yet not a single objection or alternative suggestion was lodged at the time.

That experience is a lesson for the future. If people feel blindsided by new junction layouts or traffic‑calming schemes, it is often because the formal consultation process did not reach them in time, not because the process did not exist. A small notice on a pole and a line in the newspaper are no longer enough. For future projects affecting Raheen Road and other key routes, residents, parents and road users need to actively engage with consultations—checking council notices, looking out for online updates and making submissions—while the plans are still on paper. Equally, the authorities must use every modern tool available, from social media and school newsletters to local radio and public meetings, to make sure people know what is proposed. Raheen Road shows why that matters: a properly planned, well‑lit footpath and safer junction design here would not only protect the community, it would also help unlock the full tourism potential of Youghal’s remarkable town walls.

Picture: Michael Hussey, Sarsfield Terrace resident: No footpath, no margin for error – pedestrians on Raheen Road have nowhere safe to walk

Picture: "Vehicles frequently pass within inches of pedestrians forced onto the carriageway." said Michael Hussey, Sarsfield Terrace resident.

Picture: The excellent restoration work now underway on the adjacent Youghal Town Walls. With a properly designed, well‑lit footpath along Raheen Road and perhaps a small viewing or rest area, this route could become a safe, scenic walking corridor where people pause to enjoy the walls.

Picture: "The positive, forward‑thinking work at The Cross Junction demonstrates what can be achieved when pedestrian safety is taken seriously. Extending that same commitment a short distance down the hill to Raheen Road is the logical and necessary next step", said Michael Hussey, Sarsfield Terrace resident. ... See MoreSee Less

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THE CROSS, YOUGHAL: A SAFER JUNCTION OR A BEHAVIOUR PROBLEM?

This isn’t an anti‑driver rant. It is a plea from someone who has driven, walked and cycled these roads for more than six decades.

A LIFETIME AT BAWNMORE JUNCTION

My name is Michael Hussey. I have lived around what we all know as ‘The Cross’ – the Bawnmore / Cross Bawnard junction – for over 60 years, in Sarsfield Terrace just down the road. I learned to cycle on these hills, walked to school along these walls, and now watch younger generations doing the same. Over the years there have been more than a few crashes and near‑misses at this junction. Locals know the stories, even if they never made the papers. So when the council finally moved to narrow the road, widen the pavements and slow traffic, it felt like long‑overdue progress.

The new layout has upset some motorists who say it is “crazy” and “impossible to drive”. But the truth is that the design is doing exactly what it is supposed to do: make drivers slow down and give people walking a fighting chance. The real problem is not the concrete. It is how some of us choose to use – and abuse – the space.

REMEMBERING GENE – AND WHY FOOTPATHS MATTER

I cannot walk this stretch without thinking of the late, great friend of mine, Gene Crotty of Community Radio Youghal fame. Gene was visually impaired. Only a few short years ago he stood with me at almost this exact spot and told me that the path beside the golf links was effectively unwalkable. Spindles from the overhanging evergreen trees covered the surface, turning it into a slippery trap for someone using a cane or a guide dog. Gene said he was forced to walk out on the live traffic road with his guide dog, just to avoid falling. He asked me to bring that to the powers‑that‑be.

Gene loved that walk with his friends and his dog. It is only fitting that people like him – the visually impaired, wheelchair users, mothers with prams, older neighbours and the general public – can now move along wider, better‑surfaced pavements instead of tip‑toeing along the gutter. That, to me, is what this scheme is really about.

CARS ON THE PAVEMENT

The photo with this article was taken only yesterday. Two cars are parked fully up on the brand‑new footpath beside the school. That fresh, level surface was poured for people on foot: pupils, parents with buggies, older neighbours, anyone with a mobility aid. When cars claim it as overflow parking, those people are forced off the footpath and back into the narrowed live traffic lane.

That is utterly crazy. We have just spent public money trying to separate people from moving vehicles, and then we put the vehicles right back where the people are supposed to be. At busy times the road is now lined on both sides with parked cars – long‑stay parking, school drop‑offs, lunchtime collections – turning what should be a calmed street into a slalom course. It is easy to blame “the road design” for the queues and near misses, but what you are really looking at is a behaviour problem.

