YoughalOnline.com

4 hours ago

Youghal Fife & Drum Band (Photo taken outside Old British Prison Tallow St. Youghal 1912) – Photographer and source unknown. … See MoreSee Less

YoughalOnline.com

16 hours ago

Construction of the new Youghal beach boardwalk is nearly complete and the final finishing touches are being put in place. There are over 7,000 planks laid on the walkway which runs from Claycastle to Red Barn and adjacent to the dunes and reed beds of Ballyvergan Marsh.

The extension will see the original 400 metre boardwalk at Claycastle beach, which was completed in 2012, extended by 1.5km as far as the Redbarn Blue Flag beach. It will be open to the public in time for the summer tourist season.

Pictured is Michael Harkin of MH construction putting the final decking into place and picture inset shows the boardwalk coming together nicely. Well done to all the carpenters and construction workers on doing a wonderful job under the difficult circumstances. … See MoreSee Less

YoughalOnline.com

19 hours ago

Youghal featured on the national News.

RTE News journalist Jenny O’Sullivan and cameraman Eoin Daly reporting live from Youghal beach as the phased easing of the Level 5 Covid lockdown began on, Monday, 12th April, 2021.

After more than 100 days living under a Level 5 lockdown, Covid-19 restrictions were eased for the first time since December 30. People can now travel anywhere within their county or up to 20km from their home if they are crossing county boundaries. There is great hope at long last as we enter a new week. … See MoreSee Less

YoughalOnline.com

4 days ago

Bit of local history – Youghal Carpets was set up on Monday the 8th of March 1954 and had been in business for over 50 years. Sadly it closed down on November 2006. Known locally as the "Carpet Factory" it employed over 600 people at the height of production.

This image show an advert for ‘The Carpets’ from a tourist brochure. It reads: "Youghal Carpets Cover the World."

"Every week, carpets go out from Youghal to far away places. In less than 15 years Youghal Carpets have made astonishing progress, And are now prominent in the world’s market places of today – with an eye as always, on the markets of the future. The key factor of Youghal’s great success internationally is a progressive policy of freshness of design and colour-maintaining the highest possible standards of manufacture. Always"

The advertisement cartoon depicts two Martian like creatures looking back at planet Earth covered in Youghal Carpet with the caption "Wonder if it will ever catch on here?" … See MoreSee Less

YoughalOnline.com

6 days ago

Do You Believe in Ghosts – By Mike Hackett

Paddy O’Keeffe was a salmon fisherman from Newport, Knockanore, who knew the tides of the river very well – – and all the moods and variations that it could take with the weather. When the tide was high – – the river almost lapped his front door and his salmon yawl would be on a bit of grass beside it. What a fantastic place to live – -directly across from Ballinaclash Quay. In that little house – – at the end of a cul-de-sac – – Paddy lived alone – – just a small terrier (Patch) was his company – – he was so happy.

One Monday morning Gerald Pomphrett (my blind walking partner) and I walked the eight miles to Newport to visit Paddy – – at his invitation of the previous week after I had met him in town. While we were there – -Tom Dalton with his grocery van arrived and Paddy bought bread and ham to treat his visitors. The talk inevitably turned to fishing- – and we remarked on the nets that were stacked up on the kitchen floor. “There’s a reason for that” said Paddy – – as he turned back the nets to reveal a dozen big salmon hidden underneath. As no fishing was permitted on a Sunday – – we were wondering where they had come from? “Don’t worry” said Paddy. “I caught them last night” – – “You see – – the salmon know when it is Sunday and they come up the river in big numbers – – and that’s when I catch them” said Paddy. No doubt that he was ‘codding’ us- – and he was enjoying it.

A few weeks after our visit- – he was fishing alone down-river by Templemichael Castle and graveyard as darkness approached. The tide was about to turn – -and would then assist him in returning up the river back home. Meanwhile he had time to spare and decided to go ashore – – to walk up Ministers Hill to Lombards Pub and have a few pints. He tied the boat below the castle and made his way up beside the graveyard. But then – – he froze! Something white was moving in the darkness between the headstones. There was no noise – – just a white apparition floating amongst the graves and crosses. Paddy ran the mile up the hill and reached the pub in a breathless state. A few of the regulars turned away from their pints to gaze at this sweaty man in a frightened state. “What happened to you?” they chorused together. “Down at Templemichael graveyard there is a ghost moving around between the headstones”. Of course at first nobody believed him – -but he kept it up by saying “Ye go down and see for yourselves”. Then “Okay – – jump into my car” said Billy Dalton and four men (without Paddy) went to see the ghost.

