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Report 1999 Printing this report To print this all of this report press Ctrl P on your keyboard, and press {Enter}. To print a selection of material from this report first highlight the material you wish to print using your mouse. Next press Ctrl P on your keyboard and in 'Print Range' check the 'Selection' radio button. Finally press {Enter}. The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust recognises the substantial contribution of the European Union under the following support programmes:
Who's Who Churchtown Village Renewal Trust A registered charity (CHY12393) set up to support the social, environmental, educational and commercial development of the parish. The Trust operates as the strategic planning and national fundraising organisation for Churchtown. The Trust operates in close liaison with the Churchtown Development Association. Churchtown Development Association (Mallow) Ltd A registered charity (CHY13202) incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in 1999 which is the corporate status preferred by State and regional agencies when grant aiding local bodies. The directors are made up entirely of local residents dedicated to improving the whole parish. The Churchtown Development Association owns, on behalf of the people of Churchtown, the "Old School" which is being converted into a Community Hall. Ballyhoura Construction Ltd A limited company controlled by Maurice Gilbert who was responsible for the building of Padre Pio Nursing Home, the refurbishment and building of Boss Murphy House and is now the builder on the Bruhenny new homes development. Ballyhoura Development Ltd An organisation, based in Kilfinane, that administers a number of EU and State grant programmes and is headed up by Carmel Fox. Ballyhoura Fáilte A Kilfinane-based organisation that supports tourist initiatives in the Ballyhoura area. Boss Murphy’s Ltd The company formed to develop a holiday facility in the centre of the village. Phase 1 is expected to be completed in July 2000. This commercial enterprise is controlled by Gerry Murphy. Boss Murphy’s Ltd has agreed terms with the Churchtown Development Association which will allow the company to promote the Community Hall as a Conference Centre when it is not required by the local community. Bruhenny Developments The trading name used by the developer – Gerry Murphy – of a 10.5 acre site at Kerry Lane which received planning approval in February 2000 for up to 72 houses. It is also proposed that commercial leisure facilities will be developed by Boss Murphy’s at the village end of Kerry Lane which would be available to both guests and the general public. 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. European Urban & Village Renewal Scheme An EU initiative managed by Cork County Council. Greg Collins, Architect in County Hall, is responsible for this programme which has made a huge contribution to the renewal of the parish with grants in 1998 and 1999. George’s Street Technology Ltd An internet company that operates from the Boss Murphy premises in George’s Street. See its main web site at www.stockex.ie Declaration of Interest The chairman of the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust, Gerry Murphy, declares his commercial business interests in the Boss Murphy holiday facility and the Bruhenny housing development. These commercial developments are part of the renewal of Churchtown but are outside the scope of the Trust. For information purposes details about both developments are included within this annual report. Foreword Churchtown is a community in North Cork whose people have decided that the best way to renew their parish and surrounding areas is by spending as much time as possible planning and then implementing decisions as quickly as possible. The Churchtown Development Association and the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust are working together with a wide range of public and private bodies to create a model for Europe in village renewal. Churchtown is a Georgian village with great potential. The village was rebuilt between 1832 and 1849 and much of what was created at that time remains intact. The last 18 months have seen great progress in the development of Churchtown. The "Old School" is almost transformed into a beautiful Community Centre. The Market House is restored to its former glory. Phase 1 of the Boss Murphy House tourist development is practically completed. Many new houses are about to be built in the village which will bring new life into the parish and fill our school again. Another ten bedrooms are being built onto our local Nursing Home. O’Flaherty’s have applied for planning permission to build a new supermarket across the road from their existing shop on the eastern side of George’s Street. Hanging baskets are everywhere, houses are repainted, many footpaths are restored and overall the village looks so much brighter and better. In the Bord Fáilte Tidy Towns competition Churchtown was recognised as the most improved village in the South West of Ireland for 1999 and the Churchtown Development Association received an award of £500. The Trust was awarded a prize of £5,000 in the AIB Better Ireland competition. In August 1999 Churchtown’s renewal story featured on the front page of Ireland’s longest established business magazine Business & Finance. Minister for Education Micheál Martin TD and Dan Flinter, Chief Executive of Enterprise Ireland both visited the parish in 1999. President Mary McAleese accepted our invitation to visit our parish on 14th July 2000. The GAA won their first ever County title and are about to embark on a most ambitious plan to create high quality facilities for players and spectators at their magnificent sports grounds. No review of progress in Churchtown in 1998/99 can be written without calling to mind the great human tragedy that befell our parish when four of our young people were fatally injured in a car accident outside Charleville on 27th October 1999. The entire community joins in sympathising with their heartbroken families. Despite this great setback and, moreover, as a tribute to this lost talent Churchtown must continue to transform itself into a dynamic place where success will breed further success. The last three years have seen great improvements in Churchtown. The next five years will be even more exciting. Gerry Murphy Chairman and Founder Churchtown Village Renewal Trust The Nivita Tragedy October 27th 1999 was a tragic day for our small and lovely parish when four of our young people Niamh O’Herlihy (20) and her younger sister Anita (17) of Mount Corbett House, Churchtown and Carmel Conroy (21) and her young daughter Emma (21 months) of Cullig, Churchtown were all fatally injured in a terrible car accident just outside Charleville. Niamh, Anita and Carmel represented the new confident Churchtown with their good looks and musical talent. When they formed their band – Nivita – in the Summer of 1999 and recorded their first single "Emotion, Attraction and Devotion" written by Niamh we all knew these young people had a bright future ahead of them. The summer of 1999 offered so much excitement for the O’Herlihy girls and Carmel Conroy. Carmel celebrated her 21st birthday, Niamh was meticulously preparing for her own 21st and Anita was enjoying being part of Niamh’s dream to record their own music. The removal of the O’Herlihy girls from their family home at Mount Corbett and