Youghal

Mikey Joyce: Youghal’s Lifeguard and Diving Rock Legend, 1949

This black and white photo shows the late Mikey Joyce from Youghal, who worked as a lifeguard for the Youghal Urban District Council (U.D.C.) in 1949. The lettering on his lifeguard outfit clearly reads “U.D.C. Lifeguard,” identifying his official role. Mikey was well known for his strong swimming ability, especially at the Diving Rocks below the Lighthouse. His somersault dives from the diving board were impressive and drew the attention of many beachgoers. This image captures both his dedication to beach safety and his athletic skill during that time.

Pictures: Mikey back somersaulting off the diving board beneath the Youghal Lighthouse, and Mikey on duty as a Youghal beach lifeguard back in 1949

(Photos courtesy of Liam Burke) ... See MoreSee Less

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A Remarkable Scene on Youghal’s Claycastle Beach

This week, Youghal beachgoers were treated to an extraordinary sight: a high-stakes marine operation unfolding as part of the Celtic Interconnector project. This ambitious initiative will soon connect Ireland and France via a 565 km subsea power cable, and the latest phase has transformed Youghal’s iconic sands into a stage for global engineering.

What made the day so unusual was the juxtaposition of relaxed holidaymakers and the dramatic spectacle offshore. A specialised barge with stabilising legs stood anchored in the shallows, while excavators worked at the water’s edge and teams of experts coordinated months of meticulous planning. Families and sunbathers gathered along the beach, watching the operation as if it were a live documentary, captivated by the precision and scale of the project.

This unique blend of local curiosity and international ambition has given Youghal a starring role in a project that will power hundreds of thousands of homes. Special thanks to Louise Hegarty for capturing the moment in photographs.

Don’t miss the audio interview with Brendan Sheerin, airing on the Rural Report Show with Noel Cronin on Community Radio Youghal (CRY104FM) this Saturday, 12th July, between 10 am and 12 noon. The interview will also be available on the CRY104FM website listen-back service from Sunday.
Pictures: Louise Hegarty ... See MoreSee Less

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Remembering Fr. Donal Hussey PP on His Anniversary

10/07/2025 -Today, we pause to honour the memory of Fr. Donal Hussey, a beloved son of Youghal and a devoted servant of God whose life bridged continents and communities. Fr. Donal holds a special place in the hearts of many as the first priest to be ordained in St. Mary’s Parish Church, Youghal—a moment made even more significant by the presence of the late Bishop Jerome J. Hastrich of the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico.

Fr. Donal’s journey of faith and service took him far from his roots in Sarsfield, Youghal, the cherished son of Tommy and Breeda Hussey. He ministered with compassion and dedication in the states of New Mexico and Nevada, touching countless lives with his kindness and wisdom. His calling led him to serve as a Major Chaplain in both the United States Army and Navy, based in San Diego, California, where he provided spiritual support and solace to those in uniform.

After years of service, Fr. Donal found his home in Elko, Nevada, yet he never forgot his Irish heritage or the people of Youghal. On this anniversary, let us remember Fr. Donal in our prayers, giving thanks for his remarkable legacy and the light he brought to so many, both at home and abroad.

Photos:

Picture: In June 1986, while serving in New Mexico, Fr. Donal had the honour of welcoming Mother Teresa of Calcutta at the airport in Gallup. Mother Teresa wrote a personal note to Mr. and Mrs. Hussey, expressing gratitude for their son’s vocation and offering them her blessing. Her words, “Thank you for giving your son to God. He is a gift of God to people he serves. God bless you,”

Picture: Guard of Honour at St. Joseph's Church in Elko, Nevada in 2021.

