CAHIR NOTES 27TH JANUARY 2010. BRIAN COWEN VISITS MORRISON SHOWROOMS IN CAHIR. As part of An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen’s visit to South Tipperary on Friday 22nd January, he visited Morrison BMW/Mini Showrooms in Cahir. Mr Cowen arrived in the late afternoon accompanied by Mattie McGrath TD and was greeted by Gary Morrison, proprietor of the Morrison Dealership. An Taoiseach was most obliging and posed for many photos with the staff and also members of the public. He chatted to everybody and was friendly and relaxed during the visit. Gary Morrison took An Taoiseach on a tour of the Showrooms, as well as a look at the extensive workshops. When asked jokingly did he order a BMW, he replied “two actually”. Mr Cowan was impressed by Morrison Showrooms and spent more time than was scheduled on the premises. Also present were Junior Minister, Martin Manseragh, County Cllr Micheal Anglim, Cllr Dr. Sean McCarthy, Superintendant Tom Duggan of Cahir Gardai, along with a Garda contingent.  An Taoiseach Brian Cowan with Mattie McGrath TD and Gary Morrison and the team at Morrisons BMW Cahir An Taoiseach also visited Clonmel Town and Tipperary Town during the course of the day, attending meetings with Town Council members informally, together with representatives of Flood Relief Coordination Team (An Gardai, Civil Defence, Local Authority workers, Defence Forces, local community groups, etc) He also gave an interview in the studio of Tipp Mid West Radio. From there he returned to The Park Hotel in Clonmel, where An Taoiseach was Guest of Honour at Clonmel Comhairle Ceanntair function on the occasion of the retirement of former Councillors Tom Ambrose and Pat Norris. CAHIR LOCAL AREA PLAN South Tipperary  Co Co intends to review the Cahir Local Area Plan(LAP) 2005. Chairman of the Cahir Tidy Towns Committee, Andy Moloney says that concerns and wishes of the people in the Cahir Area should be put in writing to Tom O Dwyer, Planning Section, South Tipp Co Co, County Hall, Clonmel.The council has also issued a Public Consultation Paper in order to generate discussion. Andy would like people in Cahir Tidy Towns  to get involved in areas such as Tourism, Community & Social, Recreation & Amenity, Environment & History but can also comment on Housing, Employment,Retailing & Commercial, infrastructure,Communication & Electricity/Energy as well as the principle of sustainability and the long term protection of the environment in relation to the above. He says that submissions or observations should be made in writing from Monday 25th January to Friday 19th February and marked “ Cahir LAP Review” to Tom O Dwyer at above address. Submissions can also be made by visiting the council web site but more importantly an information evening will be held in the Cahir House Hotel on Wednesday 3rd February at 7pm. Moloney says that this is a very important plan for the town and that this opportunity should not be left pass without having your say. A Tidy Towns meeting will be held in the near future to discuss submissions on behalf of the group but in the meantime 3rd February is the council info night and they would welcome your contribution CAHIR PARK AFC Cahir Park AFC had a very successful fundraiser in the Shamrock Lounge on Friday night last. The quiz masters were the Fahey/Lonergan combination, the Park would like to thank all the participants and the sponsors, especially John Quirke Jewellers for the winner’s prizes and of course Hughie O’Donoghue for the tasty finger food. The quizmasters were complimented on the quality of the questions. There will be lots of events taking place during the Cahir Park Centenary year, so keep an eye on this page for details. HAITI DISASTER? There will be a Table Quiz in The Hill Bar on Barrack Street to raise funds for the Haitian disaster on the 5th of February. The monies collected will go to the Red Cross Organisation, every penny that is donated goes directly to the victims.The Quiz will be the usual format, tables of four €20 and will start at 9pm sharp. Anyone wishing to donate can do so by meeting Tom or Marie Carroll at the Hill Bar. Please donate what you can. HAITI EARTHQUAKE DONATIONS While on the subject, here are a few numbers/email addresses, if you wish to donate something, no matter how small, it all counts. Concern; Phone 1850 410 510 or www.concern.net Oxfam; Phone 1850 30 40 55 or oxfamireland.org Irish Red Cross; 1850 50 70 70 or www.redcross.ie Action Aid Ireland; 1890 704 704 or www.actionaid.ie Goal Ireland; 01 280 9779 or www.goal.ie Your support is greatly appreciated. ILLEGAL DUMPING? Cllr Seanie Lonergan is disgusted with recent reports of much illegal dumping in the Cahir area. He had reports of all kinds of litter strewn in and around the countryside and towns