MEMORIES 2000 FROM THE ARCHIVES

THIS WEEK 21 YEARS AGO

There are two sides (at least) to every story, demonstrated as the front page of The Avondhu 21 years ago carried a retort from four Castletownroche publicans against an earlier accusation that the Welcome Home Festival AGM was badly supported by local businesses. They found it ‘offensive in the extreme’ and hit back at the accusatory spokesperson and their remarks.

Glanworth’s Fat Salad were supported by a crowd of over 100 people in the Beamish & Crawford premises in Cork, at the launch of their CD ‘ Give Them a Chance’, with Adi Roche and Patricia Messenger on hand to launch the charity single.

In Kildorrery, a ‘foul smell’ had locals exasperated. The odour, like ‘rotting flesh’, was an intermittent problem for a number of years. One local had their suspicions as to the source, but it remained unidentified in the article.

The editorial this week 21 years ago wondered at the wisdom of demolishing a building like the Royal Hotel (Fermoy) and letting the site for ‘months on end as a gaping hole in the streetscape’.

In Fermoy, the Thrift Shop celebrated its 12th year with an extensive refurbishment. Meanwhile, in Ballyduff Upper, the Credit Union officially opened its doors, as did the Millennium Hall.

There was anger in Castlegrace, outside Clogheen, as The Cross Bar’s new owners were intending to sell the premises and the licence, leaving the area with no bar. Strong feelings were directed particularly towards the previous owners and the auctioneer for their failure to disclose the new owner’s plans.

Kildorrery’s prize mare Function Dream gave another profitable performance, as she secured £22,000 at Newbury.

There was a victory of sorts for the residents of ‘Pyke Road’ in

Mitchelstown, as people who had dumped rubbish were successfully nabbed and fined £50 by Cork County Council. However, the council didn’t actually take the rubbish away, and now it was blowing into a nearby field and the road!

TheAvondhu Classifieds had a fine selection of second-hand cars for sale. Amongst the listings were four Fiestas, three Opel Vectras, a Fiat 127 hot rod and a ‘crashed Vauxhall Cavalier’. A 1989 Ford Fiesta van was up for £650, or to swap for a motorbike!

In Mellerary, the community pulled together to help three elderly neighbours whose home had been gutted by fire. Fundraising for materials was bolstered by local volunteers working on the refurbishment to aid the unlucky locals.

Ken Molan, Nell Coughlan and Brendan Reid of Mitchelstown Golf Club graced the front page in February 2001 with plans for the new section of land the club had acquired.

Kenya native and Castlelyons resident Benni Oburu visited Adair Primary School, Fermoy, with her anti-racism programme. Promoting understanding in a country that was ‘fast becoming multicultural’, Benni was determined to master her Gaeilge tongue before her citizenship test.

In the Agri pages, a poem appeared from Joe Chamberlain, on the subject of BSE: “I’m a much maligned poor cow, My master calls me Daisy. I’m healthy as a young sea trout, I’m neither mad, nor cracked, nor crazy…. The experts all though in confusion, Have come up with one solution. Into the fire poor Daisy goes, a victim of confusion.”

A comprehensive write-up by Matt McGrath 21 years ago covered the Castlepook caves near Doneraile, and an excavation that unearthed 34,000 bones by a Mr Ussher, including that of a Giant Mammoth and a Black Bear. The writer concluded with a criticism of the decision to house the findings, and the Doneraile St Leger documents, in Dublin. “They (the bones) were found here and taken from here, so our children don’t have a

chance to see them.”

An open letter was penned by the PL1 English Class of St Fanahan’s College, Mitchelstown querying the council’s wisdom of building a wide footpath outside the school, that impeded traffic and to add insult, was not disabled accessible. The whole project was deemed expensive and unnecessary: “If we, as 16 year old students can see this, why not the county engineer?”

Mitchelstown Fire and Rescue service celebrated over 60 years serving the community, with Mr Mossie Fitzgerald honoured with an award for 20 years service. Also, an article featured in 2001 on the late John Joe Cotter of

Coolnakilla. The founder member of the Coolnakilla Harriers had passed away in January of that year.

In Fermoy, the St Colman’s were through to the Harty Cup final

against St Flannans, Ennis. CBS handballers John Horgan from Kilworth and Michael John Meaney from Ballyporeen, were victorious in the Munster Schools handball competition.

Shane Thornton of Fermoy/Grange AC took silver in the Welsh Indoor International, while Kildorrery GAA saw new sponsors in the form of Josephine and Ted Enright.

Assistant Chief Fire officer in Mitchelstown, Michael Kelleher congratulating Mossie Fitzgerald on his 20 years service with the Mitchelstown Fire Brigade, at a function in 2001, in the presence of colleages back l-r: Bob Dalton, Thomas O’Shea, Verling Fitzgerald, Sean Walsh, Denis Power, Michael Curtin and Moss Kenneally; and front: Michael Carolan (left - station officer) and Tom O’Brien (right - sub officer).

Scout leaders, with the newly formed girls scout troop in Rathcormac - leaders, back l-r: Jennifer Collins, Lorraine Collins, Claire Murphy and Gwen Ryan; front l-r: Elaine Keane, Martina Healy, Aoife Ryan, Michelle Boyce and Avril Finnegan.

At a drug awareness meeting in Ballyporeen in February 2001, were front l-r: Garda PJ Ryan (Clogheen), Garda Alan McGovern (Cahir), Sgt Jim Lynch (Cahir) and main organiser Jim O’Brien (Key Security Services), back l-r: Garda Liam Tobin (Ballyporeen), Con Donovan, Cllr Mattie McGrath and Willie Lynch.

Ballygiblin ladies l-r: Ann Herlihy, Rita Slattery, Pauline Duggan and Ann Walsh, who were amongst the attendance at the Mitchelstown Lions Club seminar on ‘Communications’, given by consultant clinical psychologist Dr Tony Humphreys at The Firgrove Hotel in February 2001.

Members of Kildorrery Lourdes Invalid Fund committee, pictured at their dance held in Mary G’s, Kildorrery in February 2001, back l-r: Willie Duggan, Ted Enright (Mary G’s), Fr Denis Stritch CC and Nicholas Hickey; front l-r: Joan Hanley, Canon Patrick Twomey PP and Pat Fitzgerald.

Conna duo, Tommy Dunn, bass guitar player with Fat Salad and Antointette O’Keeffe, at a CD launch at Beamish and Crawford, Cork in February 2001 - proceeds from the group’s newly launched CD, ‘Give them a Chance’, were going to the Chernobyl Children’s Project.

Enjoying themselves at the Castlelyons GAA social in 2001, were back l-r: Gillian Barry, Caroline McAteer, Therese Condon, Valerie Daly and Noreen Spillane; front l-r: Mary McGrath, Cathy Cronin and Aoife Hegarty.

The Loreto Fermoy fifth year team who participated in the National Concern debates in 2001, Michelle Howard, Deirdre Forrest, Sarah Moran and Arlene Kenny.