Sause family gathering

Members of the Sause family photographed at Saucestown Bridge, Fethard, on their 'Gathering Family Reunion' visit to Fethard and Mullinahone to research their family history. L to R: John Bermingham (Crocanoir, Mullinahone), Chriss and Montana Sause, Delaney Sause, Kathleen Sause, Elaine Sause, Elaine Almond, Jim Sause and Rodger Sadler.

When Jim Sause and his daughter Kathy from Maryland in the United States began to research their family history some years ago they little realised that one day it would lead them to Tipperary. The name Sause/Sauce gave little clues to its origins and didn't have the Irish ring of a Murphy Kelly or Ryan. Yet Jim and Kathy persisted and slowly uncovered a treasure trove of ancestral lore deep in the heartland of Mullinahone and Fethard. Jim’s great-great-grandfather, Richard Sause, left Ballyduggan, Mullinahone, with two of his sons in 1849, his wife Mary and the remaining children joined him the following year.

Five years ago Jim and two of his daughters made their first trip to Ireland and were deeply touched by the welcome they received at Crocanoir in Mullinahone. A warm friendship developed between the Sauces and the Berminghams and over time the two families discovered a unique connection with their families histories. During the Cromwellian invasion both the Sauces and Berminghams were dispossessed of their land in the adjoining parishes of Cloneen and Fethard. In the recently revealed Down Survey James Sause is listed as owner of property in Saucestown, Fethard, and Richard Bermingham is a landowner in nearby Ballyhomuck.

To avoid transplantation to Connacht the Berminghams fled to the slopes of Slievenamon while James Sause and his family dispersed to the neighbouring villages of Ballingarry, Killenaule and Mullinahone. Jim Sause had a dream to return one day to the place of his forefathers and this time to bring not only more of his own family but to invite other Sause history researchers who until now have only met on the worldwide web. The visit to Saucestown in Fethard and a walk in the footsteps of their forefathers along the bridge that bears their name, was followed with a stroll by Fethard’s town wall – history resonating along every step of the way.

The only Sause name to appear on a gravestone in the area is in the historical cemetery of Killamery close to Ballyduggan, Mullinahone. Dated from the 1820s yet a vital clue to uncovering a link to the present day. The descendants of Honora Laurence (alias Sause) have been traced through several generations and a definite link found to connect the far flung emigrants with home. The old Sause homestead has also been found. Kathy and Jim could scarcely dream that not only would they find where they came from – they would also have Mullinahone man, Tony Nolan, a long lost cousin to welcome them home.

Sinead wins two gold medals

Sinead O'Donavan, Coolmoyne, photographed with her music teacher, Ann Barry, Fethard.

Congratulations to Sinead O’Donovan, Coolmoyne, Fethard, who was recently awarded two gold medals for outstanding results in her ‘Music Theatre’ exams with the Royal Irish Academy of Music in May. Sinead received over 90% in both junior and intermediate recitals. She has already completed Grade 8 in voice with exceptional results. Her programme included pieces from the following shows: Wicked, Les Miserables, Mary Poppins and Toy Story.

Class of 93 Reunion
Calling all students from Leaving Cert 1993 and Intermediate/Group Cert 1991 to a Class Reunion at The Well, Burke Street, Fethard, on Saturday, August 10, gathering at 8pm. For further information contact Ollie Maher at Tel: 087 2964888.


Photographed are the 1993 Fethard Patrician Presentation Leaving Certificate Class. Back L to R: Larry Hayes, Martin Griffin, Tom Neville, Richard Hayes, Patrick Walsh, Oliver Maher. 4th Row: James Noonan, Oliver Woodlock, James O’Donnell, Karen Kenny, John Paul Keane, Martha Fahy, John Walsh, Christine Fanning, Barry Boland, Elizabeth Burke, Fergal Corbett. 3rd Row: Hazel Hickey, Marie Cloonan, Marie Meaney, Anne Morrissey, Patricia Purcell, Mia Treacy, Caroline Wilson. 2nd Row: Teresa Sayers, Catherine O’Donnell, Martha Williams, Niamh Ryan, Rita Hickey, Serena Lawless, Denise Gleeson, Lorraine Treacy. Front Row: Kathleen Nevin, Sarah Coen, Lorraine Carroll, Mr Ernan Britton (School Principal), Edel Fogarty, Denise Wallace and Carmel Allen.

