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Gortnahoe & Glengoole - Killenaule -

'Zero Party' at Slievenamon Golf Club

Group photographed at the ‘Zero Party’ at Slievenamon Golf Club on last Sunday, 2nd August, including in front, the nine siblings of the late Maggie and Laurence Kenny, Hillview, Fethard. L to R: Billy, Philly, Kathleen, Joe, Rita (Kane), Mary (Newport), Carmel (Kelly), Michael and Bernadette (McManus).

Extended members of the Kenny family from Hillview, The Green, Fethard, turned out in force last weekend for a special ‘Zero Party’ devised by sisters Edwina Newport and Catherine Kearney.
This year, the extended family of the late Maggie and Laurence Kenny, celebrated a 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th and 80th birthday, with three younger members also celebrating their 10th birthday. So a joint ‘Zero Party’ was planned where all the relatives could get together and celebrate at Slievenamon Golf Club. The response was terrific, with 78 out of a possible 86 attending, and those not able to attend had very valid reasons for their absence.


Celebrating birthdays at the Kenny family’s ‘Zero Party’ were L to R: Martin Jenson (10), Kelda McManus (10), John Kenny (30), Michael Kenny (60), Mary Newport (80), Joe Kenny (70), Catherine Kearney (50), Gary McManus (40) and Chelsey Kenny (10).

Following a meal at Fairways Restaurant, the celebrations concluded with the production of two beautiful birthday cakes and everyone singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the deserving ‘Zero’ candidates.

Medieval Fancy Dress Parade!
This year’s Fethard Medieval Fancy Dress Parade will take place on Sunday 23rd August with lots of prizes to be won. We ask children and parents to make a special effort to dress up in costume and participate in this year’s parade and events by the medieval town wall at The Valley. The Fancy Dress Parade will commence at 2pm from the Town Hall on Sunday 23rd August.

Childrens’ Medieval Tapestry Workshop

As part of this year’s Fethard Walled Town Medieval Festival, Children aged 8 to 14 are welcome to enroll for a series of Workshops, led by artist Pat Looby. This is a textile art project based on medieval tapestries. Children will learn how to draw, paint and sew on to fabric and will create a new Tapestry based on the Medieval features of Fethard.

The finished Tapestry will be part of the Fethard Walled Towns Day Festival on 23rd August and will then go on permanent display at the Fethard Youth Centre. The workshops will take place from Monday 17th August to Friday 21st August, from 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm. Booking Essential. Special workshop for 5 to 7 year olds will take place on Monday 17th August from 11am to 12.30pm. The workshops will be held at the new Fethard Youth Centre. To enroll please call: (052) 6131000.

Annual Emigrants Newsletter articles wanted
We are now inviting articles and photographs to be submitted for inclusion in this year’s Annual Emigrants Newsletter. Items can be sent by email to newsletter@fethard.com or delivered by hand to Joe Kenny, Rocklow Road, Fethard. When sending photographs by email please send at full high resolution taken by your camera or have photographs scanned at the 300 dpi (dots per inch) setting on your scanner. If can alternatively take the photographs to Joe Kenny who will scan them while you wait and return originals.

Home on holiday from San Francisco

Mark Lonergan (left), photographed home from San Francisco on holidays with his two sons Tadhg and Cian, and Fethard locals, Jim Carroll and Johnny Murphy (right). The photograph was taken outside Mark's previous family home, Lonergans Pub on The Square.

Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto
The numbers drawn on 29th July were 10, 21, 23 and 24. We had no Jackpot winner and one ‘Match 3’ winner who received €150:
Michael Doherty, 9, Strylea, Fethard.

The three following Lucky Dip winners received €50 each:
John Ryan, c/o Arthur Daly;
Sheila Dalton, Killenaule;
Jimmy O'Brien, Rathkenny, Drangan.
Next week’s Jackpot continues at €10,000 and the Jackpot sellers prize is €1000.