Picture: Fr Donal at the US Navy base, San Diego

Picture: Fr Donal's ordination with his parents Tommy and Breeda Hussey back in 1985 ... See MoreSee Less

Celtic Interconnector: Youghal Beach at the Heart of Ireland–France Power Link

(09/07/2025) Youghal, Co. Cork – On a sun-drenched day at Claycastle Beach, an impressive marine operation is unfolding—one that connects Ireland to France, quite literally. The beach has become the focal point of a major phase in the Celtic Interconnector project, which will eventually link the two countries via a 565 km subsea power cable. The scene is striking: a specialised barge with stabilising legs anchored offshore, excavators digging into the surf, and teams of experts quietly executing months of precision planning.

At the centre of the activity is Brendan Sheerin, a Liverpool native and marine and landfall engineer with Celtic Interconnector Designated Activity Company (CIDAC), a joint venture between RTE, French partners, and Ireland’s EirGrid. “What we’re doing today is the second phase of duct installation at Youghal Beach,” Brendan explains. “We’ve already installed one set of ducts running from a location called KP0 (just north of the beach car park) to where the excavator is working now at KP130 metres out to sea. Now we’re extending another 120 metres to reach KP0.251.”

The ducts, encased in concrete collars, are laid in a trench excavated underwater. “It’s a 10-metre-wide trench, starting at a depth of 3.5 metres and shallowing to 1.8 metres further out,” Brendan adds. “This work is meticulously planned—up to 150 days of preparation in advance for this particular section of the cable installation.”

Five excavators are deployed to move the ducts in unison, with a winch-equipped barge—the Hind from Liverpool—ready to pull the ducts out to sea and sink them into place at location KP130 metres. Stabilised on the seabed using three large legs, the Hind is not self-propelled and relies on a secondary vessel, the CT Barnstone UK, to be manoeuvred into position from Youghal Harbour each day.
“I want to say this is the best job I have been on because of the people in Youghal. The people of Youghal have been brilliant,” Brendan says warmly. “During the first phase, we had hundreds watching, cheering us on. The local support makes this the best project I’ve worked on for landfall—by a mile.”

The scene has become something of a local curiosity. Families and sunbathers line both ends of the beach, watching the operation unfold like a live documentary.

The project also includes robust safety measures, including the Ocean Clipper, a fast-response safety and guard boat to keep swimmers and leisure craft at a safe distance.

In addition to Brendan, a dedicated team of engineers and specialists are on-site, including: Conn Herriott, archaeologist; Michael Walsh, lead archaeologist, Coracle Archaeology; Ricardo Carrio, landfall lead engineer; Brendan Sheerin (CIDAC), marine landfall engineer; Shane Heverin, Director of CARA Offshore, Nexans representative; Emmet Scanlon, Managing Director, GreenCMarine; Michael McSherry, Contracts Manager, GreenCMarine, plus other security and safety personnel.
Each plays a vital role in ensuring the success and safety of this high-stakes operation.

On the French side, the cable installation used a different method entirely—horizontal directional drilling (HDD), chosen due to ground conditions there. The contrasting approaches illustrate the complexity and adaptability required in international engineering efforts of this scale.

As Youghal embraces its role in this transformative energy project, it stands as a shining example of global ambition grounded in local pride.

If you’re a local, a tourist, or simply curious, don’t hesitate to say hello to the team as you pass by on the sun-drenched sands of Youghal Beach this week.

The audio interview with Brendan Sheerin will be broadcast on the Rural Report Show with Noel Cronin on Community Radio Youghal – CRY104FM – this Saturday, 12th July 2025, between 10 am and 12 noon, and will be available on the listen-back service on the CRY104FM website from the following day.

By Michael Hussey | Photo: Michael Hussey

Picture: Some of the dedicated team of engineers and specialists on-site at Youghal Beach today, including Conn Herriott (archaeologist), Michael Walsh (lead archaeologist, Coracle Archaeology), Ricardo Carrio (landfall lead engineer), Brendan Sheerin (CIDAC, marine landfall engineer), Shane Heverin (Director of CARA Offshore, Nexans representative), Emmet Scanlon (Managing Director, GreenCMarine), Michael McSherry (Contracts Manager, GreenCMarine) The floating excavator can be seen in the waters off Claycastle Beach behind them ... See MoreSee Less

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BUNSCOIL SHOWS ITS CLASS WITH TOWN WALLS ARTWORK
By Christy Parker

Youghal’s iconic Town Walls are the central focus of a school project that has magnificently revealed the creative ingenuity of pupils at one of the town’s national schools.