WHY THE JUNCTION WAS TIGHTENED

Look at what surrounds this junction. On one side are children’s schools. On another, an adult education campus. Just down the way are the pitches of Youghal United, bringing crowds and cars on match days. In the not‑too‑distant future, a primary care centre is planned nearby, which will mean more patients, staff and visitors crossing on foot. Before the new junction, you nearly had to bless yourself with the sign of the cross to make it to the other side of The Cross.

Designing a junction here as if it were a rural bypass would be madness. The narrowed carriageway, tighter corners and new concrete apron are standard safety tools used around the world. They force vehicles to turn more slowly and make the crossing distance shorter for people on foot. When – not if – something goes wrong, a collision at 25 or 30 km/h is far more survivable than one at 50 or 60. For children stepping out between parked cars, that difference is measured in broken bones instead of funerals.

THE CONSULTATION NOBODY USED

Only this week I spoke to the Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, about The Cross junction. We both agreed the redesign was absolutely necessary. She also reminded me of something many people may not realise: the plans were publicly advertised, put on display and open to submissions as the law requires. Anyone could have inspected them, commented on them or objected.

Not a single objection or alternative suggestion came in. The consultation period came and went in silence. The anger has arrived only now that the scheme is largely built. That is important: the time to argue for a different layout was during the public consultation, not after the diggers have left.

If people feel blindsided, that is a sign we need better consultation, not no junction upgrade. A small notice on a pole and a line in the newspaper are no longer enough. For future schemes we should be using local Facebook pages, school newsletters, public meetings and other social‑media channels to make sure busy parents and residents actually see what is proposed in time to have their say.

THE HARD TRUTH FOR ALL OF US WHO DRIVE

As a driver, cyclist and pedestrian, it is tempting to see every delay as someone else’s fault. The council “messed up the junction”. Other people “can’t drive”. The Gardaí “never enforce”. But there is a harder truth: the safety of this road now depends on ordinary drivers – our neighbours, our friends, maybe you and me – being willing to change how we behave.

Everywhere you go, people are crying out for speed bumps and more ramps. The council can put up signs, paint markings and redesign junctions, but at the end of the day it is drivers’ speed and behaviour that make the real difference. You can only blame the council so much; the rest is down to the person behind the wheel.

That means not parking on the footpath, no matter how late we are. It means accepting that we might have to walk 100 metres from a legal parking space instead of stopping right at the school gate. It means slowing properly for the tighter corners, instead of trying to swing through at the old speeds and cursing the kerbs when we cannot. The road has changed because traffic volumes and land uses have changed. Our habits have to change too.

It is also worth remembering that the junction is not yet finished. The final road markings and signage are still to go in. Some of the current confusion – and some bad driving behaviour – may ease once crossings, give‑way lines and signs are fully installed and people can “read” the layout more easily. We should at least wait to judge the junction until it is complete and properly signed, and then judge ourselves on how we drive and park within it.

WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

Criticising the layout is easy. Fixing the real problem is harder. We are going to need some help: enforcement against footpath parking at school times, clearer markings about where short‑stay set‑down is allowed, and maybe bollards or planters to physically protect key parts of the pavement. But none of that will work if we keep treating every metre of flat concrete as potential car storage.

The Cross junction can be what it was meant to be: a safer place for children to walk to school, for students to get to class, for older people to reach the new health centre without fear. Or it can remain a daily stand‑off between cars and pedestrians. As someone who has spent a lifetime on this corner of Youghal, the choice seems simple.

The next time you pull up here, ask yourself one question before you mount that kerb or nudge that speedometer: is my convenience really worth pushing someone else – maybe a child from your own road – back into the path of moving traffic?

Pictures: Why are people so cross with The Cross junction?

Picture: The overhead view map shows the blue area outlining the new extended pedestrian friendly pavements at The Cross junction, Youghal. ... See MoreSee Less

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Youghal Celebrates Local Enterprise with Launch of New Business Awards

10/12/2025 - The elegant surroundings of the Walter Raleigh Hotel provided the perfect backdrop for this morning’s special YBA gathering, which featured Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley, Mayor of County Cork, as the guest speaker. Addressing a packed room of local business owners and community representatives, Mayor Linehan Foley praised the Youghal Business Alliance for its remarkable growth and dedication to promoting enterprise and collaboration within the town.

The announcement of the Youghal Business & Community Awards 2026, proudly sponsored by the YBA, received an enthusiastic response from attendees. The awards will honour excellence, innovation, and community spirit across a range of categories — including Youghal Business of the Year (under and over 10 employees), Best Retail Experience, New Business of the Year, Shining Star Employee, Taste of Youghal, Community Award, and Outstanding Voluntary Organisation.

