Fáilte

Welcome to our 12th edition of our Annual Christmas Newsletter. We aim to give you a in insight into what happens in our parish throughout the year.

If you have joined us to live here welcome and we hope you will be very happy here. It is lovely at present to see many of our youth returning to the parish to set up home. With youth brings new light and new ideas, so feel free to speak your mind and be heard, we need new blood in our committees and organisations.

We remember those who are no longer with us and were very much part of our community, I'm certain they are in a Happy Place looking down from above. As you read through this Newsletter you will see Milford Parish has a lot going on and we hope there may be something suitable for everyone to be involved in. if you think there is something missing that you would like to see going on please let us know and we if possible will try to make it happen, there are not many Parishes that have a , Gaa, Tennis, Bowling and Comhltás clubs to name but a few.

We miss our shop greatly, hopefully the day will come that we may have something like a community shop up and running, as I've said already we are open to any ideas / suggestions in relation to this. In the future also we would like to see an afterschool service up and running, a playground, with these additions to the Village it would improve life immensely for a lot of people.

Our have done trojan work throughout the past year which can be seen clearly when passing through the village, it would be nice to have services available to attract people and families to Milford. We are lucky to be still able to have our two lovely Pubs which provide great atmosphere and comfort to meet, enjoy the music, fire and have the chat.

Thank you for all your support throughout the year, as always when we look for support and help you are always both helpful and generous to us. We appreciate your support.

On behalf of Milford Area Community Council I'd like to wish each and everyone of you a Happy Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year.

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Milford Tidy Towns.

As we come to the end of another busy and successful year Milford Tidy Towns group would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank the community in Milford for their support and involvement during the 2019. We increased our marks by eight bringing us up to 316 out of a possible 470 ….. still a way to go ! While it’s good to see our marks increase year by year, it’s equally as important that our village continues to develop and improve making it a pleasing place to live and visit, encouraging a sense of community and fostering a pride in our own place. In the spring with the kind permission of Fr. Peter, and the guidance and management of Lisa, the unused polytunnel on the Parochial grounds was given a new lease of life, with the involvement of the primary school children. Here they experienced the planting, growing and harvesting of organic fruit and vegetables. The school children and their teachers are doing great work in raising awareness of the need to take care of our planet, working tirelessly on their Green Flags. There was tremendous work done on the Monday evenings from May onwards when so many volunteers came out to clean, weed, strim, paint and generally do their bit to keep Milford looking it’s best. So many people became involved in litter picking for The Anti- litter challenge in June and thanks to the parent’s council for including this on their WhatsApp group. Even though there was a huge effort put into the Anti- Litter campaign again this year our marks did not reflect this. One statistic this threw up, is that between 200 - 300 cigarette butts a DAY were collected within the speed limit signs. Dog fouling on our footpaths is still an issue and a health hazard. Dog owners, if you would like a little container with a small roll of plastic bags that can be clipped to your dog’s lead let us know and we will supply you with one free of charge.

Our projects in 2019 included extra baskets on the creamery wall, hanging baskets on the bridge, sign writing on two premises, a sensory garden by the Quay Wall, and the placement of five beautiful wildlife panels by the Quay wall in November. The instillation of water harvesting in the square was hugely beneficial this summer. Check out the little “Wee Free Library” in the park. This works on a “bring a book, take a book system. We would like to acknowledge the support of Co. Council and Pobal for funding towards some of these projects.

Milford Village came first in the village section of Cork Co. Council’s Community in Bloom competition in the Newmarket / section. A big Thank You to all the households who put out some lovely colourful boxes, baskets and containers to give our village such vibrant colourful displays, netting us this award in its inaugural year. A huge thanks also to our volunteers who continue to “adopt” a pot or plot around the village and take responsibility for feeding and watering it. Without this community support Tidy Towns could not maintain the standard of colour throughout the village.

A special word of thanks to Michelle Crowley Photography for so generously allowing us to use her beautiful photographs of the village taken during the summer.

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In our planting this year we did our best to include as many pollinator friendly plants as possible in the containers and in the sensory garden at the Quay Wall. There will be further work in the coming year around biodiversity in our area.

We would be delighted to hear of any suggestions from the community as to how we can improve in any way. As always Tidy Towns would be delighted to have more people joining us, every little helps.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates.

Again, we thank everyone who helped in any way to keep our lovely village looking so well always.

We wish you and you family a very Happy Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year.

Social Committee

Welcome to you all, we hope you have a lovely Christmas and a Safe and Healthy New Year.

Our committee is made up of Ladies and Gentlemen volunteers, a few have been there 15 years at this stage but the most of us have joined up in the last 10 years. Yet when we are asked to help we get ladies in the Parish that fall in and help us as much as they can. We are doing the same now as was being done 15 yrs ago. We have fabulous ladies that offer Home Baking for us for any occasion when required, these ladies keep very much in the background but without their generosity we could not continue. We thank all of you that help us each year whether you cook, clean or wash up, each task is more important than the other.

The Social Committee every year organise the Kitchen for the Garden Fete and do an excellent job as always.

We would love and welcome new people on to our Committee so feel free to come along, no invitation necessary.

I thank all my Fellow Ladies and Gentlemen for helping to make the Social Committee both enjoyable and rewarding. We wish you and your family a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

Milford Coursing & Gun Club

Milford Coursing & Gun Club are holding their annual coursing event on January 5th We wish all landowners, members and supporters a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

4 Milford Juvenile G.A.A.

Failte Tuismitheoirí, imreoirí, cóistí, agus daoine an phobail,

As we enter the year 2020 looking back at the season just gone I would like to extend warmest thanks to parents, coaches, selectors, players and the committee and members of the Juvenile GAA and also to the GAA Senior club that have provided a fantastic grass pitch for training and matches during the season of 2019.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank outing members of the juvenile committee Sean Carroll (Cathaoirleach) and Peadar O’Gorman (Runai) for the guidance and services while they were involved in Milford Juvenile Gaa and wish them the best as they move onto other duties in Milford Gaa club.

Youth Developemt: Thanks to Milford National School for providing time in their timetable for Milford GAA to send Sean O’Gorman to provide training in Gaa Skills to the pupils in 2019 and we are looking forward to it continuing in the new term after Christmas.

