17th May, 2001
Notice
Board
GERALDINE
I'm walking home
from school again
The same as long ago,
On those young summer evenings
with a girl I used to know,
And I would take her by the hand,
beneath the leaves so green,
And whisper little love songs to,
my darling Geraldine.
Beneath these shady summer trees,
we'd stroll along together
We'd tell ourselves life was all fun,
and love would last forever,
And she would have a joke or two,
her smile was so serene,
And I would laugh and it would thrill
my darling Geraldine.
We'd amble on through Inchvale Lane
after school each day,
With just ourselves for company
we liked it best that way,
Our mornings, such a rush to school,
all morning times were mean,
But evenings ah! those long goodbyes,
my darling Geraldine.
The laughing smile upon your face,
I see it all right now,
Your long hair blowing in the wind,
the wrinkle on your brow,
Your shinning eyes, your tender lips,
you were my young loves dream,
It seems your reaching for me still,
my darling Geraldine.
I'm walking by the graveyard now,
And feel its cold embrace,
I glance across the headstones,
in that hallowed sacred place,
I'm thinking of - what never was,
and things that might have been,
God bless the grave in which you lie,
my darling Geraldine.
by Ronnie McGinn
THE HISTORY OF DOUGLAS
by Con Foley. Part 40 - Montfield House - continued from last
week
WEDDING FEAST WAS ON TABLE FOR 80 YEARS
A wedding breakfast was laid in the dining room of Mansfield
House, Rochestown, County Cork. The daughter of the house was at
the church being married to a suitor whom the family approved.
The servants, gossiping as they put the final touches to the
festive table, remarked how pleased the parents were ... Remarked
also, that the bride seemed anything but pleased. The wedding
party came home. The bride retired to her room. The groom, apple
of her family's eye, chatted easily with the assembled guests
while they waited. They went on waiting ... For the bride, forced
into a loveless marriage, had slipped out of the house. On a road
nearby she was met by her true love. They drove away. Perhaps -
no one ever knew - they drove to happiness. The guests were
turned away. The dining room was locked, with the feast and the
finery still on the table, by the brokenhearted parents. In that
eerie mausoleum the grim and poignant story was locked away.
AFTER A CENTURY
That was over 120 years ago. The story echoed strangely,
remotely, in a prosaic court room at Cork yesterday, when the
Irish Land Commission heard an application bv William P. Clarke,
the occupier of the house, to have the holding and 42 acres of
land vested in the Commission. Counsel for the owners of the
house (Mrs. Ethel Pike and others) who opposed, told how the
wedding breakfast lay undisturbed from 1820 till 1904 when Mr.
Clarke's father went into possession. Glass, china, cutlery,
linen - all lay under a mantle of cobwebs. (The Court refused the
application holding the place to be a residential as apart from
an agricultural holding).
This is not the first time this story has been told. Perhaps it
has stirred in you a memory which you cannot just place at the
moment?
Well in 1858 Charles Dickens lecturing in Cork heard the story of
Mansfield House. it gave him the idea for a novel. He called it
"Great Expectations."
Years later, an auction was held in Montfieldstown House and some
of the wedding table appointments were purchased by the Stoker
family of Douglas House and Clifton Grange. The late Mrs. Traver
(nee Stoker) of "Indus," Grange Road and Clifton Grange
had two pieces of the sixty piece service in her possession, a
large leaf-shaped dinner plate and a milk jug or sauceboat. (Incidentally,
Mrs. Travers also had four of the Cork Tramway Company's tram
seats, wooden slatted with reversible backs, in very good
condition. The tram service operated from 1898 to 1931.
In his book "Cork & Co. in the 20th century," the
Rev. J. Hodges described some of the gentlemen's residences
around Douglas.
THORNBURY
Thornbury and Montfieldstown were almost directly opposite each
other on the hill off Rochestown Road near Norwood Court. This
was the residence of the Lane family. It is said that a member of
this family was the unfortunate bridegroom in the tragic affair
at Montfieldstown. Later it became the residence of Colonel P.J.R.
