Category: Lifestyle

Let the people be heard.

Regional Report No. 1,005 23rd March 2010

Presenter:   Seán Radley (deputising for Eily Buckley)

Good morning, Patricia and greetings, dear Listeners, from Millstreet in Co. Cork, Ireland mentioned for the benefit of our many online Listeners worldwide on the c103 website.   Following such a severe Winter, it is so wonderfully uplifting to now be experiencing the onset of Spring and a greener Ireland with daffodils beginning to appear.   In this our 1,005th Regional Report we hear about Daffodil Day, an Easter Vintage event, upcoming “Round the Fireside” features, an LTV2  exclusive, website updates ….. and there’s more – much more!

But we begin on a sad note as we remember the late Mary O’Connor of “Duneden”, Boherbue who along with the late Tadhg O’Driscoll established the very popular Millstreet Gramophone Circle some years ago.  Mary who went to her Eternal Reward on Sunday, was such a true Lady of the highest calibre who shared many musical gems with numerous Gramophone Circles from her fascinating collection of treasured recordings.    For almost thirty years Mary had dedicatedly devoted her great musical talents and sincere energy to the Boherbue Church Choir.   Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

[read more …] “Regional Report No. 1,005 23rd March 2010”

Annmarie in Philadelphia

Annmarie O’Riordan was singing her way around Boston, New York and Massachusettes a week ago in the run up to St.Patricks Day. Below are nine videos taken in Philadelphia and posted on youTube:

Above: Annmarie sings at the March 4, 2010, pre-St. Patrick’s Day Parade party at CBS3 in Philadelphia.

Above: “The unbelievable voice of the 20 year old Annmarie O’Riordan sings the song Grace, about the 1916 Easter Rising, accompanied by Pat Kildea on keyboard, Paraic Keane on fiddle and Fintan Malone. At the Irish Center, Philadelphia March 5, 2010.”
[read more …] “Annmarie in Philadelphia”

Tastes of Christmas for Cystic Fibrosis

Ms. Aine Collins accepts a cheque for €500 on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Association, from the Transition Year Students. This money was raised through the “Tastes of Christmas” cookery demonstration. All the money raised from this event has now been distributed and the three beneficiaries were Cystic Fibrosis,The Irish Heart Foundation and Baby Jacob Fund.
The Transition Year Class wish to sincerely thank everyone that contributed.

Something Inside so Strong

Baby Jacob had his second operation yesterday and is in recovery now. Unfortunately he is in a lot of pain, is not taking fluids and is very tired, so he has been moved to another hospital. Hopefully he will come around soon.

Rose O’Neill of The Project who is coordinating the current push was interviewed on the C103 news this morning (listen to the audio clip above). They plan on recording the song Something Inside So Strong (by Labi Siffre) as the charity single.

The Baby Jacob facebook page is up to 1,120 fans and growing all the time. It has all the up to date news and info.

Ballydaly’s Gaelic Football Glory Days

I’ve heard that Ballydaly does not have a football team
Which puts a cloud on Tommy Tucker’s dream
That they might win Duhallow for third time
And give some bard another chance to rhyme.
.
They won their first Duhallow title more than forty years ago
Some time back in the fifties that I know
Though of my dates I’m not too very clear
I think ’twas fifty seven was the year.
.
When Ballydaly had their first big win
And their footballers were celebtated men
And John Twomey wrote of Ballydaly Boys
And west of Millstreet bonfires lit the skies.
[read more …] “Ballydaly’s Gaelic Football Glory Days”

Charity Single plan for “Baby Jacob”

In the media whirlwind that has been the Baby Jacob Appeal in the last week, his parents were interviewed during the week on Cork FM Radio by Rose O’Neill. Click here to listen to the interview.

From that interview, a Facebook page has been setup with the aim of generating awareness (there are 470+ fans already in a day and a half), and they say that they are in an advanced stage of making a Charity Single for the fund! which will be available online and also in selected stores as CD’s.