During the school term we ran a Easter Camp at the GAAgrounds and had over 50 kids attending, again we had a successful well attend Cul Camp in July, with 137 kids attending. Thanks to Imelda Buckley for organising and coordination the Easter and Summer Cul camps in 2019 and a big thanks to the coaches and assistant coaches without your help these events could not be take place.

Fundraising: We have 2 fundraising draws outside of juvenile club membership the Christmas and Easter Draws. Thanks to everyone that has supported these draws over the year which provides financial support in running of the club.

Avondhu Gaa Youth Development Squads: Best of luck to all the club Juvenile players involved with the Rebel Óg development Squads in the Avondhu area as their development camps continue over the winter.

2019 Year round up: The campaign started early in 2019 on the 19th of February in the U18 divisional football league with Milford’s players first match away to Gaels in under the banner of St. Kevin’s, a Milford/Ballyclough amalgamation. The first of the campaign of the 2019 started on the 6th of April with an away game to Ballyhea in the U18 divisional hurling league.

Age group results during 2019

U18 Football League Final 9th May, Venue Freemont Sliabh Luachra Gaels 1-10 v 2-6 St Kevins

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U12 Hurling League Final 28th May, Venue Dromina St. Marks 6-06 v 6-03 Milford U12 Football League Final 31st August, Venue Curchtown Lyre 7-06 v 4-08 Milford U12 Hurling Championship Final 6th Sept, Venue Newmarket Clyda Rovers 5-05 v 1-09 Milford U14 Hurling Championship Plate Final 20th Sept, Venue Dromtarriff 0-09 v 1-07 St Kevins U16 Hurling Championship Plate Final 22nd Sept, Venue Ballyhea Charleville 4-21 v 1-16 St Kevins U18 Football Championship Final 24th Sept, Venue Sliabh Luachra Gaels 0-13 v 0-10 St Kevins

Under Age update 2019 U6’s U8’s and U10’s

Under 10’s: Our u10's had their first training session of 2019 at the wall, on the 15th of March under the guidance of Mike O'Brien. Once the evenings stretched we took up our usual slot of Tuesday evenings and were there almost every Tuesday evening until completion. The boys had their first match of 2019 v Kanturk on the 23rd of March and by the end of the year they had played a total of 32 matches in both grades.

These games were a mixture of Rebel Og organised "Go" games and challenge games organised with our neighbouring clubs. They played a total of 7 football and 9 hurling matches with Rebel Og and then 1 football and 8 hurling challenges. We also participated in two hurling tournaments reaching the final in Churchtown against Monaleen and the plate final in a very competitive 8 team event in Ballyhea against . Great credit is due to Mike O'Brien as the boys have yet again improved greatly during a very satisfying and positive year for this group. Under 8’s : Hello Everyone, under 8 year to date We had 21 training sessions {5 football} We participated in 8 blitzes {4 each in each code} 7 matches {all hurling} In total there was 36 outings from 6th of April up until Pairc Ui Chaoimh, massive effort involved. Well done to all involved.

6 Under 6’s: This years Under 6s enjoyed as much as 20 training sessions in 2019 including a Visit from a GDA who specialises in the Under 6 sector....

The main goals we strived to achieve were:

1: Basics of Fundamental movement 2: Improve attention and reaction level 3: Core basics of Hurling and Football.

This was all achieved through Positive encouragement and Fun games. Fitzgibbon Cup: On the 4th October we hosted Feenagh in the annual Fitzgibbon cup, well done both teams on the night for a fantastic game of hurling. A big to all that put together the treat packs together for the players of both teams after match. After last year’s intense match which Feenagh won, it was Milford’s mission to win it back this year. A special thanks to player Darragh Fitzgibbon for being involved and help with presentations. Thanks to all neighbouring clubs that invited our Juvenile players to blitzes and challenge matches during the 2019 season and for refreshment provided at these events. Nollag sona agus bliain nua rathúil a thabhairt do gach duine

Silver Jubilee Celebration Congratulations to Rev. Fr. Peter O'Farrell P.P who celebrated the Silver Anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood during the past year. Fr Peter was ordained as a priest of Diocese at St. Colman's Cathedral, on 3rd July 1994. His first ministry was in Ballymacoda / 1994 - 1997. and he has since served in / 1997 - 2002, Banteer/ / Lyre 2002 -2007 and Cobh 2007 - 2017. Fr. Peter has been P.P of Milford, Freemount, Tullylease parish since summer 2017.

Mass to celebrate Fr. Peter's Silver Jubilee took place on Friday, August 23rd in The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Milford and a reception was held afterwards in Milford Community Hall. Best wishes to Fr. Peter for many, many more years of his priestly ministry.

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BALLINAKILL GRAVEYARD

Our five year plan for Ballinakill Graveyard in conjunction with Mary Sleeman, Senior Archaeologist Cork County Council has also been completed. Mike Healy our stonemason did a superb job on all the structures. We are also very thankful to our wonderful supporters who come whenever they are called upon. John Hetmanski our ‘Tus / Ballyhoura’ representative is with us for another few months. John does an amazing job and demonstrates a huge interest in the graveyard.

When we were cleaning the graveyard we came across some windows from the original church. Two of the windows are now supporting the last remaining wall of the church. The third window will feature as part of a grotto which will be dedicated to all those buried in the graveyard. John secured some very old stained glass, which will be placed in the window.

Permission was granted by our attending Archaeologist Eamon Cotter. A pamphlet outlining all the works carried out in Ballinakill was distributed at the mass there in June. Finally, we were seriously honoured to be awarded second place in the ‘PRIDE IN OUR COMMUNITY AWARDS’ for works completed.

The plaque, which we received, shall be displayed in Ballinakill in due course. This award was presented by ‘MUINTER NA TIRE’ at a function in . All works were carried out in line with ‘Care of Historic Graves’.

Fionn 2019

Hello everyone,

I would like to take this opportunity to send our sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone in the area who has helped us so much by supporting Fionn's campaign in any and especially through the wonderful events that took place in Milford for him. We are eternally grateful for your continued support.

