Christmas Ceremonies in Fethard
Augustinian Abbey — A Christmas reconciliation service will take place on Thursday 22nd December at 7.30pm.  Mass on Christmas Eve will take place at 9pm and on Christmas Day at 9.30am and 11.30am

Parish Church — Christmas Eve mass takes place at 8pm and on Christmas Day at 8.30am and 11am

Killusty Church — Christmas Eve mass at 9.30pm and on Christmas Day at 10am.

Annual Emigrants’ Newsletter
The Annual Emigrants’ Newsletter is now on sale in local shops. This year’s issue is printed in full colour, bigger and better with 196 pages, and will sell for €10 per copy.

Grant of €25,000 towards youth worker
The recent meetings, organised by Fethard & Killusty Community Council to highlight youth needs in the Fethard area, have has a positive effect and we have this week received a once-off grant of €25,000 from the Special Projects for Youth Scheme towards employing a youth worker in Fethard under the umbrella of Foróige. While this funding does not meet our requirements for a full-time youth worker as applied for, it is certainly a very welcome step in furthering our project in fulfilling the aims and recommendations from the survey undertaken by Tipperary Institute on the Community Council’s behalf.

We would like to thank the efforts of Pat Holland and John Quinn, South Tipperary County Council, and the submissions made by Denis O’Brien, Foróige, Tom Hayes T.D. and our local councillors, who have, in no small way, helped our case.

The committee of Fethard & Killusty Community Council take this opportunity to thank all who supported us during the year and wish everyone a very Happy Christmas.

Town & County

Situated on the Main Street of the historic and picturesque town of Fethard, the warm and welcoming interior of Town & County allows customers to relax and enjoy the shopping experience.

For ideas for the perfect gift and to decorate your home, drop in and browse through our vast array of interior accessories, furniture and giftware. Stocking a full range of Allergy Safe Danish Goose Down and Duck Down duvets, pillows and booties, enchanting Christmas wreaths, swags and decor, Vaughan lighting, Burleighware, Peter Curling Limited Edition Prints. Gift vouchers available.

Full interior design service. Town & County are open Monday - Saturday 10 am -6 pm. Closed December 25th - 29th inclusive. Reopening Friday, 30th. Susan would like to wish all her customers and friends a very happy Christmas and joyful New Year! PS: Hope Santa arrives on time.

Community Christmas Lotto
The numbers drawn on Wednesday 14th December were: 6, 17, 27 and 30. We had no Jackpot winner and one ‘Match Three’ winner who received €150:
Kathy O'Brien, c/o Annie O'Brien, Main Street, Fethard.

The €50 Lucky Dip winners were:
Gerry Spillane, Killerk North, Fethard;
Helen Grace, Barrack Street, Fethard;
Mary Murphy, Killenaule.

Special Christmas draw for Turkeys: 

Nora O'Meara, Milestown, Cloneen;
Ellen Stokes, Kilbragh, Coalbrook, Thurles;
my Roche, Kilnockin View, Fethard;
Michael Meehan, Coolbawn, Fethard;
Pat Brett, c/o Post Office, Fethard.

Special Christmas draw for Hams:
Michael Cahill, c/o Walsh’s, Barrack Street, Fethard;
Tess Lawrence, Fr. Tirry Park, Fethard;
Carol Kenny, The Green, Fethard;
V. O'Connor, c/o McManus, Fethard;
Sylvia Keyes, c/o Nagle House, Group Homes, Fethard. 

There will be no Lotto draw over the Christmas period. The next draw takes place on Wednesday 11th January. We take this opportunity to wish all our customers and supporters a very Happy Christmas!

Fethard Athletic Club News
The Annual General Meeting of Fethard Athletic Club took place recently in McCarthy’s Hotel with the following officers elected: Life President, Dick Cummins; Vice President, Tom Tobin; Chairman, Miceál McCormack; Vice Chairman, Fintan Rice; Hon Sec, Mary Trehy; Competition Secretary, Cora Stapleton; PRO, Fionnuala O’Sullivan; Child Officers, Ian Laslett and Sandra Meehan.

Our Christmas quiz and party was held in the ballroom on Thursday night last with 27 teams taking part. Louis Rice’s team took the honours. Our athletes of the year were Eoin Healy and Aine Phelan who were presented with their trophies.

Our deepest sympathy is extended to the relatives of our late life-president, Dick Cummins, who passed away peacefully on Saturday 10th December. Dick was a wonderful supporter of the Athletic Club down through the years both financially and otherwise. His land at Brodeen was always at our disposal for cross-country races and when the Tricolour was raised and extended in the breeze at these races our President was a very happy man. Over a period of years we held county, Munster events on his land, including our first international race, Rás Mumhan, in 1979. Thanks for the wonderful memories Dick. In the journey of time they will not be forgotten and may the green sod rest lightly on your Soul.

