FETHARD NOTES ARCHIVE

Saturday 20th June 2009

 

First underage County Championship for Fethard girls
All roads led to New Inn on Saturday last for the Under-12 Ladies ‘D’ Football County Final between Fethard and Clonmel Óg. This was our first underage final.
Playing with the wind in the first half, Fethard led by five points at half-time playing against the wind. We never gave up throughout the remaining half and finished winners on a score of 1-8 to 0-4. We didn’t have it all our own way with Clonmel Óg putting up a strong performance in the second half.
Biddy Ryan, representing the County Board, presented the shield to team captain, Annie Prout. Overall it was a great team performance with all players showing enormous determination to win. Well done to all and in particular the team manager Michael Hayes and his crew of helpers, Michael Ryan, Thomas McCarthy, Maureen McCarthy and many parents and supporters.
The juniors are in full training presently and all are welcome to join the club at any time. Age is no limit so please come along.
The successful county winning team and subs on Saturday last were: Chloe Burke, Laura Ryan, Kate Davy, Aileen Butler, Amy Tynan, Kayleigh Higgins (0-1), Kiya Burke, Katie Butler (0-3), Annie Prout (0-3), Clodagh Bradshaw (1-0), Jessie McCarthy, Alannah Cody, Laura Butler, Rebecca Kenny, Katie Ryan, Sally Butler, Rebecca McCarthy, Ciara Hayes, Megan McCarthy (0-1), Megan Coen, Molly O'Meara, Carrie Davy, Caoimhe O'Meara and Leah Coen.

Jack fights for his country
Congratulations and best wishes to Jack Connolly, The Green, a member of Clonmel Boxing Club, on being selected on the Irish International Schoolboys Boxing Squad. Following a telephone conversation from the National Boxing Stadium, Dublin, during the week, Jack who is two times All-Ireland Champion, will fight in his first International contest for Ireland against England, in Lawlors Hotel, Dungarvan, on Sunday 28th June.
Jack who is on a strict diet and training regime for the past number of weeks is in great shape and is really looking forward to this challenge in what has been an amazing journey for the past two years in the life of this talented and promising young boxer.
Again great credit is due to Jacks coach and mentor, Martin Fennessy of Clonmel Boxing Club — one of the best boxing clubs in the country. Last but not least, Jack, best of luck from all your family and friends.

‘Two Continents, One Gospel’ – ongoing Augustinian Mission Appeal
Four years ago, following a pastoral visit to Ecuador, Fr. Gerry Horan made an appeal on behalf of his Irish Augustinian colleagues working there. Your generous response in August '07 was as outstanding as in July '05. Your contributions helped hugely towards the continuation of daily, nutritious meals for children who might otherwise remain malnourished. The ‘Friends of The Abbey’ are hoping their up-coming Golf Classic & raffle will secure the continuation of these school meals for a few more years.
Fr. Gerry's travels have also taken him to Kenya and to Nigeria, where the Irish Augustinians are making heroic efforts to better the situation of the local people. A share of the proceeds from the planned Golf Classic will fund the payment of teachers in Augustinian mission schools in both countries.
To quote Fr. Gerry, “My abiding memory from visiting each mission, be it in Kenya, Ecuador or Nigeria, is the poor standard of living and the big difference even a modest financial contribution can make. Every cent collected over the past four years ago has gone directly to our Augustinian mission projects, the same will apply on this occasion.”
The ‘Friends of The Abbey’ are busy organising a Golf Classic at Slievenamon Golf Course on Saturday 27th June '09  where the format is a three-ball scramble and team entry fee is €60. Should you wish, you can sponsor a Green for €50, or sponsor a Tee €50. Raffle tickets are on sale at €1 each at the Abbey house or from any committee member. For further information and entry forms, please contact: Brendan Kenny,  Niamh Moroney, Nell Broderick, Bernard Walsh, Agnes T Evans, Kitty Delany, Mary Healy or Rita Walsh.

Fethard and Killusty Community Games
Well done to all competitors from Fethard and Killusty area who travelled to Templemore on Sunday last to compete in County Athletics Finals. Congratulations to Ben Coen, son of Shay and Anne Killusty, who won a silver medal in the under-8 boys 60m event. Other children who participated were Annika and Joseph O’Connor, Darragh Lynch, Jack Spillane, Paul Moloney, Laura Kiely, Darragh Bradshaw, Alex O’Donovan, Jack Dolan, Liam and Kate Quigley. Athletics is always a highly competitive event and I’m sure everybody enjoyed the experience of competing on the tartan track despite the rain and are already looking forward to next year.

