Moyglass festival blessed with warm weather

Members of Slievenamon Vintage Club photographed at Moyglass Vintage Day L to R: Seamus Kirwan, Michael O'Brien, Helen O'Brien, Terry O'Brien and Jerry Shelly.

A very successful festival was held in Moyglass over last weekend and it was blessed with warm weather. The tractor run on Saturday was a huge success with over forty vintage tractors leaving the village via Coolbawn, St. Johnstown, Knockelly and a stop off at Fethard ballroom to rest the old engines. The run resumed via Barrettstown, Coolmoyne, Knockbrett and back to Moyglass.

At Moyglass Vintage Day are L to R: Seamus Barry, Sean O'Donovan, Tim Daly, Liam Daly, Matty Tynan, Tom McCarthy (tractor owner), Eamon Barry and Tom Barry photographed beside 1950 Ford 8N tractor. Tom's father, Daniel T. McCarthy, Garryvale, Co. Cork, purchased the tractor new in 1950


Seamus Barry with his Garvie 18in Trasher, this type of Trasher was for private use

The tractors on the run included Fergusons, Nuffields, Leylands, Lanz, Kramer, Zetor, Belarus, David Brown, Allis Chalmers, Fiat, John Deere and Ford. The gold-bellied four cylinder Ferguson 35 was owned by the late Dick McCarthy of Mobarnane and had been used to drive a New Holland baler by Dick. A Ferguson 35 was used to pull a Vicon beet harvester. These tractors would have been phenomenal with their power to achieve time saving and labour reduction in the fifties and sixties.

The care and attention given to these machines allows the present generation to get a glimpse of the jewels of the past. The static show on Sunday had exhibitors from Roscrea, Abbeyleix, Clonmel, Newcastle, Grangemockler, Sliabh na Mban, New Ross, Holycross, Golden, Cashel, Thurles and a large local input.

Suzanne Byrne and Gavin Aherne at Moyglass Vintage Day

The Crosse family from Donasheigh drove their Fowler Steam engine, which is one hundred years old, through the village and it would have been around sixty years since such a machine was seen in Moyglass. Other items exhibited were a seventy-year-old Garvie threshing mill and two vintage combine harvesters. A range of oil engines and memorabilia were also displayed.

Over forty vintage cars arrived including a 1957 Bentley, Jaguar xjs-cv12, BMW 320 Convertible, Triumph Herald convertible, Volkswagen Beetle, 1950 Austin A35 Merlin MG, Mercedes B180, Convertible Humber 1930, Escort RS 2000 original to South Tipp, Scamell recovery truck, Military Ambulance and a range of other models most dating back to the fifties. The vintage motorbikes included a 1937 Triumph, 250 and a 1956 BSA 810, the first car to arrive was from Scotland. The committee are extremely grateful to all those who displayed their cars, tractors and other machines.
Jacqui and Katie O'Flynn photographed at the Moyglass Vintage Day

The field day had a huge attendance and all enjoyed the sunshine and competitions. All the crowd stayed around chatting and then went to the community hall for tug-o-war blitz, family barbeque, dance and song. The music drifted in the evening air and could be heard over the hinterland.


L to R Cillian, Fiona and Cathal Slattery at the Moyglass Vintage Day

The dog show was popular as ever and had over thirty entries. The overall winner was a boxer owned by Carl McCormack. This prize was kindly sponsored by John and Marion Smullen of Moyglass Kennels. Other winners were Colin Byrne, Brian Meehan, Gus Browne, Traya Freyne and Cathal Slattery.


Katie O'Flynn with female Harris Hawk at the Moyglass Vintage Day

The wheelbarrow race was won, after a stewards enquiry, by Conor and Geraldine O’Donnell, sheaf throwing by Michael Griffen, half cwt by Bernard Prendergast and penalty shoot out by James Walsh. Their were numerous athletic competitions including a mothers’ race. The busiest attraction of the day was the bouncy castles. The committees of the Coolmoyne/ Moyglass Vintage club and community hall wish to thank all those who gave of their time to make the weekend such a huge success.


