2009 saw Perks Entertainment Centre, Youghal celebrate 80 years in the family entertainment business with a whole host of events planned throughout the year!

The Perks story is a magical one, steeped in family tradition.  It all began with William and Violet Perks (fondly known as Jumbo & V) and their determination to bring their show all around the country and beyond.

Jumbo came from humble beginnings.  At the age of 11 once the school day was over, the remainder of the day was spent shovelling coal into bunkers.

Jumbo however had another love, playing the violin, – taught to him by his music teacher mother.  V, on the other hand came from a family with a long tradition in the funfair.   George McDonald, V’s Grandfather from Scotland regularly visited Youghal on his travels around Ireland.  The couple (Jumbo & V) were to marry in Dungarvan in 1929 and together put on their first funfair performance in Limerick.  A steam engine was used to pull all the funfair equipment with the couple’s wedding presents provided the prizes on the spinner!

Having toured the length and breadth of the country, the couple developed a great fondness for Youghal.  They operated on the site of the strand church, in fact performing there in an effort to raise funds to build the Church!  At this stage the fair now included dodgem cars, chair-o-planes and swinging boats.  From here couple went onto purchase a significant piece of land in Claycastle, Youghal, and brought in performers from all round the world!  One of the more famous names to perform was Ida Bulga who was a Zulu, and a ‘snake charmer’. He was also famous for breaking glass bottles and doing a war dance in his bare feet without a single cut! Wearing African Zulu garments (very little!) with a spear and shield, the show soon became the talk of the region.

By this point the couple’s show was beginning to expand, as was their family.  Jumbo & V, were by now proud parents to George, Betty & Neddy.  The family however were to suffer a devastating blow.  Betty, on a trip to Bristol was cruelly crushed to death in a freak accident in a hotel lift.  Jumbo and V never recovered from the incident, but being the true professionals they were carried on with the show.

During the ‘60’s the family branched out into another form of entertainment – hosting some of the most famous showbands in the country in their newly purpose-built ballroom on their site in Youghal.  These included the ‘Dixielanders’, Brendan Boyer and the Royal Showband and Alkabilik.  From here Jumbo set up bingo and entertainment shows and contracted an Italian Agency for fun fairs, selling bumper cars all round Europe.

Jumbo at this point was one of the largest and best employers in Youghal, but the most famous of his employees was Tiny Culley, – all of 7ft 6”, and listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the Tallest man in Ireland!

Jumbo was to become honorary president of the European Showman’s Guild and was instigator of the much needed ‘school teacher with every circus’.  At that point a lot of children travelled with their families.  An extremely fit man, Jumbo swam 365 days a year in the sea, loved shooting, his dogs and walking.  At the age of 75 he could walk at least 20 miles in a day Near the end of Jumbo & V’s days Philip and Sal Tivy took over the show, continuing the family tradition.   They too travelled Ireland.  At this stage many festivals were taking place including the first street carnival in Cork.

‘Cork 800’ was to prove to be one of the family’s greatest successes as they operated a funfair in the Showgrounds area of the city.  In the summer season the fair operated in Youghal.

Sal was honoured with being the first Grand Marshall in the Cork St. Patrick’ Day Parade and in turn received many awards for appearing in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

A close family friend of the Tivy’s was none other than The Vice President of Disney, – Ted Crowell, and was a regular visitor to the Tivy household. Ted went on to become Godfather to the couple’s youngest son Warren.  Both Gavin (the couple’s eldest son) and Warren spent many summers in California seeing the best of Disney.  Sal Tivy credits Ted Crowell with introducing them to costume characters and came up with the idea of Perkie Bear – now synonymous with Perks today.

Philip & Sal Tivy worked for many years in Hong Kong during the winter when the weather was too bad for work in Ireland.  In fact the Chinese Government requested they go to China at one point and build an Amusement Centre with 200 staff.  Philip Tivy duly built the Centre with the help of his Irish staff and local labour.

Upon their return from China the family set up business close to the site on the ‘Strand’ where Sal’s grandparents first performed all those years ago.

80 years on and the Tivy’s are proud to carry on the wonderful line of show business.  Perks Family Entertainment Centre operates one of the most successful family entertainment centre’s in the country offering bowling, lazer, adventure play, and casino and leisureplex.

“For each and every one of us show people we know that regardless of what situation we are in – the show must go on” (Sal Tivy, Proprietor, Perks Entertainment Centre).