An urgent call was issued to help ‘curb the escalating drugs problem’ in The Avondhu’s circulation area – this followed the shocking discovery of three primary school children smoking cannabis, allied with a concerning incident of underage drinking at a non-alcoholic disco in Fermoy town in February 1995.
A meeting was organised by Fermoy’s Social Analysis Group, to be addressed by a reformed addict, in a bid to highlight the problems and dangers that go with drinking and dabbling in drugs.
Gardai were investigating the primary school incident, with the youngest involved reported to have been 11 years of age. The ease of access to drugs in rural Ireland was now of great concern to parents throughout the region.
Multiple sheep deaths were under investigation in Ballyhooly. On foot of complaints received from members of the public, Castletownroche-based Garda Larry Condren visited farmland at Convamore, where he came across the shocking scene of approximately 20 sheep carcasses. Horrified by the discovery, the ISPCA, as well as a local vet, were summoned – investigations were ongoing.
Residents in Glanworth were ‘furious’ with Cork County Council. A number of home owners along the Mill Road (linking the village to Kilworth), expressed their ‘utter dissatisfaction with the local authority’s maintenance programme’.
Their section of road was ‘repeatedly potholed and streaming with water’ following any lengthy spell of rain, with claims that the Council hadn’t properly surfaced the road the last time around, only ‘putting down a thin layer of tar’. One ‘irate individual’ pointed out to The Avondhu that the road was in frequent use by tourists in the spring and ‘despite Glanworth’s wealth of heritage’, the council were ‘not going to treat them with any semblance of respect’.
A glance at the Classified advertising pages in March 1995 – Two small fat pigs for sale, suitable for home curing; Glasshouse 6’ 4” x 6’, no glass, just frame; Bilston safe for sale, ideal for gun storage or business purposes; 1989 Toyota Carina GLI h/b, all electric, remote central locking, alarm, 72k, £5,800.
‘Fermoy transvestite unveils Spring collection’ – so read the headline in March 1995, as our reporter was made aware of ‘Fermoy’s elusive transvestite’, who had ‘come out of the closet after an enforced dormancy during the hostile winter months’. Known as ‘Shim’, a sighting was reported in the early hours near Fermoy bridge, with sources saying they ‘witnessed the unveiling of the Spring collection’. Gone were the bright red high heels, replaced by shiny black ones, along with a beige coloured mackintosh, skirt and polo neck top, which was ‘obviously a precaution against frostbite and flu’!
A warning was issued by gardai to holiday home owners along the Blackwater Valley. Following a number of robberies, gardai were reminding owners of such houses to store their belongings in a secure place, while the homes were not in use, as criminals travelling in vans were known to be casing the area. Such homes were particularly vulnerable, many of them having been purchased by people living in Britain, with properties left vacant for considerable periods of time.
The invention of a new energy saving system, engineered to work with open fires, was touted as ‘a boon to house builders’. Designed by William Kearney, Coolnakilla, Fermoy, the unit used an underflow draught system, which added to the performance of the fire, while solving the problem of cleaning the mess of ashes, as it incorporated a removable ash box. The ‘controlled under floor system’, ideally fitted during the building process, helped ‘avoid uncomfortable draughts and prevented the chimney from smoking’. Costing £85, William was helped in the unit’s design by welder Pat Donoghue; Jimmy Sheehan, Glanworth; Sean McCarthy Engineer, Fermoy and Eamon O’Neill, Rathcormac Fireplace Centre.
In brief – Three members of the Ballyduff, Ballinvella, Ballysaggart Comhaltas branch qualified for the All-Ireland Ceol na Gheimridh finals in Castlerea, Co Roscommon – namely, Aine Fitzpatrick and Claire Fitzpatrick (winners of the 14/18 duet music competition at the Munster finals in Thurles), along with Ann Dalton (runner-up in the 14/18 English and Irish singing competitions).
Ballyhooly based Pio Duggan, who boxed with Fermoy Boxing Club, had a comprehensive victory in the Cork County Youth Boxing Championships; he overcame a strong opponent, C McDonagh of the Sunnyside Boxing Club, on a scoreline of 42-3, while ‘displaying every move and punch in the book’.
