Youghal

The Humble Bicycle. By Mike Hackett

Going back to the days before electric bikes and cycle lanes — we pay homage to the simple pedal bike that brought us to destinations a lot quicker and easier than walking.

When there wasn't a car in every house — in fact when there wasn't a car owner in a row of houses — then a bicycle was better than walking. People with a bicycle were lucky — they could cycle to work while their comrades walked the roads and streets. There was no cost with a good machine — only a puncture sometimes or a broken chain link that could be repaired cheaply. In those bygone days it was compulsory to have a bell on your bike and a light after dark. That encouraged the saying — "Where are you going without a bell on your bike?"

In the 1950s, you had two factories in Youghal — Seafield Fabrics and Blackwater Cottons — built by Willie Dwyer of Cork to help the town. Over four hundred were employed there and most were from the far side of the two-mile-long town. Bicycles were the main means of getting to work there. If you were walking out the Lighthouse Hill after 5:30 pm, you would want to keep in by the wall as a shower of cyclists (all across the wide road) would come roaring down on their way home from work at the factories.

Another memory comes to mind of a bill poster named Johnny Walsh who had a tricycle machine with a big box made between the two front wheels. He would carry his bills, paste and brushes in it as he cycled around town. He even carried furniture in it when people were moving house. He later got a motorised version like a three-wheel motorbike. John Hannon's bakery had another tricycle with trays inserted in front to deliver the cream buns to local shops. And not to forget the local Post Office when a very large wicker-work basket tricycle was used by the postmen to deliver parcels around town.

A funny incident concerning the P.O. version happened when postman Jim Cooney (Cork Hill) was cycling the trike around Watson's corner at Green's Quay. He was going too fast — it jack-knifed and threw him off onto the road. He was a nice man — laughed it off and walked away unhurt.

In 1957 — when I was thirteen years old — I was too young to play on the under 14 hurling team. The team had a match in Midleton one Sunday and I wanted to be there. My Dad had bought a girl's bike for £15 from his cousin Mary O'Sullivan who was emigrating to Australia. "Up on your bike" I got and cycled the twenty miles to Midleton, but then about a mile out from the town I got a puncture. Walking to the nearest garage — hoping to buy solution and a patch — I encountered a kind man (John Foley) who mended the puncture for me and would take no fee. The whole process took an hour and there was no hurling match for me that day — but it was a learning experience about how kind people can be. The twenty more miles to cycle home completed the lesson.

That was a year before I became a telegram boy (at 14 until 17) to spend three years cycling a big old black post-office bike around the town and countryside delivering all kinds of urgent messages. During those tourist seasons it meant cycling as much as forty miles a day — six days a week. As I was just the messenger, I was never told what those green envelopes contained. It could be that somebody had died in England, or a person due to arrive by train, or that the addressee had drawn a horse in the Irish Sweepstakes draw which was popular at the time.

The topic of cycling brings back the story about the Mill Road Cycling Club — formed in 1938. It had twelve members who paid three pence a week into a fund. However, before the arrival of the following week, some members would request a 'loan' from the fund to tide them over. It was an early version of the Credit Union. But the most amusing part was that not one of the twelve owned a bike. The neighbours’ bikes were borrowed whenever an outing took place to Ardmore or Mount Mellerary.

One Sunday the trip was to Mount Mellerary and the guys had heard about the generosity of the monks and how they always fed any traveller. So they went into the dining room to sit around the huge table. Firstly a monk brought out large jugs of milk before going back to the kitchen for plates of bread. When he appeared with the bread — the milk was all gone; and when he returned with more — the bread was gone. The poor monk couldn't keep up with the hungry cyclists. A member of the club told me later that on the table was a donation box — but he saw no penny going into it.

