National Tree Week

To mark National Tree Week in Fethard, CountryLife Garden Centre presented two fruit trees to Fethard Tidy Towns. The trees will be used to enhance the current landscaping project in Fethard. CountryLife Fethard would like to advise all their customers that they will now be open every Saturday from 9am to 6pm; Sundays and Bank Holidays from 1pm to 5pm, commencing from March 16. L to R: Linda Kelly, Joe Keane (Fethard Tidy Towns) and Freda Hayes.

New Playground for Fethard
It’s finally coming together and we’re nearly there! Ninety per cent of the work is completed with ten per cent to go and we need you to help us make this happen.

On Tuesday next, March 19, a public meeting will be held in the Tirry Community Centre at 7.30pm. At this meeting the Playground Project will be presented to the community. The planned design of the playground will be on view, a number fun and other fundraising options will be outlined and we’ll be looking for some people to get involved with us.

Over €100,000 in funding has been secured for the provision of this much-needed and long-awaited playground for Fethard. In this regard, the committee would like to acknowledge the support of South Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary Development Company.

An essential requirement for accessing the funding is ‘voluntary involvement’ and that’s why we need ‘you’ and community involvement – in this case, the parents of young children. So please come along on Tuesday night, see what’s being done and be willing to get involved — it can’t happen without you!

Patrician Presentation Jottings

Pictured above is Mr Joe Keane, Chairman Fethard Tidy Towns, presenting a cheque towards sponsoring pupils who will travel as supporters of the local Junk Kouture entry in UL on Thursday. Also included in the photograph with the pupils are Ms Pat Looby (Art Teacher) and Mr Ernan Britton (School Principal).

Junk Kouture group supported by Fethard Tidy Towns
Best Wishes to Kate Quigley, Niamh Morrissey and Niamh Crotty whose entry ‘Anything could Happen’ will compete in the regional finals of the Junk Kouture competition in the concert hall in UL on Thursday evening next, March 14. Kate will model the outfit and there is great excitement in the school as this is the second year in a row that the school has qualified for the regional finals of the competition.
We also look forward to viewing the competing creations from other schools in the South of Ireland.

Well done to all including Ms Patricia Looby who inspired the girls to enter the competition. The school wishes to thank most sincerely both the Tidy Towns Committee and the Environment Section of South Tipperary County Council for their sponsorship of the supporters’ bus to Limerick. The main sponsors of the Junk Kouture competition is European Recycling Platform (ERP), a company set up in response to the introduction of the European Union’s (WEEE) Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment project. Our pupils incorporated electrical copper wire into the accessories for the competition. Remember to Re-use, Re-cycle and Re-fashion!

All-Ireland Finalists

All-Ireland finalists, Patrician Presentation Secondary School boys volleyball team who were recently beaten by St. Bridget's, Loughrea, in the Under-16 Cadets 'A' All-Ireland final. Back L to R: Justin McGree (coach), Keith Cronin, Kieran Whyte, Tiernan O'Neill, Niall Doocey, Dominic Dwyer, Anthony Clair, Michael Earl, Susan O'Brien (coach). Front L to R: Danny O'Reagan, Cormac Horan, Adam Fitzgerald, Eoghain Hurley, Thomas Channon, Christy Dunn and Nathan Costin.

Lourdes Diocesan Pilgrimage youth helpers
Fifth Year pupils, Michelle Walsh and Tara Horan, have been chosen to travel to Lourdes as youth helpers with the diocesan pilgrimage on June 16. A non-uniform day in aid of the Lourdes Fund will be held on Friday, March 15. The annual Table Quiz, also in aid of the Lourdes Fund, was held in the school’s study hall on Monday, March 4. There was good support for the quiz and well done to the Parents’ Association and Mr and Mrs Prendergast for all their help with the organisation of the event. The school has long associations with fundraising for Lourdes in the parish and is well represented by its pupils each year in Lourdes. The quiz winners on the night were, in the senior section: Betty Walsh, Claire Walsh, Carly Walsh and Shirley Cooney; and in the Junior Section: Jack Spillane, Mark Hayde, Thomas O’Reilly and Nathan Costin.