Francis – – the proprietor – – was wondering to herself about how many pints does it take to see a real ghost. When they reached Templemichael – – it seemed more eerie than usual and they quietly moved amongst the headstones. Suddenly a gasp rang out – – there was a large white vision towards the rear wall. It was moving along steadily. Drink or no drink – – they could make it out clearly enough. The bravest ventured forth – – and he was wondering at this stage if he had his rosary beads in his pocket. Then there was a loud ‘Hee Haw’ and a large white donkey made a run for the gate – – almost colliding with the frightened men. A pure white donkey in a graveyard at the dead of night!

Problem solved. Paddy was relieved to hear about the ‘ghost’ when they got back – – and he had managed to have his few pints in the meantime. This story was told by Tom Dalton many years ago.

Talking about dead men coming out of graveyards – – it has happened a few times. Once when a grave-digger was nearing the end of his dig – – he got a heart attack and died on the spot. He was removed to the local hospital to be cleaned up for the ‘wake’ and the following day he was brought back to the cemetery to be buried. When you think of that: A Dead Man Came out of the Graveyard ?

But what about the dead man who came out twice? John O’Callaghan was the caretaker of North Abbey Cemetery and lived with his wife, Han, in the lodge just inside the gate. John died one night and was brought to the District Hospital to be prepared for his ‘waking’. He was then brought back to his front room in the lodge for the ‘wake’ before the removal that evening to the local Parish Church. The next day saw the funeral bring him ‘home’ again and buried in North Abbey. He had come out twice and gone back in twice? You don’t have to be a ghost to be in and out of a graveyard!

Liam Ryan is the popular and reliable sacristan at the Parish Church on Ashe Street in Youghal. While locking the premises late one night – – he decided to close the mortuary first. This is like a small church beside the big one and is where bodies in coffins were kept overnight. It has its own big doors and can be locked separately. On this night – -there was a coffin in it – – otherwise it would have been closed already. He had just blown out the six large candles around the coffin and was alone now in real darkness. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. Knowing that he was alone – – he nearly dropped dead with the awful fright that he got. Summoning all his energy to get out the door – – he turned around to find a man standing there. It was Tommy Hannon from Mill Road who had come late to say a prayer for the deceased and was standing behind the door when Liam arrived in. There were more than prayers said that night!

And the last tale today tells of a famous character – – Billy Swayne – – taking a short-cut across North Abbey cemetery in the dark – – when he fell into a newly dug grave and couldn’t get back up. He started shouting and was heard by Hannah O’Callaghan – – who lived in the graveyard lodge at the gate. She was living alone at this time – -her husband had died a few months before that. Brave woman that she was – – she went up to investigate the awful screeching – -saw Billy and used the nearby ladder to help him out. A real live ghost!

Story by Mike Hackett (A real ghost).
Picture: St. Michael Church, Templemichael by @Kieran McCarthy … See MoreSee Less

YoughalOnline.com

7 days ago

Picture shows the old neon sign over the The Nook pub on North Main Street, Youghal, back in 1972. Back in the seventies the neon signs became very fashionable with their colourful glow advertising the local pubs and business shops. It was a time when the town was booming with tourists arriving by the thousands from the Cork to Youghal train and huge employment with local factories like Youghal Carpets, Seafield Fabrics, Blackwater Cottons and Murray Kitchens.

The cheerful lights gave the town a metropolitan look and a sign that prosperity was finally here after the austere era post WW2. Do you remember any of the colourful signs over the shops fronts in the past? If so please share your thoughts in the comment box below. … See MoreSee Less

YoughalOnline.com updated their cover photo.