With your help this year we have provided so much for Fionn. He has his lovely new pod chair for relaxing and his amazing batman wheelchair for transportation. These items are absolutely invaluable to Fionn and are improving Fionn's quality of life on a daily basis.

We simply couldn't have purchased these items without the support we received, Fionn has also had his private physiotherapy sessions 4 times a week all year and has had numerous occupational therapy sessions also, these are also an integral part of keeping Fionn comfortable and his fund helps us to keep these sessions going on a weekly basis.

We wish you and your Family a very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year

8 Fr. Peter O’Farrell.

It is hard to believe that the year is nearly at an end. I shouldn’t be surprised as this year I celebrated my Silver Jubilee as a Priest and I cannot believe how fast the last 25 years have gone! There have been many changes over the last 25 years, not only to how attitudes have changed towards priests and religious but also to peoples approach towards Faith and massive changes generally in Irish Society. Although there has been many changes, one thing has not and that is the goodness of people.

Over the last 25 years I have ministered in Ballymacoda, Rockchapel, Kilcorney, Cobh and Milford parish and one thing has never changed. People are always there to help each other. That support could well be in times of sorrow or joy but its incredible how a community can come together and be a great support to a individual, family or club / organisation that needs help. Again over the last 25 years I have been very lucky to be in parishes where the schools have been not only wonderful but again very important to the community and that is because of the great ability of the teachers and the wonderful nature the school children have had. There may have been many changes over the last 25 years but thankfully the Parish community spirit is still there and in every parish there are people who put great work in to improve the life of the community and as long as parishes have such people in there midst that ‘spirit’ will survive.

Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate my Jubilee, so many put themselves out and wished me well in my priesthood.

Again like every other year thanks to all who have helped in any way. Again thank you to all who have helped over the past year regarding our Liturgies and looking after the Church and grounds. I hope that this Christmas will be a happy and peaceful time for us all...Fr. Peter.

Duhallow Choir

Duhallow Choral Society and the Milford Church Choir performed a seasonal concert on November 24th in our parish church. All who attended enjoyed a wonderful night of music and song. Thank you for your support all proceeds of the concert went towards the funding of a grotto on the church grounds.

9 Milford Community Council

It’s that time of the year again where we reflect on events of the past 12 months and plan for the coming 12 months. Social – Economic plan for 2019-2024 meetings were held in February, March and April in the hall to give locals a chance to give their views and to plan for the future for the community, surveys were given out to all households. Milford drama group held two shows in the hall on the 5th and 6th Of April. On their debut performances over the 2 nights were a great success and a sell out on both occasions.

The annual spring clean was held on 6th April and thanks to everyone for their assistance and to all the people who maintained the village to a high standard during the year.

We held our Annual Garden Fete on 2nd June, as always it is our most important and now our sole fundraiser. We thank the community for supporting us by either attending Fete on the day or buying our raffle tickets when we go door to door, we appreciate it so much.

The Christmas social was held on 8th December in Collins Lounge, It was a great success and was enjoyed by all. Great credit is due to the social committee and all the members for their work. A live crib was held in the village on 15th December, all monies were donated to charity.

Our Sub – Committees are what keep’s our Community Council functioning, they work away tirelessly in the background and keep the monthly meetings updated. Going forward we need to see all aspects of the community council that are working well and prioritise areas that we need to improve on. Recruiting new people to the various sub-committees would be of great benefit to us.

Finally I on behalf of Milford Community Council wish you all a Happy Christmas and a safe and Healthy New Year.

Rural Bus Service

This year saw the start of a rural bus service connecting the towns of Newcastle West and Charleville. Operating from Monday to Saturday, the bus stops outside the Church. At present the schedule is as follows; departing Milford for Charleville at the following times-08:26, 09:56, 13:26, 15:48, 17:21 and 18:46. Departing Milford for Newcastle West at the following times- 07:54, 09:24, 12:54, 15:24, 16:44 and 18:14.

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Milford Juvenile Camogie 2019:

U6’s: The under 6 had a good increase in numbers in 2019 with a total of 11 girls in our group this year. We took the girls through all the basic camogie skills: Grip, Strike, Blocking and Passing. The girls played a few matches during the year against other local camogie teams and always did their best. We also played one blitz in Mallow towards the end of the season and the girls did fantastic. We are hoping to kick off the new season early next year and hope to see everyone back again for another year.

U8’s: The under 8 camogie players had a very busy and successful year. They began training on the 8th April, 2019 and played their first match and first win on the 29th May against . Their next match was on June 11th against Feenagh and this was also a win for the team. They then played St. Marks in Freemount and won again on the 11th July. The team then hosted Charleville on the 23rd July and were narrowly beaten by a sever strong side. They travelled to Effin on the 6th August and had another convincing win. The team enjoyed a fabulous morning in Mallow on 14th September with a blitz hosted by Mallow Camogie. The team played Mallow, and Banteer. They played St. Marks again on the 24th September and the season concluded with The Eilish Dillane Memorial Cup on the 28th September. The team hosted Charleville, Newtownshandrum and Ballyhea. The teams were drawn on the morning and Milford played Newtownshandrum to begin and won, meeting Charleville in the final. A wonderfully exciting game was played and won by the Milford Under 8 Camogie team. Well done to one and all.

U10’s: For our U10’s this year we usually had around fourteen players for each game which meant we were able to play in four blitzes and 6 challenge matches. With these numbers we were able to usually play two 7 a side games in the challenge games meaning all players got full games. Our U11’s played in the A division of the Avondhu league and played against Mallow, Newtown, , Ballyhea and Milstreet where we qualified to play St Fanahans in the final, unfortunately we lost by a goal in this final. I’d like to thank my fellow trainers Pat Murphy, Kathy Broderick and Kate O’Brien For their assistance during the year.

