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.
Crossroads Dancers in 100-Year-Old Photo Identified | by Christy Parker
This remarkable photograph of crossroads dancers has been reproduced across Ireland for decades, but its local story is even more fascinating.
The article traces the image to Knockmonlea, between Youghal and Killeagh, and identifies many of the people pictured, including members of the Foley family. Their story connects a rural crossroads gathering with the Horgan brothers of Youghal, the 1916 Rising, Cumann na mBan, early camogie, and a lost world of local Sunday dancing.
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The names and lives of a group of dancers featured in an iconic photograph taken at a Knockmonlea crossroads over 100 years ago have been revealed by a 91-year-old man shortly before his death.
The identities reveal a background of staunch republicanism and bravery, including active participation in Dublin’s Easter Rising, along with remarkable political and literary achievements. Two of those pictured also played in the first official camogie match in Ireland.
Regularly seen in living rooms, bars and restaurants throughout Ireland, the scene depicts two groups about to perform a set. It has been reprinted numerous times and has become symbolic of early 20th-century rural Ireland.
The location has, at various times, been claimed by several counties, including Galway, Clare and Kerry, while very little has been documented about the people in the photograph.
Earlier this year, Manus O’Brien, a retired CIE worker from Cork, spoke about the photograph to his relations Jim O’Malley and Richard Pardi, both retired schoolteachers from Youghal. The image includes Manus’s mother, Abina Foley, later O’Brien, as a young girl.
Manus identified up to a dozen of the dancers and confirmed that the location was his birthplace, midway between Youghal and Killeagh. His testimony, along with further help from Knockmonlea resident Billy McCarthy, enabled Jim and Richard to trace the social and political lives of many of those pictured.
The Horgan Brothers
The photograph was taken by the legendary Horgan brothers of Youghal, circa 1910.
Jim, Thomas and Phil Horgan ran a shoe shop at the time, but were also pioneering filmmakers and photographers. Jim O’Malley explains:
“They frequently photographed or filmed local scenes which they would then exhibit by way of drawing custom to the shoe shop.”
Peg Barry, née Foley, a sprightly Knockmonlea nonagenarian, recalls how the district bustled with activity during her youth. She remembers small family businesses, including a forge, serving a population that travelled mainly by foot, by bicycle, and occasionally on horseback. Slowly, the arrival of the motor car and other changes helped to quieten that way of life.
Peg also remembers that dancing took place on Sunday afternoons at crossroads, with some participants travelling up to 20 miles to enjoy the revelry.
Although Manus did not say so directly, Jim believes the photograph may not show a real dance in progress, but rather a scene posed for the camera.
“Dances generally took place on wooden boards, not least to preserve footwear, but there are none in the picture,” he notes. “So I’d be quite surprised if it was a real dance.”
The scene does, however, suggest a May or June date, as the hawthorn is in bloom. The lengthening shadows, leaning east towards Knockmonlea high road and Ballyhubbard low road, indicate a late afternoon gathering.
Looking closely at the photograph, Jim also notes that a mound of rubble beside the higher road seems to support local speculation that stones were being dug from the adjoining field and dumped there. The field was owned by the O’Brien family, into which Abina later married.
The Foley Family
The scene is dominated by the Foley family, of whom Manus identified eight members.
There had been 12 surviving Foley children, seven girls and five boys, born to Margaret “Peg” Foley, née Long, and her husband Richard Foley. Richard had died in March 1910, aged 80.
The family were deeply resentful of British occupation and may have been one of several families evicted from the Ponsonby Estate in 1889 during the Land War. They were active in the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the Irish Volunteers, and organisations such as Cumann na mBan.
The Foleys ran the Foley Typewriting Trading Company in Dublin, with offices at 11 O’Connell Street, then known as Sackville Street. Several members of the family were involved in the management and administration of the business.
Micheál Foley was probably the manager, while the family’s oldest sibling, Risteard, who is believed not to be in the photograph, held a number of senior roles. The company’s offices were used as a pre-Rising meeting place by the rebels.