Carol and Mylo McCormack with their dog Tango enjoying the good weather at Moyglass Vintage Day


Photographed at Moyglass Vintage Day are L to R: Vikie Damon, Betty Kennedy, Kelly-Ann Nevin, Jake Dorney, Jimmy Egan, owner of 1959 Massey 35, Patricia Kennedy and Michelle O'Donnell


Jerome and Helen Skehan with their son Stephen at Moyglass Vintage Day

L to R: Paul, Margaret and Joe Gleeson at Moyglass Vintage Day


This is the 1911 Fowler Steam engine, owned by the Crosse family of
Donaskeigh entering Moyglass Village

1911 Fowler Steam engine arriving in Moyglass


Members of Vintage Club


Alec Crosse and his Fowler steam engine

Fethard Annual Emigrant's Newsletter
Work on the production of this year's Annual Emigrant's Newsletter has now commenced. We invite anyone interested in submitting articles or photographs for this year’s issue to contact Joe Kenny, Rocklow Road, Fethard, Tel: 052 6131663 or by email: newsletter@fethard.com

We are aware that some people find it difficult to put pen to paper but have very interesting stories to tell. So if you prefer, we can arrange to have someone call and interview you at your own convenience.
Help is always needed gathering articles and photographs, indeed, one of the most time-consuming chores is trying to put captions to the photographs with correct names. Other ways people can help is interviewing, writing articles, typing or inviting others to write articles in good time for publication.

The first issue of the Fethard & Killusty Emigrants' Newsletter was published by the Legion of Mary in December 1959 and dated 'Christmas 1960'. On checking the dates of the events and deaths featured in the newsletter we discovered that they all happened in 1959 so we concluded that the Newsletter was published in December 1959 and posted in January 1960. This 'first newsletter' was discovered in a drawer by Pat Shine, formerly from Crampscastle and now living in London.

Today, over fifty years later, the newsletter has grown into a full colour 200-page production and is still posted free of charge to all our emigrants living throughout the world.

Happy Birthday Ann

'Birthday Girl' Ann Butler celebrating her 50th Birthday with friends recently at Butler's Bar, Fethard.

Irish Pilgrimage Trust Church Gate Collection
The Annual Church Gate Collection for The Irish Pilgrimage Trust takes place in Fethard and Killusty parish on weekend July, 30 and 31. People are asked to be as generous as possible. A number of young people from the area have travelled to Lourdes with the Trust on Easter Sunday. Quite a few local volunteer carers also travelled.

The Trust takes young people with special needs to Lourdes at Easter time every year. This pilgrimage is slightly different from many others, which go to Lourdes, most importantly it is designed especially for the young people who participate fully in a very varied spiritual and social program during the week. The pilgrimage is divided into groups of approximately 12 young people with a similar number of adult companions, including a group leader, nurse, and chaplain. Each group is assigned to the care of one of the Trust doctors.

This is a holiday as well as a pilgrimage; each group takes in the sights – perhaps a trip to Gavarnie, high up in the Pyrenees, or a visit to a local market to experience the French ‘at home’. There is even time for partying and the ‘craic’. All the adult companions pay their own fares while the Trust covers the cost of those young people selected to travel.

The Irish Pilgrimage Trust welcomes applications from young people with: a physical disability or illness (aged 9-18 years) or, a learning disability (aged 11- 21 years); socially deprived young people; emotionally disturbed young people. For further information on the Trust or for application forms please phone Sr. Betty at 086 6322341.

Medieval Fancy Dress Parade
This year’s Walled Town Medieval Festival fancy dress parade will have prizes sponsored by ‘Meat at The Square’ for humorous entries with a medieval flavour. Proprietor, Jimmy O’Brien, has agreed to give prizes for the following categories, Best Adult 1st and 2nd, Best Child 1st and 2nd, and Best Group 1st and 2nd.

This year’s parade will be led by the Moycarkey Pipe Band and will take place at 2pm on Fethard Walled Towns Day, Sunday August 21. We hope to see lots of adults and children dressing up and taking part in medieval spirit of this year’s festival which continues to grow from strength to strength every year.

Ladies Football Club

Members of Fethard Ladies Football Club showing off the new club jerseys.

Fethard Ladies Football Club would sincerely like to thank Philip and Anne Butler from Butlers Sportsbar who kindly sponsored a new set of Jerseys for the club. Both have been great supporters of Fethard Ladies Football and we can’t thank them enough for their generosity.
Our Junior ladies are half way through the championship and at the moment have two wins out of three with another two games remaining. This has been a great start to our first year in the B grade and hopefully can qualify for a semi-final.

Philip Butler presenting Club Chairman, Tom McCarthy, with new set of jerseys.

Our minor girls have now commenced training for the upcoming championship due to start around the first week of September. The girls are being trained this year by Tom Anglim and we wish them the best of luck as they try to go one step further in 2011 having lost the 2010 final in their first year competing in minor.

