Gardai were hunting for thieves who broke into a number of cars in the town of Fermoy. The crimes took place in a spate of incidents at midnight one Sunday night. All the targeted cars were Fords, with one of the vehicles being stolen by the attackers. The car was later recovered in Cahir but had been crashed by the thieves.
The omnipotent presence of the internet in our lives is almost a given these days, but over two decades ago it was still akin to the ancients discovering the wheel. For the village of Lismore there was celebration and joy as they launched a major website under the banner of local organisation, Mochuda Development Group. The Avondhu described it as a colourful and comprehensive catalogue of the town. The project had been in the pipeline for a year and it was hoped that it would help promote the area as a tourist attraction. The website explained in detail the history of the broader Lismore area and its culture. Local historian Julien Walton was instrumental in writing about the heritage of Lismore and exploring the detailed historical information. “Lismore is a town steeped in history and has hidden its light under a bushel for far too long. This website is a wonderful way of letting the world know about Lismore,” he said.
Special Olympian Valerie Canning was accorded a civic reception at Fermoy UDC in recognition of her work with Special Olympics Ireland and on winning a bronze medal for swimming at the World Games in North Carolina. Cllr John Murphy paid tribute to Valerie, who he said was a ‘warm and carefree person who had shown wonderful determination in pursuing her chosen sport’.
The people of Fermoy were in a state of deep concern 21 years ago as it was revealed that they were facing into parking charges. The charges would coincide with the opening of a new car park at Mill Island, a move that would cost the council £450,000. At a pre-estimates meeting of Fermoy UDC, Cork County Council Manager, Theresa White, proposed the introduction of the parking charges, both on street and in the car parks. Sources told The Avondhu that her suggestion included a 40p per hour charge for on street parking and a 20p per hour car park fee. Payment would be made by means of parking discs on sale at local shops and pay and display tickets dispensed in machines for the car parks. There were concerns that this plan would change and it was feared that most, if not all streets in Fermoy, would be included in the strategy. There were suggestions that permits would be issued to house holders and there would be a free hour of parking for motorists entering the town. The Avondhu reported that the scheme would come before the local Urban District Council, but that it was already decided and discussion was pointless.
Gardai declared that they ‘were taking no prisoners’ in their fight against drunk driving. There was set to be a massive clampdown across the region and local Superintendent Charlie Byrne made the announcement. “You could meet us anywhere, in the next few weeks, so be warned. Take a taxi or get someone to pick you up if you’ve had a few drinks. We’re going to be stopping people by the dozen and believe me, we’ll take no prisoners,” he said.
Meanwhile, the much vaunted millennium projects seemed to have been tamed somewhat, as Mitchelstown released a calendar to mark the turn of the century. It was on sale in shops in the town and carried images of times past.
In sport, there was front page coverage on the triumph of Araglin over St Oliver Plunketts from Enniskeane in the county hurling final. The final, held in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, saw a ‘barnstorming finish to an absorbing encounter’ as Araglin recorded their first ever win at county level. It was a great conclusion to the season for Araglin who had made a clean sweep of their division with victory against Kildorrery also in the North Cork junior B hurling championship. They took the victory in the ‘Pairc’ on a 1-11 to 1-10 scoreline and captain John O’Brien accepted the cup surrounded by adoring fans and with club stalwart Tony Russell looking on.
Tony O’Connell from Ballyhooly was entered into the GAA Hall of Fame, taking the prestigious award at the annual North Cork GAA Board function, held in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow.