Risteard was well known in Irish literary and political circles. He was, at different times, a teacher, journalist, and manager with the Underwood Typewriting Company. He later founded the Dublin Institute of Shorthand Writers and also worked as an editor with Browne and Nolan.
He was a translator at the first sitting of Dáil Éireann in January 1919, wrote around a dozen books, translated Chekhov and Tolstoy into Irish, and was appointed Place Names Commissioner by Éamon de Valera in 1946. Many Irish place names owe their official form to his work. He died in 1957.
Another member of the family, Seán Foley, was an inspector in an ammunitions factory in Birmingham at the time of the Rising and smuggled arms to the rebels.
Those Identified in the Photograph
1. Micheál Foley
A founder member of the Manchester branch, Oisín, of Conradh na Gaeilge. He was stationed in Church Street during the 1916 Rising. He was held at gunpoint by a British colonel, but his life was saved when Capuchin priest Fr Aloysius persuaded Volunteers to honour a ceasefire. Micheál later went on the run and was jailed in England for a short time. He also introduced British double agent Ned Broy to Michael Collins.
2. Bríd, or Brighid, Foley
She married a Mr Martin around 1917 and remained deeply involved in Cumann na mBan throughout her life. Bríd spoke of carrying rifles from house to house before and after the Rising. Along with her siblings Cáit, Nora and Micheál, she dodged bullets while running between houses as a Volunteer courier and while helping the injured during Easter Week. Bríd also brought the countermanding order from Seán McDermott to Tomás MacCurtain. She was arrested at home days after the Rising and slept on the concrete floor of Kilmainham Gaol for 11 nights, followed by six weeks in Mountjoy.
Bríd and her sister Maggie played in the first official camogie match in Navan on 17 July 1904. The match was between Craobh an Chéitinnigh, Keating’s Branch of the Gaelic League in Dublin, founded by their brother Risteard in 1901, and Cúchulainns, also from Dublin.
3. Cáit, or Kate, Foley
She later married Pad Murphy, whose hand she is holding in the photograph. Their daughters, It and An, still live in the area.
4. Pad Murphy
He worked with the Board of Works.
5. Willie Foley
He lived all his life in Knockmonlea, where he managed the farm. He is buried in nearby Ardagh.
6. Maggie Foley
One of the Foley family members pictured.
7. Margaret “Peg” Foley
Mother of the Foley family.
8. Jerry Curtin
A shoemaker who allegedly worked from his bedroom and was also known to enjoy knitting.
9. Maggie Mountaine
A neighbour who moved in “temporarily” with the Foleys after her family home was burned down, but stayed there for the rest of her life. Her brother Ned fled to America for a time as an IRA fugitive to escape the British forces.
10. Timothy, or Tadhg, Foley
Understood to have been a salesman of brass fittings.
11. Abina, or Gobnait, Foley, later O’Brien
Manus O’Brien’s mother. She married John O’Brien, a CIE worker from Gortroe. Their son, Seán O’Brien, played hurling with Glen Rovers and won three All-Ireland titles with Cork between 1952 and 1954, captaining the team in 1952.
12. Maurice Hennessy
A carpenter who owned a workshop at the bottom left-hand corner of the photograph. He is probably sitting on a chair he made himself.
13. Unidentified man on the hill
This man is assumed to be coming down the hill but remains unidentified. He was probably a member of the Brennan or Linehan families, who lived in an adjacent house. A widower named Brennan had married a widow Linehan, and the man may be Ned Brennan.
14. Jack Smith
A thatcher from Burgess.
15. Ellie Long
A cousin of Peg Foley. She married Ned Loughlin.
16. John Foley, possibly
Identified as possibly John Foley.
First published in the Irish Examiner in 2016 ... See MoreSee Less
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→ NEW PHOTO No.7 “The Debs” Youghal. If you were there, you’ll remember it well. What year do you think this was? 👉 Do you recognise anyone? Tag them below 👇 Photo: © Bob Rock ... See MoreSee Less
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📜 National Poetry Day Ireland · Thursday, May 28th, 2026
Today we’re sharing “No Dancing, No Stars” by Christy Parker.
Funny, sharp, and full of character, it’s a great reminder that poetry can make you smile as much as it can make you think.
