So near for Nellie
Congratulations to Ms Nellie Shine (Heffernan) winner of €700 in last Saturday’s National Lotto.  Nellie had five of the winning numbers, 1, 2, 3, 14, 19 and 21.  The number she missed out on was No 1.  She usually includes 1, 2 and 3 on one of her selections, but for one reason or another, decided to leave out the important No 1 this time.

Nellie however, is over the moon with her win and was in quite a state of shock when she called to Fethard Post Office on Monday expecting to claim €5 or €7 and was told she won €700 and would have to go to Clonmel to claim her prize as Fethard Post Office was only authorised to pay out prizes up to €500.

Fethard Historical Society thank Tony Newport
The Fethard Historical Society gathered last Saturday night in the Abymill Theatre to say thanks to Tony Newport for his many years of reporting the Fethard Notes to the Clonmel Nationalist. The society also wished to thank him for his help to the society over the years and to the fact that Newport’s shop was a kind of ‘One Stop Shop’ for information on all things to do with Fethard and its people. Mary Hanrahan, PRO Fethard Historical Society, welcomed everyone to the Abymill, especially Tony’s wife Mary, their children and grandchildren.

Joe Kenny, a founding member of the Historical Society, and who is now following in Tony’s footsteps as the Nationalist correspondent, spoke on behalf of the society. He mentioned Tony’s incredible memory, his huge interest in the people of Fethard and his special way with words over all those years.

Tony, in turn, acknowledged that his memory was okay but that he couldn’t spell. Luckily for him (and the readers of the Nationalist!), he said, that his wife Mary was a great speller and he shouted out the awkward words for her to spell as she went about her work and as he tried to meet the Nationalist deadline. Apparently, for many years, the early morning bread van was the last chance of getting the Fethard Notes to Clonmel on time for publication.

A presentation of a framed hunting print was then made to him and Mary Hanrahan again thanked him on behalf of the Fethard Historical Society for a job done so very well indeed and over the past 45 years.

Fethard Bridge Club Results
Results of Fethard Bridge Club game played on Wednesday 19th January are:

1st Gross: Rita Kane and Kay St. John

2nd Gross: Brigid Gorey and Betty Walsh

1st Nett: Mary Quirke and Fr. John Meagher

2nd Nett: Madeleine O’Donnell and Nora Lawrence.

The results of game played on Wednesday 26th January are:

1st Gross: Teresa Cummins and Alice Quinn

2nd Gross: Nell Broderick and David O’Meara

1st Nett: Mike Burke and Bridie Lee

2nd Nett: Marie Delaney and Annie O’Brien

Congratulations to Kay St. John and Rita Kane who won the Club Championship at the Comeragh Bridge Club in Clonmel and to Frances Burke and Betty Walsh who won first gross in the same competition.  Anyone looking for a partner please contact: Annie O’Brien, The Square, Fethard. Tel: 052 31862.

Well done Brian
Well done to Brian Kennedy, a 6th year student of Fethard Patrician Presentation Secondary School, who recently qualified for the Munster quarterfinals of Philosophical Society UCC Second-Level Debate. Brian hopes to study European Business and Transatlantic Studies at Dublin City University. The course will afford him the opportunity of work experience in the USA.

Community Lotto Results
The numbers drawn in the Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto on Tuesday 18th January were: 14, 24, 31 and 32. There was no Jackpot winner and no 'Match 3' winner. Three tickets were drawn and each of the following received €50:

Edwina Newport, Main Street, Fethard

N. Stokes, Fethard

Eleanor Cummins, Everardsgrange, Fethard

The three €50 Lucky Dip winners were:

Patsy Lawrence, Woodvale Walk, Fethard

Caroline Flanagan, Derryluskin, Fethard

Valerie O'Meara, Strylea, Fethard

The numbers drawn in the Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto on Tuesday 25th January were: 1, 7, 20 and 25.  There was no Jackpot winner and two ‘Match 3’ winners who received €75 each:

Edwina Newport, Main Street, Fethard

Katie Wyse, Knockbordan, Fethard

The three €50 Lucky Dip winners were:

Keith Culligan, The Valley, Fethard

Adrian Morrissey, Killusty, Fethard

Monica O'Shea, Woodvale Walk, Fethard

Next weeks Jackpot remains at €10,000 and the Jackpot sellers prize is €1,000.