Carmel and Emma from O’Keeffe’s Funeral Home to Churchtown saw a huge outpouring of grief. The ceremonies on Saturday 30th October 1999 saw the largest crowds ever assembled for a funeral in Churchtown. After two beautiful ceremonies Niamh, Anita and Carmel and Emma’s coffins were shouldered from our parish church accompanied by the music from their own compact disc which Nivita should have launched the following night in Adare. Our Church could not accommodate the crowds and most people had to pay their respects in the church grounds and on Chapel Lane. The girls were all laid to rest in St Brigid’s Cemetery and the final act in the graveyard was a most poignant and unaccompanied rendition of "The Water is Wide" by Liam Fitzgerald. Of course, the loss of these young bright talents and little Emma to our parish is unbearable but to their families there is no consolation we can offer except to let them know that they are all in our thoughts as they face the future. We are blessed that these young people were amongst us even if it was all too brief. We will all have our memories and thankfully their music which will live on. To their parents, Colm and Delia Conroy and Liam and Marie O’Herlihy, Emma’s father David, brothers and sisters, other family and friends we extend our deepest sympathy on behalf of the people of Churchtown. Our parish is also grateful for the support of the greater community in Ballyhoura, Duhallow and Blackwater. TRUSTEES’ ACTIVITY REPORT Introduction The objective of the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust is to develop the social, economic, educational and environmental infrastructure of the parish of Churchtown. Welcome to our second annual report. The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust held its inaugural meeting in the Community Hall in Churchtown village on the 4th of July 1997 when Michael O’Driscoll and Peter Stewar t (as the nominees of the founder Gerry Murphy), Oliver Byrne and Margaret O’Brien (as representatives of the Churchtown Development Association) were appointed Trustees. Michael O’Driscoll was appointed chairman and Gerry Murphy, agreed to act as treasurer and secretary of the Trust. At the Trust’s first AGM on 30th June 1999 Eileen Ahern-O’Connor, incoming chairperson of the Trust’s sister organi-sation the Churchtown Development Association, was appointed a Trustee and Michael O’Driscoll and Peter Stewart resigned. The Trust is grateful for the on-going support of Michael O’Driscoll and Peter Stewart and their contribution while Trustees. It will be very clear to readers of this our second 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 ordinar y 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 1998/99. Churchtown Development Association The Churchtown Development Association was founded in 1994 and its first chairman was Noel Linehan. The combined work of the Churchtown Development Association and the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust 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 concerns itself largely with planning and national fundraising and the Churchtown Development Association concentrates on implementation and fundraising at local level. The recent chairpersons – Oliver Byrne and more recently Eileen Ahern-O’Connor – and the hard working committee of the Churchtown Development Association are to be congrat-ulated for their magnificent work on behalf of the parish and village. In our last report we identified that the largest task the Churchtown Development Association faced was the redevelopment of the community hall. Work commenced in June 1998 on this major task and is now nearing completion under the direction of a sub-committee of the Churchtown Development Association lead by Sean Howard. President Mary McAleese has agreed to honour our parish with a visit on 14th July 2000 during which she will officially open this parish facility. A copy of the 1999 Annual Accounts of the Churchtown Development Association are included as an appendix to this report on page 26. 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 Trust is also conscious of its role as a national advocate for rural renewal. 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. FÁS FÁS have made a huge contribution to the development of our parish facilities. All work on the new Community Centre is carried out under the auspices of a FÁS training scheme lead by Paddy O’Connell. The Trust is grateful to Paddy O’Connell and his team consisting of Donal Cronin, Clare Sampson, Nelie Ellard, Nelie O’Flynn, Sean Daly, James O’Sullivan, Jason Sweeney, Julie Cremin and Bridget Ahern. The Trust is also indebted to the following FÁS executives – John Murphy who supervised the project in Churchtown and Pat O’Callaghan and Paddy Carlton in FÁS’s Cork office. FÁS also supports the general upkeep of the village and this work is supervised by Gerry Farrissey. The core FÁS team who work on making Churchtown village a better place to live consists of Deirdre Sweeney, Jim Quinn, Billy Ring and Tom Jones. Briefing: Facing the Millennium with Confidence A major information briefing for key regional figures took place on 26th January 1999 during which progress to date under tourism, infrastructure and jobs was outlined and our draft plans for 1999 – 2004 were unveiled. The briefing also included site visits to Boss Murphy House, the Community Centre (FÁS project), the Parish Sports Grounds and the site for the proposed telecentre. The tour concluded with a walk around the village to see the various improvements carried out with support from the County Council’s Urban & Village Renewal Scheme. Guests included Maurice Maloney, County Manager, Cork County Council; Theresa White, Assistant County Manager – North Cork; Pat O’Callaghan, Regional Director, FÁS; Carmel Fox, Chief Executive, Ballyhoura Development Ltd; Rochie Holohan, Chief Executive, Cork North Enterprise; Mort O’Connor, Business Development Manager, Enterprise Ireland; Greg Collins, Architect, Cork County Council; John Murphy, FÁS; Paddy Carlton, Manager Community Services, FÁS; Michael Manning, Cork/Kerry Tourism and Eddie Delaney, CTL, Eircom. The meeting was also attended by many representatives of parish organisations. The Churchtown Declaration in which we resolved to renew our village with or without external support was unveiled at this meeting. Development Plan (Draft 2) The first draft development plan for our parish was circulated within our last Annual report. The second draft of the development plan incorporating feedback and with substantial input from University College Dublin was presented at the information briefing for key regional figures that took place on 26th January 1999. The practical initiatives identified in the draft plan are: 1. Development of village holiday facility 2. Development of rural conference centre 3. Install appropriate welcome signage 4. Development of appropriate sports facilities 5. Development of community enterprise centre 6. Restoration of derelict houses as part of a social housing scheme 7. Develop an artists’ or creative quarter in one of the derelict areas 8. Completion of County Council housing at Chapel View 9. Create parking near the Church 10. Finalise house painting scheme 11. Renew the footpaths especially on Burton Road 12. Introduce tree planting on Burton Road approach 13. Remove ugly over-ground cabling 14. Re-install (or relocate) more appropriate public telephone kiosk 15. Redevelopment