U12’s: The U12s had 18 players this year. They made it to the county final after winning their qualifying group consisting of Glen Rover, , & Castlemrtyr game they had to win by four clear goals to make it into he final. In the final after a tough first half they came back narrowly losing to Ballincollig in exciting finish. Previously they played many league matches which decided their qualifying group. They played many challenge matches throughout the year right though until the county final. U13’s: The U13s won the Avondhu A final with a close finish against Mallow, in the division they played against Newton, Buttevant, and St. Fannahans. U14’s: This is the first year Milford fielded a U14 team on their own since in nearly 10 years. After playing league matches against , , Buttevant,

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Dungorney we qualified for the knock out stages where we defeated Tracton in the quarter final but fell to Douglas in a high scoring semi final. In the championship we defeated in the first round before losing to a team who had 14 starters on the age whereas Milford had six u12’s playing

U15’s: The U15s beat Ballyhea to advance to the Avondhu finals. For the final the girls will be playing against Buttevant

U16’s: The U16s combined with Ballyhea were defeated in the championship by St Finbarrs resulting in Milford/Ballyhea then contesting the plate, we defeated Na Piarsaigh in the first round here before losing by a point after ET to Middleton. We also played in the league matches against Castlelyons, St. Finbarrs, Middleton, Cobh, Charleville, and Clonakilty where we just missed out on qualifying for the final on points difference.

Minors - The minors, which were also combined with Ballyhea this year, had league matches that consisted of Aghada, , Bride Rovers, Fr. O’Neils where Milford/Ballyhea lost in the Minor B playoff vs Aghada Milford/Ballyhea defeated Kilbrittan/ in the first round of minor championships before being beaten by Glen Rovers by a point.

Ballyhea / Milford Féile Camogie All Ireland Champions! Congratulations to our Ballyhea/ Milford u14 team who won the National féile division 5 competition. Our féile competition began in Ballyhea on Friday June 7th where each of the four teams in our group played two matches. Ballyhea/ Milfords first match was at 5.30pm on against Mayo’s Westport team which we won convincingly on a scoreline of Ballyhea/ Milford 7-9 Westport 1-0. Our second match at 6:30 was against Grenagh which we also won with the scoreline Ballyhea/ Milford 4-5 Grenagh 0-0. After our hard fought matches we then enjoyed a delicious spread of food and refreshments in Ballyhea hall where our host families were introduced to their weekend guests from Tyrone. On Saturday morning in Milford we played our host team Eglish at 10am where we won on a scoreline of Ballyhea/ Milford 4-5 Eglish 0-4 . After this game we again enjoyed some snacks and refreshments before both teams headed to Mallow for the quarter final. Ballyhea/ Milford were against Cillard from Kerry. This was a hard fought match where our girls were down at half time and came back with the final score was Ballyhea/ Milford 4-2 Cillard 1-2. Saturday evening both Ballyhea/ Milford and Eglish Camogie clubs met at Joan Anne’s pub in Milford where the Ballyhea/ Milford féile coordinator Bart Donegan welcomed Eglish Camogie Club and team captain Caoimhe Sheehan presented the Eglish team captain with a memorabilia slate. This was a great night for the girls with a disco, drinks, finger food, and a sweets cart for the teams in the lounge.

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On Sunday morning our guests from Tyrone headed home while we prepared for the trip to for our semi-final match against Blarney. Having been beaten by Blarney the previous year Ballyhea/ Milford were mentally and physically prepared for a tough match. With a 1:00 start time the girls came out strong with two early goals in which Blarney were unable to recover from. This lead to another well-deserved victory with a final score Ballyhea/ Milford 5-4 to Blarney 1-2. The girls had made it to the finals! The finals faced the girls against Causeway from Kerry. Going into the second half Ballyhea/ Milford were down by a point. The turning point was when our forwards pressured the Causeway goalie setting up Clara Crowley nicely for the goal. Caoimhe Sheehan and Avabha Clifford were always a threat upfront scoring great points. The half time talks must have fired up the girls as they dug deep and came out strong showing class, determination, experience and hard work to win yet again with the final score Ballyhea/ Milford 1-8 to Causeway 0-4. After their win Captain Caoimhe Sheehan and Co-Captain Ava Clifford were presented with the Cup Shield for their great achievement. After the girls then were treated to a dinner at the Corbett Court followed by a parade and bonfire in Milford village. Our back line worked extremely hard only conceding three goals throughout the tournament while our goalkeeper Alison Donegan was always ready for any goal threat. She had an excellent defence in front of her consisting of Lorna Shortt, Robyn White, Aisling Walsh, Gemma Brennan, Emma O’ Leary and Kayleigh Gilbourne. Katie Lawlee, Aishling Crowley, Clara Crowley, Katelyn Daly and Jennifer Hayes gave some starring performances while Avabha Clifford and Caoimhe Sheehan lead by example as captains as they showed some excellent skills showcasing why they are playing with Cork under 14s. Any substitutions that were made were effective as every girl played her heart out for this combination team. As a unit, this combination team have worked well together to bring this major title back to North Cork. Both Milford Camogie Club and Ballyhea Camogie Club would like to thank all the people who helped with the catering, parking, field organization, referees and any other volunteers who made it such a success including Milford GAA Chairman Alan Sexton who organized the homecoming parade. The parents for their dedication in bringing the girls to training and fund raising for the event. The trainers Andrew Walsh, Elaine Crowley, and Bart Donegan. A very special thank you to the head coach Coleman Long who's drive and dedication was a corner stone of this amazing achievement. Great credit goes to all involved. Being féile champions is a great honour for the girls and something they won’t forget for a long time. Team: Caoimhe Sheahan (Captain), Alison Donegan , Kayleigh Gilbourne, Robyn White, Caoimhe Donegan, Jennifer Hayes, Emma O'Leary ,Saoirse Lawlee , Rhianna Geary, Naoise Boyce, Melissa Carver, Gemma Brennan, Katie Lawlee, Avabha Clifford (Vice Captain), Kathlyn Daly, Aishling Crowley, Clodagh Crowley, Lorna Shortt, Ava Mortell, Clara Crowley, Aisling Walsh, Sarah Lynch, Saoirse Morrissey, Aoibheann Morrissey, Sophia Long and Aimee Barrett.