Parents’ Association Christmas Draw Results
The results of the Patrician Presentation Secondary School’s Christmas Draw are as follows:
1st Prize, Christmas Hamper:
Corey Carroll, 7 Kilnockin View Fethard;
2nd Prize, School Uniform:
Adam hall, 31 St. Patrick’s Place, Fethard;
3rd Prize, Fuel Voucher:
Padraig O’Shea, The Valley, Fethard;
4th Prize, Christmas Cake:
Veronica Fogarty, Garrinch, Fethard;
Sellers Prize:
Jane Kenny, Rocklow Road, Fethard.

‘Goal Mile’ for Fethard on Christmas Day
Every year on Christmas Day across the country people have taken the time to act in the spirit of Christmas by going out and running or walking just one mile in support of the international humanitarian organisation Goal. It has become the norm that this event is the last topic covered on the national news on television Christmas evening. This year you are invited to lend your support as Fethard becomes one of the nearly forty locations to host a Goal mile. It's the perfect excuse to get yourself out of the house on the day in question, and also a good way to prepare for the normally lazy day ahead.

All you have to do is make your way to Fethard Town Hall before 12.30, register with the officials (possible wearing Goal t-shirts over woolly jumpers), give your donation, any amount (no amount is too big or small). At the sound of the starting whistle set off and run or walk the mile that is a lap of the town, from Main Street to the Valley and back. Collect your certificate at the finish, then return home to continue your Christmas celebrations feeling good that you have contributed to the wider community in a small but meaningful way. Look forward to seeing you there, Happy Christmas!

With the White Heathers
Ballylusky White Heather Harriers had another excellent turn out for their Christmas-time meet at Peppardstown House on Sunday last, where followers were entertained by Bobby and Ann Guiry prior to move-off.

Too many cooks, they say, spoil the broth and certainly too many foxes did not help hunting on Sunday. The fort just across the road from the meet held two brace. Here, we had no less than three foxes being holloaed away at the same time while the main body of the pack marked the fourth to ground in the fort. Drawing on across the road to O’Donnells, a small thicket held another brace and a half. Hounds were hunting very well on one of these when they came in contact with a very strong electric fence. Here some of the pack got really belted and afterwards just did not want to know.

The day concluded, however, on a much brighter note with a nice run from Magoury. This fox proved a bit of a roadrunner, running the Lismoylan road for a considerable distance.

Great to see out on Sunday, Michael Roche from Co. Cavan, and his brother Donal. The Roche family from Rathkenny have a very long association with the White Heathers, their grand-uncle, Micky Roche, being kennel huntsman when Senator Bill Quirke kept the pack at Ballinard Castle in the 1920s. Michael Roche keeps two and half couple of hounds for a trencher-fed pack in Coothill.

The meet on St. Stephen’s Day takes place in Drangan at 11am.

May we take this opportunity, on behalf of the White Heathers, to wish all hunting people, landowners, supporters and followers, a very happy Christmas and good hunting over the holiday period and for the rest of the season. Always remember:

Hunting News
The Tipperary Foxhounds, from their meet at Loughcopple on Wednesday, ran from Kiltinan Castle back to Loughcopple where, after some twenty minutes good covert hunting, Charlie got to ground.

A fox from Grangebeg ran to Milltown, crossed the Rathcanty road to the old railway line where he was lost. Friday in Mr Victor Quinlan’s Glen they had a short quick burst towards Sladagh where they lost him. A fox from the old railway line at Sladagh took them over the road through Drumdeel to the Fethard-Kilsheelan road at Kiltinan. Turning right-handed here he retraced his steps and ran back to where he was found. Pat found it very difficult to keep with hounds through Drumdeel and the pack unfortunately split here some five couple hunting up into Grove Wood. This concluded quite a busy day when the mounted field of 45 were constantly on the move.

The Tipps break with an over 100 year’s old tradition on St. Stephen’s Day when they meet at Ballingarry at 11am. The St. Stephen’s Day meet was traditionally held annually at Lismolin.  With the closure of the pub at Lismolin, the committee felt it would take from the great atmosphere and craic of the St. Stephen’s Day meet, which included the ‘Wren Boys’, music and craic as well as the hunting.

They have decided to move the few miles up to Ballingarry where they look forward to meeting all their old friends and a good many new ones on St. Stephen’s Day.

Happy Christmas to our readers
As we approach Christmas, I would like to thank all our regular contributors to this Fethard News page, along with our many readers, and wish both a very Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year. The ‘Fethard News’, allocated a full page in the Nationalist since May 2004, depends, every week, on receiving reports from the many clubs and organisations here in Fethard. So please continue to send news items, reports, photographs to Joe Kenny, Rocklow Road, Fethard, not later than Sunday. Alternatively they can be faxed to 052 30051 or, preferably, emailed to: news@fethard.com