Cemetery Masses
A Cemetery Mass will take place on this Thursday, July 11, in Calvary Cemetery at 7pm. On Sunday, July 14, Mass will take place in the Convent at 2.30pm. We encourage as many people as possible to attend these masses to mark the ‘Year of Faith’.

Pre-Baptism Meeting
A pre-Baptism meeting will be held in the Tirry Community Centre on Monday, August 12, at 7.30pm for parents who wish to have their child baptised during the following weeks. Please contact Canon Tom Breen P.P. (052) 6131178 or Fr. Anthony McSweeney C.C. (052) 6131187 prior to attending.

Sports Achievement Award for June

Michael Hayes receiving the Butler's Bar Sports Achievement Award for June, sponsored by O'Sullivan's Insurance Clonmel. L to R: Donna O’Sullivan, representing this month’s sponsor, O’Sullivan’s Insurance, Clonmel; Michael Hayes, Philip Butler (Proprietor), Sharon O'Meara (Ladies Football Club) and Willie O'Donnell (Special Guest).

Congratulations to Bernadette O’Meara and Michael Hayes – coaches and mentors to a very successful ladies U14 football team who received the Butler’s Bar Sports Achievement Award for June. Their team, which includes five girls who played for Tipperary, recently won the county title beating Templemore by 3-7 to 3-4.

The award was presented at a function in Butlers Sports Bar on Friday night, July 5, by Donna O’Sullivan, representing this month’s sponsor, O’Sullivan’s Insurance, Clonmel. Special guest on the night was Willie O’Donnell, Redcity, Fethard. Willie, a profound former racquetball and handball player won seven All-Ireland handball titles while playing for his local club in Fethard.

Nominees for July 2013 are now being taken and can be handed in to Philip Butler at Fethard Sports Bar, Main Street, Fethard, before 6pm on Friday, July 26, or emailed to: sportsaward@fethard.com


Photographed at the Sports Achievement Awards in Butlers were L to R: Geraldine White-Pereira, Jorge Pereira, Lar White, Theresa O'Donnell and Adam O'Donnell.

Proposed ‘Protection of Life’ Bill
Mattie McGrath TD is organising a meeting to offer members of the public an opportunity to air their views on the proposed ‘Protection of Life’ Bill 2013 in the Youth Centre, Old Convent Hall, Fethard on Thursday night next, July 11, at 8.30pm. All are welcome.

Famine 1848 Walk, July 27, at 3pm
This annual Walk takes place in Ballingarry on Saturday, July 27, at 3pm. The starting point is the National Flag Monument in the village of The Commons and the walk concludes at the Famine Warhouse, the state national heritage site.

The Walk covers a distance of one-and-a-half miles and commemorates all those who died during the Great Famine and the 1848 Rising that took place in Ballingarry in the middle of the Famine. This year the walk will be led by Dr Martin Mansergh. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

Children’s Art and Costume Festival Prizes

Adult costume prize winners in this year's Medeival Parade L to R: Niamh Hayes and John O'Flynn

There was a hugely positive response to the Banner, Costume and Art workshops and competitions that were carried out in the primary schools by the Fethard Historical Society, organisers of the recent Fethard Medieval Festival. The overall project involved hundreds of children in the six local Primary Schools of Fethard, Killusty, Cloneen, Moyglass, Killurney and Lisronagh. This involvement, along with the wonderful work of the Fethard Transition Year students in creating a 3D Model of the medieval town, means that the children of the area have a greater understanding of the past history of their home place, which is one of the overall objectives of the Fethard Historical Society since its foundation 25 years ago.

List of Costume Prize Winners: 1st Boy €30, Ciarán Maguire; 2nd Boy €20, Paddy Ryan; 1st Girl €30, Hayley Ryan; 2nd Girl €20, Brogan O’Shea; Adult Female €50, Niamh Ryan; Adult Male €50, John O’Flynn.

Design a Medieval Hat Competition Group 1 (Prize Fund €50): 1st Shannon Thomson, Holy Trinity School, Fethard; 2nd Katie Ryan, Holy Trinity School, Fethard; 3rd Ruth McDonald, Cloneen Primary School; 4th Cathal Ryan, Killusty Primary School.

Design a Medieval Hat Competition Group 2 (Prize Fund €50): 1st Amy Byrne, Lisronagh Primary School; 2nd Georgina Murray, Lisronagh Primary School; 3rd Marisa Ronan, Lisronagh Primary School; 4th Evan Looby, Moyglass Primary School.

