The dreams of one Fermoy family were about to be realised, thanks to Share A Dream Foundation, who were looking to send them to EuroDisney, France on an all expenses paid trip. The plight of 8 year old Joseph Cunningham, Liam MacGearailt Place, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was brought to the organisation’s attention through a letter from local man, Norman Madden, who had just enrolled Joseph in the Scouts. This, allied with the efforts of two SCI employees, Grace O’Leary and Caroline Fraher, would see the family head to France on the trip of a lifetime. A gala charity dinner and ball were planned for The Grand Hotel, with the family set to jet off on New Year's Eve.

An early morning raid on Seery’s Jewellers in Mitchelstown saw raiders escape with a substantial haul, estimated to be in the region of £25,000. This consisted of an assortment of rings (x150), 80 gents watches, a quantity of reproduction pocket watches, 22 rolled gold bangles, 40 bracelets as well as 40 necklaces. Gardai confirmed that the criminals would have needed “a certain amount of expertise” to disable the alarm system. This was the third occasion in a number of years that the premises had been targeted. However, on both previous occasions all items were recovered and a conviction resulted. Gardai, appealing for assistance from the public, were hopeful of a successful outcome again.

The Avondhu, in conversation with Mitchelstown’s Dick Fitzgerald, owner of Broadway Newsagents and former politician, got an insight into his views on the political landscape in 1992, with elections looming. During a career which spanned from 1967-1991, including a term as chairman of Cork County Council and the Northern Division, he felt that there was a certain amount of cynicism amongst the public. “I would have to say there is a great deal of cynicism amongst voters with regard to politicians. I couldn’t say I’m surprised…. Politicians should realise that they are dealing with voters who are adults, not children”. He believed Fine Gael would increase its vote overall in the upcoming elections, feeling that Fianna Fail would find it hard to maintain their present numbers, dismissing the possibility of them getting an overall majority.

An RTE film crew paid a visit to Fermoy, with the cameras capturing two features for Scratch Saturday’s ‘Saturday Club’. Aimed primarily at 10-16 year olds, the crew started filming on the corner of Pearse Square outside The Royal Hotel, where presenter Mary Kingston gave a brief history of the town, before meeting with a ‘cowboy outfitted’ Brian Lynch from Knock, who played tunes on the smallest harmonica in the world, which literally fitted between his front teeth. “I’m giving away my age by saying that I started playing when I was five, but I was 20 before I got to grips with the miniature mouth organ” Brian commented. The crew then moved to Fermoy hospital, where they interviewed 106 year old Ciss Geaney, who reminisced on days gone by. Final stop saw filming in The Grand Hotel, where up to 800 children had gathered to celebrate Hallowe’en.

Headline snippets from November 1992 included: Tallow man Sean Burke retired as local postman after 33 years of unstinting service in the area - one woman told The Avondhu, “He had the latest news, made time for civil conversation and had a ready, sympathetic ear for people’s problems”; Ballynoe girl, Nora O’Connell, a student at Loreto Secondary School, Fermoy had just returned from a prestigious tour of Holland, where she captained the Irish U16 team; A colt bred at Aghern House Stud sold at Tattersall’s National Hunt Sale for £15,000 guineas; Watergrasshill Community Council launched a special local telephone directory, due to public demand, primarily covering the areas of Watergrasshill and Glenville, although adjoining localities such as Kildinan, Leamlara, Glanmire and Carrignavar were also included. It cost just £3.

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