Another cycling club was formed in town twenty years after that one. It was named St. Christopher's Cycling Club and was great for young people working indoors in shops and factories. Trips on Sundays were made to Killeagh Woods, Ballycotton Pier and in the other direction to Glendine Chapel in the valley. More modern bikes had come around then with three-speed gears and fancy colours. Makes like Raleigh, Humber and Hercules were available. Members of the club that come to mind are: Frankie and Sally Lynch, Gerry and Noreen Kelly, Kevin Hennessy, David (Fudgel) O'Brien, Betty and Gertie Carroll, Michael and Bosco Kenefick, Brian (Josh) Owen, Tim Kelly, Eamon Goggin and Mikie Roche.

We move on to 1998 — when the famous Tour De France came through Youghal. The local tourist office brought Macnas Theatrical Company from Galway to entertain the thousands of onlookers on the street while they awaited the arrival of the race. It brought great attention to the area with roads resurfaced and potholes filled in. In the process, big steel cats-eyes were installed in the middle of the road at the Stone Bridge corner. But when a bicycle wheel would hit them — the machine would shudder. Any ordinary Joe Soap could foresee that they would mean trouble and mean shuddering for narrow racing-bike wheels to negotiate.

How true it turned out to be. As the race leaders rounded the Stone Bridge corner — the leading bunch spotted the large steel cats-eyes and started to separate into two columns to avoid them. The result pushed the outside riders to the edges and one famous cyclist crashed into the wall. Sadly that finished his participation in the race.

Before finishing this story let me pay tribute to a dear old man — Jack Shorten — who lived in the Protestant Asylum on Church Lane (now remade for retired pensioners and known as Shalome House). When he retired from his pony and cart business of bringing coke from the Gas Works to homes around town — he started a bicycle repair shop at 6 North Main Street. Whenever I got a puncture in or near town — Jack would fix it for me and never wanted any payment. You would have a job to press a shilling into his hand. He was a brother-in-law to Bill French — the sacristan at the nearby Collegiate Church. Good deeds like his deserve to have him listed in local history.

Agus sin an mead anois — (That is all for now). Buíochas mór daoibh mar gheall an scéal fada seo — (Big thanks to you for staying with me for this long piece).

Mike Hackett — February 2026

Photos —

Mill Road Cycling Club

Macnas Theatrical Company of Galway with a mock elephant passing Brown Street

The Macnas Parade on North Main Street before the arrival of the Tour de France

Tour notice at Mill Road — July 1998

The Tour de France racing on the Youghal bridge

Bicycle mechanics at work — Mike, Gavin and Suzanne Hackett

No more pedal cycling for Pat Coughlan as he graduated to a motor bike

The result of hitting a pot-hole and being thrown off the bike onto the road

more photos to follow shortly........... ... See MoreSee Less

A Country Welcome for Townies
By Michael Hackett

A kind woman lived about a mile outside Youghal in the 1940s and she loved to entertain her friends from town when they walked out on Sunday afternoons.

That was the time for townies to seek fresh air in the open countryside - away from the smog of the coal-fire chimneys. Her name was Minnie Hackett (Mrs. Ansbro) and she was my aunt.

Minnie lived with her father, husband and four children in a house at Knockatigan near “The Bush” - on the Quarry Road.

She never seemed to mind how many came to visit her and there was a welcome and a seat for all. It was real Old-Ireland style.

There was one thing missing from the house - and that was running water. It had to be drawn in buckets from a stream about fifty yards away and it was pure and cold. It came from a spring up in the nearby field where a “pattern” day was held once a year in bygone days.

Granda Hackett had a donkey and cart to transport vegetables to town - mainly potatoes and cabbage - and then to bring back provisions for the house. Granda would get the donkey hitched to the cart - but it was usually Minnie who went with it to town. She was very popular in the middle of town with her donkey and cart.
Saturday was shopping day and the kids of the town - who had no school - would pester Minnie for a spin. If they helped her to unload and deliver the potatoes and cabbage - they were allowed to sit up on the cart and steer the donkey up the street. Then Minnie would call to my mother for a cup of tea and a chat or to Kathleen Whyte. She had a choice of more houses - because she looked after them all well when they walked out to Knockatigan on Sundays.

