The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust held its inaugural meeting in the Community Hall in Churchtown village on the 4th of July 1997. The following people were appointed as Trustees: Michael O’Driscoll and Peter Stewart (as the nominees of the founder), Oliver Byrne and Margaret O’Brien (as representatives of the Churchtown Development Association). Michael O’Driscoll was appointed chairman and the founder, Gerry Murphy, agreed to act as treasurer and secretary of the Trust.

The objective of the Trust is to support the social, economic, educational and environmental infrastructure of the parish of Churchtown. A legal trust deed was presented by the Trust founder and after some discussion the deed was accepted by the meeting.

The trustees have vested considerable discretion in the founder in terms of day-to-day decision making on the understanding that all expenditure falls within the terms of the comprehensive trust deed and it is properly vouched and audited.

It will be very clear to readers of this report that Churchtown has received much support for its renewal plans from a wide range of State bodies many of which are funded with European Union support. If people want evidence of the relevance of the European Union in the lives of ordinary citizens it is all within these pages.

The Trust is also extremely grateful to a wide range of individual people who supported its objectives in 1997/98. This reports sets out to record the activity of the Trust in its inaugural year.

Churchtown Development Association

The chairman and committee of the Churchtown Development Association are to be congratulated for their magnificent work on behalf of the parish and village. To have held 28 meetings in 1997 and ensured that all the deliberation and discussion was turned into action represents a huge time commitment and a triumph for this committee. A huge number of tasks were undertaken by the Churchtown Development Association’s various sub-committees and these will begin to bear fruit in late 1998 and 1999.

Clearly the largest task the Churchtown Development Association faces is the redevelopment of the community hall. Work commenced in June 1998 on this major task.

The Churchtown Development Association must also be congratulated for its efforts on behalf of our senior citizens in organising the annual party and their initiative to improve household security.

The Association was also responsible for the building of the triangle in the ‘square’ to commemorate three of Churchtown’s most famous people - Dr Barry O’Meara (surgeon to Napoleon), Séan Clarach MacDomhnaill (Gaelic scholar and poet) and Dr Vincent O’Brien the world-famous horse trainer. The opening ceremony that took place on July 27th 1997 was a most uplifting and enjoyable event.

The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust would not be able to function without the support of the Churchtown Development Association. The great work of the Churchtown Development Association will ensure that the wonderful heritage and legacy that history has bestowed on our beautiful parish will be preserved and enhanced for future generations.

The Trust supported the Churchtown Development Association’s fundraising initiatives by covering the cost of all artwork and print production for all the material aimed at the personal and corporate sector. The Trust secured twenty ‘Roll of Honour’ donations and transferred £2,000 direct to the Churchtown Development Association in this regard.

Promoting Churchtown

The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust is very conscious of the need to give Churchtown a much higher national profile and has invested considerable time and financial resources in promoting the parish to key decision makers at national, regional and county level. This, in essence, is the difference between the Trust and a typical local parish association. The typical association acts at a crucial local level while the Trust is using its resources and experience to harness resources that need to be addressed nationally. This combined effort will be the key to Churchtown’s success going forward.

A key part of the communications strategy has been to produce high quality printed and other promotional material and this has served to heighten awareness of Churchtown among key decision makers.

Education & Support for Primary School

The Trust made two presentations to the Primary School in Churchtown in 1997/98. A 50th anniversary grant of £1,000 was made to the board of management to be spent at the discretion of the headmaster and a state-of-the-art computer and printer costing IR£1,069 were also presented.

The Trust is committed to supporting the children of the parish with appropriate educational equipment and will work with the headmaster and the school’s board of management in this regard.

The Trust wishes Pat Fennessy well in his retirement after 30 years as principal of our primary school and welcomes the new ‘Master’ Gerard Linehan who will take over in September 1998.

Education & Personal Development Course

A two-day course was organised in the community hall in July 1997. The course was presented by Maurice O’Grady, former director general of the Irish Management Institute, and now the managing director of the Covey Leadership Center in Ireland. The course was based on the work of Stephen Covey’s best selling personal development book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The cost of the course materials was part grant-aided by Ballyhoura Development and presented gratis by Maurice O’Grady to whom the Trust is most grateful.

