Patrician Presentation Secondary School
Substance Misuse

Substance Misuse evening on Wednesday 19th May was a great success with over one hundred people in attendance.  Guest speaker John Lonergan, Governor of Mountjoy Prison, was very well received by the assembled adults.  He spoke with great conviction and positively about ‘parenting’.  The meeting was chaired by John Casey of South Eastern Health Board, who also spoke about the drug problem in the area and gave details of what support is available.  Des Bell, the Garda Juvenile Liaison Officer, was also present and responded to questions posed during a lively and discursive open forum.

Sports Day

The gods of the elements were definitely on our side for our Annual Sports Day on Thursday 13th May.  This year’s event was held in the sports field in brilliant sunshine and the results were as follows:

1st Year Boys Sprint: Robert Aherne

1st Year Girls Sprint: Bernadette Costello

2nd Year Boys Sprint: Alan O’Connor

2nd / 3rd Year Girls Sprint: Stephanie Lawrence

3rd Year Boys Sprint: Stephen O’Meara

Senior Boys Sprint: Gavin Aherne

Sprint

First Year: Robert Ahearne (boys), Bernadette Costello (girls);

Second year: Alan O’Connor (boys), Stephanie Lawrence (girls);

Third year: Stephen O’Meara (boys), Stephanie Lawrence (girls);

Senior boys: Gavin Ahearne.

Long Distance

First year: Darragh Dwyer (boys), Bernadette Costello (girls);

Second year: Christopher Sheehan (boys)

Third year: Niall Hayes (boys).

Sack Race

First year: Adrian Lawrence (boys), Charlene Burke (girls);

Second year: Alan O’Connor (boys)

Third year: Michael Fleming (boys)

Senior: Richard Gorey (boys), Kelly Ann Nevin (girls.

Relays

First Year: ‘Ronán’ - Robert Ahearne, Bernadette Costello, Alex Channon and Ida Carroll

Second Year: ‘Máire’ - Christopher Sheehan, Cathal Gorey, Declan Doyle and Stephanie Lawrence

Third Year: ‘Majority Áine’ - Stephen O’Meara, Katie Murphy, David Conway and Cormac Grogan

Senior: ‘Majority TY’ - Fintan Maher, Richard Gorey, Zach Breslin and Michael McCarthy.

Killary Harbour Weekend
On May 17th, transition year ended a marvellous three days activity at Killary Harbour in the sunshine of County Mayo.  The conclusion of their year was celebrated with mass and a social evening for parents on Monday 31st May.

Leaving Cert Class
Leaving Cert 2004 spent their last day together as a class on May 27th in Woodstock Estate, Inistioge, Co. Kilkenny, accompanied by Roddy Geoghan and teachers.  Later that evening, Rev. Tom Breen P.P. celebrated their Graduation Mass with parents and families in the school hall.  The music included one of the pieces of Liam Lawton and Kevin Hickey accompanied the choir.

Gaelic Football Blitz
Congratulations to the boys who played so well in the football blitz on May 26th at Rockwell.  In the morning they had two good wins over Our Lady’s Templemore and Thurles Vocational School, which qualified them for the knockout stages in the afternoon.  In the quarterfinal they played exceptionally well to beat Abbey CBS and qualify for the semifinal against Carrick Vocational School.  Unfortunately at that stage they suffered the loss of captain and key player Christopher Sheehan who had to leave for Dublin where his family had an urgent appointment.  In spite of this the team played well to hold Carrick to a draw at half time before losing out in the second half.  It was a very good day with all the team having some great moments.  Team: J.P. McGrath, Adrian Lawrence, Cathal Gorey, Aaron O’Donovan, Thomas O’Connell, James Kelly, Christopher Sheehan, Ciarán Ryan, Jonathon Fleming, Eoin O’Connell, Darragh Dwyer, Robert Aherne, Darren Prout and Dick Walsh.

Transition Year Mural
The transition year students, with the permission of Nano Nagle Primary School Principal, Sr. Maureen, have completed a beautiful mural on the theme of ‘Flora and Fauna’, which will be installed in the playground at Nano Nagle Primary School.  The students work, under the guidance of art teacher, Ms Patricia Looby, was complimented by the principal Mr Ernan Britton and Mr Vincent Doocey, transition year co-ordinator.