More info below:
[read more …] “Charity Single plan for “Baby Jacob””

Millstreet’s Last Old Fashioned Rhymer

I may die as I live without much to my name
To be Millstreet’s last old fashioned rhymer my one claim to minor fame
The word poet never does apply to such as me
The stuff I pen born to mortality.
.
From the countryside by Clara I’ve been too long away
I would feel a stranger in Millstreet today
A stranger in Claraghatlea and Millstreet Town
Where I once did know of some local renown.
[read more …] “Millstreet’s Last Old Fashioned Rhymer”

Genealogy – Leaders

We are an active, retired couple visiting Millstreet for the second time while staying for a few days at Killarney. I know a great deal about my ancestors, the Leaders, who were from Millstreet, my ancestor owning the Leader house on Clara Mountain which was in a dilapidated state when we visited in 2003. I know of no-one actually living in Millstreet with the Leader name. My third cousin told me that I would be related to all of them there to some degree. I would like to meet some of them to say “hullo.” Way back, the Leaders and the O’Keefes were related as well. Anyone out there doing genealogy? Would you like to make contact?
Margaret Kaiser.
email:

Kathleen O’Leary – Genealogy

My grandfather, Timothy John O’Leary, came to the US (San Francisco, California) about 1846-1850 from Millstreet … his father and grandfather were also Timothy John O’Leary … family lore has it that my older brother was the ninth generation with the first son with that name … my brother’s son is called “Ten” within the family since he is officially Timothy John O’Leary X … I would love to know some family history from Millstreet regarding my father’s family … I can be reached on facebook or contacted directly at  … thank you for any response …

Labour of Millstreet’s keeper of the archive is never-ending

Somewhere 100 years from now in an office full of yet undreamed of computer gadgetry, a historian will take a break from work, look into the middle distance and marvel at Sean Radley. Sean Radley, probably even as you read this, is busy recording the life and times of an entire community, his beloved home town of Millstreet in north Cork. Thanks to Sean, almost every minute detail of Millstreet life – social, sporting, political, business, religious and much more – has been captured over 30 years, first on cine film, then in photographs, on audio tape, and, more recently again, on video.

The result is an astonishing archive of material – almost 30,000 photographs, over 2,500 audio tapes, 500 video tapes and thousands of…

from the Irish Times – Tue 09 Sep 1997

Baby Jacob on TV3

Baby Jacob and his family were on the TV3 news yesterday (Tuesday) evening, and this morning were on Ireland AM, with Joan O’Mahony of the Baby Jacob Trust fund bringing attention to the efforts to raise money for the operations that he needs in the future.

For the next stage of the treatment, they are heading back to Germany next Sunday so that Jacob can get larger implants into his eye sockets, as his current implants are quickly becoming too small.

Unfortunately, we can’t show you the videos clips directly, but here are the links where you can see the videos

there are also lots of stills from the videos at the bottom of this article

[read more …] “Baby Jacob on TV3”

Baby Jacob – in the Newspapers today

THE parents of a little boy born without eyes have launched a desperate plea to help raise €300,000 for his treatment.

Jacob Nowak suffers from an exceptionally rare condition whereby his eyes never formed in their sockets before his birth.

The condition, anophthalmia, affects fewer than one in 100,000 children but, in Jacob’s case, it left the him without eyeballs or optic nerves.

Jacob, who was born last August, is healthy in every other respect but now faces years of treatment to cope with his condition.

from today’s Irish Independant
also in todays Irish Examiner
and also in the Irish Times

[read more …] “Baby Jacob – in the Newspapers today”

Billy Coleman – Tarmac Titan DVD

Billy Coleman was Irelands most successful rally driver ever. He first came to province in 1969 in rather tatty self-prepared green Mark I Escort (TIU 250) on the Circuit of Ireland when he took special stage time off the works Escort of Rodger Clark which was almost unheard of at the time. Billy was born in 1948 in Millstreet. From an early age he developed an interest in motor cars, confessing for the bug when he sat up on his fathers knee to drive the car when he was five years old. His father owned a garage in Milstreet and was the Ford Main Dealer which helped nurture Billy’s interest in cars.

