CAHIR NOTES 10TH FEBRUARY 2010 CAHIR PARK AFC As part of the Centenary celebrations, Cahir Park Soccer Club will host be a pre season match between Waterford United and Cork City at Cahir Park on Saturday the 27th February at 2.30pm. This is one of the series of events that will take place during 2010 in celebration of the Centenary year. Car parking marshals will be on duty on the day. This is bound to be an exciting event and not one to be missed. RED CROSS QUIZ A Table Quiz took place in The Hill Bar in Cahir on Friday the 5th February last in aid of the Irish Red Cross and also the Haiti disaster. Over €1000 was raised on the night. The winning team were Hayley Moon, Paul Collins, Redmond Carroll and Ger Carroll. The winner’s prizes were sponsored by Tom and Marie Carroll and the Cahir Area Lions Club also made a significant contribution. The quizmaster on the night was Cllr Seanie Lonergan, aided by Margaret Lonergan and Laura Buckley. The team would like to thank the participants and all the people that donated the prizes for the raffle. ILLEGAL DUMPING Cllr Seanie Lonergan informs me that he has been inundated with calls from people that have been upset due to the dumping of rubbish in their area. The Cllr has called for cameras to be put in place in the areas most at risk. The dumping of fridges and washing machines is especially stupid as these items are taken in free at the Lagaun Depot. There were 10 prosecutions last month in the Cahir area for rubbish dumping and the Culprits received heavy fines. As the sign says, this is your county don’t rubbish it... I completely agree. CAHIR LAP MEETING POORLY ATTENDED The Pre Draft stage of the new Cahir Local Area Plan 2010-2016 is now been drawn up. This plan effects development in the Town of Cahir under planning, infrastructure, Environment, Retailing & Commercial, Tourism, Employment, Housing, Community & Social and almost everything that will affect the town over the next 6 years. Chairman of the Tidy Towns, Andy Moloney said that Cahir has huge potential in the Tourism sector. The group are striving to make Cahir a more attractive town to visit but have expressed disappointment that only 23 people turned up to the Cahir LAP meeting organized by the council last week in Cahir House Hotel. These are challenging times for all groups in the area, but there needs to be more involvement from Towns people as planning changes to the Local Area Plan could affect all organizations. Should there be a plaza in the Square? Paid parking? A one way traffic system? A Pedestrian bridge on the river? Or Cycle lanes? These are just some of the many questions raised. Other proposals that the meeting took on board were the positives and negatives that people had to offer and they will be included in the Draft Plan. Submissions/Ideas are welcome from the general public and will be received until the 19th February. These should be addressed to Tom O Dwyer, Cahir LAP, County Hall, Clonmel. Andy has also said that the Tidy Towns 3 year plan should be in effect by March and that all Resident Groups, Traders and concerned townspeople should attend these meetings to have their say, but in the meantime, the LAP closing date should not be missed if anyone has concerns. 'GIVING HOPE TO HAITI.'  The fourth class girls from Our Lady of Mercy primary school in Cahir  are pictured here with Maria Casey from Trocaire. The girls organised a cake sale in conjunction with their teacher Ms Sylvia Sheehan and raised €1,211.27 for the Haiti appeal. Well done girls! NEW FIRE APPLIANCE FOR CAHIR? Former Councillor Andy Moloney has welcomed the delivery of a new appliance to the Cahir Fire Station. The 2010 registered Fire Engine arrived at the station last Friday direct from its makers in Galway. Moloney fought for the new appliance during his time in the council as the old engine was not sufficient to service the new roads network in a town that has grown to twice its size in the past 10 years. He said that Director of Services Clare Curley was very helpful in securing the machine for Cahir and he wished Station Officer John Murphy and his crew many years of successful rescues and hoped that it would be scarcely used. Cahir can be proud of having a Fire and River Rescue team on Barrack Street that is second to none. Mr. Moloney added that he hopes that on St Patricks Day the public will get the chance to see the new Engine in the Parade. It is hoped that some of the ex members of the Fire Crew will march with the present Team up Castle Street too. PUBLIC MEETING A Public Meeting