Fethard & Killusty Community Council
The next meeting of Fethard & Killusty Community Council will take place in the Tirry Community Centre on Tuesday 23rd January at 8.30pm. Provisional notice is also given of our Annual General Meeting, which will take place next month, on Tuesday 20th February, at the same venue and same time.

Girl Guides
Girl Guides, Brownies and Ladybirds will resume on Fethard Ballroom on Wednesday 17th January at 7pm. New members welcome, please contact any of the leaders for information.

With the White Heather Harriers
A great crowd of hunting people of all ages, some from across Channel turned out to meet the Ballyluskey White Heather Harriers and the Jessfield Harriers for their joint meet at Foyle, Ballingarry on Sunday last.  Following lavish hospitality dispensed before move-off the joint pack of fifteen-and-a-half couple drew the covert at Mick Fitzgerald’s glen.  The glen proved blank but moving across the road hounds quickly found in Corcoran’s.  Hunting a nice circle the fox ran back to the first draw where he got to ground.  Re-crossing the road hounds found on Walsh’s Hill at Ticknock.  Once again after a good circle they hunted back to Fitzgerald’s where Charlie found refuge.  Drawing back across the road towards Ballintaggart they had the best run of the day, a nice forty minutes of good hound work before they lost him.  Drawing on down across the Ballintaggart road and left-handed to the King’s River and upstream almost to where they met hounds did not find again.  A feature of the days hunting was the large amount of followers that stayed out right to the end until home was blown at 4.30pm.

The weather perhaps and maybe even the hunting could have been better. However, it is all part of this great sport, you take it, weather and hunting, as it comes always remembering that there is no such thing as a bad days hunting, some days are just better than others, and it truly can be said a most enjoyable day was had by all.  Thanks to the committees of both packs who organised the day’s sport and the refreshments and to joint-huntsmen on the day, Donie Slattery of the White Heather Harriers and Seamus Kelly, Master and huntsman of the Jessfield Harriers. 

Fethard GAA Club News
The Annual General Meeting of Fethard GAA Club took place in the Abymill Theatre on Friday 5th January with a fine attendance.  The main officers elected for the coming year 2007 were: President Fr Breen, Chairman Michael O’Dwyer, Secretary Mary Godfrey, Joint Treasurers Nicky O’Shea and Noel Byrne, PRO Noel Byrne, Field Development Denis O’Meara, Youth Officer Liam Hayes, Oifig Na Gaeilge Stiofan Mac Gerailth, Football Under 21 Selectors (2007) Cian Maher, Eoin Doyle and Kenneth O’Donnell. Available players please not they will be getting together this week in preparation for Championship starting in February 2007. Team selections and any other business will be discussed at the adjourned AGM on Friday 19th January.

Goal Mile
Many thanks to all of you who participated in the goal mile on Christmas Day, it was great to see the familiar smiling faces gathered and raring to step it out for this worthy cause once again.  Numbers were a bit back this year probably as the weather was not as good as it was last year, although it seemed to encourage some of our professional athletes who ran twice round completing two miles and still getting in before the first of the walkers. A total of €930 was raised on the day. Special thanks to Waltie Maloney and Catherine Newport who helped out at short notice this year.

Fethard Bridge Club Results
Fethard Bridge Club results for game played on 3rd January were:

1st Gross: Betty Walsh and Brigid Gorey;
2nd Gross: Frances Burke and Breda Walsh;

1st Nett: Carmel Condon and Brendan Kenny;
2nd Nett: Mike Burke and Bridie Lee.

On Wednesday next 17th January we play for prizes sponsored by Berney Myles and Alice Quinn. Anyone looking for a partner contact Berney Myles at 32038.

Presley family visit Fethard
Last week, three generations of the Presley family paid a visit to Fethard. Priscilla, wife of Elvis, their daughter Lisa Marie and her children called in to McCarthy’s. They were enjoying a few days in Ireland staying in Gurteen Castle with their friends Gottfried and Renatta Helnwein.

The visit was a low-key affair and the family and their entourage were able to enjoy a few pints and the singsong that started without the popping of paparazzi cameras. They were happy to pose for a picture for the McCarthy family to hang on the wall before heading back to Gurteen.

Open Coursing Club Draw Results
The results of Fethard Open Coursing Club fundraising draw are as follows:

1st Prize €500: M. Fitzgibbons, c/o Clonmel Track;
2nd Prize €200: Jessica Moloney, c/o Bridge Bar, Fethard;
3rd Prize €100: S. O’Donnell, Mount Taylor, Killenaule;
4th Prize Bottle Brandy   Michael Shine, Congress Terrace, Fethard. 

The Committee would like to express their sincere thanks to all who supported their draw.

The Camp at Market Hill 1832
The following article was published in the Tipperary Free Press on Wednesday 18th July 1832 and relates to a planned Anti-Tithe meeting at Market Hill on 16th July 1832.

