CAHIR NOTES 8TH APRIL SURECOM ENERGY AWARENESS DAY  Cllr Andy Moloney has said that the crowds that turned up for the Energy Awareness Day in Kilcoran, was a sign that people are conscious of the need to change our ways and our thinking on alternative energy sources. Moloney said that fuel and water included, are the 2 most natural resources that will be most challenging to preserve and conserve over the coming years. Last Sundays Energy Awareness day which was hosted by Jim Sheehan, the mastermind behind Surecom was attended by hundreds from far and near. He had plenty staff on hand to talk about Solar Panels, wood pellet burners and grants. The biggest attraction on the day, was the workings of his very own wind Turbine. This turbine was supplying his home and putting the extra energy generated back into the grid. It was not an eyesore as many would think and there was practically no noise from it and the winds on Sunday tested that theory for all to see and hear. Cllr Moloney said that Margaret was busy on the phones to give directions and can be contacted on 086-1966126 if anyone needs further information over the coming weeks. He thanked Jim and his family for making his home available for the exhibition and to Aunty Mary for her refreshments, surely her biggest challenge yet. TUESDAY NIGHT BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS 10/03/09 1st Catherine Kiely & Johnny Carrigan .2nd Eamon Murphy & John Roycroft .3rd Brid Roycroft & Teresa Curran.  24/3/09 1st Nora Hennessey & Breda Bresnan .2nd Eileen Ryan & Mary Jo Condon .3rd Eamon Murphy & John Roycroft CAHIR ACTIVE RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION The member’s monthly meeting held last Wednesday, proved to be interesting, informative and entertaining. We received an invitation from Gorey ARA to join them on a trip to Tenerife later this year. A testimony indeed to being member’s of a large and vibrant National Organisation. Members are invited to have their say on the “New South Tipperary Heritage Plan” further information can be found on www.southtippheritage.ie . Bowling will commence at Cahir Park on Tuesday 21st April and Thursday 23rd April starting time 2.30pm. Our keep fit course will continue each Thursday morning at 11am. The “Go for Life course will begin sometime after Easter, at a time to be decided. Useful Information from An Garda Siochána The Garda have a number of useful crime prevention sheets, two of which are on Personal Safety – Bogus Traders/Callers and Personal Safety-Holiday Security. For further information contact your local Garda Crime Prevention Officer or visit www.garda.ie After a break for light refreshments provided by our cheerful volunteers we were entertained by Stefan Grace and Tony O Dwyer. Their music was a tribute to our local pool of talented musicians. Useful Tip- If you think you know what you're doing, you probably misread the instructions! Results of "25" card game held on Friday 3rd April. Joint 1st with 11 Games-Josie Quinlan & Joe Ahern ,Chi Chi Caplice & Sadie Caplice. Lucky Table - Mary Ann Healy &Brigit Condon, Maurice Condon & Timmy Fitzgerald. Raffle - Mary Whelan, Joe Ahern. Many thanks to all the people continuing to support this ever popular meeting each week, Next Game Friday 10th April at 8 pm. (Good Friday) Friday evening will be a Charity Night, proceeds will be donated to the Hospice Movement as discussed at our Meeting on Wednesday. On behalf of the committee, may we wish you a joyful and peaceful Easter. DAN COSTIGAN Dan Costigan Independent candidate, officially launched his campaign on Thursday night 2nd April, at the River House restaurant, Cahir.  A large crowd were out in force to show their support for Dan on the night. Speaking at the event Dan said "I am very heartened by the number of people who have come to support me - especially the number of young people - as the whole body of politics needs the presence and movement of young people".  Dan touched on a number of key issues including our nine week waiting period for Social Welfare, the importance of tourism for the area, creating more work shops in Ballyporeen and Clogheen, holding onto jobs, getting banks to release funds to support our smaller businesses in the Cahir Electorial area. The need for a dedicated Social Worker for the Cahir area in the current climate was also highlighted and Dan wished all the candidates the best of luck in the upcoming election. Finally the night finished up with his wife Patricia and Jim Lynch backing Dan and appealing to everyone present on teh night to support Dan and believe that Dan will deliver.  