will take place to discuss this year’s St Patricks Day Parade in Cahir. The meeting will take place in Cahir House Hotel on Thursday 11th February at 7pm. All welcome to attend. LOCAL AUTHOR PUBLISHES NEW BOOK Local Political Scientist, Dr. Anthony O’ Halloran had his second book published last week. Published by Mercier Press, Cork in hardback, The Dáil in the 21st Century is the culmination of five years of intensive research and writing. The book which is dedicated to his parents Patrick and Mary is now available in local bookshops. Established as an independent Irish Parliament in January 1919, Dáil Éireann has frequently been treated with derision in contemporary public commentary, and labelled as ineffective and irrelevant. However, in The Dáil in the 21st Century Anthony challenges suggestions that the Dáil is in a state of perpetual decline, and provides a comprehensive account of the Dáil’s position in early 21st-century Ireland. Looking at the changes that have occurred on the Irish political stage over the last few decades, particularly the influence of European Union membership and the introduction of social partnership, the author emphasises the valuable role played by Dáil Éireann in modern politics and offers innovative proposals on how the powers of the Dáil can be extended to safeguard the democratic underpinnings of the Irish polity. Congratulations Anthony and well done. CAHIR ACTIVE RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION. The February meeting was extremely well supported and after the formalities the suggestions from members regarding holidays and day excursions created a lively discussion. The committee would like to thank all the members and announce that they will hold another meeting in the near future to outline the suggested program of events for the members.   Our Fitness and welfare program will commence at Duneske Leisure Centre,  Cahir at 11.00am every Thursday. All members and interested people are welcome to this beneficial activity.   Outdoor Bowling at the Cahir All Weather pitch takes place each Tuesday and Thursday at 2.00pm.   A computer course for beginners and advanced will take place in Cahir Business and Training Centre at a date yet to be confirmed.   The results of the "25" card Game held on Friday 5th February at the Catherine McAuley Room of the Day Care Centre in Cahir. 1st with 11 Games, David White & Willie 'O'Neill, Red Burke & Kieran O'Brien Lucky Table, Timmy Fitzgerald & Maurice Condon, Mary English & Brigit Condon. Raffle; Ann Lonergan and Rena O'Connor. The next Game will take place on Friday 12th February at 8.00pm. All visitors welcome. Information regarding Cahir Active Retirement Association may be obtained by contacting The Secretary at cahiractiveretirement@gmail.com or by phone on  052 74 441892. COMPUTER COURSES COMMENCING Cahir Business and Training Centre will have computer courses commencing soon. There is something for everyone as they teach all levels of computer competency from Absolute Beginners to Advanced ECDL Courses commencing in the next two weeks are: ECDL (Monday evenings), ECDL Advanced Excel (Wednesday evenings) and a Beginners Plus Computer Class. For more information please ring Jennifer on 052 7442616. COLÁISTE SENIOR FOOTBALLERS CAPTURE MACGOWAN SHIELD Congratulations to Coláiste Dún Iascaigh’s senior boy’s football team who won the Mac Gowan shield following last week’s county senior football final. They emerged victors over a very good Coláiste Cluain Meala side on the score line of 4-7 to 2-7. Team and Scorers: Dean Lonergan; Evan O’Dwyer; Eoin Donaghy, Brendan Walsh; Robbie O’Brien(1-0); Sean Flynn; Oisin O’Flynn; Micheal Murphy(0-1)Capt.; Tommy Sweeney(0-1); Aaron Cowan; Cormac Crowe; Danny Morgan; Ger Breheny; Daniel O’Regan(2-2); John O’Donnell(1-3) Subs: Brian Hyland(Newcastle) for Breheny; Jamie Butler for Walsh; Michael Tobin for Donaghy; County Vocational Hurling The Tipperary Vocational Schools hurling team played Galway in Ballinasloe last Saturday in the All Ireland ‘A’ semi final and after a thrilling contest emerged winners by the narrowest of margins, 0-18 to 2-11. Roscrea’s Jason Fitzpatrick scored the winning point with a huge free from 85 metres in injury time. Coláiste Dún Iascaigh was well represented with Daniel O’Regan playing full forward and Danny Morgan, Dean Lonergan and Aaron Cowan also on the panel. The team play Kilkenny in next weekend’s final. Debating team progress in Concern debates The Coláiste debaters will take on Laurel Hill of Limerick in the next round of