(Tithe, generally defined as, “the tenth part of the increase arising from the profits of land and stock”, was a tax on all agricultural land excepting only church lands and glebes and urban areas. The Act of Union was passed in 1801. This controversial British legislation bolstered the status of Protestant landowners, and the imposition of exorbitant rents and heavy tithes on lands leased by Catholic tenant farmers brought extreme poverty to the county. Evictions throughout the 19th century were all too frequent and often merciless. The rise of Daniel O'Connell gave the oppressed a voice, however, and anti-tithe protests and mass meeting were widespread across the county. In response to public outrage amongst Irish farmers, the first Tenant Protection Society was established at Callan village, County Kilkenny. Its aim was to obtain fixed rents for tenant farmers. Its members also pledged not to take the land of any evicted tenant who had been prepared to pay a set, fixed rent.)

 “An early hour on Sunday morning, 16th July 1832, Market hill (the place appointed for holding an Anti-Tithe meeting) was covered by a large military and police force, consisting of detachments from the 6th Dragoons, 97th Infantry, and 92nd Highlanders, some Artillery, and three pieces of cannon, headed by Doctor Fitzgerald, Stipendiary Magistrate. The entire of this formidable array, held undisputed possession of the Hill, and the Officers in command evidently used their knowledge of tactics in disposing their forces on the ground; thus they continued until about one o’clock, when Stipendiary Magistrate thought proper to withdraw a ‘portion’ of his Majesty’s forces, and entered the town — leaving still however, the Artillery, Highlanders, and a few Dragoons to prevent, I suppose, the hill from being taken by surprise, of which you may rest assured there was no danger, as, tho’ the town was thronged with people, there was not a single man discernable on the Hill but a soldier or a ‘peeler’.

There certainly was also a large congregation of ‘gingerbread women!’ who disappointed as well as others who were to take a more active part in the days proceedings, growled forth their impatience and dissatisfaction at being obliged to stand like weathercocks, subject to the disagreeable wind which blew all day and which bore on each blast a cloud of dust. The effect, however, was truly picturesque; there stood the pieces of the cannon, disposed within a few feet of each other, on a little rising ground, the artillery men standing all around, or leaning on the carriages, with sponge in hand, ready for action; in another space were to be seen the muskets of the foot soldiers, fancifully piled, with their owners lying leisurely round, or sauntering idly in their vicinity.

In one quarter were groups of officers of the different regiments, some dismounted, leaning on their horses, other on their swords — beneath them the town, towards which every eye was turned and all discussing the one grand topic, viz, the ridiculous figure they cut in being obliged to stand the gaping of all the little country boys and girls, who were the only witness on the hill to admire this military display.

I should have stated that owing to some defect in the requisition calling the anti-tithe meeting that its postponement had taken place, of which course the magistrate and military were not aware, nor were many also who came from any great distance and who thronged the town. Some expressions of a hostile nature to the people, having fallen from the military and being communicated to the respected Parish Priest, he with the most praiseworthy activity, proceeded in person to clear the town of strangers, in which good work he was well seconded by the Rev Messrs Burke and Laffan. Mr John O’Meagher, Doctor Kelly, Mr William Hickey at student of St. Johns College. I never saw anything more peaceable than the conduct of the people who were not to be goaded into any breach of the law — I am sorry, I cannot speak in terms of praise of the military — here you could not say, ‘That many a rose is born to blush unseen’.

For only the ‘Rose’ present was the Major who was so conspicuous at Cullen. This man seemed, by his bearing, to forget the trials which his own country, Scotland, endured, during her memorable resistance to church innovation. The police were more steadily and well conducted, but there was no one to commit a breach of the peace, or to come within the meaning of Sir William Gossett’s circular, except ‘Florence the fool’ and Hawks a pensioner. Poor Florence wore green ribands in is cap and that was enough to cause ‘terror and alarm’. Hawks is a ‘Waterloo hero’, he is quite deaf, and when the military were marching into town he did not hear the horses approaching until on of them trod on his heels. Hawks raised up his arm to protect himself and to keep the horse back — the dragoon drew his sword and swore he would make use of it, if Hawks did not go out of the way. Hawks and the fool were put under an arrest, and the redoubted Major Rose pledged ‘his honour’ he would deprive the brave Waterloo man of his pension.

With these exceptions, the military and police here found nothing to criminate the uniformly well-conducted people of Fethard, (or of the other persons who assembled from different parts of the country during the day).”

— (R.T.F.P.)

Dumping at Watergate
We’ve had complaints of some illegal dumping at Watergate, which is very unsightly and certainly doesn’t help our growing tourist industry. We ask the offenders to please stop and use the proper waste disposal channels available and as far as litter is concerned, remember, if you are caught littering in South Tipperary you will receive a €125 on-the-spot fine.

There are many ways to safely dispose of household goods and hazardous waste including batteries, fluorescent tubes, polish, adhesives, weed killer, cleaning agents, bleaches, waste oils and old medicines. There is a free service offered by the Waste Management Section of South Tipperary County Council. For further information contact the Waste Management Office at Tel: 1800 20 26 27.