Crampton, youngest son of George C. of St. Valery, Bray, Co.
Wicklow, Born 7.3.l860. Educated at Harrow and Royal Military
Academy, Woolwick, England. Graduated through Staff College, 1893.
continued next week ...
TO RE-MORTGAGE OR NOT
“Neither a borrower, nor a lender be”
While the old saying might be good advice, it’s a bit
unrealistic for most of us. Modern living makes borrowing an
integral part of our financial life. How to finance these loans
and what method we use becomes very important.
If you own a property then you probably have what is called
‘positive equity’. In other words, if your house is
worth £150,000 and your mortgage is £50,000, then you have £100,000
in equity.
When people re-mortgage to clear existing loans or to raise money
for home improvements, then you are using some of that equity.
Too many short term loans can cause severe cash flow problems.
This is a very easy trap to fall in to. With easy term finance
arrangements for new cars, credit cards, personal loans, etc...
it can be very tempting to avail of the easy money. However,
paying tem back can be a different proposition.
In the past 15 years re-mortgaging has become a popular way to
raise finance. Mainly because the term of the loan is over a
longer period which reduces the monthly outlay considerably.
Also, the cost of remortgaging is not as expensive as it used to
be. It is important to remember that your home is at risk if you
do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or any loan secured on it.
It is possible to re-mortgage up to 90% of the value of your
property, subject to income criteria. Before you re-mortgage,
make sure you consider your requirements fully. Think five years
ahead and what financial commitments you will have, and not just
today’s requirements. If you do not plan ahead then you
could find yourself re-mortgaging again in two or three years
time. Most lenders will give you terms up to your 70th birthday,
so if you are 50 you can still get a 20 year repayment term on
your mortgage, or 30 years if you are 40 years old.
Re-mortgaging your property is an important decision. You should
sit down and analyse your situation, and your budget. Get advice
from your mortgage or financial advisor, check out what level of
charges is involved. The total cost of the average re-mortgage is
usually around £1,000. This is mostly made up of legal fees,
check with you solicitor.
Finally, it costs nothing to shop around and find out what is on
offer and what you qualify for. Don’t be afraid to ask
questions about costs and charges.
Remember, you are giving them business, not the other way around.
Joe Harris is a member of the Life Assurance Association and the
Insurance Institute of Ireland.
DOUGLAS TIDY TOWNS
Douglas Village is NOW entered in Tidy Towns 2001. Judging will
take place June - July - August 2001. Results September 2001. You
can help by:
Creating window displays (flowers etc )
Hanging baskets (from local garden centres / committee)
Painting your premises
Your opinion is welcome at our meetings - 4th Thursday each month
WITH YOUR HELP DOUGLAS VILLAGE CAN WIN
LITTLE MUNCHKINS
Little Munchkins Crèche opened for business on
the 8th of May 2001. The crèche is managed by Caroline Keating.
Caroline did her childcare course with the Practical School of
Childcare in Dublin in 1992. She received her childcare
certificate and City and Guild Certificate in 1993. On returing
to Cork Caroline worked with Sacred Heart Adoption Society on an
Fás childcare course. She received her I.P.P.A Certificate in
1994,her Montessori Diploma in 1995 and her N.C.V.A.Certificate
in 1997.
Six years ago Caroline secured employment in the crèche in U.C.C.
and has worked there to date. It has been a dream of Caroline’s
to open her own crèche since starting in childcare. After a lot
of hard work, she secured a purpose built facility. The crèche
is located five minutes from Douglas Village. It is opened from 8
a.m. to 6p.m. Monday the Friday, 51 weeks of the year. It has
full Health, Safety and Fire regulations. To prevent cuts and
grazes, Caroline has put shockproof surfaces on all play areas.
Little Munchkins is an open crèche, parents are welcome to drop
in at any time and stay as long as they wish. Caroline’s
foremost concern is always the well being and safety of the
children in her care. “This must be a home away from home
for the children. They will spend a lot of time here and I want
them to feel secure and happy in the crèche environment. A happy
child makes for a happy parent.”