ICA Guild summer outing
Fethard ICA Guild’s summer outing this year will take place on Thursday 2nd July.
The first stop will be at the Delta Sensory Gardens, Strawhall, Carlow. Set up in 2002, there are numerous gardens on the 2.5 acres site, designed by many famous garden designers, including Mary Reynolds, gold medal winner at Chelsea, Elma Fenton, another Chelsea winner, and international designer, Gordon Ledbetter.
The next stop will be Rathmore Garden Centre, Tullow, followed by dinner at Hotel Kilkenny where we finish the day.
Any member planning to travel who hasn't yet given their name, are asked to phone Anne Gleeson at 6131455 or Anne Horan at 6131411 as soon as possible. As always non-members are very welcome to join us. Bus will be leaving the Square at 10.15am sharp.

Anastasia heading for 106th birthday
On Sunday 5th July, Anastasia Kealy will surly break a lot of records when she celebrates her 106th birthday. Stasia, alert and well, is an aunt of Liz Sheehan, St. Patrick’s Place, and speaking about her long life says, “I never smoked or I never drank and I don’t know the taste of whiskey and I don’t know the taste of wine.” Looking back on how she has lived her life she added: “I never said or did anything bad to anyone, thank God, and anyone I could help out I did. That’s the way I lived.”
Originally from Ballinphrace near Rathdowney in Co. Laois, Stasia is the last surviving member of the Kealy family and has outlived her 12 siblings, six of whom didn’t survive childhood. She has never travelled outside of Ireland, but contently looks back on her life and at a time when things were simpler.
In recent years Stasia moved to live in Castledermot where she now resides. We congratulate her on this special occasion and wish her a very Happy Birthday!

Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto
The numbers drawn on 10th June were 6, 14, 24 and 27.  We had no Jackpot winner and two ‘Match 3’ winners who received €75 each:
Nora O'Meara, Cloneen, Fethard;
Johanna Bradshaw, Drumdeel, Fethard.
The three following Lucky Dip winners received €50 each:
Maura Meagher, c/o N. Donovan;
Marion Noonan, Drangan;
Ellen Morrissey, Barrack Street, Fethard.
Next week’s Jackpot continues at €10,000 and the Jackpot sellers prize is €1000.
You can now also play our lotto online from your own computer by visiting www.fethard.com/lotto.

Fethard & Killusty Community Council
The next meeting of Fethard & Killusty Community Council will take place on Tuesday 23rd June at 8.30pm in the Tirry Centre, Barrack Street.

