Dead trout were spotted in the Gradogue River in Mitchelstown, after an overflow of sewage from the council’s pumping station had polluted the river. Over 300 fish were believed to have died and a strong stench was evident from the river. The county council accepted responsibility for the pollution and apologised to the community for the negligence. It appeared that the pump in the sewage system broke, resulting in overflow entering the stormwater pipe.
The statue of the Virgin Mary at the Grotto, located on Cahir Hill, Mitchelstown, was ‘on the move’. On September 11th, 1985, the statue was reported to have moved and spoken to people – 20 years later it was ‘on the move’ again, to facilitate construction workers to progress with the new Mitchelstown bypass or ‘relief road’. The original grotto had been built some 50 years prior on Cahir Hill, with the new grotto to be built at what was then dubbed the ‘town park’, located nearby The Firgrove Hotel.
A large quantity of old blue Bangor slates were stolen off the old caretaker’s house at Knockananig reservoir. The incident was thought to have occurred in the early hours of a Saturday morning and came to the attention of FÁS workers, who discovered the roof of the house practically stripped. Over 200 slates were stolen, costed at around €5 per slate at the time.
Each year as September approaches, the annual outcry due to a lack of school bus places re-emerges, and 2005 was no different. The letters page in The Avondhu expressed concern that then Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, could not guarantee places on school buses.
Members of the community in Rathcormac were at loggerheads with local councillors, as they continued to fight a proposal to zone a further 23 acres of land for housing. A ‘local area plans meeting’ was due to take place on September 12th, and would see county councillors vote regarding the zoning. The local community, however, felt enough land had already been zoned for housing.
Mitchelstown, which had previously been dubbed the dirtiest town in Ireland, turned the tables, taking first place in the North Cork Inter-Litter Challenge, beating Mallow by four points in the ‘smaller towns’ category. Fermoy placed second in the ‘larger towns’ section, while Coolagown placed third in their category.
Elaine Sheehan was crowned Miss Blue Jeans 2005 at St Michael’s Hall in Ballyduff. She was the Noonan’s Quik Pick representative. Sporting activities took centre stage at Ballyduff’s Gala Festival, with tug-of-war, sheaf throwing and weight throwing. Pat Flynn’s team representing Flynn’s Hardware, won the tug-of-war event, while Garryspillane strongman, Albert O’Gorman, won the sheaf throwing, and veteran weight thrower, Michael Whelan, won that competition.
Two bags of used sanitary wear were dumped on the roadside in Kilworth, and the culprits were asked to remove their rubbish, having dumped them within within 100 yards of residences in the Glenseskin area.
Gardaí apprehended four thieves on a shoplifting frenzy in Fermoy and Mitchelstown. The thieves, two women and two men, had stolen a hoard of small, high-value items from chemist shops in the area.
Speculation was rife regarding the redevelopment of the old Barry’s Timber Yard on the Tallow Road in Fermoy, owned by ITEC McMahon group. Talk in the town was that a big-name retail brand may develop the town centre site, bringing a new supermarket to the town. Today, Tesco stands on this site, having only opened in recent years.
A family in Ballylanders were appealing, to the person or persons who stole a photograph from their family grave, to return it. The grave, located in Galbally, had the frame on the headstone smashed and the photo removed.
Glanworth held a very successful Family Fun Day as part of their festival, held on the village green. Amusements on the day featured several bouncy castles and a mechanical bull, which were accommodated in the community centre.
A great day was also had at the 25th annual Ballyhooly Gymkhana, and saw lorries and horseboxes unloading from 10.30am, as riders with horses and ponies were called for competitions.
Carrig Park in Fermoy played host to the Pepsi Summer Soccer School at Fermoy FC, one of 200 venues countrywide, and saw around 100 children aged 7 to 14 turning out to take part.
Glanworth U14’s scored a hat-trick of goals, as the ladies football team won the county final against Donoughmore at Carraig na bhFear, on a scoreline 3-14 to 1-11. Scorers on the day included Michelle Hartnett, Aine Howard, Emma Fouhy, Chantel Mahon (captain), Jenny Sheehan and Amy Barrett.