of derelict creamery site 16. Creation of a private housing scheme 17. Publish parish history as a tourist and heritage initiative 18. Develop a series of bronze plaques explaining history for visitors 19. Restore village graveyard and pre-reformation church 20. Develop parish sculpture trail 21. Restore stone walls on approach roads 22. Camouflage barns on approach roads where necessary 23. Create an enterprise culture through example and educational programmes 24. Encourage use of information technology 25. Recognise achievements at local, regional and national level The draft development plan covers industry, tourism, infrastructure (energy, services and telecommunications), waste management, water management, built environment (general and residential), streetscape, landscape, agriculture and social environment and it is available on our web site. Cork County Council The County Council supported the renewal of our village with an EU Urban & Village Renewal Grant in 1998 of £12,652.60 and in 1999 with a grant of £14,552.46. A special discretionary grant of £15,000 (£7,500 in 1998 and 1999) was approved by the Council. The Trust is grateful for the support of the County Council and is convinced that we have invested the funds we have been granted wisely. The County Council acquired a site capable of taking up to 10 houses across from the Church a number of years ago and after some time built a block of two houses. Two further houses were added two years ago and the Council has now started developing a block of three single storey houses at the front of this development. The Trust welcomes this initiative by the County Council. 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 Cork County Manager with responsibility for North Cork, Theresa White and Paddy O’Friel, the council’s engineer based in Charleville. Education – Support for Primary School In 1998/99 the Trust invested a further £1,250 when it organised the painting of the School and provided letterheads for the principal Gerard Lenihan. 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. On 17th September 1999 the parish was honoured with a visit from Minister for Education Micheál Martin TD to recognise 150 years of formal education. Minister Martin visited the School where he addressed the pupils, the teachers, the Board of Management and visiting dignitaries including Michael Moynihan TD and Dan Joe Fitzgerald MCC. The Minister emphasised the key role played by teachers in developing our young people and thanked our school principal Gerard Lenihan and Angela O’Regan. Afterwards the Minister, teachers, board of management and visitors attended a lunch with the compliments of Boss Murphy’s to honour the occasion. The original National School in Churchtown opened in 1846 in what is now being converted into our new Community Centre. Our "new" three-roomed school was opened in 1948 with over 100 pupils. In recent years due to decreasing population school pupil numbers fell below 40 and the parish lost its third teacher. However, the new housing development proposed for Kerry Lane should again fill our school with children. The Trust is committed to supporting the children of the parish with appropriate educational equipment and will continue to work with the headmaster and the school’s board of management in this regard. Ballyhoura Development/EU Leader 2 Programme 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 wonderful work over the years. Ballyhoura Development has supported the development of our Community Centre with a Leader 2 grant of £45,000 a substantial portion of which has now been drawn down. This grant is administered by the Churchtown Development Association. Ballyhoura Development also supported the proposal to create the "Greater Churchtown Enterprise Park" at the Parish Sport Ground with both planning and marketing grants. Unfortunately the Trust was unable to secure support from the IDA for such a development under their Advance Factory BES Scheme and this initiative is stalled at present. However, creating jobs in Churchtown is a priority for the Trust and it will continue to develop innovative proposals in this regard. 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. The Board has provided grant assistance towards job creation in the internet technology company – George’s Street Technology Limited. Enterprise Ireland On the 23rd April 1999 the Chief Executive of Enterprise Ireland Dan Flinter visited Churchtown accompanied by Brian Quinlan, Regional Director 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. Parish Sports Field The Trust prepared a Lottery grant application in 1999 for the Trustees of the Parish Sports Field and presented this to the Department of Tourism where sports grants under the National Lottery are now allocated. The Trust made personal presen-tations to the Minister for Tourism and Sport, Jim McDaid and the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy. The application was unsuccessful and a new proposal has now been submitted seeking to build dressing rooms and spectator facilities on the parish sports ground. A decision is expected on this application in June 2000. Kostal Ireland at Twopothouse The proposed Kostal Ireland GmbH plant, just seven miles from the village, which is now the subject of a planning application has huge potential for Churchtown and all of North Cork. Mary Harney TD, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment announced on 29th October 1998 that the Government had approved Kostal’s Ireland proposal for a £75 million, IDA backed investment at its Irish operation that will result in the establishment of a new £40 million facility at Twopothouse leading to 850 jobs over the next seven years. The Kostal Group, of Germany, is a family owned business. Originally established in 1912 as a producer of insulating material, it entered the automotive market in 1927 and the industrial electrical market in 1995. Kostal has become a technology leader in a wide range of automotive product areas. In partnership with its principal customers it is a leading industry innovator, with a dominant position in many of its products. Kostal employs over 9,000 people worldwide. Kostal Ireland GmbH was established in Abbeyfeale in 1981. Since start-up it has had consistent growth and expansion with the support of IDA Ireland. It is an integrated manufacturer of automotive electronic systems, such as window lift controllers and rain sensors. It is involved in a range of technologies including hybrid fabrication, sophisticated surface mount and automated board insertion, tool design and manufacture, plastic injection moulding and product assembly and test. Its principal end customers include Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Volvo, Nissan and Toyota. The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust is pleased to welcome Kostal Ireland GmbH to the North Cork area. The Nivita Foundation The Nivita Foundation was founded following a tragic and fatal car accident in which all of the members of the band "Nivita" were fatally injured along with little Emma Conroy on the 27th of October 1999. The Foundation was founded by Karen O’Herlihy only sister of Niamh and Anita. The following brief has been prepared by the Foundation: "The band consisted of Niamh O’Herlihy, her sister Anita and Carmel Conroy. The name of the band comes from a combination of the names Niamh and Anita. Niamh (20) was a journalism student in her final year