Visit http://www.dancostigan.ie for more information   BARNORA CRESCENT RESIDENTS NEWS We had our weekly 50/50 draw, on 03-04-09. This week’s winner was Shane o Brien, 15 Barnora Crescent. NEW JUNIOR & YOUTH CLUB There will be a new Junior and Youth Club starting on Saturday 25th April, and every Saturday thereafter, in the Community Hall in Cahir. Junior times(5 – 11 years): 1pm - 4pm, Youth times(12 – 16 years): 7pm - 10pm. Junior Group activities include: art and craft’s, drama, storytelling, games, competitions and many more fun activities . Youth Group activities include: music, sport, debates, competitions and many other activities and games. Price €12 per person, per group. Limited places available, so please book early to avoid disappointment. All members will have their say on activities and games each week, guaranteed fun. A club with a difference, everyone’s voice will be heard. Call Teri on 086 0622985, to book your child or teens place, in either of these groups. MRS QUINNS EASTER RAFFLE The Easter raffle is now on in Mrs Quinn’s, Church Street, Cahir. The lines cost €2 and there are prizes galore to be won. The raffle is in aid of National Charity for the Blind (NCBI).This is a very worthy cause and one of the many fundraisers organised by NCBI during the year. Please support it by buying a line for the raffle. NCBI CELEBRATES 200th ANNIVERSARY OF LOUIS BRAILLE Talking about NCBI, I wasn’t aware that, An Post in collaboration with NCBI, have produced a commemorative Braille stamp, which was launched on 23rd January. Braille characters have been used on the face of the 55 cent stamp, which also contains the dates of Louis Braille’s life (1809 to 1852).I do know a few people that would be interested to know, that a commemorative first day collectors envelope is also available. Further information on the stamp and envelope can be viewed at www.irishstamps.ie. McGrath urges members of the Public, Community Groups/Organisations to get involved in National Spring Clean, 2009 South Tipperary/West Waterford Fianna Fáil TD, Mattie McGrath is today, 3rd April reminded members of the Public and Community Groups/Organisations and Schools to get active and involved in National Spring Clean, 2009. “National Spring Clean is Ireland’s most popular, well recognised and successful anti-litter initiative. The campaign encourages every sector of society to actively participate and take responsibility for litter, by actually conducting clean-ups in their own local environment. National Spring Clean traditionally takes place throughout the month of April,” said Deputy McGrath. “The size and scale of National Spring Clean has grown steadily and significantly over the years. The effort and enthusiasm of the volunteers has ensured the campaign’s real triumph and success. As National Spring Clean has become a fixed date on the school and community calendar, this partnership can hopefully look forward to an even greater success for many years to come.” Deputy McGrath concluded by saying, “This campaign encourages people to work together to create a cleaner environment and plays a vital role in improving quality of life by empowering people to take responsibility for, and have pride in, their local areas. The initiative is reliant on people’s willingness to give their time and energy to help to make a difference in their community and the results continue to be outstanding. I would urge all our communities to get active and involved in this year’s campaign.” CAHIR BUSINESS AND TRAINING CENTRE The Centre is very busy at the moment, with the Digital Photography course .The ECDL course is due to start again in the next month and if anyone is interested in up skilling then this Internationally recognised course is ideal. Or if looking for an introduction to computers, we have Beginner’s and Beginner’s Plus courses. Contact Jennifer, the Training Co-ordinator, on 052 42616 for information. CAHIR COUNTRY MARKET Last Friday 3rd April, Cahir Country Markets hosted a Coffee Morning in aid of the South Tipperary Hospice Movement. It turned out to be not only a hugely successful fundraiser but also a lovely morning spent chatting to everyone and drinking tea (ok, eating cakes too).I also got the chance to catch up on some shopping. It always feels good to shop local and buy all the beautiful fresh vegetables, cakes, breads, eggs, flowers, preserves, jams and not forgetting the lovely rhubarb which is in season right now (it sells very quickly so get there early). I have been asked to remind all that next week’s Market will be on Easter Saturday 11th April, 9 – 11am in the Community Hall. Also next week, the total amount raised on the Coffee Morning shall be revealed and already I can tell you, they did very well. THIEVES BREAK INTO ST.PAULS CHURCH. It’s always a disappointment to hear that people can be so