17th February, 2000
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COUNCIL TAKE NOTICE !

Dear Editor
With reference to Cllr. Deirdre Forde's speech to Cork County Council on her motion in your paper 27th Jan. I totally agree with everything she say's. The Council may be listening to what the people are saying but they are not taking any notice. I agree with her on the way buildings are allowed to shoot up willy-nilly with no regard to the overall affect, for example up to a couple of years ago the height of buildings were taken into account to suit the overall affect on the village, but now that is gone, as can be see by the new building next door to McDonald's. That is a typical example of disregard for the environment. Also the residents of Douglas, Grange and Rochestown have been asking for a new Cemetery in the area. Now of course the Council are going to tell us that the price of land is too expensive and more profit can be made by selling it off to Property Prospectors. Why wasn't land develop for one back in the eighties when land was so cheap? Why because it seems the Council couldn't give a damn and forward planning is not their best attribute. All we need to do is look at the list of requirements needed in our area. Cllr Deirdre Ford puts them forward as wishes but I would put it stronger they are our needs which should be put in place immediately so County Council Planners stop floundering about and think about the way you plan and do things in the future.
Yours Sincerely
Patricia (Name and Address with Editor)

A WINDOW ON LIFE

From the window of our second storey two room flat on Sheares St. in Cork’s march area, early 1950’s, I had a wonderful view of life.
Street below a hive of activity, most things horse drawn. Thompson’s Stagecoach - like delivery vans. Milk arriving in churns . Shop assistant Kitty had daily job of scalding churns. Fridges unheard of, so food was bought in small quantities - 2 ounces of tea, quarter pound of butter, half pound of sugar, half pint of milk in steel container with a covering lid, and a small ‘skull’ or a ‘basket’ (bread). If there was a farthing change you got a sweet instead.
Children outdoors all day in summertime - spinning tops, playing pickie, marbles, chessies, rounders, release, hurling and football.
Nightfall, tucked up in bed listening to wet battery radio, later electric Pye set. Early hours I can still hear, “The winner and still the heavyweight champion of the world Jow Louis!”, Foley family, Kennedy’s of Castleross, 20 questions, Living with Lynch, Take the Floor, Dick Barton Special Agent, entralled us weekly.
Is P.E. still on the school curriculum> Mr. Frazier, a huge army man, trained us for annual sports day. I was a leader in the Maze march.
With so much emphasis today on computers and internet it is vital our children use them in moderation. Equally important to good health, outdoor activity!
Neil O’Donoghue, Douglas.

OLD ROCHESTOWN COURT PHOTOGRAPH

Dear Sir,
Concerning your photograph of Rochestown old Court House, taken around 1914. The photo is certainly fantastic, one of the finest I have seem so far. A man I once knew, now deceased, we used to meet every Sunday at the pub. Nicknamed the ‘Puicks’, Strand Road, Monkstown, and I remember him telling me that his grandfather working for a Lord Vesty, Old Court Estate. Perhaps Lord Vesty and Lady Vesty could be seated front row. There were also other diginatries in Rochestown at that time, such as Warrens Millars, Rochestown, who also owned a granary in Passage West , and a Captain Sarsfield in Togher estate, and Major Roberts in Ardmore Estate, Passage West, Bruids family, Passage West Pembroke House, Colonel Heard, Togher.
Unfortunately I can’t pin-point anyone in the photograph, there was also a Dr. Foott who once owned a soft drinks factory in Cork, now deceased, but he still has a daughter living in Douglas. Perhaps the Rector of the Church of Ireland in Douglas might know where she lives.
I am afraid that’s all the information I can give you. Thank you again for the wonderful photograph.
Yours faithfully,
John Judge.

THANKS TO THE PEOPLE OF DOUGLAS

On behalf of the Cork Outreach Group of the Chernobyl Children’s Project I would like to thank the people of Douglas and surrounding areas through the “Douglas Weekly”.
We had a food appeal at Douglas Court Shopping Centre on 28th/29th January for our April convoy. The response was tremendous, both with food aid and financial aid, which we used to buy large quantities of semolina.
The aid we send to the villages and orphanages of Belarus and Western Russia is delivered directly by our convoy personnel. Each year the Belarussian people are overwhelmed by the generousity of the Irish people, giving clean fresh food and medicines to their children.
We would like to say Thank You to all who contributed.
Anne Berkley.

SEND YOUR LETTER INTO US NOW! CLICK HERE!!