Voting will be open to the community, allowing local people to have their say in recognising the businesses, individuals, and organisations making a real difference in Youghal’s thriving local economy.

The pinnacle of the celebrations will come on Friday 28th February 2026, when the inaugural Youghal Business & Community Awards Gala Cocktail Evening takes place at the Walter Raleigh Hotel at 7.30pm. The event promises to be a highlight of Youghal’s business calendar, celebrating achievement, innovation, and teamwork.

Adding further prestige to the Awards, local Youghal man Sean Doyle, Executive Chairman of British Airways and Aer Lingus, will be the guest of honour at February’s ceremony. Mr Doyle’s success on the global stage stands as an inspiring example of ambition and leadership rooted in Youghal’s community values.

Speaking at today’s launch, Deirdre O’Sullivan, co-chair of the YBA, said:

“These awards mark an exciting new milestone for Youghal. They’re about celebrating local achievement, strengthening connections, and showcasing the incredible talent that drives our town forward.”

YBA representatives highlighted the Alliance’s mission to continue championing local enterprise and supporting the town’s ongoing economic development. Founded in 2018 with just 13 businesses, the YBA now represents more than 30 members and has invested over €25,000 in local projects and sponsorships.

The Youghal Business & Community Awards 2026 promise not only to celebrate hard work and success but also to shine a light on the strong community spirit and talent that define Youghal’s identity.

PICTURES AND CAPTIONS BELOW:

Picture: Youghal Business Alliance and East Cork Rail Alliance members with Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley at the launch of the first-ever Youghal Business Awards. The awards will take place at The Walter Raleigh Hotel in February 2026, with community voting open to all.

Picture: Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley and Deirdre O’Sullivan, Youghal Business Alliance co-chairperson, speaking at the top table.

Picture: Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley.

Picture: Virgil Flood, Pobalscoil na Tríonóide Leaving Cert student and East Cork Rail Alliance member; Neville O’Donoghue, Youghal Business Alliance PRO; and Jessica Power, Walter Raleigh Hotel Sales and Marketing Executive.

Picture: Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley and Deirdre O’Sullivan, Youghal Business Alliance co-chairperson.

Picture: Deirdre O’Sullivan, Youghal Business Alliance co-chairperson; Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley; and Jessica Power, Walter Raleigh Hotel Sales and Marketing Executive.

Picture: Deirdre O’Sullivan, Youghal Business Alliance co-chairperson; Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley; and Jessica Power, Walter Raleigh Hotel Sales and Marketing Executive.

Picture: Kieran Quinn, Marketing and Business Development Officer, Youghal Credit Union; Ger Motherway, CG Motherway & Co; Ross Morgan, Digital HQ; and Chris Long, Financial Services, Youghal.

Picture: Ann Lenihan, Youghal Nutrition Club; and Deirdre Roberts, Cork Bike Hire.

Picture: Virgil Flood, Pobalscoil na Tríonóide Leaving Cert student and East Cork Rail Alliance member, with Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley.

Picture: Deirdre O’Sullivan, Youghal Business Alliance co-chairperson; Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley; and Jessica Power, Walter Raleigh Hotel Sales and Marketing Executive.

Picture: Michael Beecher; Virgil Flood, Pobalscoil na Tríonóide Leaving Cert student; and Liam Burke, representing East Cork Rail Alliance, with Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley.

Picture: Jessica Power, Walter Raleigh Hotel Sales and Marketing Executive; Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley; and Deirdre O’Sullivan, Youghal Business Alliance co-chairperson.
Picture: Youghal Business Alliance meeting at The Walter Raleigh Hotel.

Picture: Youghal Business Alliance meeting at The Walter Raleigh Hotel. ... See MoreSee Less

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Stonemasons Bring Youghal’s Town Walls Back to Life

A quiet corner of Youghal’s famous town walls has burst back into life this week as skilled stonemasons carefully rebuild a long‑collapsed section adjacent to Raheen road, turning a fenced‑off eyesore into a source of pride and a new draw for visitors. Funded by a €95,000 heritage grant from the Irish Walled Towns Network (IWTN) capital conservation fund, administered by The Heritage Council, the works on Section J are the latest phase in a long‑term effort to preserve and showcase one of Youghal’s greatest historic assets​. Daniel Noonan Archaeological Consultancy and David Kelly Partnership are providing the conservation oversight to the works.