heartless when it comes to burglary. To hear that thugs broke down the rear door of a beautiful and loved church like St. Paul’s is heartbreaking, especially for those who cherish and look after it so well. As it is well known,(except perhaps to mindless thieves) churches these days do not contain anything valuable for exactly this reason, so these thieves stole 2 petrol lawnmowers and a fire extinguisher and generally made a mess of the place. So, if anyone tries to sell you a cheap lawnmower or fire extinguisher, contact the local Garda Station on 052 41222, or indeed, if you see anyone acting suspiciously, call the Garda Station and maybe we can stamp out this kind of senseless crime in our Town. CLLR LONERGAN CONDEMNS VANDALISM   Cllr Seanie Lonergan, condemned the mindless act of vandalism perpetrated on Saint Pauls Church last weekend. Thieves damaged the rear door to gain access to the sacred place, and made off with several lawnmowers that the Church could ill afford to lose. Nothing is sacred anymore the Cllr.says. The matter has been reported to the Gardai and vigilance is called for the return of the equipment. The community is very upset at this act of mindless vandalism and robbery. CAHIR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY LOTTO Once again there was no Jackpot winner last week, the draw was witnessed by Joan Loughman. That means that this week the Jackpot stands at €6,250. The 5 Lucky Dip winners, who receive €30 each were; Liam & Mary Flynn, Carrigmore, Clogheen, Con O’Brien, Clonmore, Cahir, Kieran Butler, Glenora, Mitchelstown road, Cahir, Eamon Dunphy, C/o Coopers Off-Licence, Cahir and Tricia Flannery, Beechpark, Cahir. The next draw takes place on Wednesday 8th April at 12 noon. Don’t forget you can buy a ticket up to the last minute with a Jackpot total of that amount, maybe you should buy two! Profits servicing community projects in Cahir. EXCEL STAGE.SCHOOL It was a great pleasure for me last week, when I got the chance to be backstage for the Excel Stage Schools latest production. The Annual Show this year featured excerpts from Mamma Mia, Bugsy Malone, The Wizard of Oz and the Deadly Buzz Factor. The cast consisted of children from the ages of 6, to teenagers up to the age of 16, every one of them a star in their own right. The Show was produced and directed by Pat and Fran Marnane (Fran wrote this herself) and it was choreographed by Angela Clancy Scott. From the music, to the set and even the costumes, this was a quality show, that entertained everyone present. Every parent, of every child in the show, should be proud of their child’s achievement during the two night performance. Bravo, well done to all involved. I can’t wait for the next show. CAHIR CAMOGIE NOTES We had a fantastic turnout at our first outdoor training session of the season on Wednesday night. It was really inspiring to look at the field in Duneske being used to capacity by all the young girls. We are very fortunate this year to have so many new adults helping out with the training sessions. Just a reminder to all that membership is now due and any unpaid memberships would be most welcome as soon as possible. Crumlin Camogie club, Dublin have given us a very kind invitation to bring our U13 and U11 girls up to their club for two challenge games. We will travel on Sunday April 19th with the bus departing the main GAA field (opposite Church) at 9.15am. Please bring a packed lunch and the fare of €20 will include a trip to Supermacs on the way home. Club socks (green and white) are available for purchase now for €4.50, we hope to have more gear for sale in the near future.   SCOR NA PAISTE Cahir were represented in the County Finals of Scor na Paiste on Friday night last in Halla na Feile by our Ballad group and Quiz team. Unfortunately we didn't bring home any silverware this time but Cahir can be very proud of the performance put on by both teams. The Ballad group of Roisin Costigan, Caoimhe Hickey, Joye Arbuckle, Niamh O' Brien and Nicole Sullivan gave a beautiful rendition of the Irish air Nead na Lachan with inspiring harmony and confidence. The Quiz team of Darragh Howard, John Casey and Brian McKenna, put up a great performance with some very tough questions that had many of the adults among us scratching their heads! Over all this was an inspiring effort for our first foray into Scor for many years and the children are already looking forward to next year’s competition. To all who helped out with preparing  the children  for the completion, Paula Regan with the dancers, Aoife O' Brien with the recitation, Tadgh and Mary Howard with the quiz team and Maura Grogan, Gerardine Hickey and Pattie Costigan with the ballad group - thank you. JOHN O’DONNELL, FINE