We want your ideas and opinions!
Young people in 1st, 2nd and 3rd Year from the Fethard area are invited to Fethard Youth Centre on Friday 14th September, between 4.30pm and 6pm. Plans are underway to develop activities and projects in the Youth Centre and we want the involvement of young people to help us decide what to do!

Died Recently
The death has occurred on Tuesday, September 11, of Mrs Ann Matthews, Kerry Street, Fethard.

Reposing at McCarthy's Funeral Parlour from 6pm on Wednesday, September 12, followed by removal to Holy Trinity Parish Church at 7pm.

Requiem Mass at 11am on Thursday, September 12, followed by interment at Calvary Cemetery.

Fethard Choral Society rehearsals
Rehearsals for the ladies of Fethard Choral Group will take place on this Sunday evening September 16 at 8pm for sopranos and 8.30pm for altos. New members are more than welcome to come along on Sunday. If you are not sure whether you are a soprano or alto come along at 8pm and musical director Ann will be able to help you decide. For further information please contact Ann at 087-6194215.

Newfoundlanders Visit Fethard


On Tuesday, August 28, over sixty visiting Newfoundlanders and some Irish friends visited Coolmore Stud and Fethard town. The visit of the Newfoundlanders is part of an on-going arrangement, where Newfoundlanders come here to the South East one year, stay with Irish families, then the next year the Irish go to Newfoundland and do likewise.

Up to half the population of Newfoundland of 600,000 have Irish ancestry and the forbearers of these Irish Canadians nearly came exclusively from counties Waterford, Tipperary, Kilkenny and Wexford. They all left in the 1700s and early 1800s (before the Great Famine) to work in the fishing industry. In fact the Irish word for Newfoundland is Talamh an Éisc, which literally means ‘the fishing grounds’.

The visitors first port of call on their visit to Fethard was to Coolmore Stud where they were made very welcome and were hugely impressed by the scale and quality of the Coolmore operation. In the background could be seen the on-going construction work of the new ‘visitor centre’ which, when completed, will be a wonderful addition to the Fethard area.

Visit to the Walled Town and grave of Henry Kellett
The Fethard Historical Society then hosted the visitors to the medieval town, starting off with refreshments in the Youth Centre at Madam’s Bridge. They were then taken on a guided tour of the walled town and again marvelled at the age and scale of the medieval heritage laid out before them. Their guide Terry Cunningham brought them to the grave of Vice Admiral Henry Kellett of Clonacody who is buried in old Holy Trinity graveyard. Henry Kellett is very much part of Canadian history, even American history, as the timbers of his ship, The Resolute, abandoned in the frozen Artic in 1854 finally ended up as the wood used to make the desk that President Obama sits at in the Oval Office in the White House.


Dermot Hutchinson from Clonmel, sitting by Kellett’s grave, sang the well-known ballad ‘Lord Franklin’, which recounts the story and tragic fate of Franklin and all his men.

This fascinating story, plus the story of Kellett’s futile search for Lord Franklin, his two lost ships and 129 men in northern Canada was of huge interest to our nearest Canadians - both culturally and geographically. Then a very moving scene unfolded when folk singer Dermot Hutchinson from Clonmel, sitting by Kellett’s grave, sang the well-known ballad ‘Lord Franklin’, which recounts the story and tragic fate of Franklin and all his men. An article by Terry Cunningham, recounting the Kellett story, appears in ‘Tipperary Trails to Newfoundland’, a booklet produced to commemorate their visit to South Tipperary in 2012.

Dined Locally
All the Newfoundlanders and their Irish friends then dined in McCarthy’s Restaurant before they headed back to their host families in Carrick-on-Suir. Next year the Irish from the South East will travel to Newfoundland and hopefully some more Fethard people will be on that plane next September. John Roche, native of Ballinard, now living in Kilsheelan went with the group last year and was amazed by the hospitality shown and the ‘unreal’ Irishness of certain parts of the Island.

