YOUGHAL MARCH 1ST.qxd - Youghal News

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Civic Reception at The Mall Arts Centre For All Ireland Matchplay Pitch and Putt Champion Anthony O’Loughlin Anthony O’Laughlin pictured with Mayor Eoin Coyne and members of the Claycastle Pitch and Putt Club Mayor Eoin Coyne presents Anthony O’Loughlin with a glass plate on the night Billy and Pat Kennefick with Marie and John McCarthy Anne McCarthy, Danielle Lyons-Troy, Claude McCarthy and Tommy and Kitty O’Laughlin Ann Cooper and David Hankard Alice and Sonny Mangan By Christy Parker Family, friends and club mates joined local councillors, including Youghal Mayor Eoin Coyne, at a civic reception in the Mall Arts Centre to honour Claycastle Pitch and Putt club's Anthony O'Loughlin's victory in the 2011 National Strokeplay Championships. The 32-year old father of two claimed the title in Douglas last July, snatching victory with a scintillating 12 under par final round to leave him 25 under -a new course record- for the tournament. He is the first Youghal man ever to win the title and weeks later also captained Cork to victory in the national inter-county championships in Portmarnock. Individual-based civic receptions are rare occurrences at council headquarters these times and Mr. O'Loughlin's achievement reflect the new level to which the bar has been raised to acquire one. It comes also in a year when the Claycastle club is poised to host June's 2012 National Matchplay Championships and amidst town council plans to provide a modern club house at the venue. Mayor Eoin Coyne said the player, currently ranked sixth in Ireland, had "brought honour and pride to himself, his family, his club and his town" in a victory that "bore testament to his dedication and love for his sport as well as to the outstanding facilities at Claycastle. I also wish to thank him for being a fantastic ambassador for Youghal," he added, pledging on-going town council support for the club, alongside it’s sponsorship for June's event. The mayor presented the champion with a Waterford Crystal glass plate insignia bearing the Youghal Coat of Arms. For his part, Mr O'Loughlin said he never imagined on taking up the game 20 years ago that he'd be "standing here having won an All-Ireland title." He thanked his wife Paula for babysitting his young daughters Katy and Aoife while he practiced, club members who had travelled to Douglas and his dad Tommy, who had followed him persistently. "I'd been telling him for years I was good but I'm sure he was having doubts," he joked. "At last he saw me play well and I was very proud to have him there on the day." He recalled veteran player Sonny Mangan, who had tutored him from day one, with the timeless advice for sport and life that, when things go astray, keep your head down and your ass up!" Mr O'Loughlin also acknowledged club member Don Sheehan for his encouragement towards self-belief, the club's committee, which he described as "the most progressive and hard-working" he had experienced across 16 years and "Liam Ryan and Cllr Sammy Revins for their great assistance in reviving the plans for a much needed clubhouse and their continuous support, which is hugely appreciated. Likewise, he recognised "the wonderful support and sponsorship from the businesses in the town in very testing times" and without whose help "it would be very difficult to host June's championships. Bart Flavin pictured with Anthony and Paul O’Laughlin Claycastle Pitch and Putt members Colin Sheehan, Declan O’Shea, Sunny Mangan and James Howes Michael and Rita Ryall pictured with Siobhan and Ted Healy
UNINSPIRED RESPONSE AT HOUSEHOLD CHARGE MEETING By Christy Parker It started well but ended in near farce. About 100 people had convened at the Red Store last Wednesday night (February 22nd) to consider the imposition of the new 'household charge,' or rather, how best to avoid paying it. An hour into the meeting, almost half the attendance had departed. By the end, another hour on, about 30 remained -and some of those were arguing with each other. Disillusion had dimmed the day. Most people had responded to posters affiliated to the nationwide group called Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes (CAHWT), which has been rallying communities across the country to refuse to pay the charge/tax. What they expected and what they encountered were widely divergent. The beginning was excellent. Pat Bulman who, along with Heidi Schniete, was spearheading the meeting, delivered a rousing address that hit several nails on the head. He labelled the new "tax" an unfair expectancy from people already hard pressed by a plethora of charges. He rebutted the government's plea that the money would support community services on the basis that these were already supplemented by a welter of direct and indirect taxes -adding ironic humour by listing a dozen of them. "How many bloody times do we have to pay for these services?!" he asked rhetorically. Impressively, he castigated the wastage of such tax revenue on "the upkeep of a bloated, inefficient, corrupt, wasteful system of higher public servants" and to maintain "the opulence of an oppressive, authoritarian, central European political and financial elite." He said owning a home was a necessity towards a basic, dignified existence and "not just another source of income for this gombeen government and their criminal banker associates! Don't pay. Don't register for this tax," he exhorted. "Mass non-registration is critical." When local authorities - who must implement the charge - eventually started prosecuting defaulters, he pledged, "people will swamp the courts with their families, friends and the people of this campaign." Finally, he called for a national "day of rage" to reinforce the resentment. Awaken Waterford; It was resolute stuff and he had the crowd on his side. Then he brought on 'Awaken Waterford,' the main act, represented by James O'Sullivan and his friend Paul. Awaken Waterford' is an organisation, or movement, opposed to the perceived legitimacy of the household tax but also carrying the burden of wider disillusionment with world capitalism and