In June 2016 , a subject of local controversy which had been quietly simmering for almost 40 years came bubbling to the surface and ran the whole gamut of emotions and both divided and united an entire community. The thorny question of " Wilton " was tackled head-on by the combined forces of the County Council , Togher Community Association and the Tidy Towns Committee. To this effect , a sign proclaiming "Welcome To Togher " was erected on Sarsfield Road. Grant funded and approved by the County Council , it was one of several sited around Togher in prominent locations. The Togher Historical Assoc. first became aware of them on social media. The Historical Assoc. had been approached for advice on citing of signs and offered suggestions for the outer boundaries of the district , including a finger post or elevated sign under the Sarsfield Flyover. However these suggestions were not taken on board with the bodies concerned deeming to showcase the signs in a more elaborate fashion. The following article will cover the subsequent narrative of the controversial sign on Sarsfield Road , the ensuing online satire , the Assoc's proof of boundaries and finalize with the actual location of Wilton. The blog also includes the radio debate on RED FM which is informative and highly entertaining.
May was a red letter day in a certain part of Togher which for the previous 40 years had gone under the rather dubious title of Wilton , much to the consternation of native locals in the area who knew it as Togher for generations. However , the subject , while discussed with amusement but never openly debated , finally came to a head in 2016. The sign denoting Togher was erected on Sarsfield Road opposite White Oaks and almost immediately attracted attention in the form of social commentary which quickly escalated into online debate which consisted of differing factions ; one group denouncing it and one group applauding it. Greatly simplified , some residents decided to launch a door to door petition which it is believed petered out due to lack of interest. Local and National Politicians were approached for intervention. Online threats for its removal came to the fore and in June the sign became the target of several attacks. Firstly , the titular " Togher " both in English and Irish , was painted over in black , then papered over with a handwritten " Wilton " title ( no photo available ) and tragically culminated in the theft of the sign which was captured in progress
by local Togher Boxing legend Paul Buttimer as he was passing by in his
cab at 2 a.m.! Alas , he was with a fare and was unable to stop and apprehend the culprit.
The Togher Community Assoc. and Tidy Towns decided not to press for legal action but instead appealed for the return of the stolen sign. However this was not to be and the sign remains at large though plans are in place to re-erect it again. It should be noted that a dangerous precedent was allowed pass in that Government Property was both vandalized and stolen , which is in and of itself a Criminal Act. What followed can only be described as bizarre and witty but on the whole highlighted the famous Togher wit. Social media became awash with humorous parodies while the printed media highlighted the series of events. Finally 2 Cork Radio Stations dedicated whole programs to the topic of social snobbery. Sadly 96FM had a technical fault and was unable to recover a copy of their show. Thankfully , RED FM released a podcast of the entire show which has been edited by Eamonn Pearse and can be listened to at the end of the page. Highly informative and extremely funny , it not only covered the topic of Togher , but branched out to the entire City which made listeners aware of just how endemic the problem actually is.
Local with makeshift replacement
Online satire via social media
President Donald Trump appeals for return of sign
Missing Togher sign is literally out of this world!
1832 Holt Map showing Wilton above Glasheen
It must be stated that many detractors did in fact agree to their inclusion in
Togher R.C. Parish but strongly asserted their Address as part of the
Wilton district. To put this into its proper perspective , it should be
made clear that in the early 1970s , the S.M.A. who owned a large tract
of the lands around Doughcloyne sold much of their holdings to a
development Company known as Wilton Securities. Rather dubiously they
marketed their new builds to prospective buyers as having the address of
Wilton. The series of photos below highlight the historical and currents facts pertaining to the actual location of Wilton as opposed to Togher. In all cases , Wilton is located north of the Glasheen River. A 1950s Ratepayers list clearly shows Doughcloyne as being part of Togher. In 1983 , the Catholic Church established the Parish of Wilton. Notable by their absence are the Estates currently arguing the complete opposite. Running in tandem with this is the 2007 Bishopstown & Wilton Action Plan by City Council which notably does not stray south of the Glasheen River when portraying Wilton. A more modern day marker would be the Sarsfield Flyover which closely follows the Glasheen just north of it. Tangible proof can be discerned from the directional signage erected by the Council which clearly shows the true direction of Wilton ( north of the Sarsfield Flyover ) towards the C.U.H. and north of the Glasheen River.
River and Doughcloyne below
Documentary proof of Doughcloyne's Togher heritage
Diocesan website outlining boundaries of Wilton
Wilton Parish established in 1983
2007 Council Action Plan for Bishopstown & Wilton
Wilton directional signage north of Sarsfield Flyover
Close up view of true direction of Wilton
Motorway Signage pointing in right direction
away from Doughcloyne
Audio file of Togher slot on RED FM
away from Doughcloyne
Finally , a local radio show hosted by Neil Prendeville of RED FM gave almost an hour air time to the topic of Wilton vs Togher. Many callers both for and against participated to showcase both their grievances and acceptance in equal measure. However , it soon became apparent that the whole case for Wilton was collapsing as listener after listener , many who hailed from outside districts argued in favour of Togher. Below is the whole show which is required listening and a history lesson to boot!