Le Chéile
Dr. Eilis Humphreys, Education Officer and Mr Sean Goan, Faith Development Officer with Le Chéile Trustee Group made their annual visit to the school on Wednesday last. The Le Chéile Trust, to which our school belongs for the last few years, is a collaborative trust involving fourteen religious congregations who wish to affirm their commitment to the future of Catholic Education in Ireland and to work in partnership with the government in education. The Ursuline Congregation, with schools in Cork, Thurles and Waterford, joined the trust group in 2012. The Principal, Mr Britton and two of our pupils, Michelle Walsh and Tara Horan, attended the Le Chéile AGM, Conference and Student Event in Dublin on January 31.

Entrance Assessment and Enrolment 2013
The entrance assessment for intending First Year Pupils was held in the school on Saturday last March 9. The Parents Association hosted a ‘Meet and Greet’ event for parents during the morning. It was the opportunity for parents to meet with other parents, members of the parents association and the management of the school.

Seachtain na Gaeilge
Class events are taking place this week in conjunction with the annual Seachtain na Gaeilge with pupils being encouraged to wear Green on this Friday’s non-uniform day.

Geography Field Trip
As part of their Leaving Certificate Programme, the TY pupils and their teacher Mr McGree carried out a Geographical Investigation in Tramore Bay on Monday, March 11. They studied the geomorphological processes of transportation and deposition in a coastal environment.

Community Games

John O'Flynn, Knockelly Road, who won a bronze medal at the Art County Final

Congratulations to John O'Flynn, Knockelly Road who won a bronze medal at the County Final of the Community Games Art Competition, also to Cathal Ryan, Killusty, who put in a fine performance to qualify for the final of the U12 freestyle event at the county final of the Community Games Swimming Championships. Both events took place in Clonmel.


Cathal Ryan, Killusty, who qualified for the final of the U12 freestyle swimming event at the county final.

Fifth Provincial Title for Jack Connolly
After being crowned county champion in Roscrea last Sunday, March 3, Jack Connolly qualified for the 2013 Munster championships, which were held in Limerick and hosted by Corpus Christi Boxing Club. Saturday, March 9, was semi-final day and Jack’s opponent was Stephen Casey from Rathkeale Boxing Club, Co. Limerick. The Fethard man was on fire for these championships and Casey was no match for Jack, whose experience and difference in class showed when the referee stopped the contest in the third round. Incidentally when the fight was stopped the score was 15 points to 5.

The following day, Sunday, March 10, next up for Jack in the final was Pa Flynn, from Doolin Boxing Club, Co Clare. If the previous performance was any hint on how the final would go, we didn't have long to wait, when 40 seconds into the second round and deciding that this was a no brainer, Casey's corner threw in the towel and Jack became 60kg Munster champion for 2013, but more convincingly this was his fifth Provincial title in a row.

All roads now lead to the National Stadium in Dublin, for the ALL-Ireland championships at the end of March. Best of luck Jack at the nationals.

Fethard Girl Guides meet every Wednesday
Fethard Girl Guides would like to thank the following people for helping at the recent Thinking Day celebrations held in Holy Trinity Church of Ireland.

Firstly thanks to Rev. Barbara Fryday for allowing us to use the church and to Heather Bailey for looking after us on the night with heating and lighting etc. We also thank Philip Butler for providing the sound system and the ICA for use of their hall for refreshments. The event was great success and our girls and their leaders all contributed to the success of the event, not forgetting the parents’ input also.

Meetings continue every Wednesday night in the Ballroom at 7pm for Ladybirds, Brownies and Guides. So please come along as we would love to have more girls to enjoy Guiding.

New business opens in Fethard
Trish’s Beauty Salon, Main Street, Fethard, is a new business which is owned by Trish Morris and located above O’Sullivan’s Pharmacy. The salon started business on Wednesday, March 6, and will be open Wednesdays to Saturdays inclusive. Trish’s Beauty Salon specialises in Murad facials, waxing, tinting, tan organic spray tan and several other beauty treatments. For your booking call Trish on (052) 6132484.

Macra News
Officers from Fethard and Dundrum Macra attended the Second Round Officer Training in the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, on Saturday, March 9, this was extremely rewarding and a wonderful time was had by all.

The Michael Moclair Munster Macra VP campaign attended the Newcastle West Table Quiz on Friday, March 8, which was was great fun and huge thank you both for having us.