On Tuesday 9th December 2025, three of the craftsmen working on the project paused briefly on the scaffolding for a photograph: Dave Pitman from Charleville, and Jakub Raszyk and Jaroslan Bartos, now living in Charleville and originally from the Czech Republic, of PDH Stone Masonry & Restoration. For years this stretch of wall had been cordoned off for safety reasons, but now, under their hands, the structure is taking shape once more. Dave explains that the team love working on historic and heritage projects and feel a real sense of connection with the past when they are rebuilding a monument like the Youghal Town Walls. That pride is visible in every carefully set stone.

The masons are re‑using the original stones from the collapsed section, selecting, cutting and placing each one so that the repaired area blends seamlessly with the surviving medieval fabric. Rather than looking like a modern patch, the rebuilt portion appears to grow naturally out of the old wall, as if the gap had never existed. For local residents walking past, it is like watching Youghal’s living history being stitched back together in real time. The transformation from rubble to robust wall has happened within a matter of weeks, but the result is designed to endure for generations.

Great credit is due to all the agencies involved: the Irish Walled Towns Network and The Heritage Council for providing the vital funding; Cork County Council and its heritage staff for driving the project and overseeing the conservation standards; and PDH Stone Masonry & Restoration for the craft skills that bring the plans to life on site. When the scaffolding comes down shortly, this restored section will strengthen the continuous circuit of walls that already help to make Youghal one of Ireland’s standout walled and heritage towns, adding to its appeal for both tourists and locals who enjoy exploring the historic walks and viewpoints around the fortifications.

The renewed wall is more than a construction job finished; it is another step in reclaiming and celebrating Youghal’s past, ensuring that the town walls remain a source of pride, education and economic benefit well into the future.

By Michael Hussey | Photos: Michael Hussey

Picture: Stonemasons Dave Pitman from Charleville and Jakub Raszyk and Jaroslan Bartos from Charleville and the Czech Republic, working with PDH Stone Masonry & Restoration, at Youghal Town Walls. ... See MoreSee Less

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Farewell to a Quayside Legend: Kevin Linehan Reflects on Moby Dicks’ 170-Year Saga

By Michael Hussey, CRY104fm, Youghal – 5th December 2025

In the upstairs sitting room of Youghal’s iconic Moby Dicks pub – once the art department office for John Huston’s 1954 Hollywood epic – Kevin Linehan sits amid Victorian furnishings and family memorabilia, his voice steady but laced with sentiment. Recorded on the premises this Friday, the conversation captures the heart of a family dynasty ending on New Year’s Day 2026, after 50 years behind the bar for Kevin and more than 170 since the building’s origins in 1880.

This quayside landmark, renamed during the filming frenzy that drew Gregory Peck and thousands to the Market Dock, embodies Youghal’s maritime soul. “This is the sitting room of Moby Dicks,” Kevin explains. “Back in July 1954, Hollywood actors Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart and Royal Dano had their office here. They paid Paddy Linehan £5 a week.” Extras were paid even on quiet days – a nod to director John Huston’s generosity. Paddy, Kevin’s late father, saw the boom: barrel sales jumped from one or two to ten nightly. After the film wrapped, he made the name permanent – a stroke of genius that turned a butcher’s shop into a pub legend.

Paddy and his wife Maureen, both devout Catholics, infused the place with unyielding values. “My mother and father were devout Catholics. They went to Mass every Sunday,” Kevin recalls, noting an uncle who was a priest and an aunt who was a nun on Maureen’s side, plus his wife Bríd’s three priest brothers. Bad language earned Paddy’s swift “red card” – no exceptions. Maureen, from Slane, County Meath, graced the cover of Women’s Way in 1967. She worked in the textile industry and later came to Youghal with her two sisters, Rose and Lily. She first met Paddy at the Showboat dance hall in Youghal. Their shared faith drove community action: during the emigration crisis of the 1980s, Paddy urged prayer vigils at the parish church for new industry. Soon, factories such as Power Products, Dennison Doret, Kodak and others arrived. “People will say it’s hokum,” Kevin laughs, “but within a short couple of years, the thing turned.”

