Cork - Event Notice
Thursday January 01 1970

People's Picnic at the Old Head of Kinsale

cork | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice

Thursday July 12, 2007 09:52

by Old Head - Free the Old Head of Kinsale

(086) 3004573

Ten years of denial of public access

2007 marks the tenth anniversary of the blocking off of public access from one of Ireland's most breathtaking scenic headlands - the Old Head of Kinsale. On August 26th next a tenth anniversary "People's Picnic" will be held to mark this shameful milestone and continue the struggle.

A previous protest at the Old Head of Kinsale

In 1997 an ultra-exclusive millionaire's playground named the "Old Head Golflinks" was opened by Ashbourne Holdings at the Old Head of Kinsale, one of Ireland's most scenic headlands with a huge historic, archaeological and environmental importance.

Although Ashbourne Holdings does not own the entire headland, nor can they legally ever own the foreshore, they immediately restricted public access which had been enjoyed for many centuries. For a period they charged for people to enter although were always selective about this and eventually they blocked off access to all but an exclusive coterie of golfers and hangers-on.

From an early stage there has been widespread opposition to this and local people, along with many daytrippers and foreign vistors complained about the tactic, but to no avail. Then the Free the Old Head of Kinsale campaign was formed to fight for the restoration of public access and this group has held numerous protests at the Old Head in the form of "People's Picnics" at the headland, some of which have attracted hundreds of people. These protests have included incursions as people assert their right to walk the headland where their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents walked.

There have been a number of court hearings on the matter, mainly on planning related issues and later this year the High Court is expected to air the issue of public access at last.

The Old Head is breathtakingly beautiful and is a place of rare flora and fauna, such as Ireland's only reptile, the tiny vivaparous lizard. It is also a recognised bird sanctuary and a great place for whale and dolphin watching, with 70ft long fin whales not an uncommon sight offshore. There are archaeological remains of an Iron Age fort along with the more recent De Courcey's castle which is decaying rapidly and whose walls have been incorporated into the golf courses' fortifications of high walls, razor wire and fencing, not to mention the heavy-handed security and cctv cameras.

On Sunday, 26th August next the Free the Old Head of Kinsale campaign will hold its next People's Picnic at the Old Head, commencing at 2pm. In the meantime we invite you to visit the Old Head and make your protest at the gates at the denial of access which had been established for generations.

On this 10th Anniversary of the jailing of the Old Head, help us set it free by joining us on 26th August.

We hope to run a car-pool on the day. Please watch this page for details closer to the date as well as public notices.

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Comments (3 of 3)

Car Pool from Cork city centre

by John - Free the Old Head

Thu Aug 23, 2007 14:05

A car pool will operate from Cork City centre, leaving at 12.30pm from outside Cork Opera House, Emmet Place.

Protect Your Heritage (on Heritage Week!) - join the People's Picnic at the Old Head of Kinsale.

Private (public stay out)

by Golfer

Wed Apr 15, 2015 10:24

Only the wealthy and the elite members of society can avail of this beautiful creation. The cost is beyond many in society.

They don't need nor do we want the ordinary person out there.

It's a rich mans playground for the rich and famous.

However,if you ever get to play this course it was voted by the golf magazine of America as the most spectacular golf course on earth 2011.

For those not privileged to play at old head,there are other courses nearby to play such as kinsale and Bandon.

I request that my indentity be private and not published.

Decision on access to Old Head of Kinsale.

by T

Thu Apr 16, 2015 00:01

When the capitalists stole the Old Head of Kinsale from the public for their own use, they were supposed to allow public access but didn't in practice and of course the law in that case wasn't applied although it may be now.

Reported from The Examiner, Cork County Council have finally been asked to rule on it.

CORK County Council has been asked to rule on the amount of access which the public has to the Old Head of Kinsale.

The owners of the golf club were recently granted a publican’s licence for the clubhouse bar – meaning the public have to get access to the building, at least.

As reported exclusively in The Southern Star last month, Ashbourne Holdings was granted the licence for its clubhouse after a hearing by Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin.

During the hearing, Ashbourne director Margaret O’Connor gave an undertaking that no barriers would be placed preventing access to the public at the entrance gate.

According to the Friends of the Irish Environment, (FIE), this should mean a return to the terms of the original planning permission guaranteeing the public access to the lighthouse and the area ‘marginal to the neck and the northern rim of the headland to the old lighthouse’.

Access to the site was the subjected of long and protracted legal debate some years ago.

Under the Planning and Development Acts, on payment of an €80 fee, any member of the public may ask a local authority to clarify the planning status of any development, including a change of use.

A statement from Friends of the Irish Environment this week said: ‘Because this change of use now includes the operator’s legal commitment to allow access to the Old Head, we are advised that it is now open to the planning authority to revisit its original conditions.’

A number of years back the Cork branch of the WSM ran a campaign against it's closure.

Some links to that campaign are:
http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2002/kinsaleMARCH.html
http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2001/kinsale_july2.html
http://www.wsm.ie/c/high-court-old-head-kinsale
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/52982

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People's Picnic at the Old Head of Kinsale

Comments (3 of 3)