A crackdown on drug dealing was still a hot topic 21 years ago as gardai in Fermoy made more arrests as they launched continued raids on local criminals. They targeted two people in Rathcormac who were found in possession of £2,000 – it came after lengthy surveillance by gardai following a number of arrests the week before. The arrested pair, a man and woman from Fermoy, were on board a speeding motorbike when they were stopped heading away from Cork city. They were found in possession of ecstasy and cannabis.
Fermoy Urban District Council was in trouble with the Minister for the Environment because of a delay in providing copies of their Litter Management Plan to the department.
Minister Dan Wallace made the accusations that were strongly rebuffed by then town clerk Michael Cremin, who said that the council had adopted a full plan three years previously in in 1996.
There was a new fire brigade tender in Mitchelstown due for delivery. Costing in the region of £100,000 it would replace a twenty year old vehicle.
Anger greeted news that there was no funding available for Fermoy and Mallow flood relief from the Department of the Environment through the Red Cross. The department instead said they were liaising with council officials to determine what was causing the flooding in both towns.
A unique tournament was taking place in Conna as poker players gathered in The Fisherman’s Rest for a prize fund of £1,500 and it was all a plan to fundraise for the local St Catherines Camogie Club.
Well known director/service managerJohn Carey’s retirement from Cavanagh’s after 45 years of service was marked in The Avondhu. The Kilworth man started his working life in 1954 and had witnessed much change in the automotive industry. He was also a well known local GAA player, having played hurling to a high level in the 1960s.
There was a report on the design of the New Square in Mitchelstown and changed the central area from a car park to a local amenity. The revamp of the square was hailed as a huge success for locals.
Meanwhile in Lismore there were plans to design a new fountain for the town to be placed in the Victorian monument. That wasn’t the only concern in the picturesque town as tempers were raised at the Lismore Town Commissioners’ meeting as the lack of work on the Lismore to Fermoy road was mentioned.
The Lismore officials were angry with the quality of work being carried out on the route by Waterford County Council. The construction project had come to a complete halt because of a legal battle.
1999 was in the days before widespread mobile phone use made old style communications obsolete. Then phone company Telecom Eireann had agreed to upgrade all of the phone boxes in Fermoy after representations by then Cllr John Murphy.
A new canoe club was starting out in Fermoy under the guidance of local men Sean Scannell and Danny Higgins and they were running fundraising runs on the river.
There were warnings by Mitchelstown gardai that brawling on the street at night would be met with a robust response by local guards. Two gardai had recently come under attack on the streets of the town – the gardai had arrested a man who was fighting and then came under attack themselves.
Local actor Edward Cashman, from Fermoy, had secured an acting diploma from the London Academy of Music and Drama during a course at the Holy Family Centre.
Fermoy Rowing Club was holding a massive reunion with ex members from all over the world expected to attend the event.
Castletownroche residents were furious after two thousand tons of earth were dumped at a local beauty spot. The huge mound of soil was also responsible for destroying a wall of a castle ruin in the Millhall area and burying public steps down a steep incline. The dumping had caused serious problems and mystery surrounded who was to blame.
In sport Watergrasshill U21 hurlers beat Carrigtwohill 3-12 to 0-10 in a resounding victory. While Castlelyons hurlers beat Mallow 2-17 to 2-12 in their first game of the 1999 season
Hill Celtic continued their winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Dunbar Celtic.