Almost 40 people attended over the two days Ð just over 20 were from the Parish and the balance from other communities in the greater Ballyhoura area.

Cork County Council

The Trust founder sponsored the production of a Development Plan for the parish. This plan was presented to Cork County Council in association with the Churchtown Development Association and substantial grants were approved over 1998/99 on foot of these meetings and subsequent discussions. These grants which are for the Churchtown Development Association’s use rather than the Trust are to be applied as follows:

The Trust also prepared the application for grant assistance from Ballyhoura Development Ltd under the European Union’s Leader 2 Programme towards the development of the multi-purpose community hall and rural conference centre. A decision on this application will be made in September 1998.

The main improvements planned for the village include a painting scheme, landscaping, new footpaths and the provision of high-quality cast iron street furniture, mainly high-quality metal standards for hanging brackets.

The supervision of the re-painting scheme was undertaken by Churchtown Development Association committee member Eileen Ahern-O’Connor and she is to be congratulated for her contribution to this most important part of the renewal effort.

The Trust commissioned and part-funded £7,500 of new road and street signage and hanging baskets for the village.

European Union Village Renewal Scheme

The Trust recognises the role of the European Union in supporting rural renewal within the member countries under the European Union Urban & Village Renewal Programme. This programme is administered by Cork County Council under the management of architect Greg Collins. The Trust and the Churchtown Development Association are extremely grateful to Greg Collins for his time and commitment to rural renewal throughout Cork. The Trust also acknowledges the support of the former Cork County Manager, Noel Dillon and Paddy O’Friel, the Council’s engineer based in Charleville.

European Union Stand RISI Project

Following representations from the Churchtown Development Association and the Trust and with the support of Ballyhoura Development, the parish has been selected to participate in a European Union project, administered by the South West Regional Authority, that will seek to reduce rural isolation by using information technology. The Stand RISI project was influential in the launch of George’s Street Technology Ltd and the creation of two jobs in the village.

Ballyhoura Development and European Union Leader Support

Ballyhoura Development has added very valuable support to the work of the Churchtown Development Association and the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust. The Trust would like to thank chief executive, Carmel Fox, and her colleagues for their excellent work over the years.

Ballyhoura Development grant aided the Stephen Covey personal development course already referred to and also provided part of the costs incurred by the Churchtown Development Association in developing the architectural drawings for the new multi-purpose community hall.

The Trust is hopeful for further grant assistance under the European Union’s Leader 2 Programme.

Cork North Enterprise Board

The Trust and the Churchtown Development Association would like to thank the board of State-funded Cork North Enterprise for their practical support for the parish. We would especially like to thank the board for supporting the personal development course through the attendance of their chairman, Pat Murphy, chief executive Rochie Holohan and Michelle Gleeson.

The Board has also provided grant assistance towards job creation in the internet technology company Ð George’s Street Technology Ltd Ð which is located temporarily in the Boss Murphy premises in the village. Ballyhoura Development’s information technology manager, Diarmuid McIntyre, has also been most supportive on this project.

The Trust also acknowledges that the Enterprise Board provided a feasibility grant of £5,000 towards the creation of jobs under the Boss Murphy umbrella. In total the Board is expected to have supported Churchtown with employment and feasibility grants of up to £15,000 in 1997/1998.

Negotiations with FAS

The Trust was instrumental is securing for the Churchtown Development Association agreement in principle from FAS to provide grants to cover up to £75,000 labour costs associated with the re-development of the Community Hall as a multi-purpose Sports and Community Facility.

Forbairt and enterprise development

Brian Quinlan, Regional Director of Forbairt visited the parish to see at first hand the plans that the Churchtown Development Association and the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust are seeking to implement. The Trust is extremely conscious that what Churchtown needs most to become sustainable is jobs and employment and will therefore continue to prioritise the need to develop facilities in this regard.

National Lottery Grant

The Trust prepared a Lottery grant application for the Churchtown Development Association and presented this to the Department of Tourism where sports grants under the National Lottery are now allocated. The Trust made personal presentations to the Minister for Tourism and Sport, Jim McDaid and the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy on behalf of the Churchtown Development Association in this matter. The application was unsuccessful and a further proposal will be prepared next year.