13 Milford Drama

In December 2018, following the wonderful success of the GAA Oskers; a number of people got together to start a drama group in Milford. We advertised and had enough interested actors to begin rehearsals. After much debate and thought we decided to work with short plays which were written by local play writers. Owing to the restricted size of the Milford stage we also looked for plays that would require a minimum number of props and stage furniture. We were delighted to eventually present three pieces over 2 nights in April, 2019. The following is an account of how the Drama nights were presented:

‘By the Light of the Moon’ Written by Mary Angland Annette Sexton Old Woman Directed by Yvonne O’Gorman Máire Fitzgibbon Grand-daughter Continuity Sarah Broderick Deirdre Fitzgibbon The Yank Helen O’Riordan-Madigan Younger Woman This play was initially set in 1990s nursing home. While the old woman slept in the chair, she dreamt of her life back in 1921 when she had been a young Republican fighter.

‘In Praise of Teachers’

Written by Mary Angland Helena Hassett The Storyteller Directed by Helen O’Riordan-Madigan Allie Sexton The Child Continuity Sarah Broderick Mary Broderick Miss Buckley This play told the wickedly, humorous story of school teacher, Miss Buckley and her ill treatment of children in the mid 1960’s.

‘Chantelle’

Recitation by Danny Corkery

‘The Invitation’

Written by Mary Angland Michelle O’Gorman Dolores Directed by Yvonne O’Gorman Kayo Gavin Bridie Continuity Sarah Broderick

Set in a modern day neighbour’s kitchen, this was a hilarious tale about the curse of the Wedding Invitation

We were so very pleased by the support we received from the Milord community and beyond. We filled the hall over two nights. We were also received very generous support from Milford Community Council

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Milford GAA Senior Club 2019

Again 2019 did not bring success at any level though we avoided relegation in Intermediate Hurling. Throughout the year we played 41 games at Intermediate, Junior and Under 21 levels in both codes. The breakdown of games is as follows: Intermediate Hurling 22, Junior B Football 9, Junior C Hurling 7. At Under 21 level we were again joined with Ballyclough and played just three games.

INTERMEDIATE HURLING

Sean O’Gorman was secured as Manager/coach to the team Adam Castle joined the team as physical trainer and Sean Carroll, William O Leary and Paddy Brosnan Jnr. were retained as selectors. Pat O’Riordan and John O Gorman acted in an advisory capacity. Training commenced on 11th. January. Ten challenge games were played during the year commencing on February 5th. with a draw with Hospital Herbertstown. The second game was against the same opposition on the 19th. February resulted in a draw also. Grannagh Ballingarry defeated us on 2nd. April. A win was recorded against Ardfert on 4th. June. We lost to Grannagh Ballingarry again 10th. June. Wins were recorded against and Ballyagran on 19th. July and 16th. August. Losses were recorded with Kilbrin on 21st. of August, and Kileedy and Dromcollogher on.,15th. and 22nd. September. Our opening league game was played against Valley Rovers at home on 24th. February losing 1- 21 to 0-10. In the next game at home versus Inniscarra we lost 2-16 to 0-12 on 17th. March. Pride was restored a week later when we had a good win over away from home 5- 9 to 3-12. On the 9th. April we recorded a good win over under lights in Mourneabbey 2-17 to 0-16. In our next game at home against Blarney we had a very disappointing outing losing 7-16 to 0-6. We were away to Mayfield on 20th. April and lost narrowly 0-16 to 1-15. Ballincollig away were next up on 26th. May when we lost heavily 6-19 to 4-7 Our trip to on 15th. June versus Tracton was encouraging when we won 4-16 to 1-15. The final game at home versus Meelin on 30th. June was a must win to ensure retention our league status and we won 1-17 to 0-19. The first round of the championship versus Ballymartle was played in on 5th. May and we lost 3-22 to 3-13. Our next outing was against in Glantane on 2nd. of August when we lost 4-16 to 1-11to send us to the relegation playoff. Kilbrittan were our next opponents in Blarney on 28th. of September and we had to dig deep to record a 1-12 to 0-14 victory and ensure Intermediate status for 2020.We now look forward to 2020 and hopefully we can make further progress in the restructured Championship where we are in a group with , Ballymartle and St Finbarrs. We thank, Sean O’Gorman, Adam Castle, Sean Carroll, William O’Leary and Paddy Brosnan for their commitment and Pat O’Riordan and John O’Gorman for their assistance. Our Junior Hurlers played 7 games during the year, six league and one championship games. The first league game was played on 31st. March when we defeated 5-12 to 0-8. Churchtown/ defeated us 2-11 to 1-13 away on 14th. April. We had a victory over Ballygiblin 4-16 to 4-9 on 9th. June at home.

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We conceded to Kilshannig on 21st. June and received walkover from on 2nd. July.We defeated Kilshannig after extra time 4 -12 to 3-16 in Charleville on 21st. July in the Semi Final and lost after extra time 2-14 to 0-10 to Liscarroll/Churchtown in Dromina on 28th. July. In the championship we were defeated 1-15 to 0-12 in the first round on 6th. October by Dromina in Charleville. Well done to Seamus Stritch for his perseverance throughout the year and Bryan Villiers and Shane Fitzgibbon for their contribution.

Our first Division 2 Football league was on 10th. of February when we beat Clyda Rovers 2-6 to 0-9 in Milford. We lost to Ballyhooly away on 17th. February 0-9 to 0- 5.We defeated at home 2-12 to 0-14 on 30th. March. We lost to Liscarroll/Churchtown 1-19 to 2-13at home on 24th. May and Shanballymore away 0- 13 to 0-14 on 31st. May. We received a walkover from 0n 4th. June. We lost a playoff to Glanworth in Buttevant 5-13 to 2-7. In the first round of the county on the 9th. of May in Dromina we defeated Kilbrin 3-13 to 3-9. We lost the next round against 1-17 to 1-7 in Kilmurry on 13th. of July. We were defeated by in the North Cork Championship 0-9 to 0-8 in Buttevant on 13th. of August. Well done to Donal Lenihan, Ronan Geary, Richard O’Hara Shane, Fitzgibbon and Sean Buckley for their efforts during the year.

