So Saturday evening last I found myself standing in the protestant graveyard, camera in hand, waiting to screech at some swifts.  It did cross my mind that this was one of the more random situations I had found myself in of late, but these things happen.  The graveyard is a beautiful, tranquil spot on a sunny May evening – a dusk chorus was just building and a blackbird was singing tunefully at the top of the giant lime tree beside the cultúrlann.  The charming Brin McDonnell of Birdwatch Ireland talked to us about swifts and how they had been using the old building for nesting.  The team at the Cultúrlann have been extremely helpful in  accommodating these rare birds who live on the wing and only nest every four years.  A number of nesting holes have been cut out under the eaves of the roof and our task this evening was to verify if the Swifts had returned.

Within a few minutes Brin and Joan Ann Brosnan had us schooled in the differences between Swifts, Swallows and House Martins, as Brin set up sound equipment to draw the birds towards the building.  He explained that Swifts are communal nesters i.e. they will nest where other Swifts are nesting.  The idea was to play Swift Screeches and attract the birds to the building.  With a flick of a switch the loud Swift Screech recordings were echoing around the graveyard (and most likely Church Street and Main street too).  I will admit that I was skeptical that this would work but within minutes there they were in the sky, circling high above, black silhouettes with curved shaped wings.  They came closer and closer as time passed and came as close as circling over the building but we didn’t see any enter a nest.  Brin was not deterred, in fact he was quite happy with the results and will continue to attempt to draw the birds to the building.  If the birds don’t nest this year there will be more back next year and the scaffolding will be down which will make it more appealing.

I would highly recommend a trip into the graveyard in the Summer evenings to get a sight of these beautiful birds or even just for a little piece and quiet.  We finished up after an hour and paid a visit to Sarah Curran’s grave where Raymond was clipping the beautiful pink rose planted on it – there’s another story there but we’ll leave that for another day.

 

Much thanks are due to Mossie Angland, project manager of Cultúrlann MacAmhlaoibh for giving us a number of tours of the building and allowing us to share pictures and information on this site and our facebook page.  I think it is safe to say that the community of Newmarket is still in a state of shock that this beautiful old building is being given this new lease of life thanks to the huge generosity of John Paul McAuliffe, Chieftan of the McAuliffe clan.  (You can follow the McAuliffe clan on facebook at facebook.com/McAuliffe2012.  You will find plenty of information there, especially about their next clan gathering which takes place in 2016.)

We have created a folder in the gallery on this site called ‘the cultúrlann’ where you can see the latest pictures of the renovation of the building.  Much of the work to date has been focused on the roof and the outside of the building which has been painstakingly restored – taking care to maintain and repair as many original features as possible.  The building was recently sandblasted revealing the beautiful limestone which had been hidden for many years under a layer of black dirt.

As beautiful as the building is on the outside when you step into the building from the back entrance, your breath is taken away by the stunning trio of stone arched windows at the fore of the building.  Even now, with the inner frame missing and without glass these windows are a thing of beauty.  As you gaze upwards the next sight that hits you is the roof which has been reproduced to match the original.  Even in this very early stage the cultúrlann is a really amazing space.

Our most recent visit, was on the 24th of April when Mossie invited us along to meet Brin McDonnell  of Birdwatch Ireland who was there to examine some potential nests (46 to be precise) that had been built especially for Swifts.  Swifts are Amber-listed in Ireland due to a decline in the breeding population according to the Birdwatch Ireland website.  Along with a chat about the difference between the welsh and Irish languages, Brin told us all about this fascinating bird.  They will be nesting in the next fortnight and if you are passing the building you might even hear them screeching around the place.  They nest every 4 years; eat and even sleep on the wing.  You can learn more about them here: http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Swifts/Swift/tabid/1127/Default.aspx 

Tadhg Buckley, the contractor for the building, constructed 46 of these access points for the swifts around the edge of the roof on the side closest to the graveyard.  They were made following instruction from Brin.  We climbed up to the top of the scaffolding to examine them and Brin was very happy with the work.  Tadhg is also going to bring down some of the scaffolding for the next few weeks while the birds are nesting.  Hopefully these access points will serve as nests for these birds for many years to come.

We are already looking forward to our next trip – and we will of course keep you posted with photographs and any information we receive.  Brin is going to monitor the Swifts over the coming weeks so we will hopefully have some news for you about how they are getting on.

Finally, we’d like to appeal for any old photographs you might have of the building.  We’re always looking for old photos to share here but we are particularly interested in getting some old photos of the building – in particular anything that would show the original design of the building.  You can email them to contact@athtrasna.com or drop them into Eilis Hourigan on the New Street where they can be scanned as you wait.

 

2014 is going to be year that our tidy towns efforts move up a gear.  We have managed to increase our score every year since 2010 when the new committee first formed.  However for the first time we are able to commit more of our time and resources into making a big impression in this years competition.  We are holding a tidy towns meeting in Scanlon’s bar on Thursday April 3rd at 8pm.  We would encourage everyone to come along and be part of tidy towns 2014; all it takes is one hour minimum each week to help make a difference.  We have plans and ideas on how best to maximize our score and will be working with as many individuals and groups across Newmarket as we possibly can.  We very much hope to see you on April 3rd and would welcome every new member to be part of our tidy towns team.

This year we will be taking a different approach to Tidy Towns. Each area in town will be responsible for taking care of their own place and there will be a prize awarded to the best area.