Recognising People’s Contribution

A special medal of honour was designed and minted by the Trust to recognise those people who have made a contribution to Churchtown beyond the call of duty.

Four medals were presented at the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust Golf Classic that took place in one of Ireland’s foremost golf and country clubs. The function on 28.4.98 in The K Club raised £10,000 for the Trust. The medal recipients on the night were:

Oliver Byrne, Chairman of the Churchtown Development Association, in recognition of his commitment to the development of Churchtown and the huge amount of voluntary work he has carried out on behalf of the parish.

John Lowe, for his voluntary work in organising the Golf Classic.

Noel Dillon, former Cork County Manager for his commitment to rural renewal and especially his willingness to take on board the plans of the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust and the Churchtown Development Association.

Derek Quinlan for supporting the founder of the Trust and his invaluable assistance with the initial fundraising.

The Trust recognises that many people within the parish of Churchtown have contributed over the years and that their voluntary efforts should be recognised. It is therefore the intention of the Trust to work with the Churchtown Development Association to identify those people who should be presented with the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust medal of honour and that presentations should take place at the official opening of the multi-purpose community hall.

Logo for Churchtown

The Market House was chosen as the symbol to represent Churchtown. This logo is now used on all stationery, promotional material and street furniture.Other artwork promoting Churchtown was prepared as part of the submission for ERDF funding for the proposed holiday hostel including a commissioned painting of the village by well know Dublin artist, historian and conservationist Peter Pearson. The painting and other graphic material were made available for reproduction to the Trust at no cost.

Web Site for Churchtown

A web site was prepared for Churchtown by George’s Street Technology Ltd and it can be found at www.churchtown.net. The web site carries lots of information about the Churchtown Development Association, the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust, and other parish related plans.

All costs relating to the web site were paid for by the Trust.

George’s Street Technology Ltd has kindly agreed to accept or send emails for any parish resident who wishes to avail of such a service free of charge. Any parish resident who wishes to send or receive a fax is also welcome to avail of the George’s Street Technology Ltd office.

Photocopier and fax for the Parish

The Trust purchased a photocopier for the free use of the Churchtown Development Association and at a nominal cost by parish residents. The photocopier was located for some time in O’Flaherty’s shop until the George’s Street Technology office was opened in April 1998.

The Trust also purchased and supplied a fax to the chairperson of the Churchtown Development Association.

Tidy Towns

Thanks to the great work of the Churchtown Development Association committee the parish improved its score to 163 in the Tidy Towns 1997 competition. The target now is for major progress in the 1999 competition following the implementation of the painting and hanging basket scheme.

Parish Newsletters

The Trust helped the Churchtown Development Association prepare 14 parish newsletters and also produced pre-printed mastheads for this purpose.

Hostel and Tourist Facility Development

The Trust acknowledges the proposal to create a holiday hostel and other visitor facilities in Churchtown and is conscious of the role and responsibility that Bord Failte has in this regard as the administrators of the European Union’s ERDF programme.

Grant aid under the European Union’s ERDF programme has now been approved in principle for the Boss Murphy Holiday Hostel and the Trust appreciates the support of Bord Failte in this regard.

Boss Murphy’s Spirit of Cork

The Trust was very pleased to see the production of a special music CD and cassette dedicated to William ‘Boss’ Murphy (1831-1911) and especially the Song for Churchtown which was written by Finbar Furey.

The CD has been played on RTE Radio 1 by Gay Byrne, Gareth O’Callaghan, Brendan Balfe, Donnacha O’Dulaing and many other shows and has been played extensively on County Sound. The CD and tape are distributed by Chart Records in Ireland and Walton Music Inc in the USA.

George’s Street Technology Ltd

The establishment of a small experimental internet-based company and the creation of two jobs in the village is to be welcomed. Support for George’s Street Technology Ltd was especially forthcoming from Rochie Holohan, Chief Executive in Cork North Enterprise in Mallow and Carmel Fox and Diarmuid McIntyre at Ballyhoura Development in Kilfinane.