Billy is famous in rallying circles all over Ireland for his exploits in the 70s and 80s, in Ireland, Britain, and even as far away as Poland, Corsica and Monte Carlo.

A DVD on Billy’s exploits in the Irish Tarmac Championship is available to buy from Murray Motorsport amongst others.

Also added below are loads photos of the cars that he drove.

There is also a great website with loads of info all about  Billy’s racing career.
[read more …] “Billy Coleman – Tarmac Titan DVD”

Handbook for Travellers in Ireland 1866

Below are extracts from the “Handbook for Travellers in Ireland (with Maps) 1866” which refer to the Millstreet area.

Note: the spelling is not great because a computer was used to scan it and copy to text, but the information of the time is interesting.
Coal:
… the only practicable coal being in Clare, where there are thin beds of culm, from which, however, one colliery-owner clears his 4000?. a year. This exception is in the barony pf Duhallow, in the neighbourhood of Kanturk and Millstreet. Here are six veins of anthracite coal, three of which, known as the Bulk-vein, Rock- vein, and Sweet-vein, are of tolerable thickness and have been pretty extensively
worked. ” The coals of the Munster field lie in a series of troughs, the hills usually striking from E. to W., and the strata dipping on either side, N. and S., at considerable angles, often perpendicular.” — Kane,
The coal rocks in Clare are of an estimated thickness of 3350 ft., and consist of limestone band …

[read more …] “Handbook for Travellers in Ireland 1866”

Fine Gael Cork NW AGM tonight

representative
Brian Hayes TD, Fine Gael Education Spokesman

The Fine Gael Cork North West Constituency AGM takes place in Millstreet this evening. Fine Gael Education Spokesman, Brian Hayes TD will deliver a speech on why there needs to be a new deal between teachers and the Government.

If I had a fiver for everyone who told me that the Department of Education HQ was a downtown office of the Irish teachers’ unions, I would be a very wealthy man. The common perception is that the unions simply click their fingers in Marlborough Street and get everything they want.

It is true that we have seen some dreadful deals down the years where educational outcomes were not the priority. But can it be said after the effective reduction of between 15% to 19% of teachers take home pay over a twelve month period that the teacher unions still dominate the agenda? Any objective observer would have to say that this is not the case.

The full speech is available on the Fine Gael website
See also an article on todays Irish Examiner

Munster Senior Scór Semi-Finals

The Munster Scór Sínsear semi-finals yesterday evening took place in Millstreet GAA Hall. There was a home victory for the Millstreet Question Time team. In a diverse cultural programme, Cork teams enjoyed success and progressing to the provincial final are:

Rockchapel (Instrumental Music)
Eimear Guiney of Newmarket (Recitation)
Freemount (Ballad Group)
Cloyne (Novelty Act)
Millstreet (Question Time)

The Munster Senior Scor finals go ahead in the Tinteain Theatre, Ballybunion on Sunday, March 20. (More on this hopefully soon)

from the Cork GAA Website

Phil McCarthy

The eldest daughter of Denis and Elizabeth McCarthy her beauty I recall
When she was young in Pound Hill the fairest one of all
Though the years go by so quickly and fleeting is our prime
The memories of her beauty remain undimmed by time
Tall and blond and young and graceful in my mind she remain
Such lovely mental pictures of Phil to retain
She rests at peace in Dublin well north of Millstreet Town
Far from the streets where with her young friends she often walked up and down
Unaffected by her beauty she was free of conceit
What was a win for Dublin was a loss to Millstreet
She would have been in her sixties as far as I know
One can only hope her end was peaceful and not painful and slow
The years go by so quickly and time does not stand still
May she rest in peace in Dublin far from the Town by Clara Hill.