1 week ago

YOUGHAL PEOPLE – YOUGHAL STORIES – YOUGHAL PLACES
Micky Hackett – – – My Granda
Michael (Micky) Hackett was born in Ballyphilip near Knockanore, West Waterford in 1888. We know that he had two brothers – one was delicate and died of T.B. at a young age – – while the other went to live in Ardee County Louth and lived out his life there. He also had two sisters and they too died young. Michael (Micky) stayed in the local area (including Mill Road) for his lifetime.
At first in Ballyphilip – the family lived (late 1800s) by salmon fishing and the benefits that the country-side brought like growing their own potatoes, catching rabbits and plenty of firewood. Then as the family grew bigger, more work and income was needed, and so they moved in to the outskirts of Youghal around 1910 – first to Cork Hill and then to Mill Road. Not long afterwards, the delicate brother, Patsy, died. It was a time of sadness for the Hackett family as one of the sisters, Mary, died on Cork Hill when she fell from a horse and cart at twelve years of age. The other sister later died at fifteen years of age. Micky’s remaining brother, Johnny, moved up to the north of Ireland and joined the R.I.C. – while Micky got a job at the Youghal Brickyard driving the newly arrived German steam lorry. Their father (Daddy Mick) also got a job at the Brickyard.
Michael, or Micky as he became known, married Ellen Kenefick of Mill Road in 1916. His boss, J.R.Smyth owner of the Brickyard, gave the young newly-married couple the lodge at Heathfield Towers main gates to live in. Heathfield Towers was the castle-type big house in which the Smyth family lived on the hill above the Tourig valley where the Brickyard was located. One of the big chimneys (three originally) is still standing and can be seen from the main road.
Micky and Ellen went on to have six children in that lodge: Michael, Hanny, Paddy, Johnny, Minnie and Denis. Although J.R.Smyth meant well when he gave them use of the lodge, it was to be the cause of the death of Ellen. The lodge is set in a hollow next to the gate and beside a small river. In those days you had no such thing as a damp-proof course and it must have been weeping dampness on the inside walls. T.B. was widespread then and Ellen was struck down with it when her sixth child Denis was only one year old. It was 1932 and the Eucharistic Congress was on in Dublin. For some reason, a black flag was picked as the symbol for celebrating the Congress and every house flew one from a window or on the chimney. Dick Cunningham, who lived near the lodge remembered that on the day that Ellen passed away, the black flag was removed from the lodge chimney and he knew then that she was gone. Micky then got a new cottage at Knockatigan nearby – where he spent the rest of his days.
It must have been hard to manage six children, aged fifteen down to one, without a mother and so Hanny left school at fourteen to become the house-keeper. The eldest child, Michael, then went to Mill Road to live with his Granny (Nanny Han, wife of Daddy Mick). He was also shared with Din and Mary Murphy (next door) – they were sister and brother to Nanny Han. Michael called her Auntie Mary – although she was really his Gran-Aunt.
Meanwhile back at Knockatigan, Micky was working every day at driving the steam lorry to the Youghal railway station with full brick loads and using three trailers in the process. While one trailer was being loaded at the Brickyard, another was being unloaded at the station, with the third on the road being towed behind the lorry. Many were the stories told about the local drapers quickly removing their dresses and suits (hanging in front of the shops) before the steam lorry blowing soot (like a railway engine) ruined them all. Micky would blow the loud steam hooter to warn drapers as he slowly drove through the main streets. Not forgetting that during those years – Hanny was acting as mother to Paddy, Johnny, Minnie and Denis.
Micky worked long and hard to rear his children and in the Springtime and Summertime he could be seen tilling the land that was beside his house. As he was the first to use it to grow potatoes and vegetables, it had a lot of rocks and stones through it. He would toil with pick-axe and shovel in the evenings to make it fit for the seeds. As it happened – a character who lived up the road would saunter by most evenings on his way to town for a few pints of porter. On witnessing Micky swinging the pick-axe he would comment “It’s tough Micky – the land is like iron”. Then the next night he would make the same remark “Like iron it is Micky”. Micky well knew how hard the land was and he was fed up with the character’s stupid observations night after night. Eventually the character changed his tune and said “It’s like iron Micky – what are you going to grow there?” Micky had enough!
