A statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus caused some debate in west Waterford. Formerly situated over the doorway of the old Lismore CBS building, the premises was owned by Waterford County Council and under renovations to be turned into civic offices. While one councillor claimed that the religious symbol was ‘inappropriate’ for a civic building, another said that not returning the statue would be ‘akin to the action taken by the Taliban with the Buddha statues in Afghanistan’, but immediately apologised for the comment, stating it was not his intention to offend anyone. The council, at the time of print, had yet to come to a decision on the matter.
A call was made at the North Cork Area committee meeting in 2005 for an increase in the speed limit on a section of road. Fermoy councillor, Aileen Pyne, sought that the speed limit on the Watergrasshill bypass be increased from 100kph to 120kph, which was met with mixed reaction from fellow councillors.
Parking charges in Fermoy continued to be a contentious issue, as the matter was debated again at a meeting of Fermoy Town Council in April 2005, this time regarding the re-introduction of a yearly parking ticket for those working in the town. ‘Regular users of parking in the town’ had reportedly been parking elsewhere, due to the introduction of charges.
Kilworth National School received confirmation from the Department of Education and Science on proposals for a new school, and received the green light to move forward with the next step of the architectural process. The school was one of only four in the entire county to move forward in the process, and were now preparing to meet with the department’s architects.
The Avondhu editorial this time in 2005 is evidence of how little has changed over the years, as Cork County Council threatened to remove recycling facilities from areas in which they were being abused. “One would have thought that upgrading the facilities and the installation of CCTV cameras would surely be more beneficial” the editorial read, an argument that remains 21 years later, as the region still awaits the installation of CCTV monitoring at litter and dumping black spots in the county.
Members of community councils across north Cork were calling on county councillors to heed the submissions made by community councils relating to the Local Area Plans in Cork, claiming that they have ‘the betterment of the community at the heart of their efforts.’ Chairperson of Mitchelstown Community Council, Bill Power, said that councillors and politicians must listen to communities as opposed to ‘profiteering individuals’ (i.e. landowners).
The village of Kilworth was evidently on-the-up as construction had commenced on a new 57-house development in the former Sweeney’s/nursery field beside St Martin’s Church in the centre of the village. Lee’s old post office was also demolished in the village, in an effort to make way for a 10 unit townhouse development.
Housing developments were also progressing in Mitchelstown, as the construction of 116 houses at Stag Park were anticipated to commence in May.
Such positive news on the housing front also heralded great offers, as Toss Bryan advertised a ‘new house package deal’. For just €1,599, customers could grab a washing machine, dishwasher, oven and hob, tumble dryer, under-counter fridge, 28” television, VCR, kettle and a toaster!
Angela Nevin, a fourth year student at Limerick School of Art and Design and a Lismore native, was due to appear as one of six national finalists in the Persil €10,000 Fashion Design competition awards, being hosted on the Late Late Show.
Kilshanna Music Studio in Mitchelstown, was preparing to host the Leinster School of Music’s prizewinners concert in the Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, which was also part of the Leinster School’s centenary celebrations.
In soccer, Fermoy schoolboys were crowned league champions, as the U12s won the Cork Schoolboys League 2nd Division title at Carrig Park against Park United, 2-0.
In GAA, Araglin overcome Deel Rovers 1-12 to 3-5 in the North Cork U21 C football championship final, played in Shanballymore. Ivan O’Hara captained the winning side.
Rathcormac Trout Anglers held their annual competition for the Michael Drinan Cup on the River Bride, which saw young Michael Drinan claim the title, namesake of the late Michael Drinan. The O’Sullivan Cup, presented following an open competition for juveniles, went to Ger Finneran for the second year in succession.
Punters aplenty made their way to Dromahane for the Doneraile Hunt Point-to-Point races, which were reportedly dominated by riders Derek O’Connor and Damien Murphy, who recorded eight victories between them.
