Recent News and Events of the F.O.S.C.C
August 2006
FOSCC 2007 Calendar Now Available !!!
FOSCC has produced a beautiful 2007 Calendar with 12 stunning photographs of
St. Colman’s Cathedral, taken by well known Cork press photographer
Mr. Des Barry.
The calendar retails for €5 and is a bargain at the price.
Copies are available from any member of the FOSCC committee or order one online via email from terrypender@foscc.com
August 23rd 2006
Not alone in the fight !!!
Over 52,500 viewers have visited the Archiseek discussion forum on the Reorganisation and Destruction of Irish Catholic Churches.
August 1st 2006
St. Colman's in the News again
The following article appeared in the Irish Times today regarding St. Colman’s Cathedral Cobh.
Irish Times Article
July 29th / 30th 2006
It's not over yet Folks !!!
There was great dissapointment and anger in Cobh this weekend when the following letter was read out at all Masses regarding St. Colman's Cathedral.
FOSCC immediately put out the following statement in reply. The people of Cobh find it hard to believe that the church authorities are going ahead with this benighted project.
The people of Cobh find it hard to believe that the church aurthorities are still interested in this benighted project.
July 27th 2006
Deadline for Judicial Review reached !!!
This was the deadline for the Trustees to lodge an appeal for Judicial Review of An Bord Pleanala’s refusal to grant planning permission for the re-ordering of the interior of Cobh Cathedral to the High Court in Ireland. They have not done so.
It is understood that Bishop John Magee appealed to his follow bishops for support both financial and moral for an appeal to the High Court and while they did give him moral support they declined to extend any financial support. Their reasons for refusal were threefold:
- The grounds for appeal were too narrow.
- Cobh Cathedral was not the case on which to challenge An Bord Pleanala because of its unique character.
- In the likely event of loosing the case they would further complicate matters for themselves and have incurred very substantial costs.
June 2nd 2006
Rejoicing in Cobh as An Bord Pleanala uphold the appeal!!!
Wonderful News. An Bord Pleanala have upheld our appeal against the planning decision of Cobh Town Council for the re-ordering of the interior of St. Colman’s Cathedral. The Bord decided that the proposed changes "would have an unacceptable impact on the cathedral and would constitute an excessive intervention in the protected structure".
For entire text click here.
The Trustee of St. Colman’s now have eight weeks in which to appeal this decision to the Irish High Court.
May 16th 2006
Pending Appeal Decision Postponed Again !!!
The final decision of An Bord Pleanala that was expected to be available on Wednesday the 14th of May has now been postponed once again for an undisclosed reason. The decision is now expected to be announced on Friday the 26th of May 2006.
Watch this Space for more News on the Appeal !!
April 15th 2006
Pending Appeal Decision Postponed 4 weeks !!!
The final decision of An Bord Pleanala that was expected to be available on Friday the 14th of April has now been postponed for an undisclosed reason. The decision is now expected to be announced on the 11th of May 2006.
Watch this Space for more News on the Appeal !!
April 4th 2006
FOSCC publishes book on Oral Hearing entitled “Conserving Cobh Cathedral. The case stated.”
Included in this publication are the submissions from the Friends, An Taisce and the Irish Georgian Society and some of the interesting revelations which emerged during cross-examination at the hearing. Also included is the list of the people whose objections to Cobh Town Council Planning Authority were not read by the Senior Architect who granted planning permission in Sept. 2005. The book cost €10 and is part of a FOSCC fundraising initiative to pay for the costs of the Oral Hearing.
March 2006.
Archiseek Forum on the ‘reorganisation and destruction of Irish Churches’ reaches 30,000 viewers. Click here >>
February 28th – March 2nd Oral Hearing of Appeal to Irish Planning Board (An Bord Pleanala) held in Midleton. The four appellants, the FOSCC; Irish Georgian Society; An Taisce (Irish Heritage) and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government presented their cases to the planning board inspector Mr. Tom Rabbette.
February 2nd 2006
An Bord Pleanala, the Irish Planning Appeals Board have granted FOSCC an oral hearing of their appeal against the reordering of St. Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh.