National Heritage Week Photograph Competition
Are you a David Bailey wannabe? Have you got an eagle eye and a steady hand? The National Heritage Week Photo Competition invites you to be part of Heritage Week and to share your best Heritage Week event photos for a chance to win some fantastic prizes! We want you to use your imagination to capture the connection between people, environment and heritage and share your experiences by uploading your Heritage Week event pics to www.pix.ie/go/heritageweek between the 22nd August and 13th September.
So bring your camera to Fethard Medieval Walled Town Festival on 22nd & 23rd August and capture the readymade medieval atmosphere.

Lucky boys night out

Celebrating a €1,000 lucky jackpot win in the Rehab Lotteries at McCarthys last weekend are L to R: Liam Kelly, Jason McKeown, Frankie O'Donovan, Richard Cummins and Aaron O'Donovan.


Members of the Sheehan family 'Embracing the Pear' with the winnings while home of holidays from Scotland. L to R: Michael Sheehan, Dawn McKeown, Annette O'Donovan, Liam Kelly, Michelle Kelly, Stacey Neville and Mark Neville.

Holy Year Cross Pilgrimage
This year’s pilgrimage to Holy Year Cross on Slievenamon will take place on Sunday 16th August, leaving at 2pm, with Mass celebrated at 3pm in O’Donnell’s field. Community members are asked to make a special effort to come along and participate in this year’s climb, dedicated to victims of child abuse.

Parachute Jump for Ladies Football Club

Suited, booted, and ready for action are L to R: Caroline Sheehan, Maureen McCarthy and Alice Butler, photographed before their Parachute Jump in aid of Fethard Ladies Football Club, that took place on 25th July at Clonbollogue, Co. Offaly. The three girls were thrilled with the experience after the jump. (Photos by Kieran Butler)

Maureen McCarthy first to jump

Next out was Caroline Sheehan

Followed by Alice Butler . . .

Back on solid ground . . .

Fethard GAA Club News
The Senior Football South Semifinals were drawn during the week with Fethard drawn against Cahir to be played in Clonmel on Friday 14th August at 7.15pm.

Intermediate Hurlers played the 5th Round over the bank holiday weekend losing on a scoreline, Fethard 1-9, Cahir 2-13. Having already qualified for the last four they still must play Carrick Davins on Sunday next in Kilsheelan at 7pm.

For Fethard, Michael Aherne and Miceál Spillane were to the fore. The full team was: J P McGrath, Michael Carroll, Michael Aherne, Declan Doyle, Dean Tobin 0-1, Shane Walsh 0-2f, Eoin O’Connell, Cian Maher, Brian Coen, Eoin Doyle, Aiden Fitzgerald 0-4F, Alan O’Connor 1-1, Benny Hahessy, Miceál Spillane 0-1, and Alan Bourke. Substitute was John Leahy for Alan Bourke.

Junior A Footballers were also out at the weekend and consolidated their form with a good win on a scoreline, Fethard 0-10, Cahir 1-5. Best for Fethard were Philly Croke, Peter Gough, Michael Carroll, Michael Dillon, Miceál Spillane, Willie Morrissey, Martin Coen. The full team was: Paul Kenny, Connie O’Flynn, Peter Gough, Philly Croke, Michael Carroll, Stephen O’Donnell, William O’Brien, PJ Morrissey, Miceál Spillane, Alan Bourke, Shane Kenny 0-2, Willie Morrissey 0-3, Johnny Neville 0-1, Martin Coen 0-3 (2f), and Ben Walsh. Subs were: Michael Dillon, John Leahy 0-1, and Brendan Brett.

Our Lotto Jackpot was not won. The numbers drawn were 12, 17, 19 and 21. We had no match three winner so the following tickets drawn won €30 each: Hugh O’Connor (Knockelly, Fethard), Martha Williams (Killusty, Fethard), Lilly Maher (Kilnockin Road, Fethard), Lynsday McGrath (Merrys Clonmel), Michael Teehan (Moyglass, Fethard). The €50 Lucky Dip was won by Denis O’Meara (51 St Patricks Place, Fethard).