at Griffith College. She was the founder, lead singer, songwriter and driving force behind the band. Niamh was known for her organisational skills, charismatic personality, love of horses and, although she never took a drink, was still the life and soul of every party. "Anita had just completed her leaving certificate and had taken a year out before attending college to concentrate on music and her modelling career. Anita (17) was a backing vocalist for the band, she played guitar and was a talented pianist. "Carmel Conroy (21) had previously worked for George’s Street Technology Ltd in Churchtown and had also decided to concentrate on her music career. Carmel too, was a backing vocalist and she was extremely gifted at co-ordinating harmonies. Little Emma Conroy at 21 months was the band’s number one fan having attended all rehearsals. Carmel too had a wonderful personality and like Niamh and Anita loved to enjoy herself. Above all she will always be remembered for the time, love, and devotion with which she took care of her daughter Emma. "Together the three girls and the music they loved were a force and a beauty never to be forgotten. The Foundation is dedicated to keeping the memories of the girls and baby Emma alive, honouring the band Nivita through its name, and above all else helping others with special emphasis on the love and special interests of Niamh, Anita and Carmel." Further details about the Foundation are available at the Trust’s web site. Tidy Towns Award in 1999 Thanks to the great work of the Churchtown Development Association committee the parish improved its score from 163 in 1998 to 199 in the Tidy Towns competition and in doing so became the most improved entrant in the South West region of Ireland. Eileen Ahern-O’Connor, chairperson of the Churchtown Development Association was presented with a trophy and a cheque for £500 by Minister for the Environment Noel Dempsey at functions in Dublin Castle and in Clonakilty. Tidy Town Scores 1997 - 147 1998 - 163 1999 - 199 The target now is for more progress in the 2000 competition following the implementation of the house painting, hanging basket and other initiatives. Community Sports Field Churchtown Sports Field was purchased in 1984 by the GAA club with huge support from the local community and almost £100,000 has been invested to date creating a magnificent playing surface. Over 90% of this vast sum was collected locally. Churchtown and its hinterland is designated a community disadvantaged area in the Ballyhoura Local Development Area. The area needs improved facilities especially dressing rooms and spectator facilities in order to sustain the community and improve the quality of residents’ lives. The proposed Churchtown Community Sports Centre will create substantial new opportunities for young people from communities in the North Cork area to participate in sports and recreational activities. Consultation by the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust with many clubs and schools in the area demonstrate the demand for such a facility. The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust on behalf of the community and in union with the Trustees of the Community Sports Field and the GAA is determined to develop this essential facility within a reasonable time frame. GAA – First ever County Title in 1999 The year 1999 was a vintage year for our local GAA club who brought great honour to the parish by winning a number of prestigious competitions. The most important victory – our first ever county title – went to the Minor Hurlers of the parish when they defeated St Mary’s from Ballineen in the championship final. This team made a clean sweep of Minor C Hurling and Football League and Championships in North Cork. Churchtown Web Site Development An updated web site was launched in late 1999 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. A selection of the late Jim McCarthy’s articles on Churchtown are included together with back copies of our parish Newsletter. You can also take a virtual tour of the parish where you can see lots of pictures and read an accompanying narrative. There is also a section on "Things to do" in the greater Churchtown area. All work on the web site was carried out voluntarily by Tom Martin a partner of Gerry Murphy in the proposed Boss Murphy Brands Ltd development. The Trust is indebted to Tom Martin for this huge task he has undertaken. We believe our web destination is one of the best parish sites and model for other parishes in Ireland. In association with The Irish Times web site www.Ireland.com the Trust is promoting its house lottery most effectively. It is expected that thousands of tickets will be sold on the web in a massive e-commerce initiative by our community. Community Hall The Churchtown Development Association has agreed to lease the Community Centre to Boss Murphy’s subject to the community having a priority for events such as: St Brigid’s Night (annual date) GAA annual dance (flexible date) School Christmas Concert (flexible date) Senior Citizens Christmas Party (flexible date) Teenage Disco (twice yearly) Classes in Committee room (over 8 weeks) Adults classes, Spring and Autumn (night time) Local club meetings (evenings) Table tennis folding table (weekly) Teenage Games non-competitive Fund raising events (Quiz or Feis) Supervised children’s activities. The booking system for the Community Centre/Rural Conference Centre will be managed from Boss Murphy House. The Churchtown Development Association recognises that it would not have been possible to develop the hall without the support of Boss Murphy’s who have provided access and fire escape routes at the rear of the building and planning expertise in relation to fundraising and future sustainable use of the hall. Boss Murphy House & Conference Centre Work is continuing on the development of Boss Murphy House which will be marketed jointly with our Community Centre. Phase 1 of Boss Murphy’s will be completed by July 2000. Phase 2 will involve, subject to planning permission, the development of further bedrooms and tourist/leisure facilities across the road on Kerry Lane on the village end of the Bruhenny new homes site. Phase 1 of Boss Murphy’s when officially opened on 14th July 2000 will offer:
Padre Pio Nursing Home Ann and Denis Fehan started the practical renewal of Churchtown when they decided to build a beautiful nursing home on Kerry Lane. The 30 bed building was started in August 1995 and the first residents arrived in January 1996. This was the first major private sector employment and infrastructural initiative in Churchtown since the creamery was formed in 1889. Since our last report Padre Pio Nursing Home acquired new owners when Karen and Pat Kennedy purchased the business. The Trust wish the new owners well and is pleased to record that they are now adding a further 10 bedrooms. The people of Churchtown are proud of the Nursing Home which provides superior care in a lovely modern environment. The nursing home has been a great success and provides much needed employment in the parish and surrounding areas. Créche Facility in Churchtown Pat and Karen Kennedy are also applying for permission to develop a Children’s Créche by converting the premises they have acquired on the village side of Padre Pio Nursing Home. This development coupled with the new private housing plans for Kerry Lane represent additional valuable services for the people of Churchtown and neighbouring parishes. New