Paddy’s civic legacy looms large. A Fine Gael man who later switched to the more progressive Fianna Fáil, he served 40 years on the council as chairman and mayor, attracting factories and pioneering allotments at Seafield amid 1970s and 1980s closures such as Youghal Carpets. The political thread did not end with him: their daughter, Mary Linehan Foley, carried the flag into a new generation as an independent councillor and now serves as the current Mayor of Cork County, extending the Linehan commitment to public service beyond the town itself. Paddy demonstrated trawling techniques to locals before they had their own boats and was even “blacklisted” by the Vintners’ Association for selling cheaper pints of Guinness. “Customers loved it,” Kevin says. The family expanded in the 1960s, buying the adjacent Spouters Inn (a nod to the novel), renovated by Mossie Buttimer and his crew. The artist Walter Verling was commissioned to paint an enduring mural stretching the full length of the wall. Harpoons, ship’s wheels and stained glass by Watsons of Youghal adorn the walls – treasures Kevin hopes will be preserved under new ownership.

Generations packed the bar for sing-songs, weddings and craic. The piano was played by the late Kieran Nolan, the dentist and gifted pianist. Staff such as Morris O’Brien, Biddy Smiddy, Jack Brown, Tadhg Foley, Maurice Hennessy, Síle McMahon, the Hennessy sisters from the Square and the Murphy brothers from Friar Street all did their time behind the counter. Loyal families – the Flanagans, Husseys, Hennesseys, Roaches, Murphys and many more – sustained it. Kevin’s daughter held her wedding reception there last summer, and for Corpus Christi the frontage was decorated with holy pictures. Music eras shone: DJ Ger Ronan, young Michael Sheehan, Elvis tributes, Gordon Coleman with his Neil Diamond tones, and the Busking Festival years, when Moby Dicks served as headquarters under organisers like Tony Desmond, Tim Smith, Cliff Windsor and Winston Greer. Paddy’s Irish-coffee demonstrations for visiting tour groups, accompanied by his archive of autographs and newspaper cuttings, captivated American guests.

Yet the tides turned. Youghal’s 30-plus pubs in Kevin’s youth dwindled to about 14, and nationally, the number of pubs has fallen by about a quarter since 2005, from around 8,600 to 6,500, with more than 2,100 closures in 20 years. Post‑Covid, closures lasted two years and many people grew used to socialising at home. The smoking ban – “Micheál Martin will always be remembered for that,” Kevin quips – along with soaring insurance, energy and staffing costs, has crushed independent operators. “Pubs are expensive to run now,” he says. “Two‑thirds of the pint goes to the Government on tax – you struggle with overheads.” In West Cork, where Bríd is from, Skibbereen now has only six pubs, and Youghal has lost the Quality Hotel at Redbarn. Culture has shifted: gyms instead of pints, zero‑alcohol options on the rise. “The pub was the heart of the community – for funerals, weddings, anniversaries. The Government must look at this – vary the ratio, give publicans a break.”

Gazing at the Ahab sculpture staring back towards the pub, Kevin hopes Moby Dicks will endure. “Hopefully it will shine on under new management – it’s important for the town’s cultural area.” Messages of support are pouring in from former staff, locals and well‑wishers. As the doors prepare to close, Kevin honours them all: generations of families he wants to thank personally for their loyalty. Like the great whale that slips beneath the waves only to surface again, the spirit of Moby Dicks feels destined to rise once more in Youghal.

Pictures:
Kevin Linehan, dressed as Captain Ahab, raises a pint of Murphy’s stout and a harpoon outside Moby Dicks in Youghal, beneath the famous quayside mural celebrating the town’s Hollywood‑linked maritime pub. Photo: Michael Hussey

Kevin and Bríd Linehan beside the specially commissioned Watsons Stained Glass of Moby Dick inside the famed pub. The pub will close on New Year’s Day 2026. Photo: Michael Hussey

Kevin Linehan, dressed in period costume as Captain Ahab, beside the limestone sculptor of Captain Ahab celebrating the town’s Hollywood‑linked maritime pub. Photo: Michael Hussey

Kevin and Bríd Linehan behind the bar of Moby Dicks Pub with customers Cliff Winser and Guy Boddez

Customer Guy Fleming with Bríd Linehan beside the Hollywood wall of fame featuring the cast of Moby Dick.

Paddy and Maureen Linehan ouside the Holy Family Church, Youghal, during the official opening.

Paddy and Maureen Linehan with the American director John Huston and a young Kevin Linehan during the shooting of the film "Sinful Dove" on the Banks of the Boyne back in 1965/66 ... See MoreSee Less