its political affiliations. We know this because by the end of their power point presentation they were basking in the waters of ruthless globalisation and the shark-like greed of America's corporate culture, etc., etc. We also learned that Ireland Inc. - the country itself - is actually a corporation trading for profit and shares a credit-rating website - www.dnb.ie - with international financial institutions. It's difficult to decide whether 'Awaken Waterford' were the right people in the wrong place or the wrong people in the right place. Certainly their presentation style was in the wrong place, the Montessori school up the road probably being a more appropriate setting! James did 90% of the talking but addressing and exhorting the audience in a manner more associated with a classroom with, especially, faux-spontaneous questions to his co-presenter, was downright ridiculous. After 20 minutes, the first dissenting voice from the floor left, complaining loudly that he hadn't come for a lecture or to be patronised. Subsequent departees would leave silently, probably feeling he had already spoken for them. It was a pity because what 'Awaken Waterford' had to say was brilliantly enlightening and has reached national consciousness through debate on Pat Kenny's RTE radio show apparently. (Not that it needs that endorsement to validate it). Unfortunately for Youghal, they used a wider agenda to support a specific point. Hence it took 75 minutes to present an argument which is replicated exactly, without the voice commentary, in 12 minutes on Youtube: http://youtu.be/dvPevANo3b0 It was, as they had warned "a new concept" and they had called for "patience" and "an open mind approach from the outset (always an ominous sign.) Not only was it a new concept, it was one far to intricate for an audience gathered in lieu of advertising posters that suggested a totally different approach. Crucially, it aspired to individual empowerment, whereas the audience were seeking strength in numbers. They got more of a thesis than a tactic. Sovereignty and consent; It would take far too much space to replicate the various strands of the presentation. Very basically the argument was based on 'Individual Sovereignty.' This sovereignty, which we all inherit on exit from the womb, is higher than any statute, which is man-made law. Such statutes can only be applied to us through our consent, therefore. In fact, goes the argument, we are only breaking a law at all (Common or Criminal Law that is) if we cause loss or hurt or fraud to befall another person. As we do not - presumably - consent to the Household Charge we are not breaking any law by not paying it! Statutes, the argument proceeds, are civil law, which "is business law" and based on contracts between the individual and the State. So contract law is the basis of all statutes and requires consensus, genuineness of consent, signatures, full disclosure, valuable consideration and certainty of terms. The household charge stood accused of failing to meet these criteria. However silence in the face of a Household Charge demand is seen as consent so it is necessary to respond somehow. This would ideally take the form of repeatedly sending letters (a prepared one is available) asking on what basis one is obliged to pay, expressing a willingness to pay it if a viable reason is proffered but warning that otherwise, continuous requests to pay it would amount to harassment. This constitutes, legally, discussion, as against entering dispute by refusing outright to pay. The trick is to continually respond, though one feels that in practice, an appearance before a magistrate, justly or otherwise still remains a likely outcome. Strawman; There is more. The State - all States in fact - have long addressed this inherent individual sovereignty by requiring birth registration. The subsequent birth cert - Paul held one up in case we had never seen one! - thus becomes our mirrors image in the parallel world of 'legislation' or our 'legal fiction. It is sometimes called our Strawman, as James and Paul explained. In legal definition, the Strawman is the one targeted by the Household Charge, as he/she does not have the protection of Individual sovereignty. See? At the end of the night, Sinn Féin Youghal Town and Cork County Councillor Michelle Hennessy stressed her party's opposition to the task and urged public resistance. By then though, bed was more appealing than bedlam to the remnants of the crowd. A further, brief input from the floor saw castigation of the evening's presentation style more than its content, though some felt they had been enriched by the information regardless of all else. A man apparently affiliated a Cork branch of CAHWT's complained that that the whole show had been "an abuse of the meeting." Mr. Bulman CAHWT had agreed to provide posters and deal with the venue but that he had been allocated permission to choose the format and guests. He had opted for Awaken Waterford. Regardless, he called for unity against the challenge to the Household Charge. Unfortunately, disunity had already stolen the day. Mogeely Vintage Club Run in Aid of The Lets Get Together Foundation Tony, Brian and Aoife Colman pictured with John and Ciara Keniry Ben Hickey, Tom Hickey, Vice-Chairman of Mogeely Vintage Club and Tommy Collins
Page 1 and 2: FREE FREE NEXT ISSUE MARCH 15TH You
Page 3 and 4: BROOKES YOUGHAL TEL (024) 92279 REA
Page 5 and 6: The Rotary Club Young Photographer
Page 7 and 8: SAVE YOUGHAL AMBULANCE Meeting at T
Page 9: YOUGHAL RATES ARREARS HIT ALMOST
Page 13 and 14: WEST WATERFORD NEWS Aglish - Ballin
Page 15 and 16: YOUGHAL TOWN COUNCIL FEBRUARY MEETI
Page 17: GROUND BREAKING WORK Christy Parker
Page 20 and 21: - CLASSIFIEDS - CLASSIFIEDS - CLASS
Page 22 and 23: In Memoriam 1st Anniversary Alice P
Page 24 and 25: Eochaill Og GAA Notes Saturday 11.0
Page 26 and 27: YOUGHAL GOLF CLUB YOUGHAL - LADIES
Page 28 and 29: Youghal Rugby Club YOUTH SECTION Un
Page 30 and 31: In Memoriam Society of St. Vincent
Page 32 and 33: M O T H E R ’ S D A Y - S U N D A
Page 34 and 35: M O T H E R ’ S D A Y - S U N D A

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