Supermarket for Village Jack and Peggy O’Flaherty have applied for permission to develop a "Quickpick" supermarket across from their existing premises on George’s Street and the Trust wishes them well in this welcome initiative. New Homes at Bruhenny Planning permission N/99/4421 which was granted on 17.2.2000 will facilitate the development of up to 72 new homes on the southern side of Kerry Lane on the edge of the village. It is expected that two show houses will be available by September 2000 and the development will be called Bruhenny which was the medieval name for Churchtown. The following is an extract from the Bruhenny brochure: "The housing in Bruhenny is an extension to the historic village of Churchtown. The housing has been organised to create a series of places of different character on the site with the dwellings addressing open space of varying scale. It is envisaged that the public open spaces would have a variety of hard and soft landscaping of trees, shrubs, paving and benches. These spaces will serve to create a new communal identity. "A millennium sculpture will form the focus of the main garden and safe play areas which should provide a valuable amenity for the children of the new families attracted to live in the special setting of Churchtown’s Bruhenny. "The proposed site is on sloping landscape accessed by vehicular and pedestrian traffic at two points on Kerry Lane and by pedestrians only from Chapel Lane. The intention of the development is to extend the village of Churchtown for residential use while creating new public and private spaces. To that end it is also proposed, subject to planning and other statutory approvals, to create a small courtyard opposite Boss Murphy House. "The development will retain the historical stone boundary wall to Kerry Lane. Behind this a sheltered new "Village Green" is created, formed by a crescent of terraced and semi-detached houses. The remainder of the site frontage to Kerry Lane is formed by two terraces which create a new built edge. "New access roads allow development throughout the site. These roads will be traffic calmed by ramping to reduce vehicle speeds. It is intended that footpath design would facilitate disabled users. Each house has private front and rear garden. Car parking can generally be accommodated to allow visitor parking at the pavement edge. Boundaries will be a combination of timber fencing, low stone walls and railings with intensive planting in front gardens." The brochure for the new homes at Bruhenny goes on to state that: "In Bruhenny you have a choice of one single storey home or four two-storey house types. You choose how many floors and how much space you need developed. Four different homes have been designed to offer owners family dwellings from 822 square feet (77 sq metres) to 1,577 square feet (146.6 square metres). All except the Imogane qualify for the first time buyer grant of £3,000. All homes are exempt from stamp duty". Subject to sales the 72 houses are to be built in four phases as follows: Phase Numbers Number Period Phase 1: 1-17 17 8/2000 - 8/2001 Phase 2: 18-34 & 69-72 21 8/2001 - 8/2002 Phase 3: 35-44 & 60-68 19 8/2002 - 8/2003 Phase 4: 45-59 15 8/2003 - 8/2004 In the developer’s submission to the County Council seeking planning approval the following point was made: "It is difficult to anticipate demand for the proposed houses as we are not aware of any like scheme ever being developed in the area. We do know there are 30,000 people living within 15 miles of Churchtown and that there is a real demand for housing in the country in general. Our best assessment in the circumstances is that phase 1 would be launched in August 2000 and would sell within 12 months. Phase 2 would be launched immediately and would take another 12 months to August 2002. Phase 3 would take another 12 months to August 2003 and phase 4 would be completed by mid 2004. On this assumption the scheme would be completed in just over 4 years". National and Local Ploughing Championships The National Ploughing Championships took place in Castletownroche in Autumn 1999 and the Trust was pleased to see that Churchtown played its part by accommodating over 40 members of the Ulster Farmers Union in Boss Murphy’s. The local Churchtown & Liscarroll Ploughing Association, lead by chairman P J O’Driscoll held a most successful one day ploughing championship at the High Meadow on the Black Road on Pat and Karen Kennedy’s farm in November 1999. A raffle organised around the event raised £500 for Mallow County Hospital and the Churchtown Development Association also received a generous donation. Noel Linehan, Ballygrace helped to secure this event for our parish and the following also contributed to the success of the event: Ina and Michael Bourke, John Sampson, William Gaffney, Pat O’Brien and Fr Patrick Twohig PP. Bruhenny Village Graveyard The Trust offered to support improvements to the historic Village Graveyard by way of a grant for all material costs and in this connection the ruined church and graveyard (Ref SMR CO016-056) was assessed by consultant archeological Jacinta Kiely in April 1999. The main findings in her report, approved by Dúchas, were: "The ruined parish church of Bruhenny (Churchtown) is located within a walled graveyard in the centre of the village. A church, in Churchtown, is listed in the Papal Taxation of 1291. The nave of the church was in repair and the chancel in ruins in 1615. By 1694 the church is listed as abandoned (Brady 1863, vol. 2, 72-3). "The church consists of the ruins of a nave, 16.7m E-W by 9.65m N-S, and the site of the chancel, 9.6m E-W by 7m N-S. The nave is in a very fragmentary state. The line of the west wall is not visible but the lower courses of it probably survive below the tangle of overgrowth and brambles. The majority of the south wall is reduced to the lower courses. The eastern half of the northern wall stands to almost full height, the remainder is ruinous. Both of the latter walls are lined internally by pointed blank arcading which is supported by plain piers. "Parts of two arches survive on each wall. The window and door embrasures are set into the arcading. Working from west on the south wall, a photograph published by Grove-White shows a doorway, with a segmental arch located in the first bay which is not visible at present. A splayed and linteled window embrasure is visible in the second bay. Working from west on the north wall the first bay has been blocked up. The second bay contains a fragment of a splayed window embrasure. The area of the chancel arch is a mound of rubble. The chancel survives as an overgrown raised area. "The church is surrounded by a graveyard, which is in turn bounded by a limestone wall. According to Grove White the walls of the graveyard were rebuilt in 1898 (1905-25, vol. 2, 183). There are small breaches in the northern and eastern walls. Entry is gained via a wrought iron gate at the southern end of the western wall. The majority of the headstones are located to the south of the church. There are no visible headstones or grave markers to the north of the church. There are a number of flat slabs, table tombs and vaults, dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, within the area of the church. It is impossible to quantify the amount and types due to the nature of the overgrowth and rubble masonry within the interior of the church". The Trust intends to support the following works in the area of the graveyard in Churchtown.