the Concern debates on Thursday February 11. Coláiste Dún Iascaigh will propose the motion “That G.M. foods are essential in the fight against world hunger”. The debate will be hosted by the Coláiste and will begin at 7.30pm. IONTAS Mary Teresa McCormack has informed me that she has relocated and now has opened Iontas, Centre for Awakening Consciousness in Abbey Street, Cahir and 2 doors from the Vincent de Paul shop. The programmes that are now available at the centre are; Healing Meditation The ceaseless din of busy lives has killed our acquaintance with silence. When we meditate we do so in the promise that we “enter the secret temple of our deepest belonging. Only in this temple can our hungriest longing find stillness and peace.” (John O’Donoghue) Join us in an exploration of Meditation as the path to presence and to being at ease with the unsolved and the unfinished in our lives. Every Sunday night to the end of June from 8 to 9pm at Iontas, Centre for Awakening Consciousness, Abbey St., Cahir. Cost: €7 per night. Mother Earth Launch of CD/DVD by Monica Brown Cahir is delighted to have Australian and internationally renowned composer of Sacred Music MONICA BROWN launch her CD/DVD Mother Earth on Monday, February 22nd at 8pm in Iontas, Centre for Awakening Consciousness, Abbey Street, Cahir. Entrance is free and there will be Cheese and Wine reception. All Are Welcome. To learn more about Monica’s ministry visit www.emmausproductions.com THE CORMACK MCCARTHY ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCING Classes have been changed from Thursdays to Wednesdays to accommodate children already taking part in other classes. The Irish dancing lessons will now take place in the Community Hall in Cahir on Wednesdays at 3.30pm. The organisers wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused. For more information contact Ellen on 087 644 2709. CAHIR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY LOTTO There was no Jackpot winner of draw on the 3rd February, 2010. The numbers drawn were 11, 15, 16 and 20. The draw was witnessed by Joan Loughman. The 5 Lucky Dips winners who each received €30 were; Ann Moloney, Abbey Crescent, Cahir, Kitty Saunders, Kilcommon, Cahir, Mary Kavanagh, St Josephs, Ardfinnan, William Delahunty, Loughloher, Cahir and Joanne O’Brien, Cahir Abbey Upper, Cahir. The next draw will take place on Wednesday the 10th February 2010 at 12 noon The Jackpot will be €1,300. Tickets are available right up to the last minute at the Enterprise Centre. Profit’s servicing community projects in Cahir. CAHIR GAA CLUB Cahir GAA are organising a Day Trip to Kilcummin GAA Club in Kilarney to take part in their Centenery Year celebrations. Any one that is interested in travelling can contact Hughie on 087 6356214. Hughie and Margaret of The Shamrock Lounge would like to inform all that they will have live music with The Cotters on Saturday 13th February. CAHIR COUNTRY MARKET Call to the Community Hall in Cahir on Friday mornings from 9-11am and visit Cahir Country Markets. There are arts and crafts, greeting cards and jewellery, preserves, jams, marmalades and honey, fresh eggs, cakes, breads, pies, biscuits and buns and lots more besides. Also there are beautiful bedding plants available and flowering bulbs are on offer too. Tubs/pots can be filled to order. Handmade nest boxes and bird feeders can also be purchased. This week there will also be a full range of fresh vegetables for you to choose from too, so visit Cahir Country Market and have a cup of tea/coffee while you are there. BEECH PARK RESIDENTS We will be getting the trees trimmed in the near future as some of them badly need to be done. Residents made good use of the skip provided last week, it is a great opportunity to get rid of unwanted items of junk from our sheds etc. We are getting a great response from the residents to the 50/50 draw, and it is because of this that we can cover the cost of providing skips a couple of times a year, trim the trees and the general upkeep of the estate. It is almost time to have another clean up around the estate and the football pitch, we will let you all know the time and date when it is confirmed. It has also been remarked to us how well the estate looks since the residents have co-operated with the request to make use of the new parking facility and not park on the footpaths. We hope to plant a couple of new trees and maybe some flowers at the entrance of the estate, once again we will keep you updated. Well done to everyone, if we all work together it will be for the