Shoals of Fishermen descend on Coachford

Fishermen from all over the world are visiting Coachford to test the waters and the facilities in advance of the World Fishing Feeder Championships scheduled for July 19^th and 20^th. The village is buzzing with excitement as plans are being put in place for the event in seven weeks time. Local competitions are being run throughout June and this is offering the organisers a chance to iron out any problems that may arise before the major event in July. Many of the International teams have already visited the site to view the stretch of the River Lee that the competition will be taking place on and to book their team accommodation. Deirdre O’Donovan, Chairperson of the Community Council said “the world championships are a great opportunity for Coachford and for the Lee Valley. The 26 countries taking part will have at least ten people on each team. They will also bring their own supporters to the event and many Irish fishermen will also be coming to the area to view the championships and to act as stewards for the event. We are expecting huge crowds of visitors to our village and to the beautiful stretch of river that is being used to hold the competition. Accommodation in the area is at a premium even at this early stage and the pubs, restaurants and shops are gearing up for a bumper summer. Coachford are preparing to welcome all the contestants, their supporters and the organisers to our village for the week leading up to the event and we are working with the National Course Fishing Federation of Ireland in orgainsing the opening ceremony and other events throughout the week.”

Super Soccer Team wins again

Killanardrish/ Coachford under 13 soccer team captured the Cork Schoolboys Division one title last week by defeating Midleton and securing the three points needed to finish the season top of the table. This team won their league  for the last three years  and have climbed from division three in 2010/11 season to now finding themselves playing tint he Under 14 premier league next season. Their manger, Paddy Martin said “ They are a super bunch of young lads who love  playing football. They work hard for each other and believe in themselves. The will find it tough next year in the top tier of the league but I’m sure they will give a good account of themselves.”

Marathon girl

Congratulations and well done to Ciara Murphy who completed the Cork City marathon last weekend in a very credible time of 3hrs and 45 mins and burning up over 2,500 calories in the process. Ciara who runs Sorrell Physical Fitness and Therapy is now busily organizing the Coachford 5 Mile Run as part of the Coachford Autumn Festival on August 15^th. The Athletics Ireland sanctioned run is taking place on a beautiful route around the village of Coachford and the organisers are offering cash prizes to the male and female winners.

Aghabullogue to play neighbours Dripsey

Aghabullogue Intermediate Hurlers must play next door neighbours Dripsey in the 2^nd round of the Cork County Championship after losing to Meelin last weekend in Round one. Both teams will be anxious to avoid defeat and will be looking for an opportunity to get back into the championship draw for the remainder of the competition. The players know each other very well with the majority of them going to school together in Coachford and a lot of them would be friends off the pitch however this friendship is expected to be put on hold for the 60 minutes of the game expected to take place in Cloughduv on Saturday June 14th at 7.30pm

Coachford girl to play for Cork

Julie Tarrant has been picked to play for the Cork Primary Schools Team on Sunday in Semple Stadium in Thurles during the Munster Hurling championship replay between Cork and Waterford.  Julie is a superb camogie player and plays for the Aghabullogue club. We all wish Julie and her Cork team mates the very best of luck for Sunday

Decorating Dripsey Bridge

The Dripsey Community Association has installed beautiful lamps and hanging baskets on one of the oldest bridges in Mid Cork. The DripseyBridge will be lit using solar lamps in beautiful lamp standards designed and installed by local company O’Donovan Engineering. The lamp standards will also be used to display hanging baskets prepared by the award winning Griffins Garden Centre. Congratulations to all involved in this bridge enhancement project.

Coachford College prepares for exams

Coachford College will be a hive activity for the next three weeks as over 200 students will sit their Junior and leaving Certificate state exams at the school. Coachford College has a superb record of results in these exams and this is set to continue this year. We wish all the students the very best.

Massive amount of Massey’s and Fords for Coachford Autumn Festival

The fifth Coachford Autumn Festival, organised by Broomhill Vintage club will feature a huge Vintage, veteran and classic car and tractor Show, a large collection of Massey Ferguson 100 series and Ford 1,000 series Tractors are expected at the festival on Sunday August 17^th.The Veteran, Vintage and Classic Car and tractor show takes over the large venue at the GAA Grounds in Coachford.  Chairman of the Broomhill Vintage Club, Tadgh Murphy said “we are thrilled to be running this show for the fifth year. The amount of vehicles has been growing each year and thankfully we have loads of space for whatever turns up. The selection and variety of tractors and cars continues to rise and everyone is always welcome. The highlight of our show last year was the huge Gathering of Fordson Majors and we are looking forward to seeing many of them returning again in 2014. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the Massey Ferguson 100 series and the Ford 1,000 series and we are looking forward to welcoming all of these to the show. These iconic tractors from Massey Ferguson and Ford were both launched in 1964 and the Red Giants of the Massy competed for sales against the 1,000 series from Ford. Both the 100 series and the 1,000 series became firm favourites all over the country and  were largely responsible for turning our farms into the modern agricultural industry we now see today so it’s only right and proper that we celebrate them and mark their 50^th anniversary.”

The Festival will also feature Tractor Building, Auto jumble, Agri Lympics, Model toy display,  Sheep racing, High Nelly Run, Dog Show, live music, Fun Fair, home baking and much much more. The Festival and Vintage show has something for the whole family and is a great day out for young and old alike.