Each child is allowed to develop at his or her own pace. There
are many activates to stimulate the children, not least all those
things parents want their children to enjoy but wish they would
enjoy elsewhere! For example water play, play dough, sand and
dress-up.
From September those who have reached the age of three will be
able to avail of the in-house Montessori class run by Caroline.
The younger children will enjoy their own toddler group at this
time.
Caroline is full of enthusiasm and bursting with ideas for her crèche.
We wish her the best of luck in her new venture. To contact
Caroline telephone 021 – 4295439.
Scoil Niocláis Golf Classic. Well above par!
The inaugural Scoil Niocláis Golf Classic was
held in Douglas Golf Club recently. This fund-raising event was
organised by the school's Finance Committee to help to defray the
cost of developing both the temporary and new school. Scoil Niocláis
is situated behind the Church of the Incarnation in Frankfield-Grange
and will have 100 pupils enrolled on September of this year.
The main sponsor for the event was Westbrook Housing Company Ltd,
which has just started building on a new site in Bailey's Field
on Cooney's Lane.
Father Robert Brophy, Chairperson of the Board of Management,
thanked all the players for taking part in the competition. He
also had a special mention for Pamela Thornhill who did trojan
work behind the scenes before Declan Madden presented the prizes.
First place with an aggregate score of 54.7 went to Pflzers:
Gerard Moore, Niall Livesey, Ian Fitzgerald, and John Maher.
Second: (57.5) O'Flynn Construction: Denis O'Brien, Ger. Power,
Dougie Burke, Jim Buckley. Third: (58.7) Frankfield Golf Club -
Jim McGrath, Ger. Sweeney, Eddie Walsh, and Barry
Notley. Near the Pin: Manachan Geraghty, Pat Hurley Solicitors
Longest Drive - Michael Dineen, Digilog Electronics.
"The weather was good, the facilities brilliant and the
company magnificent" added Father Brophy, He also paid
tribute to the stalwarts who had worked tirelessly over the last
couple of months to make this event a huge success - John
McHenry, Declan Madden, Pat Dineen and Jim O'Mahony.
"It was an unbridled success and has added a much needed £9000
to the Building and Development Fund" beamed the principal,
Micheál Ó Cochláin. "Without the generosity of the
business community in Frankfield-Grange-Douglas, this event would
not have been possible. We would like to say a big 'Go raibh
maith agat' to all who sponsored a team, a tee-box or who made
contribution to the prize fund", he said.
He concluded by thanking the Scoil Nioclais Parents' Association
for their unstinting support for all the school fund-raising
events. All agreed it was a great day and are looking forward
already to next year's event.
THE HISTORY OF DOUGLAS
The Cork County Inter Town & Village Litter Challenge for
2001 was launched on the 11th May at the gunpowder Mills in
Ballincollig…… Foot-dragging by Minister Dempsey puts
Ireland top of European failure league on greenhouse gas levels
according to Deirdre Clune T.D…. Money Free Sunday -Cork L.E.T.S.(Local
Economy Trading Systems)are having an Open Day on Sun next 20th
May at the Lough Community Centre. This is a Bring , Exchange and
Barter afternoon from 2pm onwards….Councillor John Minihan
has called on employers and employer's representatives to examine
and use more flexible work pratices… Threshold the Housing
Information and Advice Service are holding their second Annual
Golf Classic at Monkstown Golf Club on Fri 22nd June.
PERRY COMO
On Sunday morning I heard that singer Perry Como
had died in his sleep in Florida.
I have been a fan of Perry's singing style since I first heard
"Magic Moments" in 1958. To me he was the ultimate
crooner, his relaxed easy style of singing made his albums
selling their millions, and even today he has a huge teenage
following who appreciate the sound of his voice.
The 30's, 40's and early 50's were the era's of the crooners. But
in 1956 all of that changed with the birth of "Rock'n'Roll".
Singers such as Eddie Fisher, Al Martino, Vic Damone and many
more were swept away in the avalanche of Rock'n'Roll. . One
crooner was not, Perry Como. Perry adapted to the change in
popular music. In 1956 he had hits with "Hot Diggity"
"More", " Glendora" Then he was gone in 1957.
