Youghal Harbour comes alive this Sunday when the only round of the ISA
National Powerboat Championships to be held in Cork this year rolls into town
and down the slipway. This will be the penultimate round of this year's series
and with points tight at the top of each class, competitive racing is
guaranteed. The organisers of this round - Youghal Bay Boat Club - have been
working hard to design courses that will ensure tight exciting racing with the
whole event happening right in front of Youghal quays. Padraig Brooks -
Commodore of Youghal Bay Boat Club tells us "This is the first time our new
club has held powerboat racing here in Youghal. We hosted a round of the
Championships across in Ardmore back in July which proved to be an enormous
success with huge crowds and fantastic racing and now we look forward to
welcoming the racing fleets and spectators to the waters of Youghal for what's
expected to be a memorable round of the championship. The layout of the quays
allows for great viewing and we hope people will come down and enjoy the
racing".
Four classes are expected to race this Sunday - 29th August: The F2 &
F4 classes look light waterborne jet fighters and can attain speeds approaching
200 kilometres an hour, the T850 fleet are an exciting monohull class, while the
P750 class (better known as Thundercats) will make a welcome return to these
waters following a highly successful international race back in 2008. Expect
lots of noise, tons of excitement and a great spectacle for a wonderful family
afternoon.
Record
numbers for Youghal's 4TH Annual Medieval Festival!
On Sunday last 22nd August
2010, visitors flocked in their thousands to the stunning surroundings of St.
Mary's College Gardens in Youghal for the 4th Annual Youghal
Medieval Festival. Events were planned to coincide with The Irish Walled Towns
Network celebrations of National Heritage Week.
Official figures on the day saw in
excess of 8,000 people visit the free annual event over the course of the day,
a record number for the event. The glorious sunshine made the inclement weather
of the event in 2009 a distant memory!
Celebrations kicked off at 12.00 pm
where the ‘Medieval Village' played host to an abundance of performers, guests
and festival goers all of whom came out in support of the event. The renowned
‘Freelance Knights of Redemption' from Wexford undertook a full fighting and
weaponry display while elsewhere in the Medieval encampment visitors were
mesmerised by the archery display and huddled around the roasting ‘lamb on the
spit' to observe the wonderful styles of medieval cookery.
This year the ‘Kids Kingdom' played
host to some of the best activities seen at the festival to date. The ‘Mumbo
Jumbo Circus Workshop' was a flurry of excitement and activity as kids of all
ages learned how to stilt walk or ride a unicycle. The bouncy castle area was a
major attraction as children braved the obstacle course over and over again.
Excitement is mounting as the countdown to the
country's largest FREE Medieval
Festival begins!
The event takes place this year at St. Mary's
Gardens, Youghal on Sunday 22nd August 2010 from 12 - 6 PM. Events
are planned to coincide with The Irish Walled Towns Network celebrations of
National Heritage Week.
Catherine Desmond of the organising committee
explained the reasoning behind the festival: "This festival, which is now in its
fourth year, is about bringing heritage to life. We always strive to make it enjoyable for all
the family and this year's programme of events is guaranteed to do just that.
We have more Medieval Re enactments than ever before and the ‘Kids Kingdom' is
sure to be a big hit with children. We have a new edition to our entertainment
this year in the form of a falconry display which we are confident will
captivate our entire audience"
Youghal,
Co. Cork celebrated its designation by Failte Ireland as a ‘centre of
excellence' in family fun with its inaugural Family Fun Festival over the
weekend (16th -18th July) with an action packed festival programme of free
family entertainment.In excess of 5,000
visitors over the course of the weekend took part in a whole host of events
which kicked off in style on Friday evening, 16th July 2010 with a ‘Mardi
Gras' parade setting the seaside town ablaze with colour.
The official launch
of the event was by this year's Kerry Rose, Veronica Hunt - a Youghal native.
Highlights of the parade included the contestants in the ‘Queen of the Sea'
competition as they cruised through the town in a range of vintage cars, led out
by the nationally renowned ‘Youghal Pipe Band'. Music and dance were the order
of the day as visitors and locals saw dance troupes and street performers take
centre stage, but it was the ‘Graham McDermott School of Dancing' which stole
the show and claimed first prize in the parade; sponsored by T & M
Fitzgerald.
"The festival
exceeded all our wildest expectations", said Sal Tivy, Festival Chairperson. "On
reflection however, I believe the secret of our success was that all the fun
events were free and the simple, old fashioned ideas will always be enjoyed by
kids of any era," commented Sal.
The response from the
public was uplifting as families of all ages enjoyed the various activities all
day Saturday and Sunday. The relaxed and friendly atmosphere was truly evident
throughout the day in the Family Food Festival in the Market Square, with local traders reaping
the economic benefits of the influx of visitors to the
town.
Youghal's first Family Fun Festival is an example of how a small vibrant community can celebrate and make known the spectacular amenities of the River Blackwater, Blue Flag Beaches and vast variety of local activities.
In addition, the festival's focus on providing FREE Family Fun Entertainment for all ages is "most welcome" said Mayor Mary Linehan-Foley in Youghal (July 1st 2010).
At the first official function since her election, the Mayor of Youghal launched the 2010 Youghal Family Fun Festival at the Mall Arts Centre in Youghal. The festival takes place in the harbour town on the weekend of the 16th to 18th July 2010.
Failte Ireland South West Representative Hilary Creedon, spoke on how Youghal, seen as an area of excellent amenities was chosen as a Family Fun Hub last year, one of the few in Ireland to be supported by Failte Ireland. "We are delighted to see that the businesses of the area have come up with such a range of activities suitable for all families for this, the first of what is sure to be many Family Fun Weekends in Youghal, the heart of the Sunny South" commented Hilary.
Announcing the details of this year's festival programme, the Chairperson of Youghal Family Fun Festival Committee Mrs. Sal Tivy outlined the financial support that made the festival possible and detailed the events schedule.
"We hope that this exciting and varied programme of events will appeal to both locals and visitors and pay tribute to the support of SECAD, Youghal Chamber of Tourism & Commerce, Youghal Town Council and Failte Ireland for their support not to mention the local business community" commented Mrs Tivy.