Medieval Scene Colouring Competition

Prizewinners in the childrens costume competition at this year's Medieval Festival. L to R: Haley Ryan 2nd Girl's Costume and Kieran Mcguire 1st Boy's Costume

Holy Trinity Primary School Fethard. 4-6 Years: 1st Charlie Brennan, 2nd Zoe Prout, 3rd Aoife Harrington. 7-9 Years: 1st Aishling Hennessy, 2nd Hayley Ryan, 3rd Kelly Ryan.

Moyglass Primary School. 4-6 Years: 1st Evie Quirke, 2nd Caoimhe O’Connor, 3rd Bill Smyth. 7-9 Years: 1st Luis Ryan, 2nd Molly Hall, 3rd Meadhbh O’Loughlin.

Cloneen Primary School. 7- 9 Years: 1st Paraic Morrissey, 2nd Hannah White, 3rd Molly White.

Killurney Primary School. 4-6 Years: 1st Isobel O’Donnell, 2nd Mark Ryan, 3rd Hannah Mulcahy. 7-9 Years: 1st Camille Ryan, 2nd Lucy Austin, 3rd Mathew Roche Nagle.

Killusty Primary School. 4-6 Years: 1st Freya Byrne, 2nd Jacques Duggan, 3rd Sam Coen. 7-9 Years: 1st Ella Mai Hackett, 2nd Rose O’Donnell, 3rd Michael Rory Cuddihy.

Lisronagh Primary School. 4-6 Years: 1st Mark O’Meara, 2nd Gemma Hayes, 3rd Patrick Dempsey. 7-9 Years: 1st Katie Luyse, 2nd Dean English, 3rd Harry Lane.

Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto
The numbers drawn on July 3, were: 1, 19, 29 and 32. We had no jackpot winner and one ‘Match Three’ winner who received €150: P. Russell, Ballydonnell, Mullinahone.

The three following ‘Lucky Dip’ winners won €50 each: Luke Hackett, Strylea, Fethard; J. Mullins, c/o Tom Purcell; and Nellie Ryan, St. Patrick's Place, Fethard.

Remember you can purchase your lotto ticket online at fethard.com. Buy seven weekly tickets and get one free! Check on the website for lots of special offers. Next week’s draw takes place on Wednesday, July 10, and the Jackpot is €3,400 and the Jackpot seller’s prize is €340. All proceeds go towards community work in Fethard.

Social Dancing at Fethard Ballroom
Dancing at Fethard Ballroom on Sunday Night, July 14, to the music of ‘Tommy Carroll’. All welcome to come along and enjoy a great night’s entertainment and social dancing. Dancing 9pm to midnight and admission is €7.

Sean Keane coming to the Abymill
Sean Keane and his band will stage their wonderful concert, 'The Scattering', in the Abymill Theatre in Fethard on Saturday, July 20, at 8pm. Sean whose unique sean-nós style of singing is known and loved worldwide. Younger brother of Delores Keane, Sean began singing before he could talk and this concert is a once off down south before his tour of America at the end of July. For a night of good music and song this is a must for any music lover. Ticket enquiries to Anne 086 0834208

Proposed ‘Protection of Life’ Bill
Mattie McGrath TD is organising a meeting to offer members of the public an opportunity to air their views on the proposed ‘Protection of Life’ Bill 2013 in the Youth Centre, Old Convent Hall, Fethard on Thursday night next, July 11, at 8.30pm. All are welcome.

End in sight for postal deliveries from Fethard Post Office
We have been reliably informed that July 29 has been set as a provisional date for the ending of postal deliveries from Fethard post office. From, or soon after that date, all delivery staff at Fethard will be relocated to Clonmel from where all future deliveries for the area will be carried out.

This will take place as part of An Post's policy of 'consolidation' whereby smaller delivery offices are to be relocated to larger delivery service units. Killenaule, Mullinahone and Ballingarry staff will be relocated to Thurles. Counter services and mail collections will remain the same.

It’s only a few months back that we received many complaints from locals enraged about mail being not delivered because ‘Clonmel’ was not included on letters addressed to their Fethard postal address. Are we moving forwards or backwards? For the past hundred years Fethard, Co. Tipperary, was always enough on an envelope to distinguish us from Fethard-on-Sea in Co. Wexford. Is this yet another step in Fethard’s identity being consumed by the larger centres?

Articles for Emigrants’ Newsletter
We are now inviting submissions of articles and photographs for inclusion in this year’s Emigrants’ Newsletter. 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 recall 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, current or old, are also very welcome.

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

Items for Fethard News and Website
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.