In 1958 Perry was back with a No. 1 "Magic Moments" (written
by Burt Bacherach and Hal David) This was their first ever No.1.
During the sixties every second hit record had the names
Bacherach - David under the song title.
The hits followed in 1958 "Catch a Falling Star" "Mandolins"
more hits followed in '59 '60 and '61 "Tomboy", "I
Know", " Delaware" and his last hit of the '60's
"Caterina" which was a hit in 1962.
1963 saw another new wave of popular music sweep in the British
invasion led by the Beatles. Now the rocker's of the mid-50's and
early 60's were swept away like the crooners before them. Perry
brought out albums singing songs written by Lennon / McCarthy,
Paul Simon, David gates and many more popular songwriters of the
time. His album sales were to total over 100,000,000. One hundred
million albums.
Then in 1971 Perry was back in the charts with a brand new single
which reached No 4 "It's Impossible" re-introduced
Perry to a brand new audience. In 1973 he went to Nashville to
record a Country album with the help of legendary producer Chet
Atkins. In April of that year one of the tracks was by songwriter
Don McClean. A few years before Don had sent a batch of his songs
to a recording company. They were impressed with them all except
one song. They told him it was the weakest song in the batch, the
song was entitled "And I Love You So" which took Perry
to No3 in the charts. Then in August of the same year another
song from the Nashville session was re-leased as a single, a
classic from the pen of Kriss Kristoffensen "For the Good
Times". Perry was now almost 62.Perry's voice and the genius
of producer Chet Atkins makes this song a classic.
In December 1973 he had another hit with the old Everly Brothers
song "Walk Right back". In 1974 "And I Love you So"
re-entered the charts. And his last chart entry was in May 1974
with "I Want To Give"
Finally my memories of Perry Como will always be of his biggest
hit booming out from the loudspeakers in the 'Merries' in
Crosshaven As I sat on the wall with a bag of chips from Miss
Murphy's. What more can I say; except thanks for the "Magic
Moments" Perry, R.I.P.
Michael O'Hanlon
P.S. Recommended C D's "Take it easy" - Perry Como RCA
"Perry Como's 20 Greatest Hits" RCA; "The Love
Collection" Camden
CORK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
New Members Evening
Earlier this week the Chamber of Commerce hosted a networking
evening for representatives of businesses who recently joined the
Chamber. Staff and Board members met and exchanged business cards
with new members from recruitment, interior design, marketing,
software development, training, web design, public relations,
mobile phone and waste management companies.
Regular networking events are organised by the Chamber to help
members raise their profile and meet potential new clients.
PRENDEVILLES HOME FURNITURE
Eileen and Jim Prendeville founded Prendeville's
Home Furniture in 1987. They both have over thirty years
experience in the retail trade. Today they are the main stockists
for top quality Pine Furniture. They can supply you with three
piece suites, dinning room suites, bedroom suites and occasional
furniture pieces. In Prendeville's you will find a variety of
furniture to suite every room in the house, including an
exquisite range of cane furniture. They also specialise in
exclusive mirrors and lamps.
They are also very proud of the fact that their entire range of
pine furniture does not have any plywood and all their pine
furniture is assembled with proper dove tail joints.
With their extemporary customer track record, enhanced by a good
delivery service, Prendeville's Home Furniture is a centre every
homemaker should visit, you will find them in the Commercial
Centre on the Kinsale Road and they are open from 9.30pm to 5.30pm
Mon to Sat. and from 2.00pm to 5.00pm on Sundays.
P.S. To get that little extra care and attention, just mention
‘Douglas Weekly’.
ST. LUKES HOME
Visit the gardens of Neil and Sonia
Williams at Cedar lodge, Baneshane,
Midleton on Saturday 26th may
between 10.30 am and 5.00pm.
Admission is £3.00. Stalls, cakes,
Plants, Raffle etc. refreshments
£1.00 Proceeds in aid of St Luke's
Home, castle Road, Mahon,
Blackrock. 021 359444