Film star and parish resident Oliver Reed was buried in Bruhenny graveyard on 15th May 1999. The Pound Corner The Trust supported the re-development of the Pound Corner and erected a large sample of Red Churchtown Marble to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the rebuilding of the village which was completed in 1849. The Trust is grateful to the Gaffney family for supplying the marble sample. The bronze plaque erected in front of the marble carries the following message: "The village of Churchtown, or Bruhenny as it was known 1,000 years ago, was rebuilt in local stone between 1822 and 1849 by Sir Edward Tierney as agent of the Earl of Egmont. "The 150th anniversary of the rebuilding of the village is marked with this fine example of locally quarried Red Churchtown Marble which is a conglomeratic limestone originally laid down under shallow sea conditions during the Lower Carboniferous Period approximately 350 million years ago. Churchtown Marble has been used to decorate fine buildings including St Peter and Paul’s Church in Cork City. "Churchtown has a long and proud history. The area was settled at least 4,000 years ago as evidenced by the discovery of a bronze axe head in the parish. The pre-reformation Church ruins in the village graveyard dates back over 1,000 years and the Pipe Roll of Cloyne records its history. We know, for instance, that in 1291 one Robert Cheusner was presented by Odo de Barry with the vicarage of Bruhenny. Remains have also been discovered in the parish of the extinct Great Irish Elk which roamed these parts over 5,000 years ago". Demographic Trends in Churchtown The twelve-mile catchment area surrounding Churchtown has a population of approximately 30,000. This population is broken down to the nearest 100 as follows: Age Group Numbers Under 16 7,000 16 – 20 2,600 21 – 60 14,000 Over 60 6,400 Total 30,000 The area is highly dependent on agriculture and is under grave threat from the likely impact of the Common Agricultural Policy reforms. In North Cork it is estimated (by Teagasc 1998) that 6,000 of 15,000 agriculture and downstream service/ processing jobs will be lost to the area by the year 2005. Churchtown itself lost 4% of its population between 1986 and 1996 (dropped from 678 to 650). This decline is set to be reversed by significant intervention of the type being proposed in the Development Plan (draft 2). Fundraising: Win a Village Home The Trust is conscious of the need to raise funds in addition to grant support and in this connection organised a very successful Golf Classic at the K Club in April 1998 which raised £10,000. With the ambitious plans that the Trust has developed it was clear that substantial fundraising was needed. With this in mind a plan was devised that would allow the Trust to fundraise at national and international level. A decision was made to purchase and raffle a village house. A house was duly purchased by the Trust on George’s Street West for £8,500 and a District Court application for a Lottery Licence was granted on 14th July 1999. Costs incurred to 31.12.99 amounted to £15,518,91 and ticket sales amounted to £10,534.69. Ticket sales at £25 each are expected to exceed expenses by mid February 2000. It is difficult to predict the final surplus at this stage as the draw will not take place until August 2000 but it is clear that the Trust will profit from this initiative. An arrangement was entered into with the Irish Times who promote the "Win a Village Home" lottery on their www.Ireland.com web site. Sales through Ireland.com have been most encouraging and it is hoped to add a banner promoting the draw on a number of other web sites. The Trust believes that our internet approach to fundraising is unique in Ireland at this time. The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust will share space with Bruhenny Developments at the Irish Property Show in Cork City Hall between 31 March to 2 April 2000 and will seek to sell as many lottery tickets as possible. The Trust will pay 30% of the cost of participating in show and the balance will be paid by Bruhenny Developments. 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 in April 1998 to:
On 23rd September 1998 at an Institute of Directors lunch in Dublin the Trust presented a medal to Northern Ireland Secretary of State Mo Mowlam MP to recognise her role in bringing peace to Ireland. It is the Trust’s intention to recognise other national and international figures at appropriate times. On 26th January 1999 at our "Facing the Millennium with Confidence" information briefing three further medals were presented to:
The Trust recognises that other 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 in 2000. Parish History The Trust is continuing to work on the development of our parish history which will be entitled "A Proud History". Caroline Hennessy, a masters history graduate from University College Cork is researching and writing the book which it is hoped to publish in late 2000 or early 2001. Underground Cabling of the Village Centre The Trust is disappointed with the response of Eircom and the ESB to our request for the removal of unsightly overground cabling from the centre of the village (see page 22). Despite offers by the Trust to contribute to the cost of this essential work no formal response was forthcoming from either organisation. Eircom did attend the information briefing on 26th January 1999. Underground cabling is necessary to support the creation of a permanent film set in Churchtown as proposed in the Trust’s last Annual Report. Market House logo for Churchtown The Market House was chosen as the symbol to represent Churchtown. This logo is now used on all stationer y, promotional material and street furniture. The restoration of the Market House which was built in 1845 is now complete and is welcomed by all who hold Churchtown dear. Long may the tradition of victorious Churchtown GAA teams standing on the steps of the arch at the Market House for their victory photograph continue. Parish Newsletters The Trust helped the Churchtown Development Association prepare a number of parish newsletters which are also posted to our web site. The Trust is very conscious that communications is one of the cornerstones of successful parish renewal. Photocopier for the Parish The Trust part purchased (25%) a new photocopier for the free use of the Churchtown Development Association and at a nominal cost by parish residents. Boss Murphy’s Ltd paid 75% of the