Killusty Charity Soccer Match for Trust
Killusty (under 30s) - 4, Killusty (over 30s) - 5

As predicted last week, there were goals a-plenty in our charity match last Sunday. The under 30’s (the wannabes) got off the mark with a goal after three minutes from Aaron Kelly. The over 30’s (the has-beens) were then forced to change goalkeeper as Chris Coen was suffering from an old war wound. He was replaced by David ‘The Cat’ Lawton. The has-beens settled after this early set back and after ten minutes Shay Coen scored the first of his three goals. The wannabes took the lead again after twenty minutes and Colm Coen was on hand to score after a slight misjudgement from the keeper. The has-beens then equalised before half time with a second strike by Shay Coen.

The second half wasn’t long underway when a rare strike from Jason ‘Horse’ Nevin flew to the back of the net, but once more Shay Coen equalised for the has-beens, this time from the penalty spot, after he had been unceremoniously bundled over. With twenty minutes to go on the clock, Shane Aylward put the wannabes ahead for the fourth time. The same player was lucky to remain on the pitch later on in the game as he performed a Maradona ‘hand of God’ trick. He was fortunate the referee was so lenient, (or was it that he was so related?).

Then, in what he describes as the turning point in the game, Louis Coen sprang, sorry, that should read, eased from the bench to lead our strike force with Chris, Shay and Martin, while Colm and Brian faced them in defence. With ten minutes on the clock, Martin Coen found himself inside the six yard box where the ball took a deflection off the back of his head and somehow found the net. Then, just as we had planned, with four minutes left to play the has-beens went in front for the first time. After a massive kick out from Tony Shelley, Shay Coen out-jumped the defence to flick the ball on and Jimmy O’Meara, as he has done many times in the past, read the script and was on hand to side foot the ball past a stranded Stephen O’Donnell.

The has-beens then reverted to the seldom-used 7-6-1 formation and though the wannabes huffed and they puffed they couldn’t break down this defensive wall. This was a victory for experience over skill. What we lacked in speed we made up for in weight. The wannabes might feel a little hard done by as the rules of the game were bent slightly out of shape and decisions didn’t always go their way. This was a game that was played in great spirit and it was nice to see so many of our former players back again playing on both sides.

After the game, Martin Ryan presented the Pat Ryan memorial cup to the winning captain Tom Halpin. In his speech, Tom thanked everyone who came to support this worthy cause. He admitted that the best team had probably won and didn’t rule out a re-match sometime after hell had frozen over.

Fethard GAA News
The adult county football league kicks of this weekend when our division two team play in Castleiney against Loughmore on 6th February.  The following thirty-six players are not available for selection: Paul Fitzgerald, Michael Aherne, Karl Maher, Tomás Keane, Alan Phelan, Michael Dillon, Michael Quinlan, Stephen O’Donnell, Kenneth O’Donnell, Tom Anglim, Miceál Spillane, Cian Maher, Damien Byrne, Aiden Fitzgerald, Glen Burke, Brian Coen, Willie Morrissey, John P Looby, Ronan Maher, Ian Kenrick, Willie O’Meara, Jamie McCormack, Brendan Brett, Kenneth Byrne, Eoin Doyle, Shane Walsh, John Noonan, Conor McCarthy, Michael Carroll, P J Aherne, Paul Hackett, Shane Aylward, Shay Ryan, Kevin O’Donnell, Jimmy O’Meara and Brian Burke. The Munster League will be coming up shortly for this panel.  Check sports page for time of match. Membership is now due to our secretary or treasurer, Adult €20, Juvenile €10.
Currently six sub-committees are being formed to help run the club. The club is eager that every club member is afforded an opportunity to participate so within the next few weeks the secretary will be corresponding with all last year’s members, including life members, and those who are already club members for 2005.

We are requesting your willingness to put your name forward so the workload in the club can be distributed evenly to afford this great club to plan for the future. Without your help it will be almost impossible to plan ahead. Club membership forms have been distributed so when retuning your membership fees, €20 Adult and €10 Juvenile, please have your form completed. Thank you.  

