Coachford News

August 1st 2017

50/50 winner 

The draw for the first ever Coachford Community Association 50/50 raffle took place on Monday night and as promised there was a winner. Batty O Donoghue from the Model Village in Dripsey was the first name out of the hat and won 50% of the total pot. €402 was the total pot and Batty walks away with a very nice sum of €201. Tickets are already on sale for the August draw which will take place on Thursday August 31st

Greenway reopens

The Coachford Greenway has reopened after the refurbishment works and is again available for public use. This wonderful and popular amenity is used by hundreds every day . The new surface is very welcome by walkers and runners as regular and new users return to the riverside walk.  The committee would like to thank everyone for their patience and good will during the recent closure and hope they will continue to enjoy and derive pleasure from the amenity.

World Championships

Fourteen countries including Spain, Italy, France and England will descend on the village of Coachford next week as the World Youth Angling Championships take place on Inniscarra Lake. The Competition takes place on Saturday 12^th and Sunday 13^th with the teams expected to start arriving from this weekend for training and familiarisation of the venue. Each competing country will have 15 team members, five under 15s, five under 20s and five under 25s. Accommodation in the Lee Valley area is at a premium with Hotels, B&Bs and holiday apartments all booked out for months. Coachford Village is the venue for the official opening ceremony on Thursday August 10^th and a parade of flags by the competing nations will take place at 6pm. The village is expected to be hive of activity for the week as the GAA hall will act as the official Head Quarters of the World Championships. The Under 20s and U25s will fish on  the newly refurbished Greenway while the   for the Under 15s takes place on the Garden Section of the river at Griffins Garden Centre in Dripsey. “The whole community is looking forward to welcoming the young anglers to the village and with 210 young fishermen, their families and team members coming to Coachford it is going to be a great week for the area. We are thrilled that the Inniscarra Lake Tourism Development Committee and  the National Course Fishing Federation of Ireland were able to secure another World Championship for the river so soon after the very successful World Feeder Championships in 2014. The improvement works on the Greenway will see this already excellent facility become an even better venue for top class world events in the future. “ said Community Council Chairperson, Maighread Ní Mhurchú. The national flags of the fourteen nations have been installed at Rooves Bridge by O’Donovan Engineering and provide a terrific backdrop to the world championship venue. The village has been decorated with buntings and flags also as Coachford prepares to be invaded.

Can you help?

The organisers of the World Youth Fishing Champi0onships are looking for river bank stewards to help out on Saturday and Sunday, August 12^th & 13^th. Each of the 210 competitors will need a steward to count the number of fish they catch and to act as support to the angler. This is a great opportunity to get involved in a world Championship event and to enjoy a few hours on the river bank.If you are available on any of the days please contact Tommy on 086 104 3040

Rylane summer féte

Rylane Village Féte is coming up on August 13th and there is loads on to entertain everyone. Giant Foozeball, ‘Paws on Parade’ dog show ,  Donkey Dung Lotto, Tractor Building, ,Food & Craft stalls, Village entertainment, The most Stylish Lady and Gent competition and The Féte Parade. Admission is free and all are welcome. Funds raised will go to Rylane Community Park Association.

Coachford Schoolboys awards

Well done to all involved in the awards night for Killanardrish/Coachford Schoolboys. Medals were presented to the victorious U15s. James Lane received an award in recognition of his involvement in the Cork Schoolboys squad. Callum Hill was

picked out as best player of the year for the U12s. Mark Murphy was voted by his team mates as the best U15 player of the season and the U16 team voted for Jack Oldham as their choice for player of the year. Well done to all.

Sods turned on Astro turf  

Work has commenced on the new Astro Turf pitch at the Aghabullogue GAA grounds in Coachford. This new development by the Football & hurling club will be a very welcome addition to the wonderful facilities at the club. The work is expected to take around three months and will be open for bookings in the very near future. The new pitch will be floodlit and will be used by the GAA for winter training and juvenile matches. It will also be available for other clubs to hire.

100 years of Irish Ford

A celebration of  Ford cars, Jeeps and tractors will take place on July 16^th at the Coachford Festival to mark the 100^th anniversary of the opening of the Henry Ford plant in Cork in 1917. All owners of pre 1997 ford vehicles are very welcome to come along to one of the biggest vintage shows in the county. A special area of the vintage display is being set aside especially for vehicles that were built at the Cork factory.  “We are all very excited about the show this year. We have in the past celebrated the anniversaries of the Massey and Zetor tractors and the Mark II escorts but this one is going to be huge. Ford is such an iconic brand in Ireland and of course Cork. The fact that there are still so many of these wonderful vehicles that were built or assembled here in Cork still on the road is testament to the care their past and present owners have shown them over the years. Our Vintage show is one of the best in the country and has been growing at an unbelievable rate since we started hosting it in 2009. We are expecting a huge number of vehicles this year at the Broomhill Vintage club event.  Said  Peter Coughlan, event organiser.