cost of the new photocopier which is located on their premises. AIB Better Ireland Award The Churchtown Village Renewal Trust was honoured in the AIB Better Ireland competition in 1999 with an award of £5,000. The Trustees are grateful for these welcome funds and commends AIB Bank for their foresight, public mindedness and generosity in organising this competition. Beautician facility in Churchtown Michelle Sherlock, a member of the Society of Applied Cosmetology Ireland, opened her "House of Beauty" at Egmont House during 1999 and the Trust welcomes this new facility to our parish. Hours of business are 6.30pm to 9.30pm Monday to Friday and Saturday 9.30am to 6.00pm. Details of products and services (by appointment only) available from Michelle are all outlined on her brochure which is available from 022 23 835. Bronze Plaques Three informative bronze plaques were erected in the village at the Pound Corner, on the Post Office wall and at the entrance to Bruhenny graveyard. The informative and well researched plaque narratives will help locals and visitors alike to better interpret the history of our parish. Decision making The trustees have vested considerable discretion to the chairman 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. FINANCIAL REPORTS The following is a summary of the report. The full report is available upon demand. The Trust issued its inaugural report for the year 1.7.1997 to 30.6.1998. In order to bring reports into line with the Churchtown Development Association which reports on a calendar year basis this second report covers an 18 month period to 31.12.99. Future reports will cover each calendar year. The Trust raised £39,411 in the period 1.7.98 to 31.12.99. The Trust invested £43,966 in developing the parish of Churchtown and showed a deficit of £4,555 for the period. This deficit was covered by an incoming surplus of £8,208.06 from the inaugural period. The Trust’s "Win a Village Home" lottery income and expenditure is deferred within these accounts. They are accounted for as Note 3 to the accounts. By 8th March 2000 the Trust has lottery sales amounting to £19,759 and lottery expenses of £16,500 and is confident that the draw will be a financial success. The Trust maintains its bank account with AIB Bank in Buttevant where the overdraft permission of £25,000 in 1999 was secured by way of a personal guarantee from the Trust founder. The Trust is grateful for the support of AIB Bank which has facilitated bridging various grants and the purchase of the Lottery property. The Trust has incurred minimum administrative costs as all overheads are provided by the Trust’s chairman. However, it is clear that the Trust may have to purchase administrative support to manage the increased sale of lottery tickets on the web. 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 either 12.5% or 21% of the Trust’s expenditure goes back to the Exchequer in tax. Auditor’s Opinion 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 period ended 31.12.1999 and the financial position to date. Pat
O’Donovan, TRUSTEE DETAILS 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 current trustees are: Margaret O’Brien is nominated to the Trust by the Churchtown Development Association where she acts as vice chairperson. As well as contributing to the local community as a Trustee of the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust she is also District Commissioner for the Duhallow Pony Club. Margaret and her husband farm at Clashganiff House in Churchtown. Eileen Ahern-O’Connor is nominated by the Churchtown Development Association where she is current chairperson. Eileen is an artist who returned to her native Churchtown in 1997 having lived and worked in the USA and Australia where she was actively involved in supporting the Aborigine community in Newman, NW Australia as a voluntary worker with the local Shire (county). Oliver Byrne is nominated by the Churchtown Development Association of which he is a former chairman. He has wide business experience including 30 years working with the Ford Motor Company in Britain. He resides in Coolcaum, Churchtown. Gerry Murphy founded the Trust in 1997 and is its chairman. He is Dublin based and a director of a number of public and private companies. His voluntary work has included acting as chairman of Guaranteed Irish, the national body promoting Irish goods and services and as chairman of Thermie, a pan European project aimed at reducing the emission of CO 2 . He has also served on the Council of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland from 1995 to 1998 and chaired its Centenary History committee in 1998. Francie Conway (left) who produced Boss Murphy’s ‘Spirit of Cork’, an album of traditional songs and tunes, with Noel Dillon, Cork County Manager (retired) at the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust Golf Classic in The K Club. The Trust is grateful to Francie for his work on the album and especially for arranging for well-known musician, Finbar Furey, to write the ‘Song for Churchtown’ and play uileann pipes and whistles on the album. A PROUD HISTORY Churchtown has a long and proud history. The area was settled over 4,000 years as evidenced by the discovery of a bronze axe head in the parish. More recently we know that, for instance, in the year 1291 at the (now ruined) Church behind George’s Street, one Odo de Barry presented the Revd Robert Cheusner to the vicarage of Bruhenny. Sir Richard Cox, Baronet, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, writing in the year 1688 describes Churchtown village as follows: 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 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 following the attack and the burning, 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 Church was built in 1839. A fine Market House was built in 1845 and the primary 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 around a triangle. 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 (now Burton) Road. At the Eastern edge of the village stands the entrance lodge to Burton Park. 