The Juvenile Club’s AGM will be held in a few weeks so watch this space for date and time.
The Lotto Jackpot of €2,400 was not won. The numbers drawn in McCarthys were 1, 19, 22 and 23.  We had no match three winner so we drew five €30 Lucky Dips: Nuala McCormack (c/o Cambells Soup, Thurles), Bridget Walsh (Tullamaine), Michael Gould (Claremore), Stephanie Johnson (The Green), Anna Cooke (49 St Patricks Place).  The €50 Lucky Dip went to Willie Harrington (Burke St).

Waterloo Cup in town
There can hardly be a sportsman in the country who has not heard of the Waterloo Cup.  The legendary coursing trophy which has been competed for annually, with very few exceptions, since 1836 was on a two-day visit to Fethard on Thursday and Friday of last week.  The cup which was kindly loaned by Pat O’Loughlin, Gowran, owner of last year’s winner, ‘Why You Monty’, was on display at Newport’s Newsagency, Main Street.

The trophy attracted much attention from a great cross-section of sports followers. It was wonderful to read the list of all the winners from 1836 onwards including the mighty ‘Master McGrath’, winner in 1868, 1870 and 1871.  The Waterloo was not won again by an Irish dog for 86 years until the great Irish trainer, the late Dick Ryan of Clonoulty won it with ‘Old Kentucky Minstrel’ in 1957. Dick repeated the performance five years later with Sean Leahy’s dog ‘Dubedoon’. 

The Irish Waterloo winning sequence has improved immensely in recent years with another great Tipperary trainer, Michael O’Donovan, Tipperary Town, trainer of last year’s winner and the winners of no less than five of the past ten or twelve years.  A Fethard connection with one of Michael’s winners, ‘Judicial Inquiry’, is the fact that ‘Judicial Inquiry’ sire of the Co. Cork winner of recent times ‘Henrietta’, stood at Mick Flanagan’s Kennels at Derryluskin.

The biggest crowd ever is expected at The Withins, Altcar, near Liverpool on February 14th, 15th and 16th. The massive turn out this year is expected as, unfortunately, with the ‘hunting with dogs’ ban law coming into force in England on February 18th, this will be in all probability be the last running of the Blue Riband of coursing events, the one and only and the only one, Waterloo Cup.

Best of luck to Pat O’Loughlin who sets out to retain the Waterloo Cup next week.

The Legend of Kilmaclugh
True privacy, according to a local auctioneer, is to be able to open your front door and pee out without anyone seeing you. The Abbot in the Abbey in Kilmaclugh, Baron Kief, certainly had that luxury, though whether or not he ever used it, we will never know.

The ruins of the Abbey and the graveyard beside it are unknown to many in Fethard.  Kilmaclugh sits nestled on a hillside overlooking the Clashawley river, just above the restored Tinsley bridge. Stand at the gate to the Abbey and look left and you’ll see the turret of Kiltinan Castle, look right and you can see Grove house. These were built after Baron Kief’s time so he and his monks had true privacy.

Legend has it that the abbot and two of his monks went for a walk one day and after walking a while, they lay down in the grass in the shadow of Slievenamon. Suddenly a beautiful bird appeared over their heads and sang a song so enchanting that the three fell into a deep sleep. They slept for a hundred years. When they awoke, one of the monks said, “I hear a call”, but the bird remained and the three drifted off to sleep again for another hundred years. When they awoke the second time. The second monk said, “What troubles thee?” but the bird remained and once again the trio were lulled back to sleep. Yet another hundred years passed before they awoke once more. This time Baron Kief addressed the bird.  “Thou troublest me”, he declared, and the bird disappeared.

The three looked around and noticed a changed landscape. Not realising that they had been asleep for three hundred years, they returned to the Abbey, where they were met by the new abbot and his monks. The old ledgers confirmed that the three had disappeared mysteriously three hundred years earlier.  Baron Kief, realising what had happened, declared that he and his monks would say one more mass in the Abbey before they departed. They chanted the mass with the sweetness of the bird’s tune which had lulled them for three hundred years, and when it was over, they fell to the ground in three piles of dust.  So goes the legend of Kilmaclugh.

(N. Gawe)

Hunting News
The Tipperary Foxhounds had their largest field of the season for their meet at Cloneen on Saturday 29th January.  One of the best days hunting he ever had was how one regular follower described the day’s sport.  While no hunt of great distance or duration took place, hounds with foxes in plentiful supply, were very busy all day.

The best run was enjoyed from Byrne’s Rock in the afternoon.  From this always very reliable find hounds ran through Byrnskill, Quartercross back to Milestown, through Bannixtown and across the Cloneen road to Bennettshill.