Have a read and enjoy. 🌟
NO DANCING, NO STARS
I haven’t seen Dancing with the Stars
Now I’m going to have to live with the scars
And getting honked at by people who slow down, in cars
Pointing their finger at me and saying to their kids, “quick.
There he is; that’s him. Throw the brick!
He’s the man who doesn’t watch Dancing with the Stars”.
I’ve never watched Dancing with the Stars,
Which is, lo and behold, the greatest show ever, so I’m told
But I’ve never belonged to that adoring fold
I know its made by RTE, who aped it from the BBC
Now people keep asking what’s the matter with me
Why aren’t you watching Dancing with the Stars?!
Not once have I seen Dancing with the Stars
And now I get dirty looks in bars
From staff without any medical qualifications who say I’m bizarre
Bus drivers tell me to walk and refer to me as ‘that Neanderthal lad’
And then declare “its sad, verv, very sad
That he never tunes into Dancing with the Stars
Not having watched Dancing with the Stars
I’m expected to repent because of all the money spent by RTE
To keep you and me from switching channels and from apathy
But I won’t bow to those who sweat gin and tonics in Montrose
To keep famous faces on their toes
And demand we all watch Dancing with the Stars
No, no, I will never marvel at Dancing with the Stars,
I, the wretch, will boil no kettle in advance of watching dance after dance...
And I will stick a finger in each ear if taunts break into heartless chants
Of “Better off dead, better off dead, off with his head! off with his head!!”
Please ply me not with sympathy against that cruel toxicity but smile instead
And allow me, this devil-man, the liberty of never seeing the point of Dancing with the Stars.
Christy Parker
#PoetryDayIreland #PoetryDayIreland2026 #Youghal #YoughalOnline #ChristyParker #IrishPoetry ... See MoreSee Less
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🚶♀️💚 MARY'S WALK FOR MARYMOUNT 💚🚶♂️
A special charity walk in memory of the late Mary Scully will take place on Sunday 12th July 2026 at 3pm along the beautiful Youghal to Killeagh Greenway.
Participants can walk all or part of the route, with all funds raised from the walk and raffle going to the wonderful Marymount Hospice.
A raffle will also take place later that day in The Old Thatch Beer Garden, Killeagh, with some fantastic prizes including a signed 6 Nations Ireland Rugby jersey and a limited edition Kingfishr Killeagh GAA jersey.
Sponsorship cards and further details are available from Eddie Scully – 086 1072804.
This promises to be a lovely community event remembering Mary while supporting such a worthy cause. Every step and every donation will make a difference. 💚 ... See MoreSee Less
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🎉 THIS WEEK: Strings and Things Festival, Clashmore, Co. Waterford from Thursday 28th to Sunday 31st of May 2026 🎉
4 days of live music, family fun, and community spirit in Clashmore, Co. Waterford. A packed lineup across the weekend. Check out the schedule below 🗓️👇
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 28TH
8:00 PM – Susan O'Neill in Concert (Supported by Isaac O'Sullivan) at The Old Schoolhouse.
Tickets €25 (Limited to 80 seats!)
Contact Liz on 087 4148651
FRIDAY, MAY 29TH (Main Stage sponsored by Redweld)
6:00 PM (18:00) – Opening Parade & Kids' Fancy Dress | From The Old Schoolhouse to the Main Stage.
7:00 PM (19:00) – The Full Moon Band (Main Stage).
9:30 PM (21:30) – Just Dave (May O'Rourke's) OR The Full Moon Band (The Old Still Bar).
SATURDAY, MAY 30TH (Main Stage sponsored by Noel Smith)
10:30 AM & 11:00 AM – Puppet Show (The Old Schoolhouse).
12:30 PM – Teddy Bears Picnic (Clashmore Playground).
2:00 PM (14:00) – The Animal Roadshow (The Old Still Carpark).
2:30 PM (14:30) – Clown Show with Wobbly Circus (St Mochua Well). (Sponsored by Youghal Credit Union)
3:00 PM (15:00) – Out The Gap (Main Stage).