Friends, relations and walkers that come to mind from those years of the 1940s and 50s - are Mary-Anne Smyth of Sarsfield’s Terrace - Hanny Kelleher (nee Hackett - another aunt of mine) of Mill Road - Mary Nevin and Anne Donovan both of Mill Road and Reenie Murphy (nee Bradley) of Copperalley.

Most remarkable was how she fed everybody - mothers and kids - who had nice appetites after their walk. In the large living room/kitchen was a big open fire with a crane hanging over it. There was ample sticks and timber to ensure a roaring fire to cook whatever would be in the pot hanging on the crane. Then to cook the contents evenly - more fagots (hot embers) would be piled onto the lid.

Minnie had her own free-range hens running around the garden and that meant lots of eggs available for any cake. Sunday afternoon always saw a bastable cake in the pot - getting ready for the visitors. The smell was enough to make anyone hungry. Then when it was cooked - it was cut while red-hot into chunks and buttered with salted country butter.

Rosaleen and Angeline Smyth (whose Dad was owner of Youghal Brickyard) lived nearby and made the country butter for the shops in town. All the adults sat around the big kitchen table - telling yarns about the happenings of the week - while the kids ate their chunks of bastible cake playing outside.

The fun lasted until around six o’clock before the first guest began to move to go home. Then it was just an easy stroll back into town after an enjoyable day at Minnie Hackett’s.

Picyures: The cover of 'Discover Youghal' - Granda Hackett cutting the grass at Heathfield Towers - and the Burke (Chemist) children : Mary and Aidan - on board ready for a spin in the donkey and cart ... See MoreSee Less

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Cork County Council Crews Restore Storm-Damaged Pilmore Shoreline

Work is well under way on the repair and restoration of the rock armour at Pilmore, Youghal, following the recent storm that wreaked havoc along this exposed stretch of coastline. A section of the narrow road collapsed into the beach, leaving the access route to Pilmore Cottages difficult and, at times, precarious for local residents. Today, council workmen could be seen carefully rebuilding the defences, with heavy machinery and fresh rock armour being positioned to reinforce the weakened shoreline.

The force of the waves during the storm was clear to see, having breached the topsoil and torn away the grass bank above the beach. Huge clumps of grass sods now lie scattered along the strand, a stark reminder of how close the sea came to claiming more of the roadway. In response, outflow pipes are being laid beneath the tarmacadam surface, helping to manage water run-off and reduce the risk of future wash-outs along this vulnerable strip.

Coming on the back of unprecedented rainfall in recent weeks, the damage at Pilmore highlighted just how exposed this section of the coast really is. It is therefore heartening for locals and regular walkers to see this breached area being brought back to normal so quickly. The combination of new rock armour, improved drainage, and the steady, methodical work of the council crews offers reassurance that vital access to Pilmore Cottages is being protected, and that this much-loved shoreline is being given every chance to withstand whatever the next storm may bring.
By Michael Hussey ... See MoreSee Less

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125 YEARS AT THE NOOK - A CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL TREACY

By Michael Hussey

Sitting inside The Nook Bar on North Main Street, with the familiar pitch-pine counter beneath our hands and photographs of past generations watching on from the walls, it’s hard to believe that this place has been in the same family for 125 years.

Across from me sat semi-retired publican Michael Treacy — calm, reflective, and quietly proud — as preparations were underway for a milestone few businesses ever reach.

“Michael,” I began, “for listeners and readers who might not know the full story, can you take us back to the very beginning?”

He smiled.

“Well, it all started in 1901. My grandfather, Michael Treacy, bought the place from the O’Mahony family. He had a farm out in Templemichael, but there wasn’t enough money to keep both the farm and the bar going — so they sold the farm and kept The Nook.”

Each morning, his grandparents travelled into Youghal by pony and trap, opened the small grocery and bar, and returned home again in the evening.

“That was dedication,” Michael said simply.

