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HOME AT FIRST

 

GREAT HISTORY, IRISH CHARM, AND TOURING EASE
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All Photos © Home At First                                                            

 

SPACIOUS OPEN-PLAN INTERIOR
Photo © HOME AT FIRST
 

THE APARTMENTS: There are both 2-bedroom (one double bedroom plus one twin bedroom; total 4-person capacity) and 3-bedroom (one double bedroom, one twin bedroom, one single bedroom; total 5-person capacity) apartments available at Youghal Bay. Apartments have at least one full bathroom with tub and shower, and the third bedroom has its own vanity area with sink. All apartments have a spacious open-plan living/dining/ kitchen area with large windows. Bayside apartments have furnished balconies, some large and semi-

circular. Each also has a fully equipped kitchen,

color cable TV, washer, spin dryer, microwave, and central heating. The 4-story building has private courtyard (free) parking. The building’s office is staffed from 7AM to 6PM most days.

THE SETTING: Historic, walled Youghal (pronounced "Yawl") gets its name from the Celtic word for "yew wood", a reference to the yew trees that rimmed early Irish settlements along the water’s edge. The ancient Celts believed the yew trees were a safe haven for ancestors’ souls. Saint Coran established a monastic community here and introduced Christianity to the area in the 5th century.
        Youghal is a heritage town steeped in history and tradition. The area was settled by 9th century Viking invaders and used as a base from which to raid wealthy monastic sites along Ireland’s southern coast. In the 12th century Norman-English defeated the Irish-Vikings and captured the town. Within 200 years Youghal had become a major port city with trade connections to Britain and the Continent. In 1220 St. Mary’s Collegiate Church was built. It remains one of Ireland’s oldest continuously used churches. Young King Edward I Longshanks,

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YOUGHAL'S NOTORIOUS
CLOCK GATE.
Photo © HOME AT FIRST
 

England’s great castle-builder, ordered the replacement of the

Norman fortifications with new town walls.
        As a result of English victory over rebellious Irish nobles during the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I granted 42,000 acres of Youghal and the surrounding countryside to Englishman Sir Walter Raleigh, one of the Virgin Queen’s favorites, and colonizer of Virginia. Although Raleigh didn’t reside long at his mansion in Youghal, he did introduce two new plants from North America into Ireland and Irish history: potatoes and tobacco.
        In the next century the English Civil War brought turmoil to Youghal. Royalist Admiral William Penn (senior) tried unsuccessfully to resupply English troops garrisoned at Youghal. Oddly, Oliver Cromwell later granted property near Youghal to Penn. His son, William, was born here, and went on to found the Pennsylvania colony in the late 1600’s. Cromwell himself wintered his army nearby during 1649-50, departing Youghal from its quayside Watergate, which has since be known as Cromwell’s Arch.
        Another Youghal landmark, the Clock Gate, was built in 1777 and served as a jail and hangman’s gallows. Today it has a welcoming presence — but it once was a terrifying symbol to the local population.

        Youghal served ideally as a port location

"MOBY DICK'S" PUB IN YOUGHAL. THE TOWN DOUBLED
AS NEW BEDFORD, MA, IN THE 1956 FILM "MOBY DICK".
Photo © HOME AT FIRST

impersonating New Bedford, MA, in Hollywood’s 1956 version of "Moby Dick" starring Gregory Peck as Ahab. During filming director John Houston would use a local pub, now renamed "Moby Dick’s", to plan his daily shooting schedule. But by then Youghal was no longer one of the great ports of the British Isles. Fishing—but not for whales—remained important to the town, but Youghal had changed from a commercial center to eastern County Cork’s primary holiday destination.