Dairy Stock Judging shall take place on Tom Horan’s farm in Cashel on Sunday, March 24. Sign in is from 2.15pm and starting time is at 2.30pm. This is a North and South Tipp event so expect to see new faces. See you there, even for the fun if you don't wish to participate.
Clonoulty Rossmore Macra is holding an Irish themed quiz night on Friday, March 15, in Kennedy's pub, Gooldscross, with music and raffle on the night. Entry is €5 per person.

Volleyball continues in Clerihan Hall every Thursday night at 8.30pm and new members are very welcome to come along.

Macra is a wonderful organisation for individuals aged from 17-35 and has something for everyone including social events, travel, farming and competitions including sports, public speaking, debating and more which give you skills for life. For more enquiries or if you are interested in joining South Tipp Macra contact Laurann on 085-7337432 or Una 087-4165826 or find us on Facebook under South Tipp Macra.

'Willie & The Poor Boys' in Fethard 2008
The following videos performed by 'Willie & The Poor Boys' in Fethard are in memory of the late the late Eamonn 'Harney' O'Hara who died on 22nd January 2013. 'Harney' was the lead vocalist with many bands including 'Willie & The Poor Boys' and 'Back Door' from Kilkenny. Both of these bands had a great local following and performed frequently in Fethard.

These videos were recorded at a Barbecue at McCarthy's Hotel in aid of Fethard Acorn Childcare Project on 1st June 2008 and we are told they are the only known videos of 'Harney' performing in his 40-year career as a musician. RIP.

Social Dancing at Fethard Ballroom
Dancing at Fethard Ballroom next Sunday, St. Patrick’s Night, March 17, to the music of Pat Hogan. All welcome to come along and enjoy a great night’s entertainment and social dancing. Dancing 9pm to midnight and admission is €7.

Enrolment at Holy Trinity National School
Enrolment forms for Junior Infants are now available at Holy Trinity National School. Please call or contact the secretary at (052) 6131493.

Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto
The numbers drawn on March 6, were: 3, 4, 11 and 13. We had no jackpot winner and two ‘Match Three’ winners who received €75 each: Chloe Keane, Clonmel; and Mary Curran, Clonmel.

The three following ‘Lucky Dip’ winners won €50 each: Rory Shelly, Moyglass, Fethard; Thomas Barrett, The Green, Fethard; and Teddie Pollard, 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, March 13 and the Jackpot is €7,900 and the Jackpot seller’s prize is €790. All proceeds go towards community work in Fethard.

Convent Community Hall

Library
The book shelves are now being installed in the Convent Community Hall so if you have any unwanted books in very good condition for our library we would be delighted to put them to good use. Books can be left into the hall any morning from Monday to Thursday or any evening from 7pm to 9pm

Zumba and Pilates numbers dropping
The numbers are starting to drop for Pilates and Zumba classes. These classes are a great addition to our town so if you have started the classes and enjoyed them, it would be great to have you back again as it may not be possible for classes to continue unless numbers pick up. Zumba is on every Tuesday nights at 8.15pm and Pilates on a Wednesday nights at 8.15pm.

What about our mature residents
At a recent meeting it was brought to our attention that there could be more groups or things to do for our middle-aged or over 50s in Fethard. If you feel there is some club or activity that you would like to see started in Fethard please call Joan at the Community Office (052) 6131000 and let her know your ideas or suggestions and we may be able to help.

Parent/Minder Toddler group
The new Parent/Minder Toddler group is going great and due to a lot of requests we are now going to run a second morning. The group will now meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 11am, so why not come down and let the children play and get to know each other while you have a cup of tea/coffee and some adult conversation –all for only €2 per adult.

Introduction to Digital Image Editing
Plans are currently in progress to hold a course in basic digital image editing in the Convent Community Hall in Fethard. The proposed course content will cover such topics: ‘Before you click the shutter’, ‘Transferring Images to Your Computer’, ‘Organizing Your Images’, ‘Image Editing Tools’, ‘Image Enhancement’, ‘Red Eye Correction’, ‘Look at Layers’, ‘Special Effects’, ‘File Formats (e.g. jpg, pdf etc.)’, ‘Image Size for Printing’, and ‘Image Size for email, web’.