Best wishes
The Principal and management wish teachers and students a happy summer vacation and good luck to our Junior and Leaving Certs in the forthcoming state exams.

FETHARD GAA
We had no games in the senior club last weekend and our next competitive game is on Friday 4th June in the Intermediate South Hurling Championship when we play St Marys in Kilsheelan at 8pm.  Our first opponents in the County Senior Football Championship will be Ardfinnan to be played on weekending 25th June.
Our Lotto Jackpot of €4,500 was not won. The draw took place in McCarthys and we had four match three winners who received €40 each: Caroline Flanagan (Derryluskin), Helen Morrissey (St. Patricks Place), Francis Dillon (Tullamaine), and Mary McCormack (Kerry St).  The €50 Lucky Dip went to Mark Leahy (7 Congress Tce).
In Juvenile hurling Under/12 ‘B’ we are away to Carrick Davins in the first round on Monday 7th June at 7pm.
Our Golf Classic due to be played this weekend has been deferred to a later date.  We apologize for the disruption.

COMMUNITY GAMES COUNTY FINALS
Fethard & Killusty Community Games would like to congratulate seven-year-old Hannah Tobin, daughter of Tom and Cathy, St. Patrick’s Place, who won a silver medal in the u/8 60 meter event and Kate Quigley, daughter of Willie and Mandy, Redcity, who won bronze in the u/8 80 meter event in the County Athletics Finals in Thurles on Sunday last 30th May.  These promising young ladies are both members of Fethard Athletics Club.  Other Fethard club members who represented Killenaule are: Hannah Trehy, Ballyvaden, gold in u/10 hurdles; Elaine Kennedy, Mortlestown, gold u/16, 1500 meters; Eric Quigley bronze in the u/8, 80 meters, and Andrew Yates in the u/14 100 meters.

Our neighbours Killenaule won gold in the u/16 girls relay team and silver in the boys u/14 relay event.   Well done to all.

THE WELL GOLF SOCIETY
Our third outing of the season takes place next Saturday, June 5th at Adare Manor.  Tee off time is 11.40am.  As previously stated, please allow extra time for travelling as the Irish Seniors is taking place in the adjacent Adare Golf Club.  The list of players for Adare Manor is now completed, and those who did not put down their name or hand in a deposit can only play in the event of a cancellation.


OUTING TO DERRYNAFLAN
Fethard Historical Society will visit Derrynaflan on Friday 4th June. Sean Watts will guide the group along the railway tracks to the island where he will give a short talk on the monastic site and on the treasures recovered.

Those interested in taking part are asked to meet at the National School in Killenaule, opposite Bourke's Garage as you exit Killenaule on the Ballynonty side. Fee is €2 and further information from Dóirín Saurus, Crampscastle, Fethard. Tel: 052 31936.

PROGRESSIVE 25 RESULTS
Progressive 25 results for game played on May 28th in Fethard Ballroom:
Winners on 12 games: Gus Neville and Lory Byrne. Second on 11 games: Tom Phelan and Bob Gleeson, T. McGrath and M Murphy, Jim and Mary Garrett.  Table prize: Paddy and Tom McCormack.  Rubber finals: Mick Phelan and Hannie Leahy, Mick Holohan and Jackie Devitt.

 COMMUNITY LOTTO JACKPOT NOW €7,000

The numbers drawn in the Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto on Tuesday 25th May were: 1, 3, 9 and 10. There was no Jackpot winner, and one "Match 3" winner who received €150:

John Whyte, Main Street, Fethard

Lucky dip winners of €50 each were:

Patrick Shine, Monroe, Fethard

 Martin Bolger, Drumdeel, Fethard

 C.E.S., Tirry Centre, Fethard

Next weeks Jackpot is €7,000. Jackpot sellers prize €590.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL OUTING

The St. Vincent De Paul promoted annual holiday to Carne, Co. Wexford, will take place on this Saturday 5th June, leaving from outside the Tirry Community Centre at 1pm.

