Youghal is a seaside town steeped in history, heritage, and coastal charm, promising a memorable experience for all who visit.
Historic Landmarks and Cultural Heritage
Youghal is rich in history, landmarks include the 13th century St. Mary’s Collegiate Church, the preserved Youghal Town Walls, the iconic Youghal Clock Gate Tower, with ties to notable figures such as Oliver Cromwell, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Richard Boyle.
Outdoor Activities and Beach Fun
Youghal is perfect for outdoor activities, explore the countryside on foot or by bike, or take advantage of 5 sandy beaches ideal for sunbathing, swimming, and water sports.
Dining and Entertainment
The town offers a diverse range of dining and entertainment options. From traditional Irish pubs to contemporary restaurants and cafes, there’s something to satisfy all tastes. Year-round events and festivals add to the lively local culture.
Accommodation in Youghal
When looking for accomodation in Youghal you can choose from a cozy bed and breakfast or guesthouse to self-catering or a luxurious hotel.
Wellfest by the Sea to Bring Wellbeing, Family Fun and Live Music to Youghal
Green Park will host a full day of free community activities on Saturday, 8th August, while a new Busking Walk brings live music to 15 locations across Youghal town centre.
Youghal will come together for a day of music, wellbeing and community activity when Wellfest by the Sea takes place on Saturday, 8th August 2026.
Presented by Youghal Talks, the event will run in Green Park from 10am to 5pm and will feature mental health and wellbeing stands, mindfulness activities, a community market, live music, family entertainment and a special CRY 104FM Radiothon.
The event is designed to make information and support available in an informal and welcoming setting. Visitors will be able to meet participating organisations, learn about services and take part in practical wellbeing activities throughout the day.
There will also be food and refreshments available, while families are welcome to bring a picnic and spend time in the park.
Family Fun Zone
A dedicated Family Fun Zone will operate during the event, with wristbands available for €5 per child for the full day. Children will be able to leave and return to the area using the same wristband.
The opening hour, from 10am to 11am, will be reserved for children with sensory needs, providing a quieter environment with reduced noise.
Admission to the main Wellfest by the Sea event and its information stands, talks and activities will be free.
Live Radiothon
CRY 104FM will broadcast throughout the day, featuring music, interviews and conversations about mental health, grief, anxiety, depression and the support available within the community.
The doors of the CRY 104FM studios will also be open, giving members of the public an opportunity to visit the station, meet some of its presenters and learn more about the work of local community radio.
Busking Walk Across Youghal
A new Busking Walk will extend the event beyond Green Park and bring live music to the streets of Youghal from 2pm to 5pm.
Fifteen busking locations have been mapped out across the town centre.
Several local musicians have already volunteered and spaces are filling but an appeal is now being made for more busking acts to take part. Anyone interesting in taking part should email youghalonline@gmail.com with your act details and ages etc.
Each volunteer busking act will be allocated a location and provided with a Youghal Talks donation bucket. All donations collected during the Busking Walk will go directly to Youghal Talks.
Local musician Kieran McCarthy is coordinating the Busking Walk. Kieran will also take part with his brother Paul, recreating their own Youghal busking stint from 1992 outside The Clock Tavern on the day.
Supporting Youghal Talks
Youghal Talks is a voluntary community mental health advocacy group promoting positive mental health and greater awareness of the support available locally.
Since its establishment, the group has organised educational talks addressing subjects including grief, anxiety, stress and ADHD. Money raised through Wellfest by the Sea and the Busking Walk will help the group continue providing community events, talks and activities.
📅 Saturday, 8th August
📍 Green Park and Youghal town centre
⏰ Wellfest: 10am–5pm
🎸 Busking Walk: 2pm–5pm
Everyone is welcome.
Article: Kieran McCarthy | Youghal Online ... See MoreSee Less
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Amazing Moon Jellyfish Bloom Washes Ashore at Youghal's Blue Flag Beaches on Sunday, July 19, 2026. Visitors stopped to admire one of nature's most fascinating summer spectacles.
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🌿 New Remembrance Garden Opens in Youghal
For many years, the Bridewell remained a quiet, little-used space. Today, it has found a new purpose as a place of remembrance for bereaved parents and their families.
The Bridewell Garden is located on Mill Road, beside Tesco in Youghal, the enclosed garden has been given a new purpose as a peaceful space where parents can remember their children by planting a shrub or tree in their memory, while also offering a place for reflection, friendship and support.
The idea for the garden came from Olivia, who approached Youghal Tidy Towns with a proposal to create somewhere families could remember their children outside the traditional setting of a graveyard. With the support of Youghal Tidy Towns and other bereaved parents, the project gradually became a reality.
The garden's message, "Where Love Remains", describes it as "a place of love, remembrance and healing", inviting bereaved parents to honour the memory of their child through the planting of a living tribute.
Families are welcome to choose a shrub or tree that holds special meaning for them. Memorial discs featuring a photograph of their child can also be placed alongside the planting, ensuring their memory continues to be shared with future visitors.
Speaking to YoughalOnline, Olivia said her hope is that the garden will bring comfort to families living with the loss of a child.
"What I hope people take from it is that they're not on their own."
The entrance sign also offers a gentle invitation to visitors:
"Come and spend time in a peaceful space where memories are cherished, love endures, and no one walks alone."
