The Green Box - Togher Children's & Teenage Clubs

In the early 1970s , a youth group was set up in Togher to facilitate the after school needs of primary school children/teenagers in the area , initially using the local community centre and girls school hall which hosted discos chaperoned by volunteer parents. Headed up by Mr. Morley from Deanrock , Mr. Dalton from Togher Road and many others , its activities included day trips away , performing plays and many other events.

Togher Boys National School 1978/9
The Green Box in background

In 1975 , the Children's Club was officially formed by Mr. Morley and others to encourage the young people in Togher to become involved in local activities and events. Each member was presented with a membership card which ensured their participation in singing competitions , plays and day trips away. However , it soon became apparent that a more suitable permanent premises was required and to that end , Fr Hodnet petitioned for the erection of a club house behind the Girls National School. Local men and women were heavily involved in its construction and staffing. Local Deanrock man Pat O'Rourke was the regular D.J. at the discos and was himself a pioneer in Cork Pirate Radio! Many other local organizations used the facilities as well , including the Majorettes and Tamborettes and Martial Arts clubs ( see below ).

Official opening of The Green Box 1978

The Green Box

Togher Children's Club trip to Dublin Zoo 1978

Teenage Club Summer trip to Garrettstown

Togher Children's Club badge

Children's Club membership card
1976 & 1977

 

Children's Club membership card 1978

Catriona Pearse
Children's Club

Caroline Jones ( Walsh )
Teenage Club 1978

Togher Taekwon Do club 1979
Instructor Jim O'Sullivan ( R ) - Rose Lawn

Pat Houlihan ( left ) from Togher

Streetwise self defence club 1983 - 1985

Aerial photo of The Green Box ( Top Left )
7th July 1979

Sandra Dalton was chairwoman of the Teenage club when she was 16/17 (circa 1978 ). The Teenage clubhouse became known as the " Green Box " due to its timber being painted in green. She recalls how Fr. Hodnett went off to Lourdes and gave instructions that the Teenage club was to be closed while he was away. However Fr. Daly was unaware and a disco was held for the children of Between. He was not happy when he came back!  A sculpted wooden hand was presented to Togher Teenage club by lord mayor Paudie Black in 1981 as acknowledgement of their fundraising efforts for various charities which Sandra proudly displays in her home. Togher Teenage club gave money to buy the first four beds for Marymount hospice. Many years later following Fr. Hodnett's departure from the Parish, the Togher Teenage club presented him with a placue.

Sandra Dalton

Sandra Dalton with 1982 Fundraising Award
for Teenage Club

Sadly , with the passing of time , these clubs like many others which sprang up in Togher in the 1970s , were like comets streaking across the sky and faded away in the 1980s and are no more.

Redmond's G.A.A. Club & The Barracka - A Short History

This article takes a brief look at the Togher legacy of 2 famous Cork Institutions - Redmonds HFC and Barracks Street Brass Band and how the circle of life included a sports team and a musical group.

Redmonds GAA Club 1892 - 2018

Redmonds HFC was founded in 1892 and filled its ranks from the surrounding Barracks Street environs. Their social club and the heart of its operations was located on Tower Street in the South Parish. Their initial formation saw them win many titles but as the 20th Century wore on this would diminish greatly due to players seeking glory with the bigger clubs such as Nemo Rangers and The Barrs.  However having no official pitch to call their own , they finally adopted Togher ( see below ) as their anchor in the 1980s. This was named Páirc Uí Laoire and was situated next to Everton AFC pitch near the Airport. Over the course of 6 decades , its chairman Mick O'Shea campaigned tirelessly for his beloved club. His greatest achievement saw Redmonds secure their own pitch in Lehenaghmore , Togher in 1984 duly naming it Páirc Uí Laoire. However the distance from their club house on Tower Street and their difficulties in retaining players saw the " Sporting Reds " finally close their doors on over 120 years as a team on September 2018. That year also saw the closure of their sports club and bar on Tower Street. As of 2024/5 , Ballyphehane GAA club have secured tenancy of the old Redmonds ground and are currently upgrading the pitch. Thankfully another Cork Institution ( *see further below ) was to revitalize the old social club of " Na Reamonaigh " ensuring its use for future generations.

Redmond's Hurling Team 1902

Redmonds Hurling Team 1919
*Note original hurleys in photo
Photo : Jim Coughlin

 1927 - Blackrock v Redmonds

Centenary Crest 1992

Redmonds new Club & Sportsbar
Under construction 1971

Redmonds Club & Sportsbar
Tower Street

Páirc Uí Laoire

Prior to securing their own pitch Redmonds along with some other local G.A.A. clubs used the fields off Tramore Road for their games. Scoil Stiofain Naofa secondary school was built on one of the fields in 1977 and now functions as College Campus of FET.