5:00 PM (17:00) – U Turn (Main Stage).
7:00 PM (19:00) – Hank Wedel and Band (Main Stage) OR U Turn (May O'Rourke's).
9:30 PM (21:30) – The Last Call (Main Stage) OR Out The Gap (The Old Still Bar).
SUNDAY, MAY 31ST (Main Stage sponsored by Remedy)
12:30 PM – Clashmore Traditional Young Musicians (Main Stage). (Sponsored by Stepping Stones Pre-School)
12:30 PM – Dog Show Registration (The Heritage Centre) | Judging at 1:00 PM. Entry €5 per class. (Sponsored by Lisa McGrath, Timmy's Pet Shop & Kenneth's Pet Shop Dungarvan)
5:00 PM (17:00) – Devil's Cadillac (Main Stage).
9:30 PM (21:30) – The Buachaills (May O'Rourke's) OR Hank Wedel and Band (The Old Still Bar).
SUPPORT THE FESTIVAL
The Grand Prize Draw takes place on the final night! It costs close to €15,000 annually to run this event. Please support ticket sellers over the weekend to keep the community festival thriving.
The Pétanque Championship runs all weekend. Please drink responsibly!
#StringsAndThings #ClashmoreFestival #WaterfordEvents ... See MoreSee Less
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Youghal has a new star on national television! 🎬
Local actor Nancy Collins has made her debut on Fair City, stepping into the role of Síofra. It is a massive achievement for Nancy, who has been a familiar face in East Cork creative circles through her work with the Youghal Musical Society.
The journey to the screen was far from traditional. Up until late last year, Nancy was working full-time as a data scientist. When she was made redundant in December, she chose to view it as a sign to pursue acting full-time.
She credits a piece of trivia about Margot Robbie for helping her secure the audition. Hearing that Robbie had contacted casting directors directly early in her career, Nancy did the exact same thing with the team at Fair City. Her proactive attitude impressed the producers, leading to a successful audition and a spot on the show.
Make sure to tune in to support a local performer as she settles into life in Carrigstown. ... See MoreSee Less
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By Public Demand - The Rogue Billy Swayne
Readers familiar with these pages over the past few years will have got a good many amusing anecdotes about the famous character Billy Swayne. He cropped up in many tales as an entertaining rogue - full of innocent devilment. Feedback from readers now requests that Billy and his amusing behaviour be given more prominence - so today we shall endeavour to do that.
Before going to the funny side - permit me to give a bit of Billy's background. He had only one eye from his teenage years - having lost one while playing hurling in Copperalley G.A.A. grounds. A sliothar came down from the sun and smashed his eye. He was given a brown glass eye by the medics to match his good one and you couldn't tell the difference when looking at him. As kids we tried to guess - but that just brought out the rogue in him. Billy then met his future wife Bina Finn from Ballymacoda and she made a good wife for him. They had four children - Margaret, William, Robert and Gerard. Incidentally Bina had a boyfriend earlier named Kevin Cashman and he also had sight in only one eye. Was that coincidence or fate? Kevin was a true gentleman who grew cabbage and carrots and had a truck on the road. He ensured that no poor person in his area was hungry.
We start with a daily visitor to Billy's shoemaker's workshop. The visitor was a Cork city man named Denis O'Regan and he was married to Noel Hogan's sister Eileen. He arrived into Billy's one day in a very distressed state. He had bought two window boxes (filled with flowers) the day before and placed them on the window sills of his home in DeValera Street. When he got up in the morning - one of the new window boxes had been stolen. Billy was full of sympathy for him and Tom (Midgie) Pomphrett - who was present - remarked how bad the robber was to do such a thing. When the sad Denis had departed - Billy brought Tom out to his back yard - and there was a lovely new window box full of flowers. Billy had 'borrowed' it to see the reaction of Denis. Of course it was secretly placed back a few nights later.
