Ballyporeen Garda Liam O’Reilly was at it again - following his successful Somalia fundraising appeal in 1993, the local garda’s thoughts were now focussed closer to home, where he hoped to develop a major trust fund to aid people living in parts of North Cork and South Tipperary. To get the fund established, he would attemp to break the biathlon (running and cycling) World record in order to raise funds, telling The Avondhu that he “hoped to run into Mitchelstown every morning for the month of October and cycle back to Ballyporeen, a round trip of nearly 17 miles”. The feat would total 527 miles over 31 days. He hoped companies would come on board to sponsor each day, with a target of £31,000 set. The fund - which would benefit worthy causes such as sick people requiring medical treatment, youngsters showing outstanding educational/sporting ability, terminally ill, etc - would be overseen by a group of trustees from the areas to benefit, who would then administer the fund under strict guidelines and ‘top it up each year’. The fund would allow local communities to ‘help themselves’, particularly when ‘emergencies crop up’.

The successful hosting of the Castletownroche May Queen festival in 1994, saw a sum of £1,850 raised, funds which would go towards creating youth games facilities in the community hall yard. The estimated cost of the venture was £12,000. Laura Condren was crowned festival queen, beating Deirdre Burke, Diane O’Sullivan and Ann Cotter to the title.

Fine Gael had selected their four candidates to ‘fight for seats’ in the Fermoy UDC election, set to be held in June 1994. While it was expected that outgoing chairperson Cllr Aileen Pyne ‘would be on the ticket, the choice of the other three (candidates) was never clearcut’. Seen as ‘a dead cert’ to get elected, Cllr Pyne was being joined by ex-UDc councillor, Michael O’Dwyer from College Road; Betty Moore, an office clerk at Riordan’s SuperValu; and Anthony Barry from Beechfield Estate.

Hyperion, a research company based in Watergrasshill specialising in biomass research, had been selected as a regional finalist on RTE’s business competition, ‘Up And Running’. Run by Dr Sean McCarthy from Glenville, an experimental biomass field which had been established in Glenville, was visited by 20 top European experts on biomass in October 1993.

Three Fermoy based gardai, were being hailed, after saving a young man from drowning. The man in question fell into the Blackwater River at O’Neill Crowley Quay and when locals alerted gardai to the man’s plight, Jim Conway, Tom Ryan and PJ McInerney managed to drag the man to safety.

Work had begun on a major new development on Patrick Street, Fermoy, with the site of the old Centra supermarket owned by David Ryan, being transformed into three spacious retail units. Auctioneer Michael Barry told The Avondhu that great interest was being shown in the units, with one ‘reserved for a national chain’, while ‘a deal was near completion’ on a second unit. He said it was indicative of the prosperity which was apparent in the town in recent years.

Mitchelstown Macra were preparing for their 50th anniversary club celebrations with a special field evening being pencilled into the diary for May 8th, 1994. The usual sideshows would feature, along with trade displays, sheep racing, with entertainment by ‘Bachelors In Trouble’ duo Tony Power and Jack Coffey and music from the ever popular Conquerors. The 1993/’94 committee included Eamonn Rea (treasurer), Pat Mullins (secretary), Eilish Roche (PRO), John Geary (chairman), Liam O’Doherty (president), Marie Sheehan, Pat Condon, Tom Dunne, John Shinnick, Larry Moriarty, Mike Clifford, Michael A Hennessy, John Martin, Peter Watson, Colette Dinan and Anne Baker.

Castlelyons minor team claimed the 1993 Cork county B minor hurling league title, defeating St Marks by a seven point margin at Mallow, played over the May bank holiday weekend. Playing against a stiff breeze in the opening half, Castlelyons performed well to restrict their opposition to 1-2, scoring 0-4 themselves, going into the second half trailing by only a single point. However, second half goals by Timmy McCarthy and Michael Mulcahy steered them to victory, with notable performances from John McGrath, Stephen O’Brien and Paul Cotter. Final scoreline Castlelyons 2-12 st Marks 2-5.

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