Corpus Christi procession

The annual Corpus Christi procession will take place in Coachford on Sunday after mass at 11.30am. The procession is a wonderful spectacle and an opportunity for the whole parish to come together and mark the event by walking in the procession and praying at the very beautiful grotto in Coachford. Children who have recently received their first Holy communion will lead the procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the village and the girls will scatter flower petals in front of the canopy which the children who have received their confirmation in April will carry.

New Community Council

The new members of the Aghabullogue Coachford Rylane Community Council met last week for the first time since they were elected in early May.  The council members are Siobhan O’Keeffe, Dan Twomey, John O’Sullivan Conor McSweeney and Aidan Ronan who represent the Aghabullogue area. Representing the Coachford area are; Mairead Ní Buachalla, Bernie O’Riordan, Martha McCaffery. Jeremiah O Sullivan, Peter Dineen, Pat Kiely and Doug Lucey. Representing the Rylane area are; Joanne Lyons, Norma Walsh, Sean Buckley, Nigel Dennehy and Vincent Carroll. The first order of business by the new grouping was to elect its officers for the coming year. After a discussion of the roles of the officers. the following were elected . Chairperson, Mairead Ní Buachalla, Vice Chairperson, Siobhan O’Keeffe, Secretary, Joanne Lyons, Treasurer, Nigel Dennehy and Public Relations officer, Doug Lucey. The meeting then went on to go through items of concern for the Community Council that need addressing . High on the list  were the ongoing issues with the lack of a proper sewage treatment plant in Coachford and the lack of a proper footpath in Rylane. The council also discussed the Village Design Statements, Tidy Towns, School bus service from Rylane to Coachford and the workings of the heritage committee. The next meeting is planned for June 24^th.

Tidy Towns

The National Tidy Towns competition judging begins this week and Coachford Tidy Towns (CTT) are hoping for an improved mark this year. The group have recently installed a new planted bed south of the GAA pitch in what was a previously dead and blank space. The members of CTT would like to thank, James Murphy, Denis O’Sullivan (and Sean) landscapes and Patrick O’Donovan for all their help in getting this in place and looking so well. They would also like to thank Broomhill Vintage club and Coachford Autumn Festival for helping to fund this project. The village is looking very tidy and clean this year and the CTT would like to acknowledge the huge help of Oliver O’Riordan in keeping the place so tidy and Johnny Healy who volunteered an entire weeks work on various projects around the village. The CTT would also like to thank everyone who is working on making outside their homes and business premises looking well. Together we can make our place better.

Running Angels

Ten women from Coachford competed in the Cork City Marathon last Monday as part of two relay teams. The ‘Coachford Angels’ meet every week  with many others to jog around the village. Some of the women were part of Ciara Murphy’s Operation Transformation programme in February and have kept up the running ever since. They decided to set the Marathon as their goal and trained towards it. The ‘Angels’ completed the marathon which was run in dreadful conditions and enjoyed the experience so much that they vowed to continue the training throughout the summer. Next up for the athletes is the Coachford Autumn Festival 5 mile road race on  Friday August 14^th.  The groups mentor and trainer, Ciara Murphy completed the full marathon in a time of 3hrs.36mins.

Exam Times

Over 220 pupils from Coachford College are sitting the Junior and leaving Certificate examinations at the college over the next few weeks.  The college has enjoyed some excellent results in these exams and the hope is that this year will be no different with maths and Science being the two areas where most students excel in. All the students are wished well in their endeavours.

County Mayor Awards

The Inniscarra Lake Tourism Development Company were nominated for one of the County Mayor’s Community and Voluntary awards for their development of the Coachford Greenway. The Greenway has been one of the successes of the year and thousands have availed of the very beautiful facility since it opened 11 months ago. Community groups and individuals from across the county were honoured for their huge commitment and dedication to their communities. Coachford were also included In the individual category, John Hogan and Siobhan were nominated for their work in their community down through the years; raising money for Cystic Fibrosis, allowing their business premises to be used as a community centre and for their unselfish service to the community in sport, education and charity

Major Mayor Award Winners

Congratulations to the members of the Inniscarra lake Tourism Development Company (ILTDC ) , the people who developed the Coachford Greenway. This week they were honoured by the Mayor of Cork, and Cork county council for their trojan work in developing the facility. The Mayor, Cllr. Alan Coleman praised the  ILTDC for their belief in the project, the manner in which they set about achieving their goal and the way that they delivered the finished product. “Make no mistake, what this group has done for the Lee Valley area and for the economy of Cork is immense. Not only have they created an inland fishing facility to rival any of those across Europe, they have also in the process created an outstanding amenity for the Coachford and Mid Cork region. It is my pleasure to announce that the Inniscarra Lake Tourism Development Company are the winners of the Cork county council community and voluntary award for Cork South. ” On accepting the award, Tommy Lawton of the ILTDC said” we are delighted to have received this honour. It’s always great to have the work that so many people have put in over the last few years appreciated and recognised. The Greenway is open  almost twelve months and the number of overseas anglers visiting the facility every week is on the increase and we are looking forward to a big influx of fisherman during the next few months. We are blown away by the huge number of people enjoying the Greenway and it’s great to see the walk being availed of by so many people.”.