FETHARD ICA

Fethard ICA held their annual general meeting on 11th May in the ICA Hall.  Officers remain the same as last year: Nuala Delaney, president; Sheila O’Donnell, vice-president; Anne Gleeson, secretary; Anne Horan, treasurer.  Margaret Morrissey C.D.A. attended the meeting.

Our next meeting will be held on 8th June at 8pm.  Our guest speaker will be Jane Grubb of Cashel Blue Cheese fame.  Hostesses are the ‘Red Group’ and competition theme is “A scenic view of your own area”.

Our summer outing is arranged for 8th June, leaving the Town Hall at 10am.  Our first stop is Dungarvan and then we move on to Tourin House and Gardens, Cappoquin.  Next stop will be Lismore and then back to Richmond House for dinner.  Please give your names to Kay McGrath, Main Street, if you are interested in travelling.

D-DAY

Next Sunday world wide events mark the 60th anniversary of the allied Forces landing on the Normandy beaches in France on what has become universally known as D-Day.

RTE promote a special D-Day weekend to mark the occasion.  Many of the veterans of that historic event will present in Normandy to mark the occasion and no doubt remember their fallen comrades.

D-Day marked the beginning of the end of World War II and it is only fitting we should remember the Fethard men who fought in that terrible conflict of 1939-1945.  Killed in action were two Fethard men, Mr Jim Davis, Killusty, died in Belgium and his near neighbour, Rory La Terrier, Kiltinan Castle, was killed in action during the last few days of the North of France campaign.

Gus Kenrick, the only Fethard man to actually land on the Normandy beaches, fought throughout the entire campaign.  Dick McCormack, Kilnockin, who also kept a day-to-day diary of his experiences, and John Fahy, Crampscastle, landed on the toe of Italy and were engaged in all the major battles in the Italian campaign, including the major battle of Monte Cassino.  This battle consisted of four separate battles fought over the course of five months.  The key significance of these battles was that it led to the eventual link up between the Allied troops trapped further North and their comrades further south.  This link up of forces led to the eventual capture of Rome on June 4th 1944.  This was the first Axis capital to fall to the Allies and this event did considerable damage to the enemy’s morale.

Jack Grant, The Valley, saw a lot of active service with his regiment, the Irish Guards.  Tommy Murphy, also an Irish Guards man, was engaged in action throughout.  His mother received a telegram from the War Office stating, “We regret to inform you, that your son Timmy is missing in action believed killed.”

Tommy, an army-boxing champion, must not have been the best of correspondents.  Imagine his mother’s surprise and delight when some three years after receiving the telegram, Tommy, without any prior notice, walked in the door of his family home in Sparagoleith.

Tim Vigors, Tullamaine, an RAF fighter pilot, took part in many of the fierce aerial battles over the English southern coastline.  Dick Rice of Derryluskin flew 38 bombing missions over Germany with the RAF Bomber Command and returned safely, several times just about, from each one.  In the 2,074 days and nights between 3rd September 1939 and 7th  - 8th August 1945 a total of 387,416 sorties were flown, over 955,000 tons of bombs were dropped and 8953 aircraft were lost.

These were the Fethard men who saw active service with the Allied forces in the Second World War.  They were not inclined to speak of their experiences, which were very traumatic.  A soldiers first duty when on active service was to kill or be killed.  Gus Kenrick did recall that the soldier he stood beside and chatted with on the landing craft going over to France was shot dead in the water on disembarking and never set foot on French soil.

Gus, in the homily at his requiem mass, had requested that the congregation pray for his army comrades who died in various parts of the world, especially those who fell on the long road to Bremen.

Perhaps this is a good time to remember the Fethard men, especially those who took part in Work War II.  We have written the above from memory and no doubt there are many others we have forgotten to mention.  There was Dick Nagle, Christy Mathews, Tommy King, Tommy Fitzpatrick, Paddy Madden who served in the RAF Ground Forces.  Tommy Fitzpatrick, of all those mentioned, is the only one still with us and still going strong in New York.

There must be many out there who recall relatives who took part in the war.  The Fethard Historical Society would like to hear from them.  The Fethard soldiers of World War íí come from all strata of society — from castle and cottage, from countryside and town — all brought together under a common band.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dilís.