“I’m going to plant six-inch nails” said Micky “And with all that iron that you’re talking about, they’ll grow into crowbars”
Apart from bringing bricks to the railway station, one of Micky’s last points of delivery was to the site of the District Hospital that was completed in 1932 and is now known as the Community Hospital. That was a bigger task than imagined because the loaded steam-lorry could not possibly climb up the very steep Cork Hill while pulling a loaded trailer as well. He had to drive it out via the Strand and Summerfield, then up the New-Line and on to Cork Hill from the upper side. Micky – in later life – liked to say that he was very involved in the building of the District Hospital and that he had never in his life been a patient in it.
The Youghal Brickyard ceased production in 1930 – concrete blocks were taking over the building sites and there was no great demand for bricks anymore. J.R.Smyth, the Brickyard owner, built a small chimney and kiln near his Heathfield Towers but that too ceased in 1936. All through this he was keen to encourage and support Micky and he kept him as an employee for some time after the closure. Micky would drive the family car and do the gardening around the Smyth home of Heathfield Towers.
A while later, Micky went to work for Tommy Murray and Sons builders. He became an expert at knocking trees and could lie them in lines, in any direction from standing positions. Murrays then had a sawmill in New-Catherine Street, near Green’s Quay, where a man named Jim Parker would saw the huge trunks on a saw bench to make boards for new houses. One of Micky’s more memorable achievements in that regard was when he was entrusted to knock enormous oak trees that were growing on the fringe of the high quarry in which the Youghal Parish church is located. The quarry location for the church came about when in 1796 the Orange men of Youghal would not allow it to be built on any main thoroughfare of the town. Subsequently, the trees on the surrounding land got bigger and bigger until they overhung the church roof and would possibly demolish it in a storm. Murrays got the contract to remove them and Micky Hackett and his crew managed to cut them down, using cross-cut saws and block-and-tackle supports, without damaging a slate.
And then at last came a break for Micky when the new Seafield Fabrics (1947) looked for boiler-men to run that outside additional (boiler-house) part of the factory. Micky was very experienced at steam control and management from his years driving the Youghal Brickyard steam-lorry and he got one of the two jobs.
He would cycle the three miles from Knockatigan to the ‘factory’ in all weathers and home again after his shift. The boiler-house was kept working around the clock and some of the shifts meant night-work. Micky would cycle to town early when starting a shift at ten pm, and have a pint in Paddy Maher’s or John Kenneddy’s pub, He would then purchase two large bottles of stout and place them carefully in his big over-coat pockets before mounting his bike to cycle to work. He said that he needed the two bottles (one in each pocket) to help keep him balanced on the bike. Then a few of his work colleagues used to call him ‘Two Lamps’ as he had two lamps on his bike. One was a regular battery lamp but the second one was a carbite lamp which was lit by carbite pellets with drops of water falling on them to create gas. After that a simple match started the process. The carbite was hard to get but Jumbo Perks of the amusements would get it for Micky whenever he ran short. Jumbo would call to visit Micky a few times every year to discuss steam and engine problems.
Micky cycled and worked until he was seventy-five years of age, which was permissible at that time. He retired in 1963.
Micky Hackett – who had been reared in Ballyphilip, Knockanore – died in January 1977 at the age of eighty-nine and is buried in North Abbey. We remember him as a calm placid man who was much sought for his wit and stories – especially in later times when he had the few bob and freedom to have a pint or a large bottle. God rest him.
This first appeared in the Knockanore Historical Annual No.5 in December 2020.
-Grandson Mike Hackett.

Photo: Youghal Brickyard staff – Micky at back left – near ladder. … See MoreSee Less

YoughalOnline.com updated their cover photo.

1 week ago

The Tricolour flies high at the 1916 commemoration plaque in Raheen Park, Youghal, to mark the 105th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. … See MoreSee Less

YoughalOnline.com

2 weeks ago

EASTER SUNDAY 2021 – YOUGHAL – CO. CORK
Daniel, Katia and Pedro from Youghal and Brazil enjoying Easter Sunday at Youghal beach. Feliz Páscoa! (Happy Easter!) … See MoreSee Less