too. The latest report is of a fridge that was dumped on the side of the road. This makes no sense because there is not a charge in Legaun Recycling Depot for white goods and that includes fridges. He is calling upon the Council to put in place hidden cameras to identify the culprits. I totally agree with you Seanie. Just a little bit of information for the general public, when you buy such items as fridges, cookers or washing machines for instance, at the time of purchase you can pay a PRF (product recycling fund) cost, which is only a few euro and means that when your new item is delivered to your home, they will take away the old one and recycle it. (I did this with my last tumble dryer) which means there really is no excuse for illegal dumping. THE LATE TOM BURKE The death took place on the 10th January of Tom Burke of Ginchy Terrace, Cahir, only 10 weeks after his loving wife Winnie passed away on the 21st October 2009. Tom, who was eighty six years old, enjoyed good health all his life and he had the distinction of being the sole survivor of the old 13th battalion that was stationed in Cahir during the emergency. Originally a Wexford man, he hailed from near Gorey and came to Cahir with the army. During the war he met and married his beloved Winnie, who was the daughter of the well known bandleader Kevin Flynn of the Mountain Road. After the war Tom then took up employment with the Post Office, where he was moved to Cork, Avoca, Ballymacarbary, Ardfinnan and finally to Cahir Post Office. When he retired in 1988, he took up employment at Kilcoran Lodge Hotel as gardener, a passion he practiced all his life. In the early days of the Tidy Town movement, Tom was to the fore and devoted many years to Cahir Tidy Towns. Another of Tom’s great passions was the great outdoors, and he often enjoyed walking with his dogs. If Tom was to be remembered for any one thing, it has to be his sense of humour. A great family man, he is survived by his son Thomas and daughter Carmel, his grandchildren, Owen, Ronan, Dawn and Leora and son in law Timmy. The funeral mass was celebrated by Fr. Peter Cullen and the internment was in St. Marys Churchyard, Cahir. The people of Cahir extend their sympathy to his family. May he rest in peace. NEW EXHIBITION IN THE CRAFT GRANARY It is great that we have the facility locally in the form of the Craft Granary building to hold such exhibitions. The latest that The Craft Granary will present is an exhibition of paintings by Mary Finn of Thurles & Una O'Connell of Cullahill. The exhibition will consist of paintings in oils, acrylics and watercolour, aimed to keep the winter blues away. The exhibition will be officially opened by Darina Allen on Friday the 29th January at 7.30-8pm. This exhibition will run until the end of February, in the Craft Granary, Cahir Always worth a visit. CHILDREN’S VALENTINE'S DAY WORKSHOP. Another of the Craft Granary’s important facilities is the constant workshops throughout the year that involve children. Here is another upcoming interesting workshop to keep your child occupied, active and warm during the unpredictable winter weather Children's Art & Craft Valentine's Day Workshop at The Craft Granary, Church Street, Cahir on the 13th February, 2010. From 10.00am to 11.30am. For children aged 6 - 10 years. The cost is €10 per child and there are limited places available. For Booking please contact the Craft Granary, Church St., Cahir on 052-7441473 CAHIR FLOWER CLUB. A reminder that The Flower Club are holding their AGM in the Catherine McAuley Room of the Day Care Centre in Cahir on Wednesday 27th January at 8pm. It is the 30th Anniversary AGM and a big turnout of all members would be greatly appreciated. AFTERNOON TEA DANCING. Due to the success of our last Tea Dancing Afternoon, Kilcoran Lodge Hotel is delighted to announce a whole weekend of dancing for a Valentines Special over Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th February 2010. On Saturday 13th February "The Music Man from Clare", PJ Murrihy, will entertain guests, Admission €10. On Sunday 14th February, in the afternoon from 3.30pm - 6pm, "Catherine & The Images" will entertain guests, Admission €8. On Sunday Night of the 14th February, "Romance Blossoms" when Keith & The Show Band Show will entertain guests, Admission €15. Admission will be at the door to all dances. Special Accommodation & Dining Packages available. Contact 052 744 1288 for more details. CAHIR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY LOTTO There was a Jackpot winner of draw on the 20th January, 2010. The numbers drawn were 4, 7, 10 and 23. The draw was witnessed by Joan Loughman. The lucky winner was Ann Sweeney, The Annex, Mitchelstown Road, Cahir who received €1,600. Congratulations Ann! The seller of the winning