There were six excellent applicants for the administrative position in George’s Street Technology Ltd which augurs very well for future companies wishing to set up and recruit staff locally. Eoin Little is managing director of the company.

Padre Pio Nursing Home

While this facility opened two years before the Trust was founded it is important to recognise this initiative as the start of the commercial re-birth of the village. The Padre Pio nursing home was the first commercial infrastructural development in the parish for over 100 years. The creamery company, founded in 1889, was the last commercial building. The nursing home has been a great success and provides much needed employment in the parish and surrounding areas.

indmill Nursing Home Proposed

Plans are currently being prepared for the development of a second nursing home on the outskirts of the village. The Trust welcomes this initiative which on completion will bring further employment to the parish and surrounding area.

O’Brien’s Celebrates 100th Anniversary

In July, O’Brien’s celebrated the 100th anniversary of their business opening in Churchtown. Over the last 100 years the O’Brien family have served the people of the parish very well and the Trust joins their friends and customers in wishing them the very best for the next 100.

Churchtown GAA Club

The GAA Club continues to make a huge contribution to the sporting life of the parish. The sports field that has been developed over the last 12 years west of the village is a magnificent achievement for a small community. Dressing rooms are now a priority for the GAA club.

The Trust congratulates all the teams who brought glory to the parish over the years and especially in 1997/98.

Liam McCarthy Cup in Churchtown

As part of the Covey Course, Tom Dempsey, a former captain of the Wexford All-Ireland Hurling winning team, made a presentation in the Community Hall to the course attendees. He brought along the Liam McCarthy Cup and the most impressive Leinster Trophy commemorating Bob O’Keeffe. The sight of these icons of everything that makes the GAA great at national level beside the trophies that had just been won by the local Churchtown junior football team is unlikely to be forgotten. After the event, and in time honoured fashion, the McCarthy Cup was filled by Wexford resident Jimmy Gordon in O’Brien’s Pub.

Later that evening another icon of the GAA, the great sports commentator, Michael O’Muircheartaigh, graced our parish hall as master of ceremonies when he interviewed a range of people including, Tom Dempsey, P J O’Dea, the great Munster and Clare footballer from the 1950s who spent his Summer holidays in Churchtown, Paudie Doyle, chairman of Churchtown GAA and Tony O’Flaherty captain of the victorious Junior Football team which brought glory to Churchtown by winning the North Cork League and Championship Double.

National Ploughing Championships

The Trust made an application to the National Ploughing Association for the village to be considered as a potential site for the championships. A visit took place but the fact that Churchtown is surrounded on two sides by manually operated railway crossings denied us this opportunity.

Special National Olympics

The Trust would like to congratulate Norita Hedigan who brought sporting honour to the parish when she captured three medals at the Special National Olympics in Dublin.

Parish History

The Trust is continuing to work on the development of A Churchtown Anthology. Ballyhea resident Caroline Hennessy, a masters history graduate from University College Cork, is working on this project and it is hoped to have the book published in time for the launch of the new multi-purpose community hall. The recording and publication of this history is a priority for the Trust in 1999.

A Corner of Buttevant

The Trust made a small contribution towards Bertie Daly’s excellent book entitled A Corner of Buttevant.

Village Graveyard

The Trust offered to support the restoration of the beautiful Village Graveyard by way of a grant for all material costs and in this connection is awaiting a proposal from the Churchtown Development Association.

The Pound Corner

The Trust has also offered to pay for the materials that would be required to upgrade the Pound Corner.

Village Sculpture

Discussions continue with the Churchtown Development Association on the funding of an appropriate village sculpture at the Pound Corner.

Film Location and Underground Cabling

Churchtown is such a timeless village that it would make a great film location. The fine stone buildings and lack of traffic would facilitate filmmakers. The new multi-purpose conference facility and the accompanying accommodation in Boss Murphy’s would also serve filmmakers, cast and crew very well.

In order to prepare for such a venture the village needs the support of the ESB and Telecom in a programme aimed at eliminating all overhead cabling.

