Community website for Millstreet, Co. Cork, Ireland
Niamh Kavanagh who won the Eurovision Song Contest in Millstreet way back in 1993 is representing Ireland again this year in Oslo (Norway). The second semi-final is on tonight and Niamh and Co. will be doing their piece. You can’t vote for her if you’re in Ireland, but be sure to cheer them on. It starts at 8pm tonight on RTE2. Below is a video of her from the dress rehearsals in Oslo last night.
update 27th May: They’re in the final on Saturday night 🙂 Video from the semi final is below:
Musician Awards
We thank Danny O’Neill, Cork whose mother is Mary, daughter of Rosie Kelleher, Murphy’s Terrace, Millstreet, for the following uplifting information regarding the impressive success of two local very talented musicians (whose photographs appear on millstreet.ie). Here is Danny’s very fine article:
Recently I was at a concert in UCC where Kenneth Cremin, son of Breda and Denis from the Priest Cross Millstreet and Cáit Buckley with connections to Aubane both received the 2010 “Doc Gleeson” award for Musical Achievement at a special concert held at the Aula Maxima, Main Campus in UCC. Kenneth played a piece of Classical music by Steve Reich on the electric guitar while Cáit Buckley played a collection of music on the harp. [read more …] “In Passing – April 2010”
In an interview with ESC Ireland, Niamh Kavanagh has a few words about her times here in Millstreet in 1993 when she won the Eurovision here.
It’s a shame I can’t say that Millstreet was the deciding factor, but it’s safe to say that I fitted in there no worries and it certainly gave me an experience that has never been nor likely to be repeated!
There is more on Millstreet, and she also talks about the upcoming Eurovision in Oslo.
Read the full article on escireland.com
Niamh Kavanagh who won the Eurovision in Millstreet back in 1993, last night won the Irish Eurosong last night with maximum votes from all the judges groups and the general public (tele-voting). She will be representing Ireland in the Eurovision 2010 in the Telenor Arena in Olso, Norway in the semi-final on May 27th and hopefully in the final on May 29th.
The Telenor Arena is actually a soccer stadium with a roof that can hold 23,000 people for a concert!
Expect to be hearing Millstreet ’93 being mentioned a lot in the run-up to the competition in Oslo. Well done Niamh and best of luck in Oslo!
[read more …] “Niamh Kavanagh going to Eurovision Again!”
Niamh Kavanagh who won the Eurovision in Millstreet in 1993 is in the Eurosong National Final again tonight. You can listen to her song which was released yesterday in the video above. It is on RTE1 at 9:30pm tonight. Give her your vote 😉
Update: She won with maximum votes! Now go and read our follow up post for the details.
from one of our readers:
Hi, just want to let the people of Millstreet know that Eurovision winner 1993, Niamh Kavanagh has made it to the last 5 in the Eurosong qualifiers this year. Eurovision this year will be held in Oslo. The Eurosong is on March the 5th and it would be great to have the people of Millstreet rooting for their own winner by voting for her on the night!! She has set up a page on facebook for updates- ‘Niamh Kavanagh Eurosong 2010‘
The following article appeared in Fortnight Magazine (No. 318, June 1993, p. 33). Click on the article to see a bigger more readable version.
Just in case anyone had forgotten, this is when the Eurovision visited Millstreet. Here is an article about how Liverpool took on Ireland in Millstreet … and came off second best!
It is an interesting read with a bit of humour too, and it also has lots of the videos of the songs from the night. So, go visit the article if you think it might be interesting to remember back.
Since the Presentation Order arrived in Millstreet in 1840 the Sisters have so very generously provided all-important education at both Primary and Post-Primary level for generations of Millstreet people and beyond. (The very fact that I can type this section of our Millstreet website is entirely thanks to the late Sr. Assisi Fitzgerald, a Presentation Sister from Tralee who spent her religious life in Millstreet Convent and who was a true expert in teaching the art of typing!) Their influence has been enormous on our local community as they shared the Christian vision of their renowned foundress, Nano Nagle.
Our pictures relate to a special commemorative day in the 1980s at Ballygriffin near Mallow, the home of Nano Nagle.
We also view Sr. Celestine near the portrait of Nano.
In 1993 the “Cork Examiner” took the picture of the Millstreet Presentation Community as they watched Niamh Kavanagh win the Eurovision Song Contest.
We extend our heartfelt best wishes to the Presentation Community on the Order’s Feast Day which in on Sunday, 21st November, 2004.
We thank Sr. Mercedes for the following text which provides an excellent insight into the spirit of the Presentation Order:
A Little Girl Grew Here
A little girl grew here
For her, brownstone house was home,
Its fireside love and peace.
The blossoming hedgerows sang freedom,
The rivers told stories of places far away,
While beyond, dreaming mountains called.
