Speculation was rife that 'Lord of the Dance' Michael Flatley was set to become a resident of Fermoy. Reliable sources had informed The Avondhu that Flatley had purchased Castlehyde House and its 150 acres along the Blackwater for an estimated £2.2 million.
It was reported that the dance star had concluded the sale between the German born sellers. Flatley had spotted the mansion from the seat of a helicopter and fell in love with the idea of swapping his status of 'Lord of the Dance' for 'Lord of the Manor'.
There was still some confusion whether the Chicago born millionaire had purchased the property as auctioneers refused to confirm it but local people, familiar with the deal had stated that the sale was a success.
There was good news for workers at Horgan’s Delicatessen Supplies who announced that they were undergoing a £2.6m expansion at their Mitchelstown facility.
The business was Ireland’s largest supplier of speciality cheeses and meat products to the retail sector. The plan would see the factory's floor space increase three fold.
Michael Horgan, managing director of the firm, said that sales at Horgan’s had increased by 25% in the previous three years and they were expected to exceed £18m in turnover.
The growth in the business was credited to the world’s changing palate and interest in specialist cheeses as well as deals with Tesco and Marks and Spencers across the UK.
Milk prices were at the centre of a call for an EGM of Dairygold by 550 of the co-op’s milk suppliers. The issue centred around a six pence decrease by the group in the price of milk to suppliers. There had been information meetings across the region by the company and there had been some heated exchanges and strong debate reported.
There were accusations of ‘scaremongering’ from a number of people over the frenzy of rage around the prices.
The saga of the badly maintained phone boxes in Fermoy had finally been resolved as Telecom Eireann sent a technician to deal with the complaint from Councillor Tadhg O’Donovan that the phones were not connected.
Telecom Eireann contacted The Avondhu and explained that the problem was not an issue for them but that a third party was involved in making sure that the kiosks were in running order.
The contracted maintenance technician had taken away a coin box but had not reported it and had not replaced the important part of the phone.
“This was a problem out of our control but once brought to our attention it was immediately rectified. Representation has since been made to those responsible for the error and this should not happen again in the future,” An aggrieved Telecom Eireann representative told the paper.
There was great sadness in Kilworth as a popular resident suddenly died. Dick Clancy, was originally from West Cork, but had moved into the village in his teenage years.
He had worked at McCarthy’s Garage and was well known as the driver of the school bus. He was a major force in the GAA. The Avondhu paid a warm tribute to the Dick and said: ‘he was blessed with a warm and sincere personality.”
Seamus Barry from Fermoy and David Kent from Castletownroche were hitting the headlines as they were anglers taking part in the World Youth Fly Fishing Championships.
It was Seamus’ second year representing Ireland having represented his country the year before at the competition in Wales. He had been practising on the Lakes of Killarney.
A new town clerk was appointed in Fermoy as Maurice Manning took up his position. The Glanmire man had spent almost 15 years in Finance, Housing and Planning in Cork Corporation. He then had worked in several places as town clerk including Youghal and Clonakilty. He took over from Michael Cremin who had moved on from his role.
The Fermoy Community Youth Centre project was taking shape and it was hoped the project would be concluded by the following autumn.
Pat Hurley, manager of the FCYC, said that support from the town’s people was critical to the success of the endeavour and he thanked the town’s people for their help.
In sport the Fermoy Rowing Club took home gold and bronze medals at a successful National Championships held in Inniscarra Dam. Geared Towey and Sam Lynch won the senior double sculls. Maeve McInerney and Clare Hogan won the junior double sculls there. Also the Fermoy junior quad four took home a bronze medal.
Castlelyons GAA were preparing for a major match as they were set to line out in Pairc Ui Chaoimh against Carrigdhoun in the Cork SHC.