The hearing will commence at 10 am on Tuesday 28th February 2006 at the Midleton Park Hotel, Cork Road, Midleton, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Archiseek has reached over 21,000 visitors. Also check our a complimentary thread on E.W. Pugin, Click here >>
FOSCC is looking for experts in Art History, Ecclesiastic/19th Century Architecture who would be willing to aid us in our Oral Appeal.
January 20th 2006
Oral Hearing Granted to Appeal !!!
FOSCC is delighted to announce that An Bord Pleanala have granted our request for an Oral Hearing in relation to our Appeal against the planning permission granted to the Trustees of St. Colman’s Cathedral for the re-ordering of the cathedral.
Date and location of the hearing have yet to be announced. WATCH THIS SPACE !!!
The discussion forum on Archiseek has reached almost 19,000 views with over 500 replies.
December 18th 2005FOSCC Raffle Results
The Raffle held by the FOSCC took place on the 18th December 2005 and all prizes have now been delivered to the winners.
We would like to sincerely thank all the people who bought tickets and participated in the raffle.
Congratulations to all the prize-winners listed below
| 1st | Christmas Hamper | Imelda McCarthy, Cobh. |
| 2nd | Waterford Glass Vase | Bella O’Connor, Cork |
| 3rd | Turkey and Ham | Paddy Martin, Cork |
| 4th | Christmas Cake | Dermot O’Grady, Cork |
| 5th | Bottle of Whiskey | Ann Walsh, Cobh. |
| 6th | Bottle of Carolans | Angela Bertles, Cobh. |
| 7th | Bog of Cigars | Colin Cronin, Cobh. |
| 8th | Bottle of Whiskey | Mrs. B. Flaherty, Cobh. |
| 9th | Bottle of Whiskey | Liam O’Leary, Glanmire. |
| 10th | Bottle of Whiskey | C. O’Brien, Dungarvan. |
| 11th | Bottle of Whiskey | Davin Whelan, Cobh. |
| 12th | Bottle of Whiskey | Danny Murphy, Centra, Cobh. |
| 13th | Bottle of Whiskey | Dor Lambe, Cobh. |
| 14th | Bottle of Whiskey | E. Hannigan, Haulbowline. |
| 15th | Bottle of Whiskey | Andrew Hogan, Cobh. |
| 16th | Bottle of Whiskey | Regina Harding, Mallow. |
| 17th | Bottle of Whiskey | Rose Cronin, Cobh. |
| 18th | Bottle of Whiskey | Laney Kelly, Cobh. |
| 19th | Bottle of Whiskey | Abbie Norris, Dublin. |
| 20th | Bottle of Whiskey | Peadar Crowley, Midleton. |
| 21st | Bottle of Whiskey | John O’Driscoll, Cobh. |
| 22nd | Bottle of Whiskey | Anne Kennedy, Cobh. |
| 23rd | Bottle of Whiskey | Liam Donegan. |
| 24th | Bottle of Whiskey | Maura O’Brien, Cobh. |
| 25th | Bottle of Whiskey | Josh Collins, Cobh. |
| 26th | Bottle of Whiskey | Carl Pender, Cobh. |
| 27th | Bottle of Whiskey | O’Regan Family, Cobh. |
| 28th | Bottle of Whiskey | Regina Walsh, Cork. |
| 29th | Bottle of Wine | Anon.,Cobh. |
| 30th | Bottle of Wine | Katie O’Brien, Dungarven. |
| 31st | Bottle of Wine | M. Dowling, Cobh. |
| 32nd | Bottle of Wine | Nuala Rasmussen, Cobh. |
| 33rd | Bottle of Wine | Eddie O’Shaughnessy, Cork. |
| 34th | Bottle of Wine | Ian Hunter, Cobh. |
| 35th | Bottle of Wine | Gil Jefferson, Cobh. |
| 36th | Bottle of Wine | M. Malone, Cobh. |
| 37th | Bottle of Wine | Mrs O’ Shea, Carrigaloe, Cobh. |
| 38th | Bottle of Wine | Aisling Devlin, Cobh. |
| 39th | Bottle of Sherry | Rita Casey, Cobh. |
| 40th | Box of Biscuits | M. Verling, Cobh. |
| 41st | Box of Sweets | John Flannigan, 1 College Gate, Cobh. |
| 42nd | Electric Kettle | P. Kinsella, Cobh. |
| 43rd | Picture of Last Supper | Emer O’Gorman, Cobh. |
| 44th | Book on Castlemartyr | AnneMarie Hannigan, Cobh. |
December 10th 2005FOSCC discussion reaches 13,000+ views!!!
