Fethard and Killusty Community Games
County Athletic Finals will take place in CBS Grounds, Nenagh on this Sunday, 15th May commencing at 1pm sharp. We wish the very best of luck to all those who qualified at the recent Area Sports.
Fethard GAA Club News
The Club had a very active week playing four games in the past ten days. On 28th May we played the County Intermediate Hurling semifinal in Drombane against Newport. This was a competitive game that had fine passages of excellent hurling skills and at the break we were level, Fethard 1-4, Newport 0-7. In the second half we were on top until the loss through injury of Michael Ryan and John Paul Looby. Newport introduced their County Senior player Conor P Mahony and the advantage swung back in their favour and we went down on a scoreline, Fethard 1-14, Newport 2-15. We wish them the best in the final.
Saturday 1st June saw us out in the South Senior Football Championship against Commercials. This was our second meeting in two weeks and on this occasion we played better than in the County but lost out for the second game in the South Championship by the narrowest of margins on a score line Fethard 1-8, Commercials 1-9. We must now win all our remaining matches to have a chance of reaching the last four in the south and must win the South to stay in the County Championship.
Wednesday 4th June saw us travel to Kilsheelan to play Moyle Rovers in the 2008 County Senior Football League final. With both teams short quite a few of the regulars on the night it was Moyle Rovers who came out well on top on a scoreline, Fethard 1-4, Moyle Rovers 1-11.
On Friday 6th June we headed to Goatenbridge to play our first round game in the Intermediate Hurling against Cahir. This was a fast free flowing game and we came out on top on a scoreline, Fethard 2-19, Cahir 2-12. The team was: Paul Fitzgerald, James Kelly, Michael Aherne, Adrian Lawrence, John P Looby, Michael Ryan, Jamie McCormack, Michael Carroll, Adien Lonergan, Eoin Doyle, Cian Maher, Benny Hahessy, Aiden Fitzgerald, Miceál Spillane and Eoin O’Connell.
We would like to thank all those who renewed their subscriptions in the County Board Draw and to those who joined for the first time, many thanks. To our winner Joan O’Meara (nee Tobin), well done.
Our Lotto Jackpot was not won and we had no match three winner. The following drawn tickets won €30 each: Laura Ryan (Tullamaine, Fethard); P J Aherne (Prospect Fethard); Esther Breen (Barrack Street, Fethard); Martin Ryan (Lismortagh, Moyglass); Rita Doyle (Woodvale Walk, Fethard). The €50 Lucky Dip was won by Margaret Hogan, Peafield, Cloran, Cloneen. Tickets were kindly provided by AIB Main Street, Fethard.
Fethard and Moyle Rovers Club have put a joint fundraising committee in place to raise funds for Bishop Richard Burke’s African dioceses project in assisting to fund a hospital and associated medical services for 3.6 million people in Nigeria. The Fethard committee is Austy and Mary Godfrey, Michael O’Dwyer and Gus Fitzgerald. You can contact any of the above with donations. Thanking you for your cooperation.
Fethard & Killusty Community Council
The next meeting of Fethard & Killusty Community Council will take place on Tuesday 17th June at 8.30pm in the Tirry Community Centre.
Fethard & Killusty Community Lotto
The numbers drawn on Wednesday 4th June were: 2, 5, 6, 10.
We had no Jackpot winner and one ‘Match 3’ winner who received €150:
Nellie Ryan, 46 St Patricks Place, Fethard.
The following Lucky Dip winners received €50 each:
Norma McCarthy, Littleton;
Judy Whelan, Ballingarry, Thurles;
Dermot Darcy, St Patricks Place, Fethard.
Next week’s Jackpot continues at €10,000 and the Jackpot sellers prize is €1000. Don’t forget you can now play our lotto online from your own computer by visiting fethard.com.
Party time in Cloneen!
Great music, great food, great craic? — it must be the ‘Midsummer Party’ which takes place in Cloneen on Saturday June 28th. After many very successful renditions of the Midsummer Ball, this year’s Midsummer Party will be slightly different. Dickie bows / black ties are no longer mandatory. But to preserve the class and atmosphere of the event, neat dress is still essential.
Furthermore the ticket prices have been lowered. So it is that bit cheaper and a little less formal. Slievenamon Musical Society, who host the event, hope this will make the night even more attractive for the young and not so young alike. The music will be provided by the acclaimed duo ‘Solitaire’ and a DJ who is building up a fast growing fan base.
