We have been a bit quiet of late but that’s not to say we haven’t been busy!  Autumn is coming to an end here and the fabulous summer we had is a distant memory.  There were plenty of events in town over the summer: the summer festival was fantastic, the island wood was transformed into the land of oz with endless entertainment for children.  There was the usual Turbett’s funfair at the west end, a rockabilly night in Scullys, an american tea party in the CYMS along with many more events.  Our Street museum was a huge success – there were almost 50 displays and it drew huge crowds of people.  We will definitely repeat the event next year so watch this space.  The Newmarket Show was held in Millstreet and attracted a large crowd – it gets better and better every year.  The Scully’s weekend of traditional music was held in August and there were a wide range of great events to choose from.  More recently heritage night saw art, music, poetry and photography in Scullys.

Over the last few months we have been working with a number of other groups and organisations in the town on some exciting new projects.  A new CYMS committee was formed this year and renovations have already begun on the hall.  The stage has been removed and the floor is being replaced along with other improvements.  It is hoped that the hall will be suitable for a wider range of activities after this work has been completed.

We have also been working with the IRD with the upgrading of the Pitch and Putt course.  We will have a state of the art course once this project is completed – along with a nice walk.  The work is almost complete and we will be sharing details of how the course is going to be run very soon.

In the last few weeks a new committee has been formed: Newmarket Sports and Leisure.  We will be co-chairing a meeting with them on the 8th of October in the Boys School at 8pm. Representatives from local organizations & businesses are invited to attend. This meeting is a prelude to a Feasibility Study on Sports & Leisure initiative & wider community development for the Newmarket area.

Finally we’ve also had the opportunity in the last few weeks to meet with John Paul McAuliffe, chieftain of the McAuliffe clan, along with other community members and representatives of the McAuliffe clan to discuss the work being done in the old Protestant Church.  For those of you who don’t know, the church was purchased by John Paul on behalf of the clan to be used as a heritage center and a hall for the clan.  It is a very exciting project and work has already begun on restoring the building.  The center will be known as Culturlann MacAmhlaoibh.  It is hard to believe that this much loved landmark will be restored and used to promote local heritage and culture.

Other big news in town is the granting of planning for the Primary Health Care center at the West End.  This development will bring a huge boost to the town, creating employment and increasing footfall to our local businesses.

The work at the town park is finally finished and all we are waiting on is a sign for the outdoor gym with recommended exercises.  We have raised a huge amount of money to pay for the work and are almost at our target.  Thanks to the IRD for the grant that helped fund the majority of the work but also thanks to Cork County Council, the GAA, local businesses and the community for making donations to the fund.

Our Christmas Fair will take place on Sunday the 10th of November this year, in the Hiland from 12:30 to 17:30.  We are hoping to have up to 50 stalls this year featuring Newmarket Businesses and craftspeople.  It’s a great way to support the local economy and to get your christmas shopping started.  We’ll be posting a list of stalls prior to the event over the coming weeks.