Old stomping ground of Redmonds 1970s
Former Barrett's Fields
Tramore Road

In the 1850s , Griffiths Valuations listed a plot of land in Lehenaghmore ( at the time in the E.D. of Lehenagh and the parish of St. Finbarrs ) as being in the possession of landlord Jeremiah Carroll , who undoubtedly was the head of Cruiskeen Lodge ( now Marian Lodge ) , located to the north. His grounds included 14 fields of varying sizes. Access was from Togher Road on the west and the old Kinsale Road on the east. For the purpose of this article , the field in question as pertains to Redmonds G.A.A. club was located at the south eastern part of the plots. Originally 3 fields set aside for agricultural use , the passing of over 140 years would see parts of these combine to make one large field for use as a sports ground by the onset of the mid 1980s. It was this grassy pasture which would welcome the arrival of Redmonds in 1984.

Land of Jermiah Carroll 1850s
Plot No.16 outlined in heavy ink

Plot No.16 in modern times
Note - Everton AFC south of Plot

Chairman Mick O'Shea
Holding photograph of new pitch opening in 1984

Redmonds - Páirc Uí Laoire
Lehenaghmore , Togher

 

Redmonds - Lehenaghmore , Togher
Aerial photo

A milestone was reached when Mick O'Shea was inducted into the G.A.A. Hall Of Fame in September 2018 for 60 years service to the Club. The cruel irony of this achievement was the dissolution of his beloved Redmonds that same month.

Mick O'Shea sadly passed away on 5th August 2024.

 

 

The Barracka 

The Barracks Street Brass & Reed Band was founded in 1833/7 by Fr. Theobald Mathew ( a Capuchin Priest ) as a musical attraction for his Temperance Society.  

 

 

Fr. Theobald Mathew 1849
photographed By Mathew Brady

 

Mrs. Shinkwin's house located off Doughcloyne Hill a.k.a. " Coventry " was a well known reading room where teetotalers would gather. Undoubtedly , they would have been visited by Fr. Mathew during his campaigning. Fr. Mathew's brother Charles resided at Lehenagh House in Togher where he would stay many times while preaching his abstinence policy in Togher.

Mathew Hill , Lehenagh Beg , Togher

Today , the hill leading up from Pouladuff Crossroads is called Mathew Hill in honour of Fr. Mathew. A tenuous link exists between Togher and The Barracka through their founder Fr. Mathew and his connection to Togher. Following the dissolution of Redmond's AFC , their club house was recently bought by The Barracka as their new premises. So continues an historical tie to Togher which hopefully will remain for a very long time to come. 

Morrison's Ravine

Morrrison's Ravine , Knockalisheen , Togher

 

Morrison's Ravine 1900
Note track-way delineated by double dotted line

 

An ancient forest which hugs the Glasheen River as it descends through Knockalisheen has for many years been known as Morrison's Ravine. It forms part of the natural north eastern boundary of the Townland and was named after a local farmer , Alexander Morrison whose family owned the nearby farm and Knockalisheen House up to 1952. As the watercourse flows under the stone arched bridge at Spur Hill , it emerges into a thick canopy of vegetation and trees and falls rapidly towards Waterfall where it is joined by another streamlet flowing in from Kilmurriheen. 

 

Glasheen River as it approaches bridge

Spur Hill

Turnstile Entrance off Spur Hill

Walkway looking back at Spur Hill

Glasheen River as it enters Morrison's Ravine

Glasheen River inside Morrison's Ravine

Both watercourses then make their way northward with the Bandon Road as its companion before detouring around the present day South Ring Road and meandering its way around Deanrock to turn sharply left at Clashduv Bridge leaving Togher behind before eventually merging as a culvert with the Curraheen River which empties into the River Lee.

 

Gateway entrance off Bandon Road

 

A well worn trackway leads from a turnstile ( see above ) at Spur Hill all the way down to the Bandon Road and a gate. Access is fraught with danger being located off a main thoroughfare. The gate is a handy marker which acts as a separation point between 2 Townlands , with Knockalisheen on its left and Kilmurriheen on its right. The stream itself is located some meters in behind the ditchline.However , the entrance top side has recently been fitted with CCTV and a " Keep Out " warning sign , both nailed to a tree located just inside the turnstile.

Alternate aerial view of Morrison' Ravine
showing possible large ring fort to its south in Kilmurriheen

The wooded enclosure , believed now to be designated as a game reserve , is a remnant of a much older covering and is a prime example of how much of the region looked going back several centuries before the trees were cleared to make way for agricultural and grazing lands. It should be noted that the Glasheen River , which emanates from a spring near the Airport was once a dis-tributary , with its southern cousin flowing slightly south of its northern brethren. It too up to the 19th Century displayed woodland along its banks until it was dammed off in the early 20th Century. However the old course of the now extinct branch of the Glasheen River can still be deduced from aerial maps with some of its old woodland still in place.

Between - Doughcloyne , Togher

Phillipine House 1970s later Between

Criostoir De Baroid R.I.P.

