A moment from the past
The continuing lack of golf continues to provide an opportunity to delve into the archives and this week a photograph from 1979 proved interesting, recording as it does a major change to the clubhouse.
The building was originally constructed in 1972 when the club moved to its present location in Corrin. The photograph was taken outside the clubhouse to mark the official opening of the newly added extension comprising of the office and porch. It includes the three principal officers - president Jim McCarthy, lady captain Mary Nyhan and men’s club captain Kevin O’Farrell. While some of those in the photo have sadly gone to their eternal reward, others are still with us and a few are active members of the club. Several would have been well known businessmen in the community. Two gentlemen were unknown to me, luckily Michael Hickey a former competition secretary and also in the photo, identified them. One was the engineer a Mr O’Keeffe from Mallow who it is thought worked on various projects for golf clubs in the area; the other Sean Keating, a local builder, who constructed the extension. Sean also happens to be a cousin of our member Brendan Lyons through his grandfather Michael Kearney RIP, a member for many years whose late wife Ellen (Brendan’s grandmother) was lady captain in 1982. Sean later built The Firgrove Hotel in Mitchelstown. The late John T Barry, a local vet,
was a former president of Fermoy GC but on this occasion he was cutting the ribbon in his official capacity as a member of the Munster Branch of the GUI.
Time doesn’t stand still, and buildings can change and grow over the years as our clubhouse has. But change only comes by the hard work of members willing to give their time and it lovely to have photographic records of those members who did just that. Hopefully,
work will commence very soon on the laying of new patio around our clubhouse once NPHET restrictions are eased and photographs of this work will become part of our club’s archive.
While we await our return to golf, a wait that unfortunately on the news this week appears will go on very much longer than any of us anticipated when the current lockdown began in January. We can only hope and pray that the vaccine will
become available to all very soon and we can get back to living normal lives. Somehow, I don’t think many of us will take our freedom for granted ever again.
CONDOLENCES
President Niall, lady captain Oonagh and captain Gerry on behalf of all the members, extend their sincere sympathy to Michael Leonard and family on the passing of his sister Barbara. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.