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Updated 26th June 2008 CHURCHTOWN TRANSFORMED As a new Costcutter Express opens on a new street in Churchtown village it is appropriate to reflect on what has been achieved in Churchtown since the Millennium. Who would have believed just 8 years ago that Churchtown would be the fastest growing parish in rural North Cork? Who would have believed that Churchtown would see many new businesses opened and employment created in the village? Who would have believed that up to €60 million would have been invested in the village in new housing and new businesses? Who would have believed that a new Costcutter shop would open on a new street - Egmont Place - in the village and that the new shop would be 10 times bigger than the original shop on George's Street West that served the village up to 2001? Who would have believed that Churchtown would see the return of an in-store bakery (after 50 years), an ATM, a dry cleaning service and a state-of-the-art hot and cold delicatessen? Pinch me! Who would have foreseen a beautiful new Hairdressing Salon (well done Donna Fisher and Stylz) and a high quality take away Tasty Bites in the village square overlooking a newly erected spectacular bronze equine sculpture? Or the 30 foot high limestone Obelisk on Bruhenny Village Green, the giant limestone GAA sculpture or the massive limestone Great Bull of Bruhenny, or the entire western side of Kerry Lane restored to its former Georgian glory. Who in the mid 1990s would have believed that Churchtown would have one Nursing Home not to mind two! And that both Nursing Homes would be full and providing employment to over 90 people. Or that Timmy O'Brien would be providing 12 jobs in his heavy machinery contracting business. Or that "Flannery's" would have been developed as Boss Murphy's and The Windmill Restaurant and that O'Brien's would now be owned by Liam Healy and would be extended and would be about to open a large roof garden to the rear. Or that the Market House would house an all-Ireland new company called GreatGas? Or that music would be wafting down the village from Boss Murphy's every Saturday and Sunday and that Noel Linehan would establish the Ballyhoura Ramblers and provide such wonderful free local entertainment. Or that Willie Relihan would have released his "My Hometown CD". Or that we would see the return of our annual Churchtown Festival and the Rose of Churchtown competition under the auspices of the CDA. Pinch me again! Who would have believed that Churchtown GAA would
now have one of the finest parish GAA facilities in Ireland and
that the Community Centre run by the Churchtown Development Association
would be totally refurbished and that over a million euro would
have been invested in these two community assets in the last 10
years? Who would have believed that Churchtown would have its own
St Patrick's Day Parade and that a massive 784 page history published
entitled The Annals of Churchtown would have sold over 600 copies
worldwide. Or the formation of the Wednesday Club and Neighbourhood
watch? Or that Churchtown would now welcome residents from almost
20 different countries. Well, it's all true and the renewal of Churchtown
it is no longer a dream but a reality. For generations the people of Churchtown shopped for their groceries in O'Brien's and Flannery's and then in 1973 Jack and Peggy O'Flaherty opened a new shop on George's Street. The new Costcutter shop can trace its roots to this original location on George's Street. In 2001 Jack and Peggy opened a new shop across the road from their original shop under the Quikpick franchise. In 2003 Jack and Peggy retired from shop keeping and the Quikpick was purchased by Bruhenny Holdings Ltd. Now, just five years later, the spanking new Costcutter Express officially opens for business at Egmont Place on this Friday 27th June 2008. Management & Staff The Shop has been managed by Rosemary O'Flaherty since 2003. Rosemary has worked in retailing management since 1997. Before her move to Churchtown she worked as a manager in River Island and Penneys. Rosemary is married to Jack and Peggy O'Flaherty's son Tony. Rosemary is ably assisted by Paula Hanafin who is assistant manager and supervisor Marcella Dudasova. Paula was raised in Charleville and spend 25 years in the Irish Defence Forces and is now living and working in Churchtown. Marcella Dudasova is originally from Slovakia and is now living in Charleville. Staff in the new Costcutter include Belinda O'Flynn, Churchtown; Linda (Scott) Fitzgibbon, Churchtown; Esther Quinn, Churchtown; Lisa Kavanagh, Charleville; Yvonne Butler, Churchtown; Christine Relihan, Churchtown; Katlin Bradak (originally from Hungary and now living in Charleville); Michelle (McMahon) Crowley, Churchtown and Kilbrin; and Olivia and Michelle Bourke, Churchtown. Services Available As well as the 4,500 product lines in the new shop a comprehensive range of services are also available and these include: a Banklink ATM, Post Point, Phone Top Up, Bill Pay, one-for-all gift vouchers from An Post, DVD Rental, Hot/Cold wide range of Complete Cuisine deli products, In-Store Bakery, Newsagents, Dry Cleaning (in association with Scrubs, Charleville), fuel, extensive wine range and our own Churchtown produced Ballyhoura Apple Juice. Official Opening The new shop will be officially opened by Helen Ahern, current Mayor of Churchtown at mid-day on this Friday 27th June and all are welcome. Fr. Stephen O'Mahony, PP and Fr. Tom McDermott, CC will officiate at the opening ceremony. Contractors Maurice Gilbert of Ballyhoura Construction Ltd, who built the 5,600 square foot Costcutter building (which also includes 3 two bedroomed apartments overhead) has been associated with Churchtown village since he constructed Padre Pio Nursing Home in 1995. Since then Maurice has completely restored Boss Murphy's, The Market House, Booney's, constructed 35 houses at Bruhenny, developed 24 services sites at Woodview and built the Windmill Nursing Home on the Black Road. Electrical work on the new Costcutter was completed by Simon