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. The tree-lined road that led from Burton to the Church at Georgian Village runs through the field on which your home will be developed. Churchtown village celebrated the 150th anniversary of its rebuilding in 1999. Orrery & Kilmore The Barony of Orrery and Kilmore, in which Churchtown is situated, was formerly called Oirria Barria after the Norman de Barry family who owned a large part of the area. When Charles Smith wrote his Ancient and Present State of the County and City of Cork in the late eighteenth century he stated that there were eleven parishes and 40,033 Irish plantation acres in the barony. The Imogane Walk The Imogane Road is one of the loveliest four mile walks or cycling routes in Churchtown. Follow the main Burton Road from the village for a mile, go up and down Keane’s Hill with Clashganiff to your left and take the first right turn at O’Connor’s cross. Follow the grassy country lane known as "The Imogane Road" (pronounced Imogawn) until you come to a right turn that will bring you back into the village via Egmont View and Chapel Lane. Binchy The Binchy family, described as Bench at that time, occupied the Boss Murphy premises during Griffith’s Valuation in 1851. Internationally acclaimed author, Maeve Binchy is a scion of this Binchy family. Sir Richard Griffith was the person responsible for valuing every single piece of property in Ireland in order to levy a fair charge on each property owner to help pay for the upkeep of the local workhouse which in Churchtown’s case was located in Mallow. O’Sullivan Beare Donal O’Sullivan Beare and his followers marched close to Churchtown on their long retreat from West Cork. Only 35 of his 1,000 followers managed the epic fourteen day journey from Glengarriff in West Cork to Leitrim where they arrived on January 4th 1603. Ballyhoura Fáilte has developed a special "O’Sullivan Beare" walk as well as the famous Ballyhoura Way. Countess of Egmont Lucy, Countess of Egmont, 7 Eaton Square, London sold the last interest of the Egmont estate in the Boss Murphy complex – The Market House – on 30th May 1900 for £80 or C101.58 to Thomas Sandes Trench, Ballybrittas, Queens County (County Laois). In April 1904 Trench sold the Market House to Edward Flannery for £150. Earl of Egmont The Percival Family, who later became Earls of Egmont, were granted vast tracts of land in north Cork in the 1600s. One of their main seats was at Burton Park just outside Churchtown village. The first house at Burton was burnt by King James II’s army as they retreated from the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The present fine house, a smaller Caroline-period mansion, was built on the same site in the late 1700s. The Weight Thrower Boss Murphy’s uncle also named William Murphy (c1819-1905) was famous for his victory in a hammer throwing competition over the walls of Liscarroll Castle in 1868. Local bard Con O’Brien commemorated this event in an epic poem. Then he balanced and swung with terrible might And the sledge sailed aloft like a bird in its flight The Market House The Market House was built by Sir Edward Tierney (1780 – 1856) as Agent for the Earl of Egmont as a place to collect rents. Edward Tierney, a solicitor born in Rathkeale, Co Limerick inherited his title as Baronet of the United Kingdom from his brother Mathew, a doctor, who received it for saving the life of the Prince Regent – heir to the crown – who was seriously ill on the death of his father George III on 20th December 1820. Captain Trench On 30th May 1900, The Market House was sold for £80 or C101.58 to Thomas Sandes Trench, Ballybrittas, Queens County (County Laois). Captain Trench, who was also associated with Castle Oliver near Kilfinane, collected the rent on behalf of Sir Edward Tierney who was the agent of the Earl of Egmont. Sir Edward Tierney Sir Edward Tierney was responsible for the rebuilding of Churchtown village between 1822 and 1849 and was eventually willed the estate by the fifth Earl of Egmont who died on 23rd December 1841. Earl Henry’s will was disputed some years later after Sir Edward Tierney’s death in 1856 and his heirs – the Darrell Family – ceded ownership of the estate in return for £125,000 or C158,710 and costs as part of a settlement during a legal action in Cork taken by the 6th Earl of Egmont in 1863. The Stations The "Stations" is the name used to describe a Mass which is still celebrated twice yearly in a private house for a gathering of neighbours in a number of local townslands in many parts of rural Ireland. Churchtown has seven station areas: Walshestown, Ballindillanig and Leap Burton, Imogane, Clashganiff and Clashelane Mount Corbett, Mount Bridget and Ballinamuck Annagh, Cullig, Windmill, Rath, Coolmore, Carrigeen, and Ballyvaheen Ballychristie, Ballinaboul, Egmont, Ballyadam and CastleMcCarthy Cregane, Ballygrace and Gurteenroe Churchtown Village all in one station. Churchtown’s Horse Racing Heritage The first big success of a Churchtown bred horse was when St. Brendan won the Irish Derby at the Curragh on Wednesday June 25th 1902. St. Brendan was bred by Edward Flannery at his Churchtown Stud at Carrigeen about one mile north of the village. The next big success of a Churchtown horse was when Loch Lomond won the Irish Derby for Miss E. Cowhy of Churchtown House on 19th June 1919. Dan P. O’Brien of Clashganniff House, who was Vincent O’Brien’s father, won some good races on the flat with Solford including the Irish Cambridge at the Curragh 1939. In 1948 Vincent O’Brien with Cottage Rake won his first Cheltenham Gold Cup of three. Hatton’s Grace won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham for him in 1949, 1950 and 1951. From 1948 to 1959 Vincent O’Brien trained the winner of 22 races at the Cheltenham meeting a record that is unlikely to be equalled over such a short period of 11 years. In 1951 Vincent moved his operations to the Ballydoyle Stables in Tipperary where his successes continued unabated especially on the flat. Vincent O’Brien is without equal as Churchtown’s greatest sporting hero. Another Churchtown man Jack Moylan was a leading flat jockey during the late 1920s, 30s and 40s. Towards the end of his career he won two Irish Derbys in successive years riding Slide On and Picadilly. He also finished second in the Aintree Grand National on a horse called Fly Mask in 1924. Jack Moylan also has the distinction of being Pat Eddery’s grandfather. Pat was Champion jockey on several occasions in England The National Hunt tradition is still very much alive in Churchtown. Vincent O’Brien’s nephew Noel O’Brien, Thomas O’Brien, Jimmy Gordon, Denis Fehan, Michael Carey, Patricia Coghlan and Noel Lynch all continue the tradition. In addition, Norma Bourke has a successful riding school at Carrigeen. WHY CHURCHTOWN ?
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