ISDN Telephone Lines

The Trust is grateful for the support of Telecom Eireann in supplying an ISDN service to the village in order to facilitate job creation in George’s Street Technology Ltd, and indeed any other information technology venture that may arise in the future.

Trust Fundraising and Golf Classic

The Trust is grateful to private donors who contributed £15,000 and John Lowe and his committee who organised the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust Golf Classic in The K Club in April 1998. While the weather was unkind to us on the day the event was a huge financial success and £10,000 was raised.

All who helped in organising the Golf Classic are too numerous to mention but exception must be made for Trish Moran, Managing Director of Jigsaw Management Ltd and her colleague Sinead Whelan, Steve McGettigan and Sandy Metcalfe. The Trust would also like to thank Arthur French, Vice Captain of The K Club for his support on this and other Trust activities.

Legal Fees

Initial legal fees were very substantial as a new trust deed had to drawn up and agreed with the Revenue Commissioners. However, this is a once-off cost and will not have to be borne again by the Trust.

Part of the legal process included the official recognition by the Revenue Commissioners of the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust as a registered charity under reference CHY 12393.

Please email for these details ...

The Trust maintains its bank account with AIB Bank in Buttevant.

The Trust has incurred no administrative costs as all overheads in this regard are provided by the Trust’s founder.

All invoices and the accounts have been audited by Pat O’Donovan, FCA, of O’Donovan Stewart, Accountants, 10 Pembroke Place, Dublin 2.

While the Trust has charitable status it is not allowed under current legislation to recover VAT which means that in most cases 21% of the Trust’s funds goes back to the Exchequer in tax.

Accountant’s Report for the Year Ended 30 June 1998

To the Trustees of Churchtown Village Renewal Trust

We have examined the attached accounts. In our opinion these accounts, which are in agreement with the records and vouchers of the Trust, have been properly prepared and reflect the income and expenditure for the year ended 30 June 1998 and the financial position at that date.

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The local committee made up entirely of parish residents dedicated to improving the whole parish.

Churchtown Village Renewal Trust

A Dublin-based organisation set up to support financially the social, environmental and commercial development of the parish.

Ballyhoura Failte

A Kilfinane-based organisation that supports tourist initiatives in the Ballyhoura area.

Churchtown Development Association

The local committee made up entirely of parish residents dedicated to improving the whole parish.

Churchtown Village Renewal Trust

A Dublin-based organisation set up to support financially the social, environmental and commercial development of the parish.

Ballyhoura Failte

A Kilfinane-based organisation that supports tourist initiatives in the Ballyhoura area.

Ballyhoura Development Ltd

An organisation, also based in Kilfinane, that administers a number of EU and State grant programmes and is headed up by Carmel Fox.

Boss Murphy’s Ltd

The company formed to develop the holiday hostel in the former "Corner Shop" site in the centre of the village.

Cork North Enterprise

A Mallow-based government sponsored organisation dedicated to developing enterprise and jobs in the north Cork area headed up by chief executive Rochie Holohan.

George’s Street Technology Ltd

An internet company that operates temporarily from the Boss Murphy premises in Churchtown.

South West Regional Authority

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The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust was founded by Gerry Murphy, who was born and raised in the parish of Churchtown. The Trust is a legally constituted registered charity under Revenue Commissioner rules and is dedicated to the improvement of the social, educational, environmental and economic infrastructure of the parish. The original trustees were:

Michael O’Driscoll, BA, MA (chairman) who is a former marketing executive with the The Examiner where he spent 35 years. He holds an MA in Arts from UCC and is widely experienced in marketing and information technology.

Oliver Byrne is chairman of the Churchtown Development Association. He has wide business experience including 30 years working with the Ford Motor Company in Britain. He resides in Coolcaum, Churchtown.

Margaret O’Brien, a parish resident has been nominated by the Churchtown Development Association to the Trust. Margaret and her husband farm at Clashganiff in Churchtown.

Peter Stewart, FCA is a widely experienced Dublin-based chartered accountant who has worked in-company in Ireland and abroad and was a founding partner in O’Donovan Stewart.