Over the years, the food at the Cloneen midsummer events has received great praise and this year it will be up to its usual high standards again.
The food will be served from 9pm to 10pm, after which things will really get going till late. Tickets cost €25 (which includes membership of Cloneen Sports and Social Club for the night, so that you can avail of the bar facilities) and can be ordered by telephone: 087 3283074 or through any member of the committee of Slievenamon Musical Society. Don’t miss it!
Tribute To The Late James Neville, Mobarnane
The following tribute was written by 9-year-old Luke Ryan, Foulkstown, Ballinure, in memory of his late granddad, James Neville, Mobarnane, Fethard, who died on 20th April 2008.
A man born in 1920
A man who lived through World War Two
A man who lifted the McCarthy Cup
A man who took care of Magorban Church for 50 years
A man who raised a lovely family
A man who created an influence to everyone
A man who was fond of hurling
A man who was buried on his birthday
A man who had a dog called Ross and a lovely wife called Joan
A man who was proud to be Irish
A man named Jim Neville.
Killusty Pony Show
As the forty-fifth anniversary of the Killusty Pony Show approaches, plans are in train for a show to at least match if not surpass the 2007 Show, which broke all previous records. This year’s show will be held at Claremore, Killusty, as have most recent shows on a beautiful field facing the majestic Slievenamon on Saturday 5th July.
The schedule includes classes for most varieties of ponies with seventy classes. It may be obtained from the Hon. Sec. Betsy O’Connor, Knockelly, Fethard, Co. Tipperary, telephone 052-31130 or downloaded at www.irishponysociety.com/news/events. Most classes must be pre-entered and entries close for these finally on Friday 27th June to facilitate the production of a comprehensive catalogue.
There are divisions for In-hand, Broodmare, Welsh, Connemara, Mini (all classes for 123 cms. ponies) Starter Stakes, Show Pony, Show Hunter Pony, Working and Performance Working Hunter, Intermediate and Equitation. Local exhibitors are not forgotten with local riding classes confined to those resident within a radius of 20 miles from the show and handy pony. All locals are welcome to enter in any of the classes and they need not be members of the Irish Pony Society for they may take out a ‘day’ membership which costs €5 each for the owner and rider of a pony but need only be paid once to cover insurance for the whole day.
New classes this year include a first year first Ridden Class for those off the lead rein for the first time and a Ridden Traditional Cob Class. The Fancy Dress and the Dog Show will be held as ever with no entry required for the fancy dress and entries on the field for the Dog Show. Now is the time to get started preparing your dog and fancy dress for the show. Other divisions that can be entered on the day are the Performance Working Hunter and Equitation both ridden and jumping. There is a green working hunter class too that can also be entered on the day. Fence height is 2 ft and the only restriction for competitors is that they may not enter any other working hunter classes on the day. They may enter jumping equitation.
The committee are looking forward to the day and plenty of local support both in competing and in organising. See you on the 5th July!
Big Brown Triple Crown dreams dashed
Fethard born assistant trainer, Michelle Nevin, had her dreams of Big Brown becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, dashed when 38-1 long shot Da’ Tara won the Belmont Stakes in a wire-to-wire shocker on Saturday last in New York.
Da’ Tara, who lost to Big Brown by 23 lengths in the Florida Derby, won for just the second time in eight career starts and was the longest shot in the nine-horse field.
Late last November, Michelle Nevin was at the Palm Meadows training center in South Florida, when her longtime boss and close friend, trainer Rick Dutrow, called from New York to say he was sending her a horse that might be a superstar. It was Big Brown. In the half-year or so that has passed, Michelle has become a critical component in the success of Big Brown, who, on 17th May, won the 133rd Preakness Stake at Pimlico Race Course after his smashing Kentucky Derby victory on May 3 at Churchill Downs.
Dutrow cannot say enough good things about Michelle. ‘She’s invaluable,’ said Dutrow. ‘On top of the horses, she’s excellent. She can tell right away if they’re right or not. Off them, she’s interested in the legwork, how they eat up, everything about them. She’s very well-rounded.’ ‘I can honestly say I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am without Michelle,’ said Dutrow.