GAEL LOCAL ELECTION CANDIDATE, FOR CAHIR ELECTORAL AREA. PROPOSING BROADBAND MOTION AT FINE GAEL ARD FHEIS, CITY WEST, DUBLIN, Text of the Motion: That this Árd Fheis rejects the Government’s delay in rolling out broadband in rural areas, the poor quality of existing broadband services in the regions, the impediment this poses to job creation and sustainability and calls on Fine Gael in Government to deliver high quality broadband services to rural areas. “John F Kennedy once said that you should fix the roof when the sun is shining. Sadly, the “boom” is over and poor broadband quality is severely hampering rural businesses. Re-energising Tourism in the Cahir area is one of my campaign’s priorities, yet we are at nothing without decent Broadband access. Even now, Eircom still have to enable the Ballyporeen and New Inn Exchanges. In areas with broadband access, many premises receive a totally inadequate service and this Fianna Fáil-led Government has washed its hands of them. The Government is relying on its National Broadband Scheme to liberate the rest of rural Ireland, but this won’t deliver 100% coverage, nor will rural businesses be able to trade online. Anyway, when the National Broadband Scheme has finished its work, urban areas will be enjoying Next Generation Broadband so rural communities will be disadvantaged once again.  All Rural Ireland wants is a level playing pitch. In Government, Fine Gael should make it a priority to bring Next Generation Broadband to rural Ireland. My electoral area was among the first to experience the wonders of the Rural Electrification Scheme in the late 1940s. It was rolled out by the ESB across Ireland like wildfire. Can we do the same for Broadband? Yes we can.” JOHN O’DONNELL CAN BE CONTACTED ON 086-8423218 OR 052-7442423. CD LAUNCH Anthony O’Connor will be launching his new CD, called No Stranger to the Rain, in the Times Hotel in Tipperary town, on 16th April at 9pm. The tickets are €10 and a percentage of the takings will be donated to West Tipperary Mental Health Association There will be many special guests on the night and lots of spot prizes too. For tickets / information contact 087 238 0423. Fair pIay to you Anthony, I’m already a big fan and its sounds like a great nights entertainment to me. LOST DOG A dog has been found by a resident in Woodview, Cahir. It is a black Labrador/sheepdog cross, and is very friendly. It had several injuries, but has been treated and is now being cared for by the resident mentioned. Please contact me for enquiries on 086 1022014. THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Always be yourself, because the people that matter don’t mind, and those that mind, don’t matter. COUNCILLOR CONGRATULATES CAHIR YOUTH CLUBS Councillor Liam Ahearn would like to welcome the agreement of grants to some of the local Youth Activity Groups.  The scheme is aimed at two categories of groups.  Youth work clubs and Youth Activity Clubs.  The purpose of this differentiation is to respond to teh needs of local voluntary youth clubs engaged in teh provision of youth work, while recognising the work of other clubs who provide activities for young people but whose activities would not be regarded as youth work.  The four local youth clubs in the Cahir area that received a grant were New Inn Youth Club with Deidre O'Connor, Cahir Youth Club with Ann Heffernan, 7th Tipperary Scout Group (Cahir) with Kevin Hubbard and the 9th Tipperary Scout Group (Ardfinnan )with Ann O'Leary, Councillor Ahearn would alike to take this opportunity to congratulate all four groups on the important work that they do and wish them all the best in the next year. THE STORK HAS ARRIVED Congratulations to Sophie Chamberlain and Shane Ferris on the birth of their daughter Sienna Brigit Ferris, born on 5th April, weighing in at a healthy 7lb 13oz.  Now Mum, dad and baby have all their birthdays in teh same week, with love nad best wishes from both your extended families. BIRTHDAYS Belated Happy Birthday to Shane Ferris who celebrated his birthday on Thursday 2nd April, Best Wishes from Sophie, Isabel, all your family and friends. Belated Happy Birthday also to Sophie Chamberlain who celebrated her birthday on 31st March Best Wishes from Shane, Isabel, all your family and friends. Last but not least, Belated Happy Birthday to my Grandson Tommy, who was 8 years old last Sunday .With lots of love from your Mum, Shannon, Shane, Nannies and Granddads, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and friends. READERS NEWS AND VIEWS Contact me on 086 1022014 or email me at caplicetaylor@hotmail.com by Sunday please and I will be happy to include your news and views in the notes. Happy Easter to you all, I hope you all get Easter eggs.