Local pupils visit Youth Café

Nano Nagle 6th Class photographed on an introductory visit to Fethard Youth Café. Fethard Youth Centre are inviting sixth class pupils and their teachers to visit the centre with a view to joining up in September when pupils are eligible once they attend secondary schools.

Over the past few weeks sixth class pupils from local primary schools visited Fethard Youth Café to experience and sample what a ‘Youth Café’ is. This was an introductory visit organised to attract new members when they become eligible to join in September after moving on to secondary education.

On all occasions the visitors really enjoyed the experience playing the various games in the centre and also listening to music. They were also introduced to the internet café where they used the computers to ‘Bebo’ their friends among other things.

The Youth Café is open for on Friday and Saturday nights in June from 7.30pm to 10pm and are currently organising a ‘Pentathlon’ of games at which each member will play other members in a series of five different games with the overall winner receiving a prize sponsored by Newport’s Newsagency. The top two competitors in each individual game will also represent the Youth Café in future planned visits from other youth clubs.


Sixth class pupils from Cloneen National School photographed at Fethard Youth Cafe last week.

Bunny Hop / Music & Movement
Classes in 'Bunny Hop / Movement & Music' will take place in the ICA Hall Fethard starting 6th July from 10am to 11am. These classes are for 0–4 year-olds. For further information please contact Nicola at 087 6742401.

Medieval Festival again this year
A committee has been formed to run this year’s Medieval Festival on Sunday 23rd August following the great success of the last two years. The Fethard Walled Town Medieval Festival Committee is made up of local organisations and officers from various sections of South Tipperary County Council, especially the Heritage Office and the County Museum.

Sunday 23rd August is national Walled Towns Day and the Fethard festival is part of a countrywide programme supported by the Heritage Council via their Heritage Week grant scheme.

Favourites and New Acts
All the old favourites will be back again this year; puppets, archery, re-enactments music, craft and food stalls. We will also have many new additions including a falconer who will come with ten birds of prey.
A festival would not be a festival without a parade and this year’s should be very interesting indeed. Art workshops will take place later in the summer in the new Youth Centre where large medieval tapestries will be created by groups of young people from the parish. These should form a very colourful spectacle indeed on Festival Day.
An even more dramatic spectacle should be created by the production of big colourful shields of all the Norman families who settled in the town in the 13th and 14th centuries. The names read like a present day school roll-call: Roche, Hackett, Wall, Mockler, Stokes, Purcell, Butler, Neville, Shortall, Prendergast, Walsh, Burke and many, many more. Over the coming weeks the festival committee will be publishing a full list of all these family names and invite 'family volunteers' to come forward to paint their family crests on large cut-out plywood 'shields'. This will take place in a large workshop event that in itself should be a great family affair.

Clubs asked to join in
Over the past two years different clubs joined in the festival by organising a stall of some sort — with a medieval theme — and in this way created some money for their club and added to the festival atmosphere at the same time. So if members of various clubs have 'a medieval type idea' then they should contact the festival committee to see how it might be incorporated into the day. The intention is that the club involved would keep the bulk of the money earned (if any), but would donate a percentage of the profits (if any) to help pay for the overall running costs of the festival. The only real stipulation is that the stall or activity should be medieval in character (as the Heritage Council grant is given on that understanding). In popular terms this would bring 'Robin Hood' type activity to mind, as interestingly enough, he was having his problems with the Norman overlords in England at the same time as the local Irish were having problems with the new Norman visitors here.

After 800 years all the Gaelic and Norman families are now totally intermixed, but it is fun to recreate the scene as it might have appeared in 1200 when Holy Trinity church was being built. So pencil in Sunday 23rd August into your family diary as it again promises to be a great day out in The Valley. The committee can be contacted by email at: festival@fethard.com

Beach time in Fethard!


Fethard punters didn’t have far to travel to the beach last weekend when they came in droves to sample the ‘hot sands’ at Lonergan’s on The Square, Fethard. Proprietors John and Rosanne Carroll, now famous nationwide for their scary Halloween transformation of their premises, did it again with their ‘Beach Party’ last weekend. Lorry loads of sand covered the outdoor area too simulate an exotic beach which became more real after drinking some of the exotic drinks on offer — both complemented by good music and flying beachballs!
As John said, “At least we make an effort!” I’m sure all who came along and enjoyed the craic over the weekend will thoroughly agree.


Photographed at Lonergan's 'Beach Party' last weekend were L to R: John Carroll, Caroline Flanagan, Roseanne Carroll and Barbara Gras.


Photographed at Lonergan's 'Beach Party' last weekend were L to R: Brian Kenny, Deirdre Lyons, Linda Kenny and Sheila Foley.


Photographed at Lonergan's 'Beach Party' last weekend were L to R: Linda Williams, Joe Looney and Marie O'Brien


Photographed at Lonergan's 'Beach Party' last weekend were L to R: sisters Sarah and Niamh White.


Photographed at Lonergan's 'Beach Party' last weekend were L to R: Tara Needham and Leanne Hickey.


Photographed at Lonergan's 'Beach Party' last weekend were L to R: James Roche, Martina Ryall and Michelle Ryall.

Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto
The numbers drawn on 17th June were 6, 26, 30 and 31. We had no Jackpot winner and no ‘Match 3’ winner so three tickets were drawn and the following won €50 each:
Angela Connery, Rath Luas, Powerstown;
Percy Butler, Saucestown, Fethard;
Corina Roe, Monkstown, Dublin.
The three following Lucky Dip winners received €50 each:
Phil Tobin, Fr. Tirry Park, Fethard;
Paddy Casey, Corbally, Drangan;
Liz Hunt, Lisronagh, Fethard.
Next week’s Jackpot continues at €10,000 and the Jackpot sellers prize is €1000.

Keating from Fethard
I'm a Fahy descended from the crowd over Crampscastle way and years ago myself and cousin Mike were working on a house in Fethard clearing out the antiquarian remains of a past owner. Keating may have been his name, unrelated to the well-respected James Keating, my father knew in the Crampscastle area.

The house/shop was very small and we tried every way to get an old double bed out of the house, in the end settling on the action of firing it headlong out the front bedroom window into the street below in a cloud of dust, much to the shock of bystanders!

My question is, which Keating was the previous occupier? I remember at the time seeing many ration books in the house. It is a sad thought that today they would have been very sentimental mementos of relative’s lives during the ‘Emergency’. Any information to news@fethard.com would be gratefully appreciated.
— Kevin (son of Joe), North Wales.

Evans sisters
Four Evans sisters pictured relaxing at Slievenamon Golf Club. The sisters are daughters of the late Garda Dan Evans from Congress Terrace, Fethard. L to R: Annie (O'Brien), Noreen Evans, Agnes Evans and in front Maura (Trehy).

Fethard GAA Club
Our Intermediate hurlers kept up there winning ways when on Friday last they secured a third victory in a row winning on a scoreline, Fethard 4-13, Ballyneale 2-7. At the break they led 2-4 to 0-6. This puts us in the lead at the half-way stage with our next game this weekend when we play St Marys in Kilsheelan at 7.30pm on Sunday. The team was: Kieran Treacy, John Leahy, Michael Aherne, Declan Doyle, Johnny Halloran, Shane Walsh, Eoin O’Connell, Christopher Sheehan, Cian Maher, Tomas Keane, Aiden Fitzgerald 1-7 (3f, 1-65), Dean Tobin, Benny Hahessy 1-0, Miceál Spillane 2-1, Alan O’Connor 0-4. Subs used: J P Looby, Alan Burke 0-1, William O’Brien, James Kelly and William Harrington.

Our senior footballers had a hard earned victory against Cahir in the South Championship ‘round robin’ game on a scoreline, Fethard 0-8, Cahir 0-7. With some players missing from the previous week, those introduced played well and our margin should have been possibly three goals more only for the woodwork. This now puts us into the shake-up for a final spot in the next stage, quarter or semi final position .
The team was: Paul Fitzgerald, Ian Kenrick, Michael Aherne, Shane Aylward, Tomas Keane, Damien Byrne, Cian Maher, Aiden Lonergan, Christopher Sheehan, Alan O’Connor 0-1, Benny Hahessy, Jason Nevin, John Paul Looby 0-2, Aiden Fitzgerald 0-1, Brian Coen 0-4 (2f). Sub used was Shane Walsh.

Our Intermediate Hurlers resumed during the past week with a re-fixed game against Ballyneale in Monroe on Saturday 20th June. The Under-21 B Hurlers are also out when they play Cahir on Thursday 25th in Monroe ay 7.30pm. Extra time will be played in the event of a draw.

Our Lotto Jackpot was not won. The numbers drawn were 4, 19, 26 and 28. We had two match three winners who received €75 each: Lily Maher (Kiltinan, Fethard) and Paul Fitzgerald (Kiltinan, Fethard). The €50 Lucky Dip was won by Roisín Blake (c/o Stephanie’s Hair Saloon, Fethard).

The numbers drawn last week were 14, 18, 21 and 24. We had one match three winner of €150, to Vera O’Connell, Cattaganstown, Moyglass, with the €50 Lucky dip going to Bernie Byrne, Killusty. Thanks to AIB for providing the tickets.

Much appreciation from the club to all those who joined the County Board Draw for the coming year. We had only one winner on the opening draw night, congratulations to Teresa Hurley, Strylea, who won €200.

Killusty Pony Show on 4 July
The day for the 46th Killusty Pony Show at Claremore Killusty is fast approaching. Saturday 4th July is the day for which preparations are being made as for all previous Shows.  There are no new classes this year but all types and ages of ponies are catered for in the 70 classes on the schedule.  Some classes may be entered on the field but most require pre-entry.  The closing date for entries is Friday June 26 so if you are interested in entering a schedule may be obtained at killustyponyshow.com or from Betsy O’Connor, Knockelly, Fethard (Tel: 052-6131130). As time is short she will take last entries over the ‘phone until 12 noon on Monday June 29 but after that the catalogue goes to the printer.

Download (PDF) Schedule/Entry Form for Show 4th July 2009

Schedule 2009 | Prize List | Entry Form

There are classes which can be entered on the day and they are Equitation (both on the flat and jumping) Performance Working Hunter classes, Connemara Working Hunter and Green Working Hunter.  Local Riding Pony Classes may also be entered on the day as may the Fancy Dress and the Dog Show.

Killusty Pony Show has been well supported by many generous sponsors over the years and even though these are straitened times, these generous sponsors have not deserted us. While many of the Show’s original helpers are no longer with us, others have come to take their places to maintain the standards at one of the best Shows on the island of Ireland. Entries have already been received from North, South, East and West so all that is required is for the weather to oblige and we will have a really good Show again this year.