Our condolences are at this time with Walsh family, Knockbrack, on the death of Dinny, nephew of JP Walsh, past treasurer of the South Board. Go ndeana Dia trocaire orthu.

Fethard Juvenile GAA News 
Members are asked to please note that those who are not turning up for training are making it difficult for coaches and trainers to fill a team. We ask you to make a greater effort to turn out for training sessions, in particular the Under-14s and 16s. The Under-14s are nearing a place in the south semifinal and a greater effort is required. You are also asked to make an effort to train with your own age groups.

Our golf classic is still going ahead as planned for the 15th August and anyone wishing to enter a team are asked to contact Andy O’Donovan for a tee-off time at 087 9882344. The cost is €120 for a team of three. Please support this worthy cause in aid of the juveniles of Fethard.

We will hold our prize giving and raffle draw in Lonergans Pub on Saturday night 15th August at 9pm followed by a disco with music supplied by Tipp FM's Ian O’Connor. A great nights entertainment is promised and we look forward to seeing all the parents of the juvenile club their to support this worthy cause.

The Juvenile Club would also like to send Cathal Quigley of Moyle Rovers U16 team, best wishes for a speedy recovery after a misfortunate accident during a challenge match on last Sunday morning.

Information on Mulcahy and Mackey family
Judy (Mulcahy) Wecke from Auckland, New Zealand, sent us this request for information regarding the Mackey family of Cahir Road.


This photograph was taken c.1925 of my granddad William Mulcahy with, I believe, my father Thomas on the left and his brother Chris on the right. — Judy (Mulcahy) Wecke.

I am really trying to find out more about the Mulcahy family and had used the Mackey family as a starting point because I knew most of them as a child. My father was Thomas Mulcahy, brother of Elizabeth, Mary, Alice, Chris and Kathleen. We stayed with aunt Lizzy and uncle Jerry in Fethard in 1946 and there I also met Chris, Gerald, Billy, Ann and Maureen, and grandad William. Ann came back to England with us and stayed with us for a while before going to live with aunt Mary in Retford. Later uncle Chris visited us in Worksop and also Stephen, who I understood at the time to be another cousin. My father died in 1951 when I was still a child and aunts Mary and Alice never discussed their Mulcahy relatives with me. Now my children want to know more about their family roots and I can tell them very little.
I have tried to find information via the internet with no success. I do not know where grandad Mulcahy came from, who he married, what other children he may have had, if any are still living, or have living relatives or descendants. Maybe some of your readers remember them? I would greatly appreciate any information you could give me about any members of the family. I enclose a copy of a photograph, taken between 1925 and 1930 of granddad William Mulcahy with, I believe, my father Thomas on the left and his brother Chris on the right. I can be contacted by email at jwecke@hotmail.com

Fethard Public Realm Plan available for download

The Public Realm Plan for the Medieval Walled Town of Fethard was commissioned in the summer of 2007 by the Heritage Council and South Tipperary County Council as part of the town's membership of Irish Walled Town Network.

The Public Realm Plan proposes 15 specific iniatives of varied scale and remit. Individually each project will improve the quality of the town's publicly accessible environment. Combined, they can bring about a significant transformation with long term social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits for the town and its people.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF OF PLAN (9.5mb)



Paul Brady will visit Fethard on his ‘Travelin’ Light 2009 Tour’ on Saturday 22nd August. This concert will coincide with the Fethard Medieval Walled Town Festival during Heritage Week and will take place by the medieval wall behind McCarthy’s.

Paul Brady is touring venues across Ireland and outside the main town gigs which he normally plays. Paul includes a vast repertoire in the show, playing songs from his forty years in the music business, visiting songs from his time with Planxty, The Johnsons, Andy Irvine as well as songs from his numerous solo albums.

The support bands have yet to be announced. Food and refreshments, as well as other live music will be available on the night of the concert. Tickets are €37 from McCarthy’s in Fethard, Premier Music Store in Clonmel, or online / credit card at www.tickets.ie