(R. Consedine 1983)
Nano Nagle, foundress of the Presentation Congregation
on 24th December, 1775
Nano belongs to Ballygriffin, Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland. We know that she was born there in 1718, the eldest child in a family of seven of Garrett and Ann Nagle. We remember them now. A plaque marks the place where their home stood, looking out on the very beautiful landscape. It is easy to believe that Nano would have been such a child of wonder as she played there and touched, tasted and smelled the various creations of the natural world around her. It takes little effort to discover that, in the gentle care of her parents, she knew the happiness of childhood and by them she was taught to take her first steps in the love of God (T.J. Walsh). She was of an exuberant, enthusiastic disposition, which proved too much for her mother sometimes! Her father had other thoughts and declared emphatically “Poor Nano will be a saint yet” (Coppinger 1974). It was in Ballygriffin also that Nano was nurtured through the uncertainties, sorrows, risks and dangers of 18th Century Ireland. Must not a seed of grief have taken root in her heart, grief that even one of God’s children should be oppressed, deprived or hungry?
Who are you, little girl Nano?
What will you make of your inheritance?
Where will your heart find its pathway?
The seed sown in Ballygriffin and bearing abundant fruit later in her life, attracted Nano totally to the person of Jesus and revealed how sensitively and deeply affected she became by the awful situation of poverty of people around her. Dr. Coppinger (1784) wrote of her: “In her schools, ever laborious, patient, vigilant and judicious, she studied the dispositions of her pupils, the degree of capacity they possessed; she adapted her instructions accordingly; she watched their countenances which long experience had taught her to read, and proceed or turned back, or explained or repeated, as she found them impressed by what she said”. What great gentleness and compassion from a heart with its roots in her Ballygriffin childhood experience! Her way of relating to the children expresses the spirit of a woman aware of God’s love being poured into the hearts of all people by the Holy Spirit.
Presentation Sisters went “to the ends of the Earth” and responded to basic human problems. Nano died on 26th April, 1784. She had led such a life that it can only be done justice to by saying that it was the Gospels perfectly translated to practice.
Let us continue to pray for her Canonization one day.
In Passing
by Seán Radley
January 8, 2005 saw the official opening of Cork as the European Capital of Culture for 2005. What a colourful firework display was witnessed on that Saturday. On the Sunday an occasion which had a direct link with Millstreet took place in Cork City Hall at a spectacular Tea Dance. The famous Pádraig Pearse Harp which had been presented to Drishane Convent many years ago by Senator Margaret Pearse (sister of Pádraig) had, in turn, been given to the Cork School of Music where it would continued to be played rather than be a Museum display item. In recent years it has been superbly restored. It was officially played for the first time since restoration at Cork City Hall with the Cork Pops Orchestra on Sunday, 9th January as a very significant cultural event of Cork 2005 – European Capital of Culture.
The historic event featured recently on LTV2.
Over 21,000 hits on http://www.millstreet.ie/ in the first eleven days of January is certainly uplifting news for Hannelie O’Connor and all those involved with the newly revised Millstreet website. This proves the popularity of the website with an increasing number of new visitors who become regular browsers of the site. Feedback to our email address <email> is wonderfully encouraging with lots of suggestions like the inclusion of a street map of Millstreet and continuation of photographic galleries of life in our parish. We’ve even had web visitors from Austria, Hungary and lots from emigrants in the five continents. This month’s website Personality of the Month is John Kelleher, Aubane. We encourage you to inspire your relatives abroad to log into our website at least weekly for updates of their native Millstreet and to visit our “Links” on the site which includes Fr. James McSweeney’s excellent spiritual site http://www.todayismygifttoyou.ie/ which changes daily. The valuable assistance of Michael Cashman, Tullig in the ongoing development of our local website is deeply appreciated. We especially appeal to those abroad who regularly visit http://www.millstreet.ie/ to let us know by sending us a brief email to <email>
We’ve now reached Programme 10 with our signal continuing to improve. Response has been enthusiastic. One of the easiest ways of receiving the Local Channel is to tune into Channel 4 (UK) on the Seán O’Connell, Knocknagree multichannel service (should one already have this system in place) on Thursdays from 10.00 to 11.00p.m. with a repeat on Sundays from 8.00 to 9.00p.m.. The Local Channel just logs into the UK Channel 4 for those two hours weekly. Alternatively (but a more complicated approach) one may also get both LTV and LTV2 (Millstreet & Macroom) by arranging to automatically tune into the VHF (just above RTE 2) signal from Mushera or UHF (Channel 50) from Tullig but this is, however, dependent on correct direction of the aerial system in one’s home.
The present LTV2 service is being provided free of charge through the voluntary group of enthusiasts who believe in the tremendous potential of a Local Channel which is community based and non-commercial. While lots of necessary equipment has been voluntarily bought by members of the core group the cost of transmission aerials and broadcast equipment used on the mountains and in the studio is quite substantial and will need public financial support if the weekly broadcasts are to continue. In the near future ways by which the funding of such projects will be suggested.