Our U21‘s were again amalgamated with Ballyclough this year. Our footballers defeated Killara Og in Kildorrery on 3rd. of March 3-6 to 1-7. and received a walkover from Doneraile 9th. of March and the lost to Ballycastle Gaels in Buttevant 0-13 to 1- 5 on 23rd. of March. The U21 hurlers conceded a walkover to Clyda Rovers on 26th. June and were defeated by Kildorrery 0-9 to 0-24 in Doneraile on 6th. of August.. Thanks to Peadar O’Gorman, Donal Lenihan, Cillian O’Gorman, Eamonn Murphy and Sean O’Gorman for their contributions at this level.

We compliment our juvenile club on their efforts in both codes throughout the year. Our only success this year was at under 14 winning a Plate Final. The amalgamation with Ballyclough from U13 to minor has not been very satisfactory from a Milford point of view and hopefully our partners will step up to the plate for 2020. Congratulations to Ciaran O’Sullivan and Tommy Curran on their selection on Cork Under 16 Development Squad and also Caoimhe Sheehan on winning an All Ireland with Cork. All who are involved with juveniles are to be commended for their commitment. Word of thanks to our National School teachers Pat Murphy, Shiela Thompson, Henry O’Gorman and also Sean O’Gorman for their continued efforts in ensuring our children get early experience of our games. 12 Committee meetings were held during the year with an average attendance of 14.

Again this year our grounds were maintained to a very high standard by Mike Harding with assistance from Pat O’Riordan. Friends of Milford GAA was continued again this year to continue the development of the club grounds. Your continued support is appreciated and the upgrading of our facilities at our grounds will continue.

16 Thanks to our Development Committee led by Sean Carroll for their efforts in applying for and securing a Sports Capital Grant of €49,344 to add to existing grant approval for €22,000. The club can now proceed with the Astra Turf Project. A presentation of the proposed development was made by the Development Committee before the A.G.M. Subs dugouts were constructed during the year. Well done lads. Our weekly Lotto is still going strong. This year we have 53 members joined the Co Board Draw. Thanks again to all who supported us. We thank all of our players for their continued commitment to the club. Thanks to all who acted as coaches, trainers, selectors to our teams during the year. Thanks to all who assisted Tomas O’Gorman following his serious injury sustained in Charleville on 15th. of September. Thanks to John Dillon and Sean Carroll who represent the club at County Board and Eamonn Villiers who represents us at North Cork Board. We thank Dr Mary Roche for tending to the medical needs of our players. Thanks to all business people who contributed sponsorship to the club throughout the year and all our Lotto sellers for their continued contribution. CLUB OFFICERS ELECTED FOR 2020 Life-Long President: Ned O’Connell Hon. President: Rev. Peter Farrell, P.P. Vice-Presidents: Fr Michael O’Gorman, Paddy Geary, Thomas Stritch, Dick Matthews, Frank O’Gorman, Johnny Cremin, Denis Holmes, Gerry Geary. Mike Roche, Seamus White, Paddy Brosnan Snr., Paddy O’Brien, Ned Kiely

Chairman: Alan Sexton Vice-Chairman: Paudie O’Brien Runai: Paddy O’Friel Assistant Runai: John Dillon Treasurer: Peadar O’Gorman Assistant Treasurer: Mike Roche PRO: Seamus Stritch Registrar: Niall Brosnan Football Chairman: Donal Lenihen Football Runai: Richard O’Hara Juvenile Laison Officer: Anthony Watson Child Protection Officer: Roger Donegan Club Lotto Secretary: Jim Donegan Cultural Officer: Danny Corkery. County Board Rep: John Dillon & Sean Carroll. North Cork Board Rep: Eamonn Villiers Proxy : Donal Lenihen Committee: Pat O’Riordan, Mike Savage, Garry O’Mahony, James Lawlee, Pat Brosnan (Jnr), Sean McAuliffe, Gerard Sheehan, Paddy O’Regan, Rory Villiers, Pat Watson, Seamus Whelan, Anthony Watson, Tim Watson, Eamonn Murphy, Eoin Dillon, Henry O’Gorman, Tom Sexton, Donal Leonard, Sean O’Gorman, Gerard Falvey, Shane Fitzgibbon, Peter Kirwan, John O’Gorman.

17 Hall Activities

Our Hall has become to be a vital part of Milford, a lot happens there throughout the year and a lot of memories have cv been made. A big thank you to all who attend any of the classes and for those who haven't yet attended any, maybe there will be something in the following Hall Diary that may appeal to you. For the most part these classes do not require prior booking and can be pay as you go if that suits. Glasha Fitness does require prior booking but you can still pay as you go once you've booked your place. Rent from these classes help’s towards maintaining along with our Annual Garden Fete fundraiser.

Hall Diary Monday: Glasha Fitness Step-Aerobics, Children - 6.30pm & Adults - 7.30pm Mens Soccor-8.30pm

Tuesday Comhltás Music classes -6pm Zumba- 8pm

Wednesday Yoga-7pm Set Dancing class - 8.30pm

Friday Bowling-10.30am Mens Yoga-8pm

As you can see the Hall is a very busy spot, besides the above classes, the Hall is used for club meetings and Community events as you will read about further along in the Newsletter. Parents Association The Parents Association of Scoil Mhuire assists the school whenever possible, especially in the area of fundraising. These funds provide extra- curricular activities for the school children. Some of the activities this year included Dancing Derek, bus to panto, yoga classes, bus to swimming, French classes, tennis coaching and active week. Fundraising undertaken during the year included a door collection at Christmas Carol Service, I will walk, sponsorship cards, church gate collection and a bag pack at SuperValu, Charleville. Among the activities supported by the entire school community were the St Vincent de Paul Christmas food appeal, Cork Penny Dinners Christmas food appeal, Aldi rugby Ireland sticker collection, Grandparents Day, Green Schools walk to school, Cock a Doodle Doo( egg hatching) First Holy Communion reception, art table at Garden Fete, revamp of poly tunnel. A huge thank you to all who played any part in any of these activities. Committee members: Michelle O’ Gorman, Niamh Brosnan, Nicola Ni Riada and Aileen Healy.