Gerry Murphy, BFS, MBA, FIB, MPRII, MMII will act as honorary secretary/treasurer of the Trust. He is also chairman and non-executive director of a number of private companies. He was appointed a trustee at the first AGM of the Trust in 1998.

Churchtown Village Renewal Trust

The Trust is a legally constituted registered charity under Revenue Commissioner rules and is dedicated to the improvement of the social, educational, environmental and economic infrastructure of the parish of Churchtown in the Ballyhoura area of north Cork.

Correspondence address:

Churchtown Village Renewal Trust
6 Brooklawn,
Mount Merrion Avenue,
Blackrock, Co Dublin

Tel: 01 283 1061
Fax: 01 283 3275
Email: gmurphy@iol.ie
Web: trust@churchtown.net

Auditor:

Pat O’Donovan
O’Donovan Stewart & Company Chartered Accountants
The Mews,
10 Pembroke Place,
Dublin 2

Tel 01 662 4877
Fax 01 6611717

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‘Churchtown, a small market town, near which is a large noble park and in it is a stately mansion named Burton Hall, belonging to Sir Richard Percival.’

Churchtown village is prettily situated in a fertile corner of north County Cork. The village, which formerly contained a number of thatched houses, was attacked and the greater part of it, including the police barracks burned in the year 1822. It was rebuilt between the years 1825 and 1849.

In the years after 1822, Sir Edward Tierney, agent to the Earl of Egmont, the landlord, cleared away all the thatched houses and rebuilt the village in the form it is in today. Samuel Lewis reporting on the state of the village in the year 1837 says the village contains several neat slated houses, a good inn and a constabulary police station.

The new Catholic Church was built in 1839. A fine Market House was built in 1845 and the school was built in 1846. In the year 1849 the village of Churchtown was completed. To this day it remains largely intact.

Churchtown creamery was built in the year 1889. It was owned and worked by a number of farmers, known as the Churchtown Creamery Co. In those far off days the amount of milk taken in daily amounted to 3,000 gallons.

The village was built in the form of a square. One side of it was named Egmont Row, the main street of the village was named George’s Street and that running west was named Kerry Lane. The double row of houses on the Buttevant road was named Chapel Lane and the road leading in the direction of main Cork/Limerick road to the east was named Lodge Road.

At the northern end of George’s Street are the entrance gates and lodge to Churchtown House. About three hundred yards to the west of the village at a place called Maryfield, stood the Church of Ireland parish church. This is now part of the GAA grounds.

Churchtown village has a long and proud history and the parish will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its rebuilding in 1999.

Churchtown Village Development Plan

Prepared by

Churchtown Village Renewal Trust

in consultation with

Churchtown Development Association

and

Gerry Cahill Architects

 INTRODUCTION

This part of our Annual Report 1997/98 contains the main contents of the Development Plan prepared in 1997. It is a preliminary action plan for the development of Churchtown Village in County Cork and was funded by the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust.

The village is expected to undergo a major village renewal driven by the local Churchtown Development Association and the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust. These two organisations have sought the support of many State bodies. The Trust expects Churchtown to be both a pilot and a model of how a first class village renewal should be accomplished.

The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust has identified a number of broad headings that need to be addressed in order for the regeneration to be successful. These fall under the following headings:

1. Civic infrastructural development of a multi-purpose community hall

2. Tourist infrastructure development (Boss Murphy’s Holiday Hostel)

3. Development of an enterprise building in the village.

4. Image improvement of the village (under EU Village Renewal).

5. Art development within the village and in the parish in general.

This document has been prepared to address number 4 Ð the image improvement of the village.

While Churchtown is only one parish located within the Ballyhoura area of North Cork it is intended that these proposals act as a catalyst for future developments in Churchtown and its hinterland through the maximisation of its resources, manpower, amenity and heritage. Any development is intended to be sustainable with the emphasis being placed upon the preservation, promotion and enhancement of amenity and heritage.

The local community has been actively involved with formulating and determining the future direction of the parish’s growth. The emphasis of the development and improvement of the village will be on a synergy between the following statutory and non-statutory bodies; Cork County Council Urban and Village Renewal Programme, Churchtown Development Association, Churchtown Village Renewal Trust, Ballyhoura Failte, Ballyhoura Development Ltd, FAS, Forbairt, Bord Failte and Cork North Enterprise.