ticket was Vera Sweeney, also of Cahir who receives €65 and well done to you too. The next draw will take place on Wednesday the 27th January 2010 at 12 noon The Jackpot will be €1,000. Tickets are available right up to the last minute at the Enterprise Centre. Profit’s servicing community projects in Cahir. NEWS FROM COLÁISTE DÚN IASCAIGH DEBATING TEAM CONTINUES ON WINNING WAYS. The Coláiste’s debating team and supporters travelled to Fermoy last week to take on Loretto Fermoy in their fourth and final group-stage debate in this year’s Concern competition. Coláiste Dún Iascaigh successfully opposed the motion “That as it approaches its 65th birthday, the UN should consider retirement”. A strong opening speech by team captain Dean Buckley was followed by well-delivered and incisive speeches from Erin Grant, Graham Hally and Monika Gaciarz. Victory on the night was sealed by an excellent closing speech by team captain Dean in which he brought together his own team points but also strongly refuted many of the proposition’s arguments. The team are now hopeful of progressing to the last 32 of the competition nationwide. SPONSORED SILENCE FOR HAITI A sponsored silence and other fundraising events will be held in the college in the coming weeks to raise money to help alleviate the destruction caused by the recent earthquake in Haiti. The Student Council and Justice group are working on ideas for fundraising. We ask everybody to support these efforts as generously as possible. ACADEMIC AWARDS NIGHT Coláiste Dún Iascaigh’s annual Academic Awards night will be held in the college on Friday January 29th at 9pm. The academic achievements of current students will be recognised and we will also welcome back a number of the Leaving Certificate class of 2009 who performed so well in the state exams. Guest speaker on the night will be Mr. Kieran Hickey. A native of Cahir, Kieran now lectures in Geography in N.U.I.G. His work is published extensively and he is a frequent contributor on the national airwaves on the subjects of climate change and natural disasters. BEECHPARK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION The 50/50 Christmas draw lucky winners were; Richard Roche and Helen Barrett. The Christmas hamper winners were; Julia Halley, Michael O’Shea, Eamon Elliot and Pat Saunders. It is Skip time once again and on Friday the 29th January a skip will be dropped off at the new car park in the estate and will be collected on Saturday 30th January. The ESB have been notified about the street lights that are not working and we hope they will be fixed soon. A big thank you to the residents who salted the footpaths during the icy spell! THANK YOU The Family of the late Vincent Walsh would like to say a very sincere and heartfelt thank you to all those who came to pay their respects, sent flowers and had a mass said for him. Your support during that time was truly appreciated. May he rest in peace. Thank you and kindest regards. IRISH DANCING LESSONS. The Cormack McCarthy Academy of Irish Dancing will commence dancing lessons in the Community Hall in Cahir on Thursday 28th January at 3.30pm. Children of all ages are welcome to join the academy. This is a great way for children to keep fit and develop their co-ordination skills, as well as making new friends. For further information contact Ellen on 086 644 2709. MY PLACE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION In association with the exhibition “My Place”, which is an exhibition of projects on local heritage by school children, South Tipperary County Museum would like to remind people that they are now inviting submissions from Adults (Over 18’s) for a My Place Photography Competition. Participants are asked to submit photographs in colour or black and white in 8 x 10 formats. Pictures should show the photographers understanding of My Place – the heritage of the local area. Emphasis should be on local South Tipperary places. Entries should be submitted to the County Museum, Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel, no later than Friday 19th February 2010. Entries will be displayed in the County Museum and a prize awarded for first, second and third place. For further information contact Julia on 052 6134564 or email julia.walsh@southtippcoco.ie POULMUCKA SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB.? The Poulmucka Sports and Social Club would like to remind anyone interested that deposits are now due for the Trip to Scarborough on that will be taking place over the 8th 9th 10th & 11th October later this year. These deposits can be handed in on a weekly basis to Tom Walsh the Treasurer or can also be left in the Bar in Poulmucka. The deposit/monies can also be paid to any committee member and a receipt will be issued. This is an easy pay system for what promises to be a very enjoyable long weekend in the beautiful Yorkshire Town. We hope to have athletes participating in the Annual Scarborough 10k Run that is due to take place on that particular weekend away. The Club have a 10 mile circuit marked out at the moment as a trial for anyone interested in participating in this Run. Please contact Niall O’Ceallaigh or Tommy Cahill for more details. Following the success of the Christmas Walk and BBQ, The club will meet for a 1½ hour walk in the Glen of Aherlow, on Sunday 31st January at 12.30pm. We will be meeting at Poulmucka. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served afterwards. For more details please contact Margaret Delahunty on 085-7896583 (who will provide the eagerly awaited soup on the day) or Niall O’Ceallaigh on 086-3729761. POULMUCKA SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB AGM The Poulmucka Sports & Social Club held their AGM recently. The following officers were elected; Chairperson; Margaret Delahunty, Vice Chairman; Tommy Cahill, Secretary; Niall O Ceallaigh and Treasurer; Tom Walsh. The secretary gave a detailed account of the activities during the year from the many walks, BBQ, Mass, Santa Visit and the pride and joy “The 5 mile Road Race”. He said that more of the same is planned for the coming year. It is also decided to put on an extra race in Poulmucka during the year and that an Open cross country is not ruled out. He said that over 80 different walkers have joined the group as it goes from strength to strength. Also in the coming year the Club will have representatives taking part in the Scarborough 10k Run in October. The Treasurer’s report showed us with a loss for the year and he received a verbal warning, while the Chairperson has been asked to update her text database. Other issues discussed will have to be left to the Dail to sort out as they were above the heads of those present. So for now it’s the Glen walk next Sunday 31st at 12.30pm, meeting at Poulmucka. AN BHOITHRIN NA SMAOINTE I don’t know if many people were aware of the TG4 programme ‘An Bhoithrin na Smaointe’ that was shown on Wednesday evening last. It had some very beautiful footage of Cahir in the early 60’s and also footage from the present day. Although judging by the glorious sunshine I would guess that it was shot sometime last summer. Many of our local attractions were featured, from Cahir Castle, Swiss Cottage, The Craft Granary and much of the main streets and local businesses too. Several local people spoke about Cahir (in Irish of course as it was on TG4) among them Marie Ui Chathain and Area Engineer Paul Mulcahy. It would be lovely to acquire this footage somehow as it managed to portray Cahir in a way that would certainly encourage people to visit. It also highlighted the beautiful Irish language and the many people who can converse so fluently in Irish locally. Lastly, it was certainly very nice to be reminded of how beautiful the town of Cahir looks in the sunshine. Well done to all involved. CAHIR FARMER'S MARKET Excerpt from the Bridgestone Guide.   “Just a bit down the road from the square is where you will find local heroes such as Con Traas and Pat O’Brien and other brilliant Tipp food specialists. There is a particularly lovely atmosphere in the Cahir market, and the sun always seems to be shining. Optimists? Us? Wouldn’t you be an optimist if you were chewing a Cate McCarthy cookie, filling your basket with Keith and Jim’s organic veg, thinking on what Love 2 Eat savoury pastry to buy from Emma, and mulling over the contents of Leo’s Ballydavid meats.” These enlightened and kind words are from the 2010 BRIDGESTONE GUIDE. So come along and meet us between 9am and 1pm every Saturday in Cahir. It is wonderful that our very own Farmers Market is mentioned in The 2010 Bridgestone Guide. Well done and keep up the good work. QUOTE OF THE WEEK. To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required, not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. John F. Kennedy. 1917-1963, Thirty-fifth President of the USA. READERS NEWS AND VIEWS It seems that every one has been affected by the earthquake disaster footage and everyone wants to help in some way. Well done to 4th Class of Our Lady of Mercy Primary School in Cahir who organised a Cake Sale that raised the fantastic sum of €1,108 for the cause. Haiti really does need all the donations they can get, as they had not yet recovered from a hurricane late last year and were already an impoverished country before the earthquake, so keep up the good work of fundraising. If you have any news, views or notes for the Cahir page, you can contact me on 086 1022014 or email me on caplicetaylor@hotmail.com. By Sunday please, because that is when I do the notes. Thank you.