A HISTORIC SETTING, A LASTING IDENTITY

The Nook sits just steps from The Walter Raleigh House, in one of the town’s oldest quarters — and that sense of history has always mattered.

“When you’re working here,” Michael told me, “you’re always conscious of Church Street, Myrtle Grove, St Mary’s. Even when you’re expanding or changing, those surroundings are in your head.”

Visitors still gravitate to the narrow street beside the bar, drawn by the atmosphere and the history, and often find themselves stepping inside afterwards — just as they have for generations.

JOE AND MAUREEN: THE MAKING OF A FAMILY PUB

The next great chapter came in the 1940s, when Michael’s parents, Joe and Maureen Treacy, took over.

“My father was always changing things,” Michael said. “That’s what you had to do to stay in business.”

They expanded steadily — adding an off-licence, a deli, a singing lounge, and eventually acquiring neighbouring cottages to create a dance hall. The grocery side gradually fell away as shopping habits changed.

Maureen, née Barry, became a legendary presence behind the bar.
“She was a tour de force,” Michael laughed. “She was trained well — her own mother ran Barry’s pub in Castlemartyr during the war years. Customers were welcome, but if anyone misbehaved, they were out. No one took on Maureen.”

It was a familiar rhythm in the great family pubs of Youghal — warmth, fairness, and standards that never slipped.

GROWING UP ABOVE THE BAR

Like many publicans’ children, Michael and his brothers grew up above the business.
“We didn’t really have a choice,” he said. “You worked behind the bar. You got your jobs every week.”

One of those jobs — long since vanished — was sorting bottles.

“You’d separate Guinness, Bass, cider, baby shams — all into different crates. We were paid per case. That was our pocket money.”

In summer, the bottles were often full of wasps.
“I never got stung once,” he laughed. “I don’t know how.”

A SUDDEN TURNING POINT

Everything changed in October 1977, when Joe Treacy died unexpectedly.

At the time, Michael was studying engineering at University College Cork.

“My mother was left coming up to Christmas with the bar,” he said. “She asked me would I come home and take over.”
There was no hesitation.
“I said I would.”
Initially, Maureen remained firmly in charge at the counter, while Michael handled more of the back-room work — but the transition was underway.

MUSIC, CHARACTERS, AND ‘NAME THAT TUNE’

Music was always central to The Nook. Under Joe’s watch, live sessions were legendary.

Harry Clohessy on piano. John Forrest on drums. Siddy Daly and the boys. Mr. Mclellan singing. Customers lining up to take over the microphone like Joe Lonergan. Packed floors and packed bars.

One tradition, in particular, lives on in local memory — the weekly “Name That Tune” competition.

“If nobody guessed the tune,” Michael explained, “the prize money rolled over to the next week.”

Eventually, it reached a tidy sum.
That’s when my own late father, Tommy Hussey — a regular with a sharp musical ear — stepped in.

“He went down to the phone,” I reminded Michael, “rang his friend renowned bandleader Mick Delahunty of Clonmel, hummed the tune down the line, and came back up with the answer.”

Michael burst out laughing.
“That’s right. The tune was Jada. He claimed the prize. Clever man.”
That story still circulates today — a perfect snapshot of The Nook’s spirit: music, friendship, and quick thinking over a pint.

A PUB AT THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY

Beyond music, The Nook has always been a community anchor.
“We’ve sponsored the rugby club for years,” Michael said. “We even built changing rooms out the back so they could shower after matches and come back in.”

There were traditions too — like presenting a bottle of rum to the fisherman who landed the first salmon of the season when the fishing season started on St Brigid’s Day, February 1st.

Photographs of fishermen, sailors, musicians, and characters now line the walls — a visual archive of Youghal life.

“We’ve grandchildren of people who drank here in the 70s and 80s coming in now,” Michael said. “That’s lovely to see.”