Dublin Receiver sits on Coachford Houses
Housing Minister, Simon Coveney has made the lands just north of the railway available for developers.This 2.2 hectares is to be offered to private developers and housing associations in an effort to resolve the housing crisis. Meanwhile the two Ghost Estates in the village which are in the hands of a receiver in Dublin show no signs of being sold. The
Community Council has huge concerns over the uncompleted estates .Children are now using one of the unfinished estates as a playground and this has serious implications for the children’s safety. While these two estates continue to be held by the Receiver is puzzling when there is a huge need for new houses in the area.

Vintage Run celebrates Ford

Broomhill Vintage Club will mark the 100^th Anniversary of Henry Ford setting up his factory in Cork in 1917 by taking their annual Vintage Run to Ballinscarthy on Sunday April 23rd. The club have a very close association with the iconic motor brand having honoured the Ford Cortina, Mark ll Escort and Fordson Tractor over the last number of years at their annual Festival. They are inviting all vintage and classic Ford owners as well as everyone else to join them in their trip to Henry Ford’s ancestral home on Sunday week.   Registration is from 11.00am in the GAA Hall in Coachford .The Tractors will head off on a different route closer to the village and again all Fords and other makes are most welcome to enjoy a Great Day Out. Further information is available from Tadgh at 087 2426343

Irish Water test Village

Irish Water contractors conducted some sample testing in Coachford last week in advance of starting work on the long awaited and badly needed new Sewage Treatment Plant. The works are due to begin in November 2017 or early 2018. The new plant would enable more houses and other developments to be constructed in the village  and allow the vibrant community to expand and grow. Maighread Ní Buachallaí, Chairperson of the Community Council said “ We are delighted that some progress on this issue appears to be happening and we are thankful for everyone who is working to bring this plant to the construction phase. However we are also realistic about the challenges ahead and we are aware that a few test holes in the village are a long way from getting the sewage plant that this community deserves and needs”.

A bridge too Far

The Community Council have raised with the Cork County Council the urgent need to repair the surface of Rooves Bridge. The bridge, built by the ESB in the 1950s as part of the Lee Hydro Electrical  Scheme is used by hundreds of vehicles every day and is now in an appalling condition. The County Council are claiming that the ESB are responsible for the repairs and maintenance of the structure while the ESB are refuting this and putting the onus for any road repairs on the bridge back on the council’s desk. “ We really don’t care which of them is responsible, we need this serious issue to be addressed immediately. This bridge is used by cars and trucks every day and many many cyclists at weekends. It is dangerous at this stage. I have witnessed cyclists putting themselves in danger trying to avoid the craters on the bridge. The surface hasn’t been touched in years and the council are doing nothing about it. It is no good building these structures if nobody is going to take the responsibility of looking after them. We have a county Council who continue to neglect the roads around Coachford and it’s not good enough anymore. There is no point in the council or the ESB for that matter promoting tourism and healthy lives and then having a bridge across the beautiful Lee Valley that is a danger to all that use it. We have the world championships coming to the river in August and there is great credit due to the ESB and the council in the work they put in to secure the competition for this venue but their work shouldn’t stop there. The now need to ensure that the Bridge is looking at its absolute best for the event in July. ” Said Peter Dineen of the Coachford Community Association. The ACR Community Council are asking the County Council and the ESB to sit down and come to some agreement as quickly as possible so that works can be carried out.

The world is coming to Coachford

The World Youth Angling Championships is coming to Coachford from August 8^th to 13^th . The Competition will take place on Inniscarra Lake with many of the pegs being situated along the Coachford Greenway. Teams from around the world are expected to start arriving  from August  5^th to get ready for the five day event. The first three days will involve training  while the real competition takes place on Saturday 12^th and Sunday 13^th. The opening ceremony of the world championships takes place in Coachford Village on August 10^th at 6pm  and promises to be a colourful  affair with a parade of flags and nations through the village.  Huge crowds are expected along the river bank and in the Lee Valley Area for this huge event. The GAA Complex in Coachford will act as the HQ for the event for the five days. The prize giving and awarding of medals ceremony takes place in the Oriel Hotel In Ballincollig. Hotels and Guest Houses are booked up for this event for months and many teams have had to seek accommodation in East and West Cork.

Christmas safety

The Aghabullogue, Coachford Rylane Community Council are asking people to keep an out for elderly relatives and neighbours this Christmas. The council want everyone to look in on their neighbours to ensure that they are okay and have sufficient supplies of Food, fuel and medicines over the holiday period. The council are also asking that everyone is extra vigilant in relation to security of their homes and properties during this period. ” we are all well aware that burglars do not take holidays and will seize on any opportunity to raid empty houses and destroy Christmas for people. We would also ask those parking near the Greenway to not leave any valuables in their cars and generally  keep an eye out and let the Gardai in Macroom or Coachford know of anything that looks out of the ordinary or suspicious”

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