The Tipps also had a very nice hunt from their Coolmore meet on the 22nd.  Finding at Kilkennybeg Cross they ran two great circles through Grange, Coolmore, down to the St. Johnstown road and out back to Kennedys’ where he was lost.

The Tipperary Foxhounds committee donated the cap money from the mounted and foot followers at their Kedrah meet on Saturday 8th, plus the proceeds from their Hunt Ball, €5,000 in total, to the Tsunami Disaster Fund.

The Ballylusky White Heather Harriers had a good day from their Golden meet on Sunday last. Drawing down the river Suir banks they found and ran to Cloughleigh Hills.  Finding again under the radio mast, the intervention of two deer did not help matters.  The day concluded with a run from Saddlers back to Cloughleigh.  The White Heathers meet at Cloneen on Sunday 6th February at 12 noon.  The monthly draw takes place in the Archway Bar, Drangan, on Monday 7th February.

Irish Red Cross
The Fethard Branch of the Irish Red Cross wish to thank most sincerely the business community of Fethard and surrounding areas for facilitating them in their effort to collect money for the Asian Disaster. We especially wish to thank the general public for their generosity which amounted to a total of €12,240 collected. (B. Trehy, Hon. Sec.)

Fethard ICA Guild
The next meeting of Fethard ICA will take place on Tuesday 8th February at 8pm in the ICA Hall, Rocklow Road. Our guest speaker will be Mary Madigan who will talk on ‘Energy Wise’.  We will also hold a ‘Bring and Buy’ stall and we encourage all our members to attend.  New members are always more than welcome. Hostesses are the ‘Blue Group’ and the competition, ‘Vase of Spring Flowers’.

Fethard Judo Club
The Welsh Junior Open was held on weekending 15th January and an Irish team of eleven were picked to travel to compete. Two of our members were chosen to compete, Stephanie Lawrence who competed under 70kg and won gold, and Niall O’Donnell who fought extremely well but was unlucky on this occasion.  Better luck next time Niall and well done to both.

The Dublin Closed was held in Finglass last weekend with a large attendance of competitors. Fethard Judo Club maintained their high standard with the following medallists:

Minors: Aobh O’Shea (silver u-27kg), Natalie Cahill (bronze u-33kg), Gerard Gorey (bronze u-34kg), Robert Gorey (silver u-41kg), Gary Bradshaw (silver u-28kg).

Juniors: Niall O’Donnell (silver 37kg), Cathal Gorey (gold u-66kg), Samantha Feery (bronze u-52kg), Stephanie Lawrence (gold plus-73kg), Tom Woodlock (bronze 66kg), Lorraine Feery (silver 44kg), Cormac Britton (bronze 55kg), Padraig O’Shea (bronze 39kg).  Alan Sutcliffe, Alan Brannigan and Jake Walsh also competed in the juniors and fought well but were unlucky not to take home a medal.

Youths: Richard Gorey (gold 73kg), Stephanie Lawrence (gold plus-73kg), Martin O’Donnell (bronze 60kg), Orla O’Donnell (silver 52kg), Samantha Feery (bronze 52kg).  Cathal Gorey fought well in the youths but was unlucky on this occasion.

Seniors: Liam Hally (bronze 90kg), Stephanie Lawrence (gold plus-73kg). Roy Gorey and Richard Gorey also fought in the seniors but were unlucky this time.

Premier Swing Band for Abymill
The very popular twenty-piece Premier Swing Band from Clonmel will pay a return visit to the Abymill Theatre on Friday 11th February.  This time, along with lead singers Irene Malone and Liam Butler, the band will be joined by the Thurles Gospel Singers, which promises to be a not-to-be-missed performance.  Early booking is strongly advised. Tickets at €10 may be booked from O’Flynn’s, Burke Street, Fethard. Tel: 052 31254 or 087 1338961.

Scholarship for Fethard student
Congratulations to Miriam Carroll, a 2004 Leaving Cert student at Fethard Patrician Presentation Secondary School who was recently awarded a scholarship by St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth.  This scholarship is awarded to first year students who scored more than 500 points in their Leaving Cert exam.  Miriam is currently studying Educational Psychology in the college.  A very popular student, Miriam previously represented the school in debating and volleyball competitions. We wish her the best of luck in her studies.