The famous “Irish Examiner” photograph taken by photographer Denis Minihan continues to reappear consistently in the newspaper in its promotion of its professional prints service of past pictures of the national paper. It was taken in Millstreet’s Carnegie Hall in the 1980s and features Rosemary Healy, daughter of Denis and Nora who lived in Church Street at the time. The child is seen reading a book in front of the beautiful stained-glass door at the entrance of the
Carnegie Hall.
We thank Maurice Walsh of Ickenham for much appreciated copies of the “Irish Post” which included an excellent photograph of Tony and Delia Barrett receiving a presentation in recognition of their splendid work for the London Cork Association.
To James O’Shea of Cork we also extend thanks for extra very interesting information relating to his remarkable research into the history of the O’Shea Family who originally came from Carrigacooleen, Millstreet. A splendid Clan Gathering took place at the Duhallow Park Hotel last Summer. Members of the Family were very much involved in the construction of some of Cork’s most famous buildings including the renowned Opera House.
One of the most significant presentations to Millstreet Museum took place recently when Seán & Catherine Buckley together with Nora Creedon arranged to donate the many historic Cups and a Shield associated with the very famous Kilcorney Feis. The important occasion was recorded by John Tarrant and has received much newspaper coverage. It will also be shown on LTV2 Millstreet. Míle buíochas to the Kilcorney Feis Committee for such a generous gesture. The valuable items will be on display for generations to come.
Millstreet Museum / Tourist Information Centre is open on Tuesdays from 10am to 3.30pm and on Wednesdays/Fridays from 10am to 5.00pm. Our e-mail address is <email> while our telephone number is 029-20844.
The very special tribute delivered in such a heartfelt manner at the funeral of the late Seán O’Riordan, Church Street, Millstreet by Jerry Doody appears under the GAA webpage on http://www.millstreet.ie/ . We also very especially remember the most memorable 40th Anniversary to the Priesthood of the late Fr. Michael Cashman of Tullig who recently went to his Eternal Reward in New Zealand where he has so dedicatedly ministered for many years. The late Timothy Duggan, West End was such a wonderful Barber who shared a wealth of fascinating stories and humorous tales in such a welcoming manner.
We also extend our sincere sympathy to the relatives of Mary Goggin, Priest Cross; Jim Fitzpatrick, Carrigaline, Rathmore; Christopher (Sonny) Byrne, Dublin & Rathcoole; Liam Miller’s two daughters who died in a road accident in France….Liam had directed Eurovision ’93 in Millstreet; Michael O’Connor, Coolikerane; Denis (Denny) Murphy, Shanaknuck; Denis Sheahan, Glenbeigh Village, Co. Kerry (father of Billy, Wallis Arms, Millstreet); Adrian Ryan, London & West End, Millstreet (brother of Marie, “Moyne Hill”, Station Road); Anne Lehane (mother of Michael of LTV Macroom); Helena Hegarty, Churchtown, Dublin (mother of Edel Fraser, Claraghatlea, Millstreet); Sr. Pius Singleton (Drishane Sister) of Cullen and the English Mission; Hannah McSweeney, Meenskehy East.
May they all rest in peace.
We extend heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to John Kelleher, Aubane on his recent retirement following many years of wonderfully dedicated service to the Millstreet Branch of Cork Co. Council. As Martin Corcoran, B.E. who made one of the many presentations to John at a hugely attended special retirement function at the Duhallow Park Hotel, stated John’s utter commitment to such major projects as the construction of the new Keale Bridge, was of enormous importance. John recently presented very generous financial support for the work of LTV2 Millstreet.
We congratulate Eilish O’Rahilly, Killarney Road, Millstreet on her recent engagement to Brendan Breen, Beaufort, Co. Kerry.
When the ever-popular dog “Rooter”, at the age of fifteen, died recently it marked a very real change at the Square, Millstreet. Owned by the Manley Family, the black dog became a favourite pet not only to Anthony, Ursula and Family but became such a popular animal friend throughout the town. He used even win the local Lotto Draw! He used to recognise my car or even the sound of it when I lived at the Square and make his way over to patiently wait for his favourite biscuits.
Two excellent articles appeared in recent “Ireland’s Own” issues (January, 2005)…. one on the history of Kilcorney Feis beautifully written by Mary Gaffney, Killarney Road, Millstreet and featured a colour picture of Seán Buckley, Kilcorney. The other very interesting article related to the Showband series when the featured Band was “Pat Max and the Specialists” with its members from Ballydaly, Rathduane, Rathmore and Millstreet.
Thought for reflection: When considering the Country Code – Take nothing but photographs – Leave nothing but footprints!