CHANGING TIMES, SAME PHILOSOPHY

Youghal once had 34 pubs. Today, only seven remain.
“Costs are enormous now,” Michael said. “Insurance, rates, Sky TV, suppliers — everything goes up every year.”

Yet The Nook survived COVID, adapted again, and emerged with a thriving food offering.
“If you don’t keep changing,” he said, “you won’t stay in business.”

THE NEXT GENERATION

Though semi-retired, Michael still keeps a watchful eye. His daughter Anne now leads the business, bringing the same warmth and work ethic forward.

“If you come back here in a couple of months,” he told me, “you won’t recognise it. We’re changing again.”

A TOAST TO 125 YEARS

As our conversation drew to a close, I asked Michael what his toast would be for The Nook’s 125 years.

He didn’t pause.
“To the people,” he said. “They’re the reason we’re still here.”

And that, perhaps, is the secret.

From pony and trap beginnings to a modern bar and restaurant in Youghal’s historic heart, The Nook remains what it has always been — a place of welcome, resilience, music, and memory.

Here’s to 125 years — and many more to come.

Michael Treacy was interviewed by Michael Hussey in The Nook Bar for Community Radio Youghal, CRY104FM. The audio will be broadcast on the Noel Cronin Rural Report Show shortly.

Picture: The Next Generation. Though semi-retired, Michael still keeps a watchful eye. His daughter Anne now leads the business, bringing the same warmth and work ethic forward.

Pictures include moments from past events featuring Maureen Treacy, as well as some dear friends and customers who are sadly no longer with us. ... See MoreSee Less

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125 YEARS STRONG: THE NOOK BAR – A TREACY FAMILY LEGACY CELEBRATES IN YOUGHAL

On Friday, February 13th, 2026 – a date that could have felt unlucky to some, but not in Youghal's historic North Main Street – The Nook Bar burst with life to mark 125 years under the Treacy family's dedicated ownership. Golden balloons proclaiming "125" floated above the bar, framing a joyful family photo of semi-retired publican Michael Treacy surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and the next generation poised to carry on the tradition. Customers old and new filled the space, sharing laughs, toasts, and stories as talented musicians tuned up for the evening's renowned session. Plates of hot food circulated from the busy, ever-friendly staff, and the air hummed with music, goodwill, and the unmistakable warmth of a place that's been the heartbeat of the community for generations.

The Nook isn't just a pub; it's an institution steps from Walter Raleigh’s Elizabethan house in Youghal's ancient Raleigh Quarter. What began in 1901 as a modest one-room bar-cum-grocery, bought by local farmer Michael Treacy from the O’Mahony family, has grown into a beloved hub through expansions that incorporated adjoining cottages, a singing lounge, dance floor, off-licence, and deli. Yet through every change, it has remained true to its roots: pitch-pine décor, walls lined with archive photos of past patrons and entertainers from the 1960s onward, and a welcome that spans locals and summer tourists alike.

At the core of this enduring story are the late Maureen and Joe Treacy, whose partnership turned the bar into a thriving family enterprise. Maureen was a true tour de force – a powerhouse matriarch who managed the bar with fierce energy, sharp wit, and an unerring ability to make every customer feel like family. She and Joe expanded the business in the 1940s after Joe took over from his father, selling the family farm to focus fully on the pub. Joe pulled pints with quiet dedication from the 1960s into the 1970s, creating a legacy of reliability and community spirit. Together, they raised four sons – Michael, Richard, Barry, and Mark – most of whom grew up helping behind the bar before pursuing other paths, only for their children and grandchildren to return and keep the tradition alive.

Tragedy struck in the 1970s when Joe passed away unexpectedly. At the time, Michael – then studying engineering at University College Cork – was called home. With Christmas approaching and the family business at a crossroads, Maureen asked her son if he would step in and take over. Michael did, and the rest, as he puts it, is history. He proved every bit the tour de force his mother had been, becoming one of Youghal's leading publicans and guiding The Nook through decades of change. Even in semi-retirement now, Michael's passion shines through – especially when speaking of the bar's future.

