Students from Presentation Secondary School, Lismore won third prize in the Young Entrepreneur Regional final with their chocolate making business ‘Melting Moments’ – team members included Olivia Coughlan, Jean Barry, Maria Celisse, Olivia Flynn and Laura Roche.
Achieving an ‘astounding double’ for the Kilworth/Glanworth Trout Anglers, Jimmy Russell from Kilworth was crowned All-Ireland Fly Fishing champion in April 1997, which followed All-Ireland victory in 1996 by fellow club member, Tom Whelan.
And so the saga at Fermoy UDC rolled on and on… April 1997 brought the second abandonment of the monthly meeting with the Council reported as being ‘in the midst of a legal haze’ and ‘bogged down’, with no business again being transacted. What’s more, there was the ‘added complication’ of pending High Court proceedings being taken against Fermoy UDC – a Supreme Court hearing, held since the initial adjourned meeting, saw solicitors acting on behalf of Cllr Hussey ‘given permission for a judicial review of the ruling made by chairman of the Council, Cllr Richie O’Leary, at the January meeting’. Acting chairman, Cllr Michael O’Dwyer, perhaps summed up the situation nicely at the reconvened meeting, stating that while the ‘deadlock continued, members of the council were seen by the people of the town as being no better than a bunch of lunatics who were incapable of any constructive work’.
Hailing from Inchinleamy in Ballyduff, Fr Jimmy Flynn was appointed Superior General of the Rosminian Order by his colleagues in Rome, becoming the first non-Italian to hold the post.
‘Lovers’, staged by members of Glanworth Macra and produced by John Bermingham, were runners-up in the All-Ireland drama finals in the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny. Cast members were Tomas McGrath, Ann Marie O’Sullivan, John Gallagher and Mary Hanrahan.
With no agreement being reached amongst the various interest groups involved in the proposed redevelopment of New Square, Mitchelstown, planned works were ‘unlikely to go ahead’ in 1997, according to a written report presented at a meeting of the Northern Committee of Cork County Council in April that year. The meeting was also furnished with the results of a survey undertaken, where members of the public were asked to list their preferred option, from three plans. Option 1 garnered most support at 52%; option 2 received 7% support and option 3 23%; 18% expressed a preference for the Square to remain unaltered, except for resurfacing. The vast majority of residents surveyed were opposed to the closure of the centre road running through the Square, something the council’s chief planning officer was in favour of – thus it was back to the drawing board. Resultingly, the Council announced that a Department of the Environment grant of £140,000 earmarked for the scheme, was to be spent on other schemes in the district. However, news that the grant be deferred into 1998 if ‘basic agreement’ was reached with the people of Mitchelstown, caused anger amongst public representatives for the area, who understood that the grant would be lost if the money wasn’t spent in 1997. Cllr Conor O’Callaghan asked that the Council ‘get its act together’, accusing them of using ‘high-handed tactics’ to get the project over the line.
In just their 5th year competing in the Cork AUL, the Watergrasshill/Glenville outfit, Hill Celtic, won the St Michael’s Cup final when defeating Hillington 2-0 in the ‘Golden Jubilee Season’ final at Turner’s Cross. Second half goals came courtesy of ‘midfield dynamo’ Donal O’Shea and Terry Broderick. Team captain was Mick O’Leary. Hillington were reduced to 10 men in the second half.
Following ‘a very tense and exciting county semi-final’ at New Inn, the U21 footballers representing Ballyporeen qualified for the 1997 final, defeating Clonoulty on a scoreline 3-14 to 2-11. Captained by Michael Kenneally, a ‘tower of strength’ at 6’ 3” and taking balls ‘from the clouds’, the Bally’ boys stormed into a half-time lead of 1-9 to 0-5, the goal coming from the boot of Noel O’Gorman. Following a purple patch from Clonoulty, who reduced the deficit to 2 points, ‘the curley haired wonder’ – AKA Alan Fogarty – pointed from a penalty on the stroke of full time for Bally’, with a Willie Cahill goal in added time sealing the result, having ‘river-danced his way through three defenders’.