The project has seen 6th class students at Bunscoil Mhuire combine history with art to create an eye-catching ceramic representation of the 13th century structures.

The class also created a clay replica of the Clock Gate tower, which will be completed and unveiled under the stewardship of teacher Edelle Russell when the students transfer to Pobalscoil ns Tríonóide in September.

The school is one of four schools that have formed a ‘Creative Cluster’, to participate in a Creative Youth initiative which sought to “inspire and transform people, places and communities through creativity”.

Originally derived from the nation’s creative response to the 1916 centenary celebrations, the Creative Youth programme is partnered by the Department of Education and Youth, the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, the Department of Further and Higher Education and the Arts Council.

A Creative Cluster typically consists of up between three and five schools, who can either act alone or collaborate on the design and implementation of a creative learning project. Each Creative Cluster receives €3,000 funding per school over a two-year period.

Bunscoil Mhuire formed an application cluster with South Abbey NS, Park NS and -because its project carries over to 1st year secondary school- with Pobalscoil na Tríonóide.

Ultimately, South Abbey opted for a music project, while Park chose to paint an exterior mural on the school wall. Both Bunscoil Mhuire and Pobalscoil na Tríonóide committed to researching Youghal’s connection to the clay industry, while tapping into the town’s rich history as a channel of expression.

Digging deep
The learning was delightfully two-fold as the exploration gradually evolved. Bunscoil teacher and project co-ordinator Mary Griffin explains how the class “sourced clay from potterer Jackie Dee, who has a studio in Ballinatray. Artist Siobhán Joyce from Knockanore, who runs workshops on how to identify clay and harvest process it into usable material, also became involved”, she proceeds.

Out of school, Bunscoil parents and archaeologists, Jill Moloney and Caroline Fraher, delighted the children with talks on how archaeology helps to inform how people lived long ago, as well as how they buried those who no longer lived! A neolithic burial urn discovered by local man John Cunningham, was another source of great curiosity.

“We learned about the production of pottery in Youghal in times past and about the town’s brickworks”, says Mary. “We also studied the link between place names and how they reflect past activities, such as Claycastle, Muckridge and the Slob Bank. The children even learned how to identify clay in earth banks by the beach. They prepared their own clay from raw sources and made small items from this which they brought home during a workshop with Siobhán”.

Streets of history
That was only the half of it. “Then we began to look at the names of streets in the town to form an opinion of what happened there years ago”, Mary continues. “Names like South Abbey, Friar Street and North Abbey took on new meanings for us”.

As the year progressed, further insight was gained with a tour of the town through Living Youghal and similarly Saint Mary's Collegiate Church with Wayne Ruxton. The alms houses, the clock tower and other historic buildings informed the young minds about evictions and the town’s variety of architecture.

At the end of it all, “we chose the Town Walls and the 18th century Clock Tower as the topics for our art creations and decided to make them in clay as the perfect way to blend the elements that we had learned”, Mary explains.

Jackie Dee had already nurtured the now deeply committed pupils on how to make clay tiles to a very high standard as well as how to work together as a group. Notes, cuttings, photos and prototypes at work stations in the school assembly hall remain lingering evidence of her advice and of the pupils’ commitment to it.

Preserving history
Within a few days the knowledge and insights the class had gained became manifest as a tiled depiction of the Town Walls town walls and a work-in-progress Clock Tower.

“It really does integrate the history of Youghal with the building we visited”, Mary reflects. It was a massive team effort and fuels the students’ passion for history as the enter secondary level school”.

On Monday June 16th the Town Walls sculptor was officially unveiled at the school, where the 6th class students and their teachers were joined by a handful of guests with particular connections to the town.