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Scoil Mhuire

2019 has been another busy year for all in Scoil Mhuire. All the children have worked tirelessly over the past year and we are immensely proud of their positive attitude to all aspects of school. Combined with their normal studies, the children have enjoyed a variety of very interesting activities. Dance class, yoga, French class, robotics, tennis coaching, visit from a theatre group, quiz, swimming lessons have provided a great deal of stimulation for the children. Fr. O’Farrell celebrated Mass for Grandparents Day. On March 20th the children of 5th /6th received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop William Crean in Milford Church. The children of 2nd class received the sacrament of First Holy Communion on 25th of May. School tours were held this June, junior infants to 2nd class visited Crag Cave and 3rd to 6th went to the Wetlands Adventure Centre in .

This March our infant classroom was the base for a hatchery, as Cock a Doodle Doo stayed with us for a number of weeks. 6 chicks were hatched and later adopted. The students in 5th/ 6th availed of the Cycle Right Programme. This was an 8 week cycle safety course administered by two instructors provided by the RSA. At the moment the school is in the second year of its programme to receive a Green Flag on the theme of travel. In June we had a lovely end of year concert on the school grounds. We are busy at present preparing for our Christmas concert. Great credit is due to Lisa Murphy for her expertise and guidance. 5th and 6th participated in the Vex Robotics programme again this year with even more success than the previous year. The children worked incredibly hard on their project. They successfully advanced from the regional finals in CIT to the National Finals. In the National Final, the children were awarded the Teamwork Champion Award. The real success story of the programme would have to be the STEM Project that the class completed as part of the project. The children chose to explore the use of triangles in structures in their locality and in landmarks throughout the world as well as looking at how various angles and shapes affect the stability and strength of structures. A special word of thanks to Johnny O’Connor, Julie Corkery, Paddy O’Friel and Declan McAuliffe for their assistance. Active Week took place in June where the children enjoyed participating in a variety of sports. A team of athletes from 1st to 6th successfully participated at Cork City Sports Among the highlights on the field of play include victory in the B2 football final and victory also in the Sciath na Scol A camogie championship. Thanks to Sean O’Gorman for his help in coaching the boys and girls.

At the end of June our 9 6th class students finished their primary education. We wish them every happiness as they continue their second level education. When we returned to school for this academic year we were delighted to welcome our 10 new junior infants.

A hub of great activity this year was at the poly tunnel, which was tended to by the pupils of 3rd/ 4th. A great variety of vegetables were grown there. Thanks to Fr. O’Farrell for being so accommodating and to Lisa and Liam Deely for the dedicated support that they gave to the project from start to finish. Thanks to all our parents / guardians for the many ways in which they support our school. A special word of thanks to the outgoing Board of Management for their commitment to the school over the last four years.

19 A Little Bit of Christmas Magic

December 2019 was made extra special in Milford with our inaugural Living Crib. After witnessing the magic of a similar spectacle in Adare in December 2018, it struck me that ‘we could do that’………… we just needed the right people involved. What started out as a bit of a notion, soon snowballed into a magical Christmas experience for all those who attended the Parochial House and Gardens on Sunday, December 9th. With the key personnel on board, the search for a suitable venue began and when it was suggested that we use the ‘stable’ at the Parochial House, everything started to fall into place. Milford is blessed with some very talented individuals – musicians, costume designers, carpenters, florists, mulled wine specialists and the ever enthusiastic Social Club to mention but a few.

The theme of the family, of course, was central to the Crib and all those who were contacted to be involved as the ‘Christmas Family’ willingly gave up their time and their beautiful babies to create a very special evening in Milford. There was magic in the air and the musical accompaniment from our outstanding choir added a wonderful atmosphere to the night. The weather too was in our favour and the aroma of mulled wine lured a large crowd to the Parochial Gardens. We were delighted with the turn out of young and old for this event and hope that we can make it an annual celebration of the family unit.

Thank you to Father Peter who was more than obliging in opening up the house and gardens to host the event. The generosity of the village was demonstrated again with all donations from the event presented to the Fight for Fionn Campaign.

This year we will host the Crib on Sunday, December 15th with our chosen charities St Joseph’s Foundation Charleville and The Mercy Hospital, Cork. We hope that you will join us in this very special celebration.

Community Planning

At the beginning of the year the community council engaged with Ballyhoura Development and Paul O Raw and Associates in the formulation of a community plan. Through a process of questionnaires and workshops, combined with an examination of census data (2016), a plan was formulated as to possible areas that we could address as a community going forward. This is essential to us as a rural community where the need to plan for the future is more important than ever.

Hopefully in early 2020 support from the community will be forthcoming in the promotion of some of these proposals

20 Milford to Kolkata {Calcutta} and Back. George Fitzgibbon

In April of this year I traveled to Kolkata India with the Hope Foundation, thanks to the support of Milford community I raised over €2,500 for Hope to go towards children that need it most in India. After travelling to India it opened up my eyes and showed me that we have such a great life compared to them we have shelter and food where as the children over there some of them are living on the streets with nothing. I went over wanting to learn where the money that people contributed went and how Hope is helping them I did, I learned that Hope free street children and poor families from lives of pain, abuse and poverty.

I also made life long friends and the experience made me grow as a human being, I hope to travel back sometime in the future. Thank you to everyone who helped me on my travels to India and donated to The Hope Foundation. I wish you and your Family a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

Camogie Senior Team

The senior team started back training on the 10th of May this year. They then took part in the first Munster 7’s Blitz Competition on the 29th of June in Na Piarsaigh where they won all of their matches. They then played the second Munster 7’s Blitz competition on the 13th of July where once again they won all their matches.

The first round of the Senior Championship was fixed for the 23rd of July versus Courcey Rovers in Coachford. Unfortunately on the night Milford came out second best and ended up going through to play the loser’s round versus Ballygarvan on the 29th of August in Castle road. Milford was victorious on this occasion on a score line of 3-14 to 1-9. It was onto the third round then versus a strong Sarsfields team. The Milford girls put on a brave fight but on the day it was Sarsfields who took the spoils and would eventually went on to win the Cork Senior County 2019.

The senior girls also played in the Bridie Murphy memorial cup match versus Kileedy on the 21st of August in Milford. It was a very sporting competitive match with Milford being victorious on the night. Congratulations to Olive Lenihan who was player of the match on the night.

We would like to thank Danny O Flynn our trainer for the year that put in an immense effort with all the girls.