Election 2009 – The Local Perspective
The Irish Local Government structure provides a forum for the building and expression of community identity.  One of the main benefits of local government is the very fact that it is local and therefore accessible to us all.  In its role as a mouthpiece of shared community interests a local authority can factor an area’s history, geography, political culture and economy into its decision-making process. Elected councillors are the supreme decision-makers in any local authority and most candidates go forward with a general commitment to serve the community.  The recently held elections have brought forward a new mix of councillors to represent the Fethard Electoral Area for the next five years.  These are Cllr. Jimmy O’Brien (FG); Cllr. John Fahey (FG); Cllr. Joe Brennan (FG); Cllr. Denis Landy (Lab); Cllr. Eddie O’Meara (Ind) and Cllr. Sylvia Cooney-Sheehan (FF).
This was Jimmy O’Brien’s first time contesting the local elections. He had been co-opted onto South Tipperary County Council during 2006 following the untimely death of his father, Michael.  Fittingly, the third anniversary of this event occurred on day before the elections were held.  Wow, what an impression did Jimmy make at the polls! He topped the poll with a massive 2438 first preference votes (accounting for 23.9% of total votes) and was duly elected on the first count with an excess of almost 1000 votes over quota.  It is believed that this is the highest vote ever achieved in the Fethard Electoral Area.  Well done, Jimmy.  Elections aside, it had been a busy time for Jimmy as the newest member of his family was born during the week.  Indeed, the celebrations at the count centre, on Saturday, were made all the sweeter for Jimmy and family with the surprise arrival of his wife, Úna, and baby Tiernan to cheer him on.
Jimmy would like to express his sincere gratitude to the people of Fethard and surrounding area for their support to him throughout the election campaign and, especially, on Election Day.  He looks forward to representing the people of Fethard into the future and pledges to continue to work for the betterment of the entire area.  Jimmy is intent on maintaining the hands-on approach he has developed in his role as public representative and firmly believes in developing direct lines of communication with those who seek his assistance.  During the campaign trail Jimmy found that the single biggest issue was the deplorable state of many rural roads and he considers that one of the greatest challenges facing the local authority is the consequences of the discontinuation of small grants, such as the housing adaptation grant.  He believes that, for a relatively low cost, these grants benefit people and greatly improve their situation and, looking at the wider picture, enable people to stay in their own home for as long as possible, negating the much bigger cost, to the State, for nursing home care. Looking to the future, Jimmy would like to see the significant tourism potential, and associated benefits, of Fethard being realised.  He would also like to see the provision of adequate childcare and eldercare facilities in each community throughout the area. 
A stalwart of South Tipperary County Council, and former Chairman (2007-2008), Cllr. John Fahey is commencing his third term as a public representative for the Fethard Area.  John would like to thank the people of Fethard for the support shown to him during the election campaign.  He would particularly like to thank Fethard Community Council, Fethard Historical Society and the many other organisations with whom he has worked for the past ten years and looks forward to continuing to work with them into the future.  In his time as Councillor John has seen much progress in the workings of the local authority, he believes that the current collaboration between the various sections within the Council itself and also between the Council and other organisations greatly benefits the general public and community groups.  He says that there is much co-ordination of services, both internally and externally, and ‘joined-up-thinking’ is, slowly, becoming a reality.  This situation is a big improvement from a time when each group worked in isolation with little or no contact with others.
The main issues that John came across when he was canvassing were worries in relation to jobs, people had either lost their job or were fearful that they would lose them, and the state of the roads, there was much criticism of the ineffectiveness of tar and chippings.  John believes that the major challenge for the Council, in addition to the roads, is the public water supply.  He considers that the quality of water is a big concern and that it is necessary that adequate funds are secured to develop the, long-promised, Fethard Regional Water Scheme.
Cllr. Fahey has identified the following projects to be addressed in Fethard.  The acquisition and development of the lands at Rocklow Road to include a Childcare Centre, Playground, Amenity Area and extended pitch and sports areas; Improvement to the Town Wall following the recent allocation of €85,000 funding; an overall plan for the Town Hall with a view to getting it back to its original best and a building to be proud of; to ‘sell’ the uniqueness of Fethard as a tourist attraction and to promote the development of additional tourist accommodation; to avail of the role of the Heritage Officer, Labhaoise McKenna, especially in the education of young children so that they will develop a lifelong appreciation of their hometown and the provision of a full time professional Youth Worker for the area.
John considers that the people of Fethard should be proud of the history and heritage of the town.  He acknowledges the ongoing work carried out by organisations such as the Community Council and the Historical Society and looks forward to creating and maintaining links, in whatever way he can, between them and the County Council.
The following extract ‘The County Councillor’s Song’, taken from the recently published ‘All Politics is Local: A Guide to the Local Elections in Ireland’, was first printed in 1900.  Is it still true today?
I am a county councillor, a very public man
To benefit the people I’ll do everything I can;
In all my waking moments for their welfare I will scheme
And in the arms of Morpheus of improvements I will dream.
local legislator and a man of high renown,
I am the county councillor, the greatest man in town.

Fethard Macra
Congratulations to club member Michael Moclair who is the new chairperson of Macra in South Tipperary. The club AGM was held recently and officers elected on the night were: Chairperson: Michael Moclair, Secretary: Una Shanahan, Treasurer: Edmund Horan, P.R.O: David Fanning. Forthcoming events taking place include South Tipperary’s Annual Raft Race which will take place in Golden near Cashel on Saturday 27th June. Prizes are awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and also for best-designed raft. The entry fee is €40 and there will be a BBQ and DJ after the race. Clodagh Macra in North Tipperary are hosting an ice-cream fun day at the Templederry Community Centre for Down Syndrome Ireland on 28th June. The semifinal of the farm skills competition will take place at the Dunmanway show in Co. Cork on 5th July. We wish the best of luck to our team from Fethard – Michael, Edmund and Noel – who are representing South Tipperary this year. For further information about our club contact Michael (087-9019443) or email fethardmacra@gmail.com or check out our Macra page ‘FethardM’ on Bebo.

 





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