The Nook's golden era of live music under Joe's watch was legendary, with the best local talent gracing the stage. Regular sessions featured Harry Clohessy on piano, John Forrest on drums, Cecil Roddy, and Joe himself as impresario, hosting popular weekly "Name that Tune" contests that drew packed crowds eager for the accumulating prize money.

Michael shared a particularly memorable story from those days involving the late Tommy Hussey - my own father and a regular at The Nook. Tommy, known for his sharp ear for music (especially Latin American and big band styles), frequented the packed venues of Youghal like the Strand Palace and the iconic Showboat Ballroom. One resident act there was the famous Mick Delahunty and his big band from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary – a fixture on the Irish ballroom scene for nearly 50 years. Mick Delahunty, a renowned saxophonist and bandleader, held summer residencies at the Showboat for many years, drawing dancers from far and wide (including via the special "Showboat Express" train from Cork City). He and Tommy were close friends through the cattle and horse trade, sharing a bond beyond the music.

Weeks into the "Name that Tune" contest at The Nook, the prize had built to a handsome twelve pounds, and no one could identify the mystery melody played by the house band. Tommy, confident in his musical knowledge, hatched a genius plan: from the bar's landline, he rang his pal Mick Delahunty in Clonmel. Singing the tune down the phone, Tommy asked, "Name that tune!" Mick instantly replied, "Tommy, that's 'Jada'!" Tommy shouted out the correct title, claimed the prize, and created a story that's still told with a grin among Youghal's older generation.

This clever bit of local ingenuity captures the spirit of The Nook back then – a place where music, friendship, and quick thinking came together over a pint.

In true Treacy form, The Nook has always adapted with the times. From a shrinking pub scene in Youghal (once home to 34 licensed premises, now just seven) to evolving customer habits, the family has kept pace while preserving the soul of the place. Today, excellent daytime food draws crowds as an eatery, Wednesday brings top-tier traditional trad sessions, and Thursday nights feature par excellence music gatherings that attract the best local talent. The Treacys have been generous sponsors to local organisations over the years – from sports clubs to community events – earning deep loyalty and gratitude.

That support and affection came flooding in all week leading up to the milestone, with messages of congratulations pouring from neighbours, musicians, past staff, and generations of patrons. As part of the celebrations, The Nook sponsored events at Youghal Golf Club, a fitting nod to their ongoing community ties.

Looking ahead, Michael shared exciting news: within the next six months, The Nook will undergo another chapter of growth – a revamp of the eatery and the purchase of the premises next door to expand and enhance the space. It's a bold move that honours the past while embracing the future, ensuring this cherished institution remains a cornerstone of Youghal life for years to come.

As the music swelled and glasses were raised on February 13th, one thing was clear: The Nook's true magic lies in its people – the Treacy family across generations, the loyal staff, the colourful characters who've graced the bar, and the customers who've made it their second home. Here's to 125 years of laughter, stories, and community – and many more to come. Sláinte, Treacys!

By Michael Hussey (Son of the late Tommy Hussey) | Photo by Michael Hussey
More images to follow...

Michael Treacy was interviewed by Michael Hussey in The Nook Bar and Restaurant. The audio feature will air shortly on Community Radio Youghal CRY104FM

Picture: House band, Joe Lonergan singing with microphone, Forrest, Harry Clohessey and McLellan on stage in The Nook.

Picture: A joyful family photo of semi-retired publican Michael Treacy surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and the next generation poised to carry on the tradition.

Picture: Youghal publicians on tour

Picture: Michael Treacy, the guiding force behind The Nook for decades, stands proudly with his daughter Anne Treacy, who now runs the bar with the same passion and warmth that has defined this Youghal institution for 125 years. Carrying on the family tradition into the next generation, Anne ensures The Nook remains a welcoming heart of the community—serving great food, live music, and endless stories. A beautiful moment from today's milestone celebration. ... See MoreSee Less