The first half of the twentieth century was a time of intense activiy.

Now in a more peaceful time people had more time for themselves.

1950 was a Holy Year a time of special celebration for the Catholic Church. So for some of the members it was an opportunity to undertake a pilgrimage on their bikes to Rome.

The power of the British Empire was in decline. The CTC in Cork was replaced by An Óige whose members were happy to display a pride in the Irish Language and culture. Many of the letters written to the An Óige office in Cork were wholly or partly in Irish.

Irish people were happy to take their place in Europe. Irish Dancing and music was on display at International Rallies following the initial success of the International Rally in 1948 at Kilbride Co Wicklow.

At the Annual General Meeting held at 39 Mountjoy square Dublin held on the 1st June 1951 there was much to interest the C & K group. Black Valley in Kerry was one of the six new hostels opened in 1950 while another was Clonakilty Co.Cork.

It was intended to open 4 new hostels in the same area the following year.ie Valentia Island, Corrig Lodge, Ballinskelligs and at Glenlough.

Joe O Leary Joe was cycling in the early fifties. He was a baker in Thompsons. He was lucky because his supervisor understood his need to travel and allowed him time off. The Bakery gained because he used bring back the bread making receipes from the countries he visited.

In early fifties An Óige provided an opportunity for young men and women to socialise together. Any whiff of scandal would have finished the now rapidly growing organisation. Supervision was strict, as one senior member admitted to me, "We wernt any better than any other generation except that there was a total lack of opportunity".

Anyway in Cork alone hundreds of marriages were facilitated by the local Group.

Young People today are unaware how segregated society was then in Cork. This applied to class and creed as well as gender as Post Imperial Ireland was still a divided society.

Anyway fresh air was free and poor working opportunites and conditions were left behind at weekends as people headed away in buses or on bikes.

Despite a chronic shortage of money An Oige and the other hostel associations enabled young Irish men and women to experience of a "foreign" holiday. Hitch hiking became a popular and controversial means of travelling.

The numbers of foreign visitors to Ireland also increased and the local members were happy to show them the city and its nearby attractions.

An Tóstal This celebration of Irish culture was supposed to stimulate the new tourist industry. The local An Óige members willingly played their part and older members recall displaying the flags of all nations on the roof of the City Hall.

Derry Desmond Derry remembers setting off on his first cycling weekend with 2/6 in his pocket. He was very impressed with the friendliness of the people he meet in the hostels. He cycled in the mid to late fifties. He particularly liked Roches Point and the Social life in "the Rooms" in McCurtain Street. The English economy expanded in the late Fifties and a lot of Irish people emigrated there. The young An Óige members were glad of the skills they had aquired while hostelling. Derry returned to Ireland to rear a young family. He has preserved a fine collection of photos from those years taken mainly by Kay O Connell. He would particularly like to meet again An Óige members from that time and can be contacted via this website .