Trow of Tarsier Ltd in Charleville and plumbing was by James Sheedy. Maurice is supported by his finance and administration manager, Diarmuid McSweeney and his building supervisor Ger Brown. Maurice Gilbert and Ballyhoura Construction have been responsible for sustaining very substantial employment over the last 10 years in Churchtown directly and through all the sub contractors that he has employed. Barry Group The Barry Group was established by James A. Barry in 1955 in Mallow where it has remained and grown at a steady pace through the years. Originally set up as a "cash and carry" business, the company subsequently expanded into the retail sector and has not looked back since. Seven years ago the Barry Group acquired the Costcutter franchise for the 26 counties with 24 stores - now there are 130 in addition to the 90 Quikpick stores which operate in the convenience market. The Barry Group is now led by Jim Barry and his management team and has established itself as a leading national wholesale player. The Barry Group employs over 230 people at its 125,000 square feet state-of-the-art central distribution centre in Mallow. Market House Group Bruhenny Holdings is part of the Market House Group created by Gerry Murphy whose vision it was to completely revive the fortunes of Churchtown and bring the village back to its glory days. The principal businesses in the Market House Group are Great Gas Petroleum (Ireland) Plc, Kendlebell, Market House Consulting and Bruhenny Holdings Ltd. For his visionary rural renewal work Gerry Murphy was presented with the Cork Person of the Year in 2001. Kendlebell and GreatGas Kendlebell (www.kbellsouth.ie) with its five staff is now providing telephone answering and PA services to 72 businesses and it celebrated its first anniversary on 15th May 2008. Great Gas Petroleum (Ireland) Plc is now delivering fuel to 45 forecourts having opened its second franchised forecourt in Skibbereen in April 2006 just two over years ago. GreatGas (www.greatgas.ie) now has branded forecourts as far north as Emyvale in County Monaghan, Mountrath in Laois, Kinvara in Galway and Bagenalstown in Carlow and recently announced a fuel supply agreement from Derry in Northern Ireland which will allow the company to provide an all-Ireland forecourt fuel delivery service. Great Gas has set itself a target to be delivering fuel to 100 forecourts by 2012. Consulting Market House Consulting (www.mhconsulting.ie) is operating from the Market House as well, providing strategic consulting advice to other organisations throughout Munster. This business is headed up by Gerardine Scanlan with support from Mark Jakeman and Gerry Murphy. Community Care Community Care also operates its North Cork office from the extended Market House with Care Managers Noreen Eustace, Breda Dundon and Staff providing high quality home care to elderly people across North Cork. Community Care also have branch offices at Hospital and Newcastle West in Limerick and in total employ over 200 carers providing home care to 300 clients across North Cork, Limerick and North Tipperary. Community Care is an initiative of Ballyhoura Development, Kilfinane. Ballyhoura Apple Farm Ballyhoura Apple Farm has now completed its 2006-2008 orchard development programme with 4,500 apple trees now planted. The crop will reach maturity in 2012 by which time the trees should produce almost 500,000 apples. Last year saw the first production of Ballyhoura Pure Irish Apple Juice and this year's production should reach 5,000 x 75cl bottles. By 2012 production should peak at 25,000 x 75cl bottles. Other apple related product lines are in research and development. Broadband Market House Group had to install its own satellite broadband in 2007 to facilitate the development of the Kendlebell business. However, it has always been the hope that the broadband service could also be made available to the village at a reasonable cost and it now looks like Market House Group's persistence is about to pay off. Watch the Vale Star for further details. New Housing The Bruhenny site with its 81 houses and Egmont Place with its 29 homes should be 99% completed by the end of the year and the new street and footpaths which will allow circulation for vehicles and pedestrians across from Boss Murphy's on Kerry Lane into Egmont Place and into Bruhenny will be fully operational. The development of the Bruhenny field began in May 2000 and will have taken just over 8 years to complete. Across the road the development of 34 homes at Radharc Na Sleibhte is also completed. Landscaping the Woodview development of 24 services sites on the Black Road will also be completed in 2008. Over 90% of the sites at Woodview have seen homes constructed with many already occupied. The new Earlscourt development on the Buttevant Road with planning for just over 70 houses is progressing with 20 houses to be completed in its first phase. The first Earlscourt residents have just moved in to their new home. Full planning has also been granted for a further 24 houses across from the Church on Chapel Lane and these houses have been advertised in the Vale Star. Pat Kennedy's construction of 10 independent living homes on the grounds of his Windmill Nursing Home is advancing and should be completed before the ends of 2008. The Net / The Annals If you want to see all about Churchtown online go to www.churchtown.net and if you want a good read then pick up a copy of the 784 page tome - The Annals of Churchtown - which is available in Costcutter for €20. Future Plans Churchtown Childcare Creche has applied for a €1.2 million grant to develop a facility for 57 children at the GAA Community Campus and a decision is due in early 2009 in this regard. Churchtown GAA is awaiting a decision next month on their application to the Department of Sports for a grant to support the development of a Sports Hall and Hurling Alley estimated to cost €900,000. Churchtown Transformed That Churchtown has been absolutely transformed in the last 10 years is beyond doubt. Congratulations to all involved agus ar aghaidh leat Brugh Thuinne. Ends |