Michelle came to work for the stable when Dutrow’s dormant training career was just starting to take off, in about 2001. ‘I was in Barn 10 at Aqueduct, and she was working in Barn 11,’ said Dutrow. ‘We started dating. We dated for about three or four years, but after a while Michelle decided it wasn’t right for her.’
Despite the breakup, they have maintained a close relationship, both as friends and business associates. ‘Michelle is close with my whole family,’ said Dutrow. ‘She’s like part of the family herself.’
Besides exercising horses, Michelle also serves as an assistant trainer, assuming the kind of tasks that Dutrow does not have time for, such as helping to oversee the other personnel in the huge stable.
Michelle’s dedication stems from early childhood in Fethard, where her grandfather, Dick Nevin, had stables at Ballintemple. Her father, Michael Nevin, was a jockey, then a trainer, and when Michelle was about 16, she came to the United States for the first time, working for another Irishman, Leo O’Brien, at Belmont and Saratoga. She went back home to Ireland, graduated school, then came back the following summer, eventually working for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin during a lengthy tenure that included two stints in Dubai.
Her parents also moved to the States, with Michael Nevin training in New York with moderate success until retiring in 2004. He and his wife Chris, now live on a farm near Versailles, Kentucky. Michelle has one older sister, Kathleen, who still lives in Ireland.
Fethard Macra New Members Night
Fethard Macra is holding a new members night on Friday, 13th June at 9pm in McCarthy’s, Fethard. If you are aged 17-35 and interested in sport, drama, music, travel, public speaking and making new friends come along to find out more. We’d love to see you there! Our full programme of summer activities will be discussed on the night. For more details contact Michael (087-9019443) or Una (087-6882683) Looking forward to seeing you there.
Voting this Thursday
Don’t forget to use your vote today (Thursday) and let your voice be heard, whether you decide to vote yes or no, in the EU Lisbon Reform Treaty. The literature provided to help us understand what’s at stake in this referendum appears to have caused more confusion than comprehension and many people have decided to vote No as a result.
However, the five Fine Gael MEPs, the four Fianna Fail MEPS, Marian Harkin Independent MEP and Prionsias de Rossa Labour MEP have issued a joint call for a Yes vote during the week, saying, “While we differ on many issues, we share a belief that the Lisbon Treaty is essential to ensure that the European Union can work effectively in the face of growing modern challenges such as climate change, globalisation and cross-border crime. We believe that the Treaty is a very good deal for smaller countries like Ireland.”
The decision is up to you!
Leaving Cert and Junior Cert
Best wishes to all the boys and girls from the parish who are currently sitting their Leaving Cert and Junior Cert exams. We hope they realise their expectations and can travel the path they choose in life.
Cashel Blue cheese company lauded as the way forward for artisan food production
Deputy Tom Hayes and Deputy Michael Creed, Fine Gael Spokesperson for Agriculture visited the renowned Cashel Blue farm at Beechmount, Fethard, to hear about the phenomenal success story to date.
From the time it was first launched in 1984, Cashel Blue has been widely acclaimed by critics and has won many competitions, including being Champion Irish Cheese several times at the Royal Dublin Society Spring Show. In 2006 it received the Gold Medal in its class at the World Cheese Awards. These awards for quality are backed up with healthy sales and the brand is visually well-known and appreciated by cheese lovers the world over. The company mainly export to Ireland, the U.K. and the U.S.
From humble beginnings as a sideline business to the farm work on the Grubb family farm, the company mow employs twenty people and has recently expanded into a new brand – Crozier – a blue cheese made from sheep’s milk. The cheese is incredibly popular, particularly in the U.K. and the company has plans to expand and grow their business.
“This is a prime example of where dairy farms should be looking to inspiration, as the majority of the milk comes from the pedigree Friesian dairy herd on the farm, with some milk purchased from other suppliers. The production plant is on the farm itself, in the farmyard, and it is an incredible example of adding value at the farm-gate level. This type of artisan food product, made with real care in its local community, retaining its own identity and establishing its quality firmly in the mind of the consumer is exactly where the future lies in the farming industry,” Michael Creed commented.
“I was impressed with the hands-on nature of the work, the commitment of all concerned to traceability and quality and the dedication of the whole team to a product which has not got cult status in the market. I can only congratulate the Grubb family and their staff on their efforts and hope that they have every opportunity to grow the business in the future. It is exactly where we should be heading in this country in the food production and agriculture areas.” Tom Hayes reiterated.