Northern Children's Holidays was an organisation set up in the early 1970s by  Criostóir De Baróid which enticed people in Togher and Ballyphehane to open their doors and take children from Belfast for short periods during the initial stages of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Eventually the old S.M.A. house on Sarsfield Road became a central venue in the late 1970s before switching for a short while to the S.M.A. Centre in Wilton from 1981 before the S.M.A. Society offered Between the Philippine House in Doughcloyne , Togher circa 1982/83 for a 30 year lease with an annual rent of just £1. The House at the time was a derelict farm house with outhouses to the rear. It was at this time that the organization changed its name to Between to highlight its efforts in reconciling the different communities in Northern Ireland. Criostóir was instrumental too in connecting the Irish Governments Foreign Affairs department with Loyalist paramilitaries at the very early stages of the peace talks. He is extremely respected by the Republicans also.

S.M.A. house , Doughcloyne , Togher
now Cork ARC Cancer Support Centre

S.M.A. Centre , Wilton

View of old Philippine House with extension
Between 1982 - 2001

Between signage on roof of canteen/recreation room

View of gardens

Togher Historical Association made contact with some of the staff and volunteers from Between who recalled their time with the organization as shown below.

Ernest Curtis - Volunteer bus driver

Ernest Curtis Staff : " I was a volunteer bus driver but my entire family was involved in all aspects of Between. We famously buried two cars in the old playground which resulted in a couple of mounds becoming small hills for the kids to climb up on! "

Tanya Dineen ( Ernest's daughter ) - Volunteer babysitter

Tanya Dineen Volunteer : " I was going to between since I was about 9/10 so since 90' 91' till close. As I got a bit older I helped with the babysitting on the adult nights out and did anything that was needed regarding cleaning , getting things set up for the day or simply playing and entertaining the kids that were there for the week. "

Staff photo and visiting U.S. support group
Kindly supplied by Tanya Dineen

Paddy O'Reilly Staff : " I was employed as the gardener. The old orchard was completely cleared out and we installed a basketball court , swings and a pond. We put a large plastic owl on the top of the old stone wall to scare off birds from the pond. I relayed the grounds in front of the house and put in walkways , seating and raised flower beds. "

Paddy O'Reilly gardener

Owl on orchard wall/playground

Local Togher children playing in Between

Billy O'Brien Togher Historical Association
Old Orchard/Playround
16th April 2015

Between put huge investment into the renovating of the house and outbuildings to house, feed and entertain Republican and Loyalist prisoners families who would visit on a rotational schedule , ( with one week given over to Nationalists and the following week given over to the Loyalists and so on ) , teenage groups , travelers groups and old age pensioners from across the six counties during the height of the conflict and the early part of the peace process. The house and surrounds and gardens were developed and maintained by Paddy O’ Reilly and others employed under the first Community Employment Scheme. Over the lifetime of the Between organization they operated the house as a respite centre during the summer months for the families through the hard work of many volunteers across those years right up to 1997/8. Many great friendships were made and maintained. Between was also instrumental in building bridges between Loyalist and Republican communities at a time when the peace process hadn’t even started. The operation was wound down circa 2001/2 following the implementation of the peace process. A great many thanks are due to all the volunteers and staff who contributed so enormously to this fantastic project which operated in Togher for well over 25 years!

Volunteers from Cork at unveiling of Wall Mural

20th September 2014

Over the 25 years period more than 12,000 plus people were hosted by Between and the group was honored in West Belfast when the people of the area from the Republican/Nationalist/Catholic community invited many of the volunteers up to unveil a massive gable end wall mural dedicated purely to the people of Cork with the Between House/Philippine House and Bus painted in the mural. A Facebook page " Memories of Between " was actually set up by people from the Unionist/Loyalist/Protestant Community in recent years.

Gable end of house showing Mural

Criostóir and Isobel

**The bus driver shown in the mural above is Sean Canny R.I.P. and his family was invited up to the unveiling as were all volunteers and they were taken aback. It was a fantastic event. There was an exhibition of old photos at the local GAA club. People from the loyalist areas were invited and came over as well. Criostóir and Isobel two founding members alongside two community workers from the area are also in the lower part of the mural ( see above ).

Criostóir de Baróid ( behind woman in scarf ) 1970s
Visitors from Northern Ireland
Man on left was known as " Elvis "

Early 2002 the House and lands were handed over to the Fellowship , a group dedicated to helping people dealing with addiction. It continues to do this work to date. Sadly as part of their ongoing renovations , the old Phillipine House and Orchard/Playground were demolished in 2017 to make way for new builds. The blog was on site to record the event here.

Eamonn Pearse R.I.P.
Kathleen O'Keeffe 2017
Togher Historical association
Demolition of house

Complete interior old playground cleared
in addition to front orchard wall 2017

 

 Acknowledgements:

Paddy O'Reilly
Ernest Curtis
Tanya Dineen
Kieran O'Connell
Several images/wording used are copyright of respective owners