Fethard Ladies Football
After last week's thrilling win over Clonmel Commercials in the Junior B championship, it seems we will be meeting our near neighbours again in the quarter-finals. Last week, the 4-9 to 3-6 win over Commercials was enough to secure a spot in the knockout stages of the competition. It was a terrific game for Fethard, and probably their best all season particularly in the first half - the tenacity and hunger from the girls meant they won almost every battle on the field. We need to find that same level of performance once more, though, if we are to find our way past Commercials to get a semi-final spot against Moyne Templetuohy. Best of luck ladies.

Our Under 14s posted a convincing win over Moycarkey in the Summer League on Saturday, September 8, with a score of 4-4 to 1-0. The Fethard girls played extremely well on the day with scores coming from Becky Kenny (2-1), Aine Trayor (1-0), Sally Butler (0-2) and Kate Davey (1-1). Fethard were dominant in support play also, with great performances from Molly O'Meara, Megan Coen, Ciara Hayes, Laura Stocksborough and Muireann O'Connell. As usual the backs were solid throughout, particularly Laoise Stapleton, Ava Browne, and Sadhbh Horan in goal. Well done girls.

The Gaelic4Mothers are back training twice per week in preparation for a blitz which will be held at home on Saturday, September 29.

Fethard Scouts Registration
Registration for all Scouts sections: Beavers 6-8 years, Cubs 8-12 years, Scouts 12-16 years, and Ventures 16-18 years, will take place on Friday, September 14, from 7pm to 8pm in Fethard Ballroom. Each child must be accompanied by a parent/guardian, as it will be necessary to sign a consent form.

Fethard Bridge Club reopened
Fethard Bridge Club reopens on this Wednesday, September 12, at 7.30 pm. New members are welcome.

The late Catherine O’Shea

The late Catherine O’Shea, cutting the tape at the official opening of the Abymill Theatre on May 26, 1988

The death has occurred on Wednesday, September 5, of Miss Catherine O'Shea, Main Street, Fethard, only daughter of the late Jack and Rita O'Shea.

Catherine, a former ‘postman’, spent many years based in Thurles before returning back to work in her native Fethard. Catherine will always be remembered by her everlasting smile, welcoming face, and her time for chat with anyone she happened to meet.

One of the highlights of her short life was taking part in the Fethard Festival ‘Mayor of Fethard’ fundraiser in aid of the Abymill Theatre Project in 1987. Catherine, always game for a laugh, decided to enter the competition following a suggestion by Rita and Timmy O’Connor while chatting on Main Street. Being a late entry and the only woman running against four male candidates, Catherine had to organise her campaign and supporters without haste. This she did and romped home winner at the presentation function held in the Ballroom at Fethard Festival July 1987. Catherine loved her honorary roll as ‘Mayor of Fethard’ and was a very popular guest at various community functions held throughout the following year, culminating with cutting the tape at the official opening of the Abymill Theatre on May 26, 1988.

In recent years, Catherine had to contend with a serious illness and in all that time her spirit never changed. She was always a pleasure to meet, she never complained, and kept continuously busy studying or researching new courses to study. Catherine was a regular visitor to Fethard Internet Café where she explored new developments and kept up to date with current fashion trends.

Catherine will be sadly missed and never forgotten by all who were lucky enough to have met her. Our sympathy is extended to her brothers Pat, Martin, Gerry, John, her extended family, relatives and friends. Interment took place in Calvary Cemetery.

Killenaule Festival

A festival in aid of ‘Tipp to Kenya’ Kitale Charitable Trust will take place next weekend, September 15 and 16, in Killenaule. Events on Sunday, September 16, include: Air Display, Dog Show, Bucking Bronko, Dunking Tank, Archery, Bouncy Castle, Tug O War, Suomo Wrestling, Pony Rides, Spin The Wheel, Art And Craft Stalls, Pets Corner, Penalty Shoot Out, High Throw and Long Jump.

Your support for this worthy cause would be much appreciated. Info: 086 1260256.

Emigrant’s Newsletter!
Preparations have begun for the publication of this years Emigrant’s Newsletter, which is printed and posted free of charge to our emigrants and families living abroad in time for Christmas every year.
We now invite submissions of articles and photographs for inclusion in this year’s edition. The Newsletter covers all generations of emigrants and it would be nice to have articles covering all age groups. The item need not be long. It might just be a funny incident, a local character you remember, a particular event, school time or any other recollection that may surface.

