Contracts were being finalised for the sale of Castlehyde Hotel, which closed earlier in 2005 – it was reported that a local businessman and his wife were to become the new owners. No date, however, was set for the reopening of the hotel.
Mitchelstown was awaiting an announcement on the advance factory at Coolnanave, where it was anticipated 30 people would be employed initially. New tenants were understood to be a high-tech company developing ‘cutting edge technology in the semi-conductor industry’.
A huge ‘tropical downpour’ struck Fermoy and Kilworth, causing many businesses to shut their doors as surface water drainage was unable to take the volume of water that fell. Local councillors called for emergency numbers to be provided by the council for such instances.
Plans for a new public library in Mitchelstown came up for discussion. The Forrest Hall site in the town centre, sold to the council some five year previous, was lauded as an ‘ideal site’ by Cllr Frank O’Flynn. The Northern Committee of Cork County Council heard that the first stage for plans for the new library was a submission to the department, and at that point, they hadn’t ‘got past stage one’.
The Celtic Tiger was truly in full swing, with The Avondhu carrying all the signs of the national building boom, as a 12-page ‘Building Guide ’05’ was published, detailing a host of housing projects under construction across the region.
Lucky, a stray collie which was ‘chasing tyres’ on traffic on Lower Cork Street in Mitchelstown, was unfortunately knocked down. The dog however, was picked up and brought to local veterinary surgeons, Spratts, by none other than Rachel Murphy, better known as Fair City’s Jo, wife of Dermot Fahy in the show. The dog had no life threatening injuries, only a dislocated shoulder; an appeal for his owners was subsequently issued.
A car crash, a fire and an attempted robbery were reported by gardai in the area in the space of one week. Two cars and an articulated lorry crashed on the N8 at the Mill junction near Kilworth and five people were taken to hospital. Separately, a fire occurred at Castlelyons NS that damaged a classroom – windows were broken and there was considerable smoke damage. Thankfully the school was closed for summer. Industrial equipment accidentally caught fire, causing the incident. While in Fermoy, an attempted night time robbery occurred at Gubbins’ Foodstore on Patrick Street, where the perpetrator, armed with a screwdriver, escaped without taking anything.
Lismore twinned with Lismore! One being in Waterford and one in New South Wales in Australia. The twinning took place after an internet link-up between the two councils back in 2000. Thomas George, MP from NSW Lismore, was welcomed to the west Waterford town as part of the twinning arrangement.
The annual Araglen Carnival went down well once again, kicking off with a monster beach party that included an inter-pub tug-of-war. The following evening saw a ;60s night, followed by autograss racing in the community field on a sunny Sunday.
Two packets of cigarettes were pictured in a July 2005 edition, which were purchased in 1930 in a shop in Anglesboro. The John Player 10 packet cost 6d (pence) at the time, while the 5-pack of Woodbines cost 2d (pence) a packet.
Planning delays regarding the allocation of affordable housing sites in Conna were called into question, as people involved had been waiting on planning for months. Elected members heard that delays in Mitchelstown and Conna, in relation to social housing sites, was due to a mapping problem.
Lower Cork Street in Mitchelstown was abuzz with excitement as the clock struck midnight on July 16th as a queue of over 100 people formed outside Hyland’s Bookshop, as eager readers aimed to get their hands on the first copies of ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’. After a three and a half hour wait in the queue, Cathal Toomey was first to get a copy, which was presented to him specially by proprietor of the shop, Jim Hyland.
Organisers of the 2005 Mitchelstown Good Food Festival, confirmed that they had secured RTE personality, Derek Davis, to perform at the official opening ceremony.
In brief – A special meeting was due to take place in Fermoy for business owners and representatives to discuss the proposed new Government water services charges, after levies were increased. The ConnaBride Vintage Day, held on July 19th, raised a whopping €11,340, which was divided evenly between Ballynoe NS and the Fermoy/Conna branch of the Irish Red Cross. Coolagown’s Harvest Festival went down a treat with their family fun day displaying a mix of old-time threshing, side shows, vintage machinery and music. Separately, the Avondhu Valley (Fermoy) Vintage 34 mile run, which was completed by 32 tractors and 7 cars, proved a success.
