There were calls to stop the scourge of spray-can painting, with Cllr Carey Joyce calling for stricter measures to be taken to prevent individuals from illegally defacing both public and private property with aerosol cans. Describing it as ‘a particularly ugly form of vandalism’, there was evidence of the so called ‘art’ in many parts of Fermoy, in locations such as the town park bandstand and library.
Those in the horse selling business, were reported to ‘have been very disappointed with the level of business transacted’ at the annual horse fair in Tallow back in 1996. ‘Blessed with glorious sunshine’, large crowds and a multitude of stallholders enjoyed a good atmosphere. One Tallow local told The Avondhu ‘many dealers had regretted travelling to Tallow on the day, so bad was business’. Many attributed the low turnout of buyers to the BSE crisis.
Parents in the Skeheenarinky area were disappointed and ‘let down’ by Minister Niamh Bhreathnach as the school bus timetable, serving students travelling to secondary school in Mitchelstown, remained unchanged, despite an undertaking to the contrary. The crux of the problem was that, as those travelling from the area South Tipperary were the first students to board the bus daily at 7.30am, they were not being dropped off until after 5.30pm each evening – a long day. Parents were looking for a change to the bus schedule to allow their children to arrive home first in the evening. A Dail question had been tabled by Fianna Fail TD, Noel Davern to the Minister in April 1996, where she gave an undertaking to change the schedule, which would be more ‘equitable for all students’. This however did not transpire at the start of the new school term in September 1996.
It appeared that the restoration of Glanworth Mill into a 12-bedroom hotel and restaurant, at an estimated cost of £250,000, was set to being early in 1997, following news that ‘all problems regarding the title of the property were ironed out’. Site owners, Cork County Council, had reached agreement with the proposed developers, Irish Invitations, for a lease agreement ‘that was to the satisfaction of both parties’. It was reported that the first customers could be expected by the summer of 1997.
Extensive repairs to a dangerous stretch of wall at O’Neill-Crowley Quay in Fermoy were set to commence in September 1996, works likely to bring extra pressure on traffic flow through the town. For the duration of the repairs, the quay would be closed to all east-bound traffic, with only a single lane open. Some retailers had fears on the potential effect to their businesses, however Fermoy UDC announced that special arrangements for loading and off-loading of deliveries would be in place.
With ‘medium and high level mountain walking’ reported to be one of the fastest growing leisure pursuits in 1996, Mitchelstown Development Company were looking to take advantage of the mountain ranges on their doorstep, launching a new era in tourism and leisure with its proposal to train a group of qualified mountain guides. Guides would have to undergo extensive training over 21 months. On completion of training, it was proposed to ‘set up a workers co-op to manage, market and make available the skills’ of the trained guides – it was thought the project could provide 8-10 jobs initially.
Long-time principal at Glenville National School, Batt Dunlea, retired at the commencement of the new school year in September 1996, bringing the curtain down on a teaching career which stretched back to 1957. Initially spending 6 months in St Joseph’s NS, Fermoy, Batt then moved to his native Glenville, to take up the position of principal, a post he retained until his retirement. Michael O’Donnell, a native of Tipperary, was to replace Mr Dunlea.
Joy for Glanworth on the GAA field, with the U14 ladies taking county honours in ‘one of the best ever’ finals, overcoming neighbours Kildorrery by a solitary score. Played in Ballyhooly, some excellent goalkeeping from Carmel Casey for Glanworth, as well Kildorrery striking the woodwork, saw the Harbour girls leading 1-2 to 0-2 at the interval, Elaine Sheehan the goal scorer. With Marissa O’Keeffe and captain Eilish O’Gorman ‘in devastating form’, the Glanworth girls held out, showing legendary fighting spirit, to deny Kildorrery their first county title. Management included Eilish Hanrahan and Marie Reynolds, along with Michael Leahy, Seamie Browne and Noel Sheehan.