The Bridewell Garden is a place of remembrance for bereaved parents and their families. It is open daily from approximately 10am to 9pm during the summer months.
📍 The Bridewell Garden, Mill Road (beside Tesco), Youghal, Co. Cork, Ireland.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan 089 4567 858 or Olivia 087 114 6059
Article/Photos: Kieran McCarthy | Youghal Online ... See MoreSee Less
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JIM HORGAN'S SALMON YAWL. By Mike Hackett
Twenty years ago - Jim Horgan spent his summer holidays making a boat in the ground floor of Tyntes Castle at North Main Street. The two big timber doors of the castle were wide open every day so all the passers-by could see the progress being made. Jim is a boat builder in Galway - where he also teaches - and has made several Galway Hookers. This time in Tyntes Castle - it was a salmon yawl - and it took a few months to complete. The plan of the boat is based on the last one that Paddy Buttimer made and so it became a nice piece of local fishing history.
We are thinking back to a time when the salmon season started in February - despite the cold and unpredictable weather at that time of year. Salmon yawls with four men on 18 foot spars (oars) would row through the heavy troughs of white horses (waves) as they sought to make a living. Then after fishing a tide - maybe they would have no fish caught. A story tells of a fisherman's wife going to the quayside to wave out to her husband in the middle of the harbour - and he would wave back. But there was a secret between them. If he raised one hand - it meant salmon had been caught and she could go to the grocery shop - but two hands meant no fish. Then the poor woman would trudge back up the lane to 'coddle' up what she could from yesterdays dinner.
Captain Pat Walsh - a native of Hanover Street (near the Mall) - was skipper of a destroyer ship during the Second World War. When he retired - he came back home - bought a few salmon yawls - with the intention of hiring the locals to fish for him. It worked to some extent but he had been away so long - that he couldn't tell the honest men from the rogues. He would pay a 'bounty' (advance wages) before Christmas to any fisherman that promised to fish for him the following February. He also bought them rubber wader boots and oil-skins in preparation. The oil-skins had to be treated with linseed oil many times to keep out the salt spray. Most men kept their promise - but one rogue sold the boots and had none to wear when fishing. He arrived down to the quay in white sand-shoes - the game was up - the 'bounty' was in his tummy in Guinness porter.
Later in the year - when the salmon and peal season had finished - the yawls were used for sprat fishing - and they would be laden down to the gunnells with the small fish. Merchants came from Scotland to salt and barrel the sprats before exporting them. Then came the mackerel season when large shoals came up the harbour to be caught in hundreds. Again the salmon yawl played a big part in that.
Going back to the restoration of Jim Horgan's yawl - Tom McCarthy (owner of the Castle) was very keen on the project and put no pressure on Jim. As the boat took shape - locals were invited to help by hammering a copper nail or two into the planks. The aim was to give the townspeople a link to the boat - even if it was just one copper nail. When I was called to help - my nail went crooked and had to be done again. I would never make a boat builder.
When the salmon yawl was completed - it was afloat in the Market Dock for a short while before it was moved to a yard in lower Brown Street - beside the scout hall. Jim had hoped at that stage that the scouts would use it to go upriver on overnight camps. But that never happened. It was then covered over with canvas to keep the rain off. It remained there in the scout yard for fifteen years while Jim (living up in Galway) was feeling let-down after all his input.
Now at last something is happening to ensure that this craft is saved and appreciated. The Youghal Men's Shed group - under the supervision of Liam Power have taken the boat from the scout yard and brought it to the garden of Bru na Shi at Magner's Hill. The Men's Shed people have bought a marquee to place over it - and that enables them to work on it regardless of the wet Irish weather. A few small parts need to be replaced in the stem and the keel. Jim has all the suitable timber for the work from his boat building in Galway. The keel is larch timber - never rots in water. The planks are American red cedar and the ribs are oak. Incidentally the first Youghal bridge built in 1833 (before the metal one) was made of larch timber and when it was dismantled in 1883 - the wood was perfect. Having been in the water for fifty years (1833 to 1883) it was like the day it went in. Bits of that larch were given to the local people around to be used for door-frames and window-frames. Now in 2026 - there is a cow house near us where those door frames are still in place.
Jim Horgan has been in contact with Liam Power and also with Miceal de Butleir who is Manager of Bru na Si and all are in agreement that the salmon yawl should be fully restored in memory of Paddy Buttimer. Paddy was an exceptionally helpful man and gifted boat builder. It is hoped to see this bit of fishing history on display in an open-air maritime museum some time soon.
- Mike Hackett - July 4th 2026.
- Pictures courtesy of Mike Hackett
Photo © Mike Hackett. Shared with permission to Youghal Online only. Please do not reproduce, alter or republish without permission.
PICTURES:
1. Mary Bennett, Derek Davis, Margaret and Nora Buttimer, Lizzie Twomey and Mary O'Beirne.
2. Michael Drake -selling mackerel.
3. Paddy Buttimer prepares the salmon nets.
4. Richie Hickey with the wading boots
5. Rowing Boats
6. Willie Shanahan, Willie Dunne, Mossie Nunn, Mick O'Sullivan and Danny Coakley. ... See MoreSee Less
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The Bell Tower of St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Youghal, Co. Cork Ireland · 08/07/2026 · Photo © Kieran McCarthy ... See MoreSee Less
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