Our U14s and U16s are continuing their preparations for their upcoming County semi-finals due to be played in the coming weeks. It was also great to see former Fethard footballer Paddy Ryan take our U16 girls for a great training session last Saturday. Paddy now lives and coaches in Douglas, Co. Cork, and the ladies club are greatly appreciative of giving his time to this which the girls really enjoyed.

Our U10 have played three matches recently with games against Clonmel Commercials, Mullinahone and St. Patricks. Under the guidance of Michael ‘Magic’ Ryan, Sandra Spillane, Miceál Spillane and Willie Morrissey these girls are really a talented group and the future looks in safe hands.

Our U8s played St. Patricks last Saturday and provided the large crowd present to a great display of football. The U8s range in age groups from 5 to 8 years old and are great to watch. Stars of the future no doubt.

Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto
The numbers drawn on July 20, were: 5, 9, 18 and 22. We had no Jackpot winner and two ‘Match Three’ winners who received €75 each: Cath, Claire and Mary, c/o Centre, Fethard, and M. Russell, c/o Seamus Moloney.

The three following ‘Lucky Dip’ winners also won €50 each: Breda O'Dwyer, Moyglass, Fethard; Desmond Martin, Fr. Tirry Park, Fethard; and Roisín Purcell, c/o Tom Purcell

Remember you can purchase your lotto ticket online at www.fethard.com. Buy seven weekly tickets and get one free! Check on the website for lots of special offers. Next week’s Jackpot commences at €3,950 and the Jackpot sellers prize is €395. All proceeds go towards community work in Fethard.

New ‘Pop Up Café’ open in Fethard

Some of the group of volunteers who completed Food Hygiene and Customer Care Training with Bernadette Stocksborough, Food Safety Consultant, in preparation for the opening of the Pop Up Cafe. This Cafe will be open for the next six weeks, Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5.30pm in Fethard Youth Centre. L to R: Cllr John Fahey, Michael O'Dwyer, Diana Stokes, Paddy McEvoy, Seamus Barry, Peter Grant, Ann Barry and Anthony Fitzgerald, Business Development Executive with South Tipperary County Development Board.

The Pop Up café is an initiative spearheaded by the Business and Tourism Group in Fethard. The Cafe will serve as a tourist information location where visitors to the town and locals can find out more about the rich history of Fethard and learn about the local crafts people and businesses in the town.

The Café will open in the Youth Centre Fethard on Tuesday, July 26, for six weeks and will be run solely by volunteers. The limited menu will include teas, coffees, scones and cakes served from 10am to 5.30pm, Tuesday to Sunday.

Visitors will be able to find information on tours of the Medieval Wall with Back to the Wall Tours and Coolmore, as well as see a selection of local crafts peoples work. An audio visual display will also be available detailing the history of the town.

The overall aim of the cafe is to ascertain the potential for a more permanent tourist information destination in the town and contribute to a more rounded tourism product for Fethard. The results of the six week project will be vitally important in ascertaining the next phase of the development of Fethards tourism product.

The Pop Up Cafe has been supported by Coolmore who have been a great help to the initiative. Notable visitors to Fethard and Coolmore have sparked new interest in the area, the Pop Up Cafe is a conscious response to build on that momentum. 

The Pop Up Cafe is there for all to enjoy and learn about Fethard. If you want to enjoy a quick cup and a slice of cake or want to delve deep into the history of Fethard it is all here for you. Bring a friend or tell anybody who might be interested from curious locals to enthuastic tourists that everybody is welcome to pop in to the Pop Up Cafe.

Fethard players on successful Tipp U-14 team

Fethard players on the successful Tipperary U-14 team L to R: Joedy Sheehan, Charlie Manton and Adam Fitzgerald

Well done to the Tipperary team and local players, Charlie Manton, Joedy Sheehan and Adam Fitzgerald who played for the Tipperary U14 football team that won the Munster A Football Championship in a thrilling display of football that saw them beat South Kerry in the final on a scoreline of Tipperary 5-17, South Kerry 0-04.

Tipperary beat Clare in the first round 6-5 to 0-4; beat Cork City in the second round 3-11 to 0-0; beat Cork County in the semi-final 1-8 to 0-5 and then beat the South Kerry boys in the final. Charlie played in goal, Joedy played at corner-back and Adam played at centre-forward during the course of the competition. All three played their part in this outstanding achievement by the Tipp boys. Congratulations and well done to all involved in this terrific victory.