Adding a further layer of commentary to the project, author Michael Hackett regaled the attentive gathering with stories of Youghal times past, particularly the filming of Moby Dick scenes in 1954. John McCarthy captivated his audience with memories from his family’s residency in the Clock Gate in the mid-1900’s and town crier Cliff Winser spoke on the importance of preserving historical accounts and passing them down through upcoming generations.

Appropriately positioned on a landing between the assembly hall and classrooms, the Town Walls will serve as a perpetual reminder that Youghal’s history will always have a future.

Picture: BUNSCOIL TEACHERS: From left to right, Eoghan O Neill, Principal; Eileen Landers, 6th class teacher; Marian Leamy, Deputy Principal; Clara Sanders, 6th class teacher; Jackie Dee, Potter; Mary Griffin, 6th Class teacher and Project Coordinator.

Picture: Town Walls ceramic artwork.

Picture: Mike Hackett, Cliff Winser and John McGrath

Picture: Mike Hackett and Cliff Winser

Picture: John McGrath addressing the students
Courtesy of the Youghal News ... See MoreSee Less

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Pews, People, and Parish Life: Reflections on St. Mary’s Parish Church Through the Decades. By Michael Hussey

As a young teenager attending Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s Parish Church in Youghal during the 1970s, I found myself immersed in a world of tradition, subtle social hierarchies, and evolving rituals. As teenagers from Sarsfield Terrace, we instinctively made our way up to the gallery on the left-hand side. It was our spot—a place to observe, to be among friends, and to feel part of the congregation while still having a little distance.

Downstairs, the seating arrangements reflected the social order of the town. The men generally sat on the right-hand side of the aisle by the confession boxes, while the women took their places on the left. Shopkeepers, businesspeople, solicitors, doctors etc. would go into the sanctuary at the top of the church, between the two altar rails, expected to drop a silver coin in the collection plate, while the rest of us might only have a penny to offer. The most prominent families claimed the front rows, a visible sign of their standing in the community.

Not everyone entered the church proper. Some parishioners, my father included, often stood outside on the concrete steps by the Holy Water fonts. There were many reasons for this—sometimes to fulfil the Sunday obligation without disturbing the established seating, sometimes simply to gather and chat in groups. If you were late for Mass, you’d think twice before squeezing in and risking a disruption. My father, Tommy Hussey, who enjoyed a flutter on the horses, was once gently teased by a priest with similar interests: “Would you ever think of coming into the enclosure!” It was all part of the church’s social dance.

Before my time as a teenager, it was my father who told me about the Missions and that older religious tradition. I don’t remember the Missions myself, as by the seventies they had faded out and the more folk guitar Masses were coming in. But he described how, in his day, the Missions were a major event in the town. The Missioners, with booming voices and fiery sermons, needed no microphones.

The town would know well in advance when the Missions were coming—one week set aside for the women’s mission, the next for the men’s. During those weeks, the streets emptied and even the fishermen at the quayside would disappear, everyone making sure not only to attend but to be seen attending.

Over time, the interior of St. Mary’s has changed. The ornate decorations behind the altar have given way to a more austere look, with the saints in their circular arrangement still present but the walls more bare. The old seating hierarchies have faded, replaced by a more inclusive approach. Yet, for those of us who remember, the memories of where we sat, who we sat with, and the rituals of Sunday Mass remain vivid—a testament to the enduring spirit of St. Mary’s and the community it served.

Picture: Comparing the 1960s photo to the present, notable changes are evident. The altarpiece today is less ornate, and the sanctuary walls appear much more bare, though the circular arrangement of saints remains. Many older parishioners recall the vibrant wall paintings and elaborate decor of the past, and the current simpler aesthetic may feel stark by comparison.

Picture: Present day photos of the interior of St. Mary's Parish Church.

Picture: Men usually went to the righthand side of the church while the women went to the left handside by the confession boxes. The seating arrangements has changed over time. ... See MoreSee Less