by Francis Duggan

Cullen Native Grand-Marshall for New Jersey Parade

Michael Cremin formerly of Cullen, but now of Dunmont, New Jersey

Former Cullen man Michael Cremin is to be the Grand – Marshall of the upcoming 29th annual St. Patrick Day’s Parade for North Jersey will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, March 14. An active member of the community, he has been nominated by the Council of Irish Associations of Greater Bergen County. Here is what the article says about him:

———

Michael Cremin of Dumont, the grand marshal, is originally from Cullen, County Cork, Ireland, the son of the late Edmond and Catherine Cremin.

He worked as an apprentice carpenter before he immigrated to America in 1962. He worked for Pan American and later for United Parcel Service.

[read more …] “Cullen Native Grand-Marshall for New Jersey Parade”

Niamh Kavanagh going to Eurovision Again!


See full size image
Niamh Kavanagh who won the Eurovision in Millstreet back in 1993, last night won the Irish Eurosong last night with maximum votes from all the judges groups and the general public (tele-voting). She will be representing Ireland in the Eurovision 2010 in the Telenor Arena in Olso, Norway in the semi-final on May 27th and hopefully in the final on May 29th.

The Telenor Arena is actually a soccer stadium with a roof that can hold 23,000 people for a concert!

Expect to be hearing Millstreet ’93 being mentioned a lot in the run-up to the competition in Oslo. Well done Niamh and best of luck in Oslo!
[read more …] “Niamh Kavanagh going to Eurovision Again!”

Know your Noughties

Well known and well liked Millstreet man John Tarrant, who writes the Millstreet notes on the Corkman every week, is PRO for Millstreet and Duhallow GAA, as well being a high achiever in quiz circles has outdone himself again. This time he been announced as one of the 30 winners of the 2000-2009 Review Quiz which was published on the Irish Independant on December 31st last. We can only assume that he got all the answers correct which is a fair achievement. Well done John.

The winners are published on todays Irish Independant

Eurosong 2010

Niamh Kavanagh who won the Eurovision in Millstreet in 1993 is in the Eurosong National Final again tonight. You can listen to her song which was released yesterday in the video above. It is on RTE1 at 9:30pm tonight. Give her your vote 😉

Update: She won with maximum votes! Now go and read our follow up post for the details.

Millstreet’s WWI Dead

Names, dates and places of death taken from the Irish Memorial Records, listing all those from Millstreet that died in WWI over in Europe.

 

  • LONG TIMOTHY 1914-08-27 FRANCE, from KILCORNEY
  • O’LEARY EDWARD 1914-10-03 FRANCE
  • CRONIN DANIEL 1914-10-19 FRANCE
  • BYRNE PATRICK 1915-01-19 FRANCE
  • DESMOND MICHAEL 1915-04-26 GALLIPOLI
  • MURPHY JAMES 1915-08-09 GALLIPOLI
  • HICKEY DENIS 1915-11-27 GALLIPOLI
  • BREEN DENIS 1916-03-27 FRANCE
  • KELLEHER DENIS 1916-01-12 FRANCE
  • CREEDON PATRICK 1916-04-30 FRANCE
  • BENNETT DANIEL 1916-05-09 FRANCE,  from DROMTARRIFFE
  • MAHONEY MICHAEL 1916-09-09 FRANCE
  • HICKEY JOHN F. 1918-01-26
  • CORKERY DANIEL 1918-03-21 FRANCE
  • CREMIN JOHN 1918-03-23 FRANCE

Note: the Irish Memorial Record is incomplete, often incorrect and can contain duplicates. Nonetheless it is interesting information. From a discussion on wartime newspapers which lists all the dead from Cork

update (2014-01-12): this article has been superceeded by another (Millstreet’s WWI Solciers) which has 47+ WW1 war dead connected to Millstreet, more information on each of those, and also a list of 110+ who survived the war.