This weekend the Discussion forum on "reordering and destruction of Irish Cathedral, St. Colman's Cathedral, Cobh," passed the 13,000 visitor mark, with many new contributors joining the chat.
Visit and join the fun, log on and join the discussion.
Also on this site St. Colman's has hit the news section, see
www.irish-architecture.com/news/2005/000249.html and Irish Architecture Website
November 22nd 2005FOSCC discussion - Join the Chat !!!
Today a very interesting exchange of views began on the Discussion Forum of Archiseek.com regarding the ‘Re-ordering and destruction of Irish Cathedrals – St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh.
Visit the site and see what people are saying. Great pictures can also be seen on this forum.
November 20th 2005
Sunday Times Article very Relevant to the FOSCC Cause
The Irish Sunday Times have published an article very relevant to the theme of this website. Please read the article here
October 20th 2005Positive Response to Daily Telegraph Article
The Friends of St. Colman's Cathedral have received numerous positive and uplifting repsonses from people around the world who read the FOSCC's efforts through an Article published in Tuesday's UK Daily Telegraph.
Since the publication of the above mentioned article, the comments email address comments@foscc.com has been flooded with emails from people who have offered their prayers and encouragement for our cause.
To read some of these comments and emails, Please Click here .
Other Media Coverage that our appeal has recieved can be seen at the following Links: Irish Times
October 5th 2005FOSCC Appeal lodged with An Bord Pleanala...!!
On 5th October 2005, Arthur Cox Solicitors, Dublin lodged an Appeal with An Bord Pleanala on behalf of the Friends of St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh against the Planning Permission granted to the Trustees of St. Colman’s Cathedral on September 5th 2005. An Oral Hearing was also requested.
Together with the Submission from Arthur Cox the Appeal also includes A Heritage Impact Study by Mr. Niall Macken B.Arch; MA (Cons. Studies); MRIAI, and Jessie Castle Metlitski BA; MUBC; and a Planning Report by Mary Doran B.Arch, MRIAI MSc. Spatial Consultant and Architect.
Three other Appeals have also been lodged with An Bord Pleanala, from An Taisce,
The Irish Georgian Society and from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
October 3rd 2005FOSCC Appeal lodged with An Bord Pleanala...!!
The Appeal against the planning permission for the reordering of St. Colman's Cathedral was officially lodged to An Bord Pleanala in Dublin.
We have been informed that, to date, two other appeals have also been lodged.
The Friends would like to thank those, named and unnamed, who have work tirelessly with us and on our behalf in compiling this appeal.
September 22nd 2005Cobh Councillor makes public statement in opposition to the changes...!!
Councillor Sean O'Connor, who spearheaded a campaign against the proposed re-ordering, has issued the following statement;
"As one of the 2 members of Cobh Town Council who lodged an official objection to the proposed re-oredering of St. Colman's Cathedral, I have now decided that instead of submitting my own individual objection to An Bord Pleanala I will subscribe the fee of €200 to the F.O.S.C.C (Friends of St. Colman's Cathedral) who have employed the country's top legal and architectural experts to appeal the planning application."
Great Island Newsletter [22nd Sept 05]
September 5th 2005Planning Permission is Granted !!
A report prepared by Mr. Des Heffernan, a temporary planning officer, contained an order granting permission for the proposed re-ordering of the Cathedral sanctuary and this was signed by the Cobh Town Clerk, Mr. Paraig Lynch.
July 19th 2005Planning Application made by Trustees !!
McCutcheon Mulcahy Planning Consultants, on behalf of the Trustees of St Colman's Cathedral (Bishop John Magee, Fr. Tim Fouhy and Mr. Tom Cavanagh of Fermoy) applied for planning permission to initiate a re-modelling of the sanctuary after Plans and Drawings prepared by Professor Cahal O'Neill of Dublin.