So please consider putting pen to paper, or voice to recorder, and submit an article for this year’s issue. Photographs are also very welcome.

Articles or photographs can be submitted to Joe Kenny, Rocklow Road, Fethard, or by email to newsletter@fethard.com

Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto
The lucky numbers drawn on September 5 were: 6, 7, 18 and 29. There was no Jackpot winner and two ‘Match Three’ winners who received €75 each: Brendan Kenny, St. Patricks Place, Fethard; and Bernadette McManus, Burke Street, Fethard.

The three following ‘Lucky Dip’ winners also won €50 each: J. O'Donnell, c/o Tom Purcell; John Spillane, Killerk, Fethard; and Monica Pollard, Rocklow Road, Fethard.

The next Lotto draw will take place on September 12. The Jackpot prize is €4,150 and the Jackpot seller’s prize is €415. Lotto tickets can be purchased in local shops or online at www.fethard.com. Buy seven weekly tickets online and get one free! Check on the Fethard website for lots of special offers. All proceeds go towards community work in Fethard.

Tipperary Harvest Food Festival

The Tipperary Harvest Food Festival, organised by Clerihan Community Council, takes place on the 29th and 30th September. The aim of the festival is to promote and celebrate Tipperary’s rich heritage and tradition of producing and preparing quality artisan foods

Our Autumn Fashion show will take place on Saturday night 29th September in Halla Na Saoirse (the school hall), Clerihan with a Champagne reception at 7.15pm. Margaret Doyle of Style Icon will be our professional stylist and compere on the night with a special spot prize for the Funkiest Accessory. A Barn Dance will take place after the Fashion Show in the main marque in Clerihan Community Park from 9.30pm to 1.30am with music by Southbound. There will be prizes for the best dressed Cowboy and Cowgal! Tickets for all the events can be purchased in Better By Nature, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary (Tel. 052-6129411)

Tipperary Harvest Food Festival will kick off on Sunday 30th September at 1pm. Celebrity chef and well known TV personality and author Catherine Fulvio will give a two-hour demonstration using Tipperary’s finest foods . Local Tipperary chefs and cooks from many of our best eateries will host food preparation workshops in the food hall throughout the day, there will be many of Tipperary's finest food producers and crafts within our other two marques selling and showing their goods. Paddy Gleeson (Horticultural Consultant with Woodies DIY) from RTE's Super Garden will be there to give a talk on garden design. Other demonstrations on food related matters such as vegetable growing and bee keeping will also take place on the day. We will have plenty to amuse the children with the Animal Road Show, Bouncy Castles, Funfair Stalls, Children's side shows and Children's Cookery. There is something for everyone at the Tipperary Harvest Food Festival, Clerihan!

Items for Fethard News on Nationalist
Items for inclusion on the weekly Fethard News page on The Nationalist can be emailed before noon on Mondays to news@fethard.com or delivered by hand to Joe Kenny, Rocklow Road, Fethard.

Died Recently
The death has occurred on Wednesday, September 5, of Laurence 'Lory' Dineen of Roselawn, Tramore, Co. Waterford , and formerly of Kerry Street, Fethard, and late of CIE Tramore, Waterford

Loving and much loved husband of Mary, Beloved father of Eamonn and Tom. Will be sadly missed by his loving family, sister Betty, daughter-in-law Donna, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.

Removal from Thompson's Funeral Home, Barrack Street, Waterford, on Friday, September 7, at 6.15pm to the Holy Cross Church, Tramore. Requiem mass on Saturday, September 8, at 10am followed by interment at St. Declan's Cemetery, Riverstown, Tramore. Family flowers only donations if desired to Waterford Hospice. House Private.

The commemorative sixty-page booklet of photographs and articles published in conjunction with the event was very well received and is still in demand. Fortunately we still have some copies for sale and these can be purchased for €5 plus €3.50 post and packing worldwide.