DESCRIPTION OF SETTLEMENT

Churchtown is situated five miles south of the Cork/Limerick border on the south western edge of the Ballyhoura area. It is also the furthest extremity of the Cork North West constituency. Churchtown is a victim of peripherality in terms of location in the Ballyhoura area. The village is bounded by the Ballyhoura Mountains to the east, the Mullaghareirk Mountains to the west, and lies off one of the tributaries of the Awbeg River. The village lies at the western end of the ‘Ballyhoura Way’. The structure of the settlement is one of four principal entrance roads meeting in two connected crossroad areas.

Churchtown acts as a service and a community centre for the surrounding hinterland but has a limited range of community services and commercial facilities.

FUNCTION OF SETTLEMENT

Churchtown has a number of functions of which the main ones are:

• a residential centre
  
• a commercial centre
  
• a service centre for its hinterland
  
• a community centre for its hinterland
  
• a tourism centre.

INITIATIVES UP TO 1997

A number of initiatives have taken place in the last 50 years in Churchtown:

• Rural electrification came to Churchtown in the 1940s.
  
• A new school was built in 1947 and it represents the most important public infrastructural development in the last 50 years.
  
• The ‘old’ school was developed by the community council in the 1970’s as a community hall. This facility is used by the community for a range of purposes. The upgrading of the building is incorporated into the overall renewal of the village as it no longer complies with fire regulations and is in need of significant improvement.
  
• A sports playing field located just west of the village has been developed by the community and the GAA in the 1980’s. Dressing room facilities have yet to be developed.
  
• A mains sewerage scheme was installed in the 1980’s.
  
• Two self-catering holiday cottages are available near the village.
  
• A nursing home has been developed 200 meters west of the village across from the playing field. This is the first substantial private development in the village in many decades.

LAND USE AND BUILDING CONDITION

The village character and heart is centred on the principal crossroads where Kerry Lane and George’s Street intersect. The secondary crossroads directly to the east receives the roads from the east and south. The majority of private housing is dispersed along George’s Street with a number of individual dwellings located on the periphery of the village to the south. There is one incomplete Local Authority Housing development set back from the road and consisting of 4 units out of a possible 8.

Churchtown has a number of important public and civic buildings which include a Church, a National School, a Community Hall and a derelict Market House on Kerry Lane. There are also two period residences located on the periphery of the village, Burton Park, a Caroline period House to the east, and Churchtown House to the north. Both of these estates have enclosed mature grounds, the boundaries of which line the north and east entrance road to the village proper.

The village has limited retail facilities with only one shop, a post office, and one licensed premises. The remaining buildings are residential or vacant. There are up to 12 derelict and unoccupied buildings within the village. Some properties both private and civic (and semi-civic) require general basic repair and refurbishment. These combined with the general poor condition of the public footpaths and periphery roads and associated boundary walls detract from the visual amenity of the village. These issues are now being addressed.

Churchtown’s most obvious land use feature is the visually intact enclosure of the village centre. There is no real ribbon development and the individual streets are well defined by both buildings and walls. This allows a marked distinction to be made on entering the village between the open countryside and the populated area.

SERVICES TO THE SETTLEMENT ROADS

Churchtown is located 3.5 miles to the west of the N20 National Primary Road between Cork and Limerick. The village also lies less than one mile to the north of the R522 Regional Road between Buttevant and Dromcolliher. Churchtown’s close proximity to these routes Ð in particular the N20 means that the settlement can be easily accessed by passing trade and traffic.

SANITARY AND WATER SERVICES

A mains sewerage system was installed in the village in the 1980s.

POPULATION

In general it may be said that the population of both the village and parish has dropped steadily and the average age profile has risen progressively. An approximate population of the village may be given as 100 persons with a parish population of 570.

With adequate water and sanitary services in the village, the proposed completion of the Local Authority Development and the completion of a number of private initiatives in the village, it is probable that the population of Churchtown will experience some growth over the next 5-10 years.

DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

There are many opportunities to develop Churchtown and a significant amount of progress has been made over the last year in the tourism sector with planing permission being obtained for the Boss Murphy Holiday Hostel. Opportunities now exist for many forms of environmental upgrading. It is proposed that the environmental improvements proposed in this action plan will act as a catalyst for further tourism growth and economic activity.

TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Churchtown is located in an extremely picturesque surroundings in the midst of outstanding natural amenity. It is in the interest of the village to market itself pro-actively towards an emerging ‘green tourism’ market. The tourism potential of the village could be outlined as follows.

• Churchtown is situated in the ‘Ballyhoura Country’ area, already a recognised tourism area in north Cork/Limerick (ref: Bord Failte ‘Tourism Development Plan 1994-1999, Developing Sustainable Tourism’).
  
• Churchtown is an easy stopping off point between Limerick and Cork City.
  
• Churchtown is the chosen location of Boss Murphy’s Holiday Hostel whose brief it is to develop the tourist product and enterprise potential of the Churchtown area and outlying regions.
  
• Churchtown is located at one end of a well-known walking trail.
  
• Churchtown is also in a good location to make use of the Awbeg and Blackwater River’s fishing potential.

RECENT DEVELOPMENT

A significant amount of planning work and study has already been carried out by both the local community under the Churchtown Development Association and by private investment.

The Churchtown Development Association has put in place plans for the full restoration of the Community Hall. Planning Permissions have been received for the alterations and the project finance is being put in place at present.

Boss Murphy Ltd has purchased a premises (former pub, out-offices, stables and small field) in the village and have obtained full planning permission for the development including restoring and converting the derelict Market House and stable buildings.

KEY PRIORITIES

1. Camouflage the creamery site which is derelict.

2. Improve paths. Replace cracked and broken pavements. Surface water drainage to be improved.

3. Introduce trees. New planting to be introduced to the village to add to and complement the existing mature growth on the periphery of the village.

4. Environmental upgrade for the approach roads to the village.

5. Painting scheme to be agreed. Where required, stripping off of blown plaster to expose natural stone houses and restoration of walls. Development of a structured and coherent painting scheme to improve the visual fabric of the village.

6. Underground cabling in key locations especially in front of the Market House and Community Hall.

7. Expose walls into village and repair and rebuild where necessary. This is to consolidate the village boundaries and improve the visual amenity of the periphery of the village.

8. Camouflage the galvanized barns at the entrances to the village.

9. Restore the village graveyard. Clearing out of overgrowth and replacement with structured planting and new pathway around ruins and graveyard.

10. Renovation of the community hall (as proposed).

11. Deal with derelict and unoccupied houses (12 out of 42).

12. Introducing public seating.

13. Overhaul of street lighting and additional lamps within village centre.

14. Introduce high quality signage into the village. Improvement of signposting for the village from the main connection routes (N20). Amenity signage within the village.

15. To environmentally improve the existing Local Authority Estate with an appropriate planting plan.

16. To remove all sites of dereliction within the village. To upgrade the central village area with provision of marked parking area, upgraded footpaths and suitable planting plan.

These proposed works are intended to provide the nucleus for the on-going rejuvenation of the Churchtown area.

IMPLEMENTATION

It is expected that the development will be implemented by Cork County Council in conjunction with Churchtown Development Association and in consultation and involvement with the local community and the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND JOB CREATION

The principal development and job creating activity in the area will be linked to the Boss Murphy Holiday Hostel and the development of an Enterprise Centre in the village.

The proposed Boss Murphy development would be expected to create a small number of jobs during its implementation and an increasing number as it develops.

FUNCTION OF SETTLEMENT TO ITS HINTERLAND

Churchtown has a very pleasant street and ‘square’ layout. But it is without any individual item or amenity of outstanding quality. This programme of visual upgrading and environmental works is intended to provide the village with an attractiveness that encourages people to stop there, travel there and recreate there. In turn this would encourage new business to locate in Churchtown.

HERITAGE AND ART PROPOSALS

The strategy developed by the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust is to integrate heritage and art into sustainable commercial developments. It is also proposed to create a sculpture trail around the parish which would be used to interpret the heritage of the parish.