The course is aimed at beginners and those willing to know more about digital image editing on your computer. If you are interested in taking part in this course please give your name to Joan O’Donohoe at Fethard Community Office, Barrack Street, Fethard. Tel: (052) 6131000.

Genealogy – Tracing Your Ancestors workshop
A one-day workshop on ‘Tracing Your Ancestors’ will be held at Crocanoir, Mullinahone, on April 13, which might be of interest to those involved in family research. This workshop is aimed at those that have ‘dabbled’ in family history but have never made the time to structure their research. At the end of the workshop, hosted by Hibernia Roots genealogy services, you will have identified the resources that could lead to you producing a family report for a special occasion gift or to present to visiting relatives. For further information contact John at Phone (052) 9153117 or 086 8907329, or email: johnfgb@eircom.net

Fethard & District Rugby

Fethard U8
Fethard U8s travelled to Carrick on Sunday and encountered real tough rugby weather. They faced a strong Kilkenny team but Fethard continued to impress with Adam O'Connell getting better with every game and Ana Quigley O'Dwyer great with her tip offs. Mark Neville scored a great try and Michael Blake continues his great tackles and trademark ball picking. Keep up the great work. Training on Friday evenings and mini rugby mums please remember we have a free day next Sunday.

Fethard U9
Fethard U9s gave a great performance against Kilkenny and just about edged it at the final whistle. With the mucky underfoot conditions it was decided to call it a day and we didn't play Carrick. Well done to all who turned up on the day.

Fethard U10
U10s played Kilkenny in their first game and gained revenge for their loss earlier on in the season. In their next game Fethard came out on top against a very determined Carrick side and when the final whistle sounded Fethard were only getting into their stride.


Fethard U-10 team who took part in the recent pan-Munster Blitz on Saturday, March 2, in Fethard, photographed with coaches John Smullan and Anthony Wall.



Fethard U11
With only seven players for kick off, Kilkenny gave us four to let us play their two teams. These four soon showed how to keep the ball moving. The game was slow to start but ended with two good games in tough conditions. Angus McDonald's hard run yielding a well deserved try. Matt Burke's great work rate eventually resulted in getting a touch down in the corner. The Kilkenny boys were excellent in their running and passing, a trait we can develop.

Fethard U13
U13s played at home to Cashel and achieved a very successful result with three tries from Jack O'Rourke, Darragh Lynch and Patrick Scully. Defending our own line well in the dying minutes they secured the ultimate result with a final score of 15-10. Training as usual Wednesday night.

Fethard U15 Knock-Out League Champions in the Cup
Fethard U15s put in a superb performance in the Cup to defeat a fancied Waterpark side in Fethard on Sunday last. Fethard, playing against the wind in the first half eventually managed to get into the Waterpark 22, where they were awarded a penalty which Gary Kavanagh slotted. Waterpark continued to pile on the pressure and crashed through to score a try. Fethard worked hard to get back up field and when the out-half was tackled late, Fethard were awarded another penalty which Killian O'Dwyer slotted between the posts leaving the score 6-5 to Fethard at half time.

In the second half Fethard were especially effective. A great rolling maul saw Ross McCormack crash over fro a great try which Gary Kavanagh converted from close to the sideline. This was a fine performance from this young team. Fethard play the winners of Cashel and Nenagh in the semi-final next weekend.

Fethard U17
Our U17s played Cashel in the first round of the cup and were 22-0 down at half time but came back brilliantly to within one point of winning the game in an incredible display of determination and skill. The final score was Cashel 29, Fethard 28, what a proud day for these young men.

Fethard Ladies
Fethard U18 Girls have had two matches in the Munster U18's Competition. We joined forces with Thurles and played home and away fixtures against a Carrick and Clonmel combination team. We saw improvements from our squad of Aobh O'Shea, Hannah Stapleton, Ciara O'Donnell, Amy Tynan, Leah Fox, Aoife Delaney, Karen Hayes, Kora Delaney, Aisling Kelly and Molly O'Dwyer. Our next Munster match is on Saturday, March 23, time and venue to be confirmed. New members are always welcome for girls from 13 years to 18 years. Training Friday evenings from 8pm to 9pm.

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.