PROTEST MARCH
On this coming Saturday June 5th — your hospital needs you!  The South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel, urgently needs €2 million to amalgamate acute hospital services.  To further focus the Government to the urgent need for funding, a Protest March will be held in Clonmel on Saturday at 2pm, starting from St. Mary’s Church in Irishtown, to the Main Guard.

The new ‘state-of-the-art’, fully equipped unit in Clonmel, still remains unopened. This is nothing short of a national scandal.  For instance, during the past week a local man, having suffered a heart attack, required urgent hospitalisation.  If the amalgamated acute services were not available in Clonmel, the patient would have to be brought to Waterford, thus losing the first hour during which treatment is vital in such cases.  Next week or even sooner it could be a member of your family in need of urgent treatment. 
This is our hospital! The dedicated doctors and nurses who are doing their utmost to get the necessary funding need our support.  Do not leave it to someone else.  Get the mid-day meal over a bit early on Saturday and join the protest march.  Your support is urgently needed!

FETHARD LADY WINS
Congratulations to the Bob Grant Bar Syndicate whose ‘Fethard Lady’ won the ‘Bumper’ at Limerick race meeting on Sunday last.  The winning syndicate is comprised of management, staff and customers of this popular Main Street hostelry.

Fethard Lady’s performance would seem to indicate that her win on Sunday was more than beginner’s luck.  The mare is trained by up-and-coming young Wexford trainer, Colm Murphy, of Cheltenham ‘Brave Inca’ renown. 

Best of luck to the Bob’s Bar Syndicate and here’s hoping that they, like the Kerry Syndicate owners of ‘Brave Inca’, will be celebrating in the winners enclosure in Cheltenham in the not to distant future.

WOODVALE WALK WORK APPROVED
Councillor Susan Meagher has been informed that the sum of €283,000 has been approved for work to be carried out in Woodvale Walk Estate.  Mrs Meagher was informed of the approval in a letter from Mr Martin Cullen TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The much-needed maintenance work on the water drains, resurfacing of main road and rear access lane will also be complemented by the provision of a rear boundary wall, additional rear lighting and the provision of a storm sewer network.  The funding was applied for by South Tipperary County Council following submissions made by the Woodvale Walk Residents Association.

SUMMER OUTING TO DUBLIN
The Fethard Historical Society has organized a trip to Dublin on Friday 18th / Saturday 19th June 2004.

Train will leave from Thurles at 3pm on Friday 18th June.  Return fare will cost €30 approx.  Following the very successful launch of the ‘Fethard Town Atlas’ in the Abymill last February, the Society has been invited to visit the Royal Irish Academy from 5.30 to 7.00pm for a reception and tour of the Academy.  Overnight accommodation has been booked at the Harcourt Hotel (room only) at €39 per person sharing.  Limited availability, so those wishing to stay in the hotel please contact Terry Cunningham as soon as possible.

On Saturday 19th June at 10.30am, we will start with a Guided tour of the National Library where we will also have the opportunity to see Cromwell's letter in which he refers to Fethard. The James Joyce "Rejoyce" exhibition is also on display in the Library

We visit to the National Museum, Kildare Street, at 2pm to view, among other things, the Medieval Fethard Statues.  At 2.30pm (optional) there will be a ‘1916 Rebellion Walking Tour of Dublin’.  Train departs from Dublin at 7pm.

Members intending to travel please book as soon as possible with Terry Cunningham, Tel: 052 23402 or Mary Hanrahan Tel: 052 32141, Mobile:  087 9009722.

 ELEANOR SHANLEY BACK IN FETHARD

Eleanor Shanley is back to play a gig in Fethard with Paul Kelly and Frankie Lane on Saturday 19th June.  The barbecue / music gig takes place in a marquee at McCarthy’s Hotel and is in aid of Self Help Development and the Ethiopian Anniversary Trek which takes place in October 2004.  Locals, Maurice Moloney and Tom Anglim are taking part in this year’s Ethiopia Self-Help Trek. 

Eleanor Shanley led the trek to Uganda last October and this year, broadcaster Tracy Piggott takes over and leads the trek to Ethiopia.  Tracy Piggott and other celebrities will also attend the gig in Fethard.  Tickets are €25.