We would also like to thank Sean O Gorman, Anthony Watson and Jimmy Meagher who assisted Danny at various points during the season.

We would also like to thank everyone who attended County Board meetings in Cork and the Avondhu monthly meetings throughout the year on behalf of the club.

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MILFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Milford Historical Society had a very busy year again. In April we travelled to Birr Castle, Clonmacnoise and Longford Cathedral. In August our travels took us to Dublin Port and its environs and the Irish Emigration Museum. Despite the fact we were missing quite a few of our regulars we still managed to fill the bus. We wish to extend our sincere gratitude for your continued support. Our next trip takes place on Saturday April 18th, 2020. This time our travels will take us a bit nearer to home, the National Maritime College, Ringaskiddy and Naval Base etc., Full details of our trip shall be published in the New Year. Our August 2020 trip to be confirmed. With regard to Kilbolane Castle, the Office of Public Works has confirmed it is on the list of works to be completed. However, due to budgetary constraints and other priority works that need to be completed as well as the lack of resources, unfortunately there will be no major works taking place at this site for a while. They are hopeful some minor work i.e. fencing will be completed. We shall endeavour to keep the pressure on as the Castle walls are continuing to deteriorate. On behalf of the Historical Society I would like to wish you and you family a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

Garden Fete

We held our Annual Garden Fete on Sunday 2nd June in Milford GAA Grounds. It was well supported by the Community as it always is, for this we are very grateful, as it is now our sole fundraiser. We are always open to and welcome any new ideas that might make our event more interesting. We thank Milford GAA Club for allowing us to hold our event in grounds field, we thank all who tended the stalls for the day, our social committee who run the Tea Room. A big thank you to all who came to support our Garden Fete and wish you and your Family a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

Milford Pre School

Located in our primary school, Milford Pre School operates five mornings a week. For any enquiries in relation to our Pre School or the ECCE scheme please contact Nodlaig Donegan on 0879266680 or call in to the Pre School.

Indoor Bowls The Club is in its eight year and is still going strong with an average of 10 players participating each Friday morning. New members are always welcome. A cup of tea and a scone can be availed after the games, when the games and world and local news is discussed.

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Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann

Craobh Chill Bheoláin

2019 was yet again a busy year for the Milford Comhaltas branch. We continue to hold weekly traditional music classes for children, adult set dancing classes and regular céilithe- all taking place in Milford Hall. Our A.G.M. was held in October and the following officers were elected: Mairéad Stritch, Edel Murphy, Michelle O’Gorman and Mary Casey.

Ranganna Cheoil: Music Classes for children are held in Milford Hall every Tuesday night starting at 6pm. Beginner, improver and advanced musicians are catered for with a variety of instruments being taught- including tin whistle,fiddle, accordion, concertina, flute, mandolin and banjo. We have two music teachers – Christine Mulcahy and John Byrne. Some of our members participated in Fleadh Cheoil Chorcaí, Fleadh Cheoil Luimní and Ceol an Gheimhridh this year.

A Christmas concert was held in Milford Hall on Tuesday 17th December where all pupils got the opportunity to showcase their talents.

Culture Night: The branch hosted our annual Culture Night on September 20th.Great entertainment was provided on the night which included dancing, singing, recitation and traditional music being played. Míle buíochas to all who performed.

Ranganna Seit: Adult set dancing classes are held every Wednesday night in Milford Hall from 8.30pm- 10pm with teacher Fiona Buckley. An evening of fun and light exercise is always guaranteed. Beginner, improver and advanced dancers are catered for and newcomers are welcome to join at any stage. Classes resume again in mid - January.

Céilithe: Our céilithe are held regularly on Saturday nights in Milford Hall. Dancing begins at 9.30pm. Refreshments are served and a great night is always guaranteed. Our upcoming céilithe for 2020 are as follows: January 18th: Mountain Road, 22nd Feb: Jerry Mc Carthy, 28th March: Johnny Reidy, 25th April: Donie Nolan, 23rd May: Tim Joe & Ann.

Newcomers are always welcome to join our Comhaltas branch or to come along to our classes and céilithe. For further information on any of the above please contact 087-7672084 or 087-2792485 23 Friends of Mallow General Hospital

It was with regret that the Friends of Mallow Hospital lost two of its longest serving members earlier in the year, Life president Kathleen O’Sullivan from Charleville, Kathleen had served as Secretary for over 20 years and our Chairman Jack Madden from Newtownshandrum, who was the last surviving founding member of the Friends of Mallow Hospital. Jack was one of a group of visionary supporters of Mallow General Hospital in the 70’s who got together and decided that the Hospital should be supported financially through the purchase of essential equipment. Purchase of Equipment in 2018; totaling €41,434.36 ! Agon Plasma Coagulation device …. €31,538.95 ! Angiodin Proctology device ……………€6,000.00 ! Cleanascope cart ……………………. ...€2,201.70 ! Blood pressure monitor ……………….. €1,693.71 The Friends of Mallow Hospital is a registered Charity and it’s accounts are audited yearly for the Charities Regulator and the Revenue Commissioners’ The Friends Wish You and your Family a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year. Ar dheis Dé ar a n anam dhilis.

Milford Lawn Tennis Club. Milford Lawn Tennis Club have set aside Monday evenings for Social Tennis, Membership is not a requirement if you are wondering if tennis is for you, why not come along on Monday evening and meeet club members who will assist you, after a few evenings at Social tennis then you may decide to join. The club has two all weather courts and one lawn court also has an online court booking system for members, Social Tennis evening the online booking system will not allow bookings of courts after 6pm. During the year the Club has Students from Milford National School and Hazelwood College in for Tennis Coaching which has qualified Tennis Ireland coaches in attaendance. The schools each have their own day for training. Our Division 3 team got to the semi-finals of the North Cork League were unlucky to loose out to their old friends and adversaries Tennis Club . Enquires: email [email protected] Phone: Trevor 087 757 0209, Brian 087 257 8516 & Michael 086 853 5860

Follow us on our facebook page for the latest news and updates. The web site is www.milfordlawntennisclub.wordpress.com and Twitter is Milford Lawn Tennis@Milfordtennis

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