The Swayne boys used to play hurling in Copperalley after school and would depend on hearing the parish church Angelous bell ring out over the town at six o'clock to remind them to go home to their tea. But one day the wind was blowing from the north at Copperalley and the boys could not hear the bell. It was about seven o'clock when they realised that they were late. "We'll be killed said Paddy" - but Billy calmed him down by presenting a plan. "We'll say that you fell into the river and that I saved you" said Billy. Paddy replied "But they won't believe that story as my clothes will be dry". "We'll soon fix that" said Billy as he dunked Paddy at the Double Slips.
He played a trick on some pals at Brown Street corner by saying that Tommy Keniry the butcher had just died. One of the pals panicked and ran down to sympathise with the new widow. When he knocked on the door he was answered by the 'dead' man himself.
When I was a small boy in Billy's house one night - he asked me to hold a glass marble while he washed his face by the gaslight. In the bad light of the gas mantle - I managed to take a close look at the marble and found a glass eye looking up at me.
Before saying anymore - let me tell you that Billy's mother (Maggie) and my grandmother Ellen were two Kenefick sisters. Their brother Johnny was the forgotten Volunteer on the run - to whom we unveiled a memorial headstone on his unmarked grave in North Abbey last September 2025.
Billy was a staunch nationalist and a G.A.A. supporter. Against his wishes - a few of us youngsters played hurling during the spring and summer - but in winter we played soccer in Dunne's Park (Green's Quay). On a Sunday morning a soccer team from Midleton were coming to Green's Quay to play us. The day before (Saturday) we decided to spruce up the commonage. Posts we got and the pitch was lined with whitewash and it looked lovely. But when we went down early the next morning to admire our work - the posts were missing. They were thrown into the nearby river and the crossbars were broken. We managed to retrieve them and used rope for crossbars. Someone had been worried that the commonage would be turned into a soccer pitch. Guess who ? Yes - we could all guess correctly but no admission was forthcoming from the rogue. Months later it leaked that he had a few helpers in Mick Hegarty and Tom (Midgie) Pomphrett. The game went ahead against Midleton that Sunday morning. Soccer selectors were: Tommy Griffin, Jack Whelan and Mick Bransfield.
Staying with Green's Quay - town hurling and football street leagues were played there. Teams from Sarsfield Terrace, the North-side, Centre of town and South (including the Strand) took part. Billy was dong umpire at one match when I was the goalkeeper beside him. The football came bouncing towards me with a big older guy of Sars tearing in behind it. No doubt if I had caught it - ball and me would be plastered into the back of the net. But Billy gave a shout "Fist it wide Mikey - Fist it wide". Mikey fisted it wide before the big Sars guy crashed into him. When I recovered - I heard Billy shouting "Well done Mikey" and somehow it seemed worth all the pain. It was great to be praised like that by Billy Swayne.
A big car pulled up at the top of Browne Street one time while Billy and some pals were having a chat. "Where does Billy Swayne live asked the well dressed driver". "He died last year answered Billy". The car drove away - everyone laughed. "He was an income tax inspector" said Billy - "I'd know them anywhere".
Up in Castlemartyr we were playing a football game against Glanmire when a shemozzle (fight) broke out between some players. The Glanmire team was miles ahead on the scoreboard and Billy (who wasn't even a selector) decided to call the whole team off the field. We all came off at Billy's instructions and our selectors were furious. On the way home in Paddy Lawlor's bus Fr. Ben Cotter -who was a selector - walked up and own the aisle of the bus telling us how bold and unsporting we were. "Ye're a disgrace to yourselves, to your club and to your town". The rogue Billy sat quietly in the back row. The local club was suspended by the Cork County Board from that competition for some time afterwards.
On another occasion in Castlemartyr - Billy was doing umpire at one post while a man from the other club (Midleton) was across the goal from him. Tommy Butler of Youghal kicked the ball towards goal looking for a point but it went wide at Billy's side. Billy waved the white flag - meaning a point for Youghal. The Midleton man objected "That was well wide" said he. Then Billy (with only one eye) replied "It was certainly a point -are you blind or what ?"
We lose our characters year by year - but it is so important to record their legacy. In this case - it is hoped that the tales of Billy Swayne will live on.
Agus sin an sceal anois - Slan go foil. (And that's the story now) - Mike Hackett - May 2026. ... See MoreSee Less
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