Here are the areas (in no particular order) along with the people who will be coordinating efforts for that area:

- Kerry Road – Joan Ann Brosnan
- Coolock Bridge/Scarteen Lower – Raymond O’Sullivan
- Clanaulie Close – Benny O’Doherty
- Island Road – Dan Murphy
- Barry’s Place/Guineys Tce./ Cill Ard – Georgina O’Doherty
- Castlecourt – Steve Brown
- Lower Rd. – Helena O’Keeffe
- Charleville Rd. – Lisa O’Donoghue
- Town Center – Eilis Hourigan
- Clonfert – Clonfert graveyard clean-up committee
- Priory park/Killowen/Pound Hill – Ollie Dugdale
- The Demesne – Sheila Fitzgerald

Some areas are not represented – see above.  Please let us know if you would be willing to take on the role for your area by contacting any committee member, emailing contact@athtrasna.com or coming along to the meeting on the 3rd of April.

Ollie Dugdale

Chairman of Newmarket Community Development Association

The development association is very pleased to announce that the loan taken out to pay for the work at the town park has now been paid in full. This project included the new outdoor gym, upgrade to the playground, new paths in the park, lighting in the park, the mural and the new picnic benches.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank the IRD whose LEADER grant paid for the vast majority of this work; the County Council, Newmarket GAA and local businesses whose generous donations enabled us to see this project through to completion.  We would also like to thank Gerard Murphy whose support and assistance with this project was invaluable.  Finally we would like to say an enormous thank you to the people of Newmarket for their generous contributions and support, it is much appreciated.

We will be holding our AGM in the meeting room in Scanlon’s bar at 8pm on Thursday the 20th of February.  If you would like to join out committee, new members are most welcome.

The Community Development Association and the newly formed Sports and Leisure Committee are working together on a study of our town, looking specifically at local facilities – what do we have and more importantly what needs to be developed in the town of Newmarket.  The study is being funded by a LEADER grant through IRD Duhallow and is being compiled and co-ordinated by Máiréad O’Sullivan.

There will be several steps in this study culminating in a five year plan for the town.  The first of these steps is to find out what you, the people of Newmarket want from your town and in order to get your opinion a survey has been compiled.  This survey will be distributed around town next week and completed forms can be returned to boxes in the Post Office and the Credit Union.  There is also a copy of the survey online:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NEWMARKETSPORTSANDLEISURE

Please take a few minutes to fill it out and share with family and friends.  The more people fill out this form, of all age groups, the clearer a picture we have about what Newmarket needs!

Once we have all the surveys taken in and compiled we will call a town meeting to present and discuss the results.

Thank you!

 

On behalf of the Newmarket community development association I would like to thank a number of people for there help and support throughout 2013.  Our tidy towns volunteers committee members, FÁS employees and Denis Roche on behalf of cork county council.  The combined work of these helped to ensure that our mark went up again this year in the tidy towns competition.  It is very much the major project we will be undertaking next year to further improve our score and put together a detailed plan to help us achieve it.  I do hope we will be joined by some new faces a all are welcome to give up just an hour each week on behalf of our community.

The work on our town park reached a conclusion with the addition of the outdoor gym and the new benches in the playground area.  It was the culmination of an ambitious and expensive plan which included the upgrading of the playground, the walk way and the lights around it. We believe it is of great benefit to all age groups in Newmarket.  We are looking forward to completing work on the new pitch and putt course in conjunction with IRD Duhallow.  This is an exciting addition to our town and as with all projects undertaken in the last number of years would not be possible without the funding and support of IRD Duhallow.

I wish to thank Willie O’Keeffe and the FÁS employees for the great work they have carried out in getting the Christmas lights up again this year.  The town looks wonderful and festive as always; we greatly appreciate the hard work.  None of this would be possible without the financial support we receive from the Newmarket business people.  Their support in funding Christmas and St. Patrick’s day is vital to our committee.  They in turn deserve your support and I would urge you where possible to shop in Newmarket.

The final word of thanks goes to my fellow committee members because without them nothing would be achievable.  The past four years have been the most productive and satisfying period that I have enjoyed and none of it would have been possible without them.   All that is left to say is to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a happy and healthy 2014. May Newmarket always rise and never fall.

Ollie Dugdale

Chairman of Newmarket Community Development Association

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.

 

Newmarket Community Development Association will be running a Street Museum as part of the Days of The Region month being organised by IRD Duhallow. The idea is that both businesses and private houses in the town will put up displays in their windows that are of cultural or historical interest to Newmarket; anything from old photographs, posters, old objects, poems, songs, history of the building or more elaborate displays. There will be a prize for best display. The event will run from 1-5PM on the 20th of July. If you would like to take part please give your name, address and theme of your display to Eilis Hourigan (087-2480935) or email to contact@athtrasna.com before the 1st of July.

We will also be serving refreshments under a marquee at the town park, and we are inviting crafts people and other businesses to set up stalls here (please contact Eilis Hourigan on 087-2480935 if you would like to set up a stand).

We will also be using this day to formally launch all the work that has been done in the town park over the last two years – our new path and lights, outdoor gym, new playground and rubber pour safety surfacing, picnic tables (to be installed shortly) and the mural.  People will have the oppurtunity to make a donation on the day if they wish.

The second set of results are in for the County Council Litter Challenge. A very disappointing result, we are now bottom of the league.

Skibbereen 1975.8
Millstreet 1974.5
Dunmanway 1968.5
Schull 1956.2
Blarney 1939.4
Newmarket 1898.5

The third stage of judging for the county council litter challenge starts on the 10th of June until June 19th and the Demesne is the nominated residential area. They will also be looking at the town as a whole so please watch out for litter.