benefit of our estate. Our best wishes to Francis Kinnane and John Walsh. ROCKWELL QUALIFIES FOR 2010 MUNSTER DEBATING FINAL Rockwell College has reached the Munster Schools Debating competition final for the sixth time in recent years. Both senior teams came through their respective semi-finals and will compete in the final in the Aula Maxima, UCC on Saturday, February 6th. The final, with the motion “That this house believes neutrality is immoral”, will see the teams competing with speakers from High School in Clonmel and Christian Brothers in Cork. The competition, organised by the Philosophical Society in UCC, has been running since October last year and involved the teams engaging in a range of motions dealing with issues as diverse as the release of the Lockerbie bomber, the death penalty and the banning of extremist political parties. This is not the first time Eva Cummins and Jack Jeffries have represented the College at this level. The team also qualified for last year’s final in Cork. Rockwell’s second team, Lennard Lowe and Jack Moloney, are taking part in this competition for the first time. Their success is all the more notable as Lennard is a German national and therefore debating in his second language. The teams are continuing the strong tradition of debating in the College and their success will no doubt encourage the continued participation of younger pupils. FR MATHEW PLAYERS New Inn presents 'No home tomorrow' by kind permission of local author Patrick J Walsh in New Inn Community Centre from Friday 12th February to Sunday 14th February inclusive, nightly at 8.15pm. Tickets are now on sale from the Friary Pharmacy in Cashel on 062 62120, Purcells shop in New Inn on 0527462174 or from Ester Boland on 086 3583719. Tickets are priced at €10 for adults and €5 for children. Early booking is advised. Always a good show, don’t miss it. POULMUCKA SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB The Poulmucka Sports & Social Club successfully completed another walk on Sunday. This time Kenny Quinliven took the group to a wooded walk between Knocklofty and Marlfield. There are 3 different walks in the wood to suit all levels of fitness. They start from 15 minutes to 2 hours although one could give the day here. For those who were not present last Sunday and are thinking of doing this walk in your own time, it is important to note that parts are a little soggy and suitable footware should be worn. Lots of people that pass this road every day did not realize that this little haven exists. Once again refreshments were provided in Moloneys Bar following the walk. As the spring is approaching fast and matches and long evenings prevail we hope to complete the Nire Walk on Sunday 22nd February before the crowd starts to dwindle. This walk will take a good 2 hours and will take us up to the Lakes. We will leave Poulmucka at the usual time of 12.30pm sharp. It is hoped that a good crowd will travel as walks might be confined as we prepare to organize the Road Race. Don’t Forget that deposits are been taken for the trip to Scarborough and monies should be handed in as soon as possible. Any money paid will be refunded at time of booking should anyone decide that they cannot travel at that time. It is important that we get the names and deposits in to Tom Walsh over the next few weeks. In the meantime, next Sunday 21st February at 12.30 pm in Poulmucka for the Nire Walk. PUBLIC MEETINGS Sustainable Development of the Comeragh Mountains Groups on the South Tipp end of the Comeraghs may be interested in these public meetings. The aim is to promote the Comeragh Mountains as a national amenity and support local communities in working together towards this. Following the public consultation process held in October / November 2009, Waterford County Council will convene public meetings to discuss the vast tourism potential of the Comeragh Mountains and how best this potential may be achieved for the benefit of all stakeholders in the area. The venues and dates of these public meetings are as follows; Ballymacarbry Community Centre on Thursday 11th February 2010 at 8.30 p.m. Rathgormack Hiking Centre on Thursday 18th February 2010 at 8.30 p.m. Any queries in relation to these public meetings can be e-mailed to comeraghs@waterfordcoco.ie.  Further information on this initiative is available at www.waterfordcoco.ie or in your local library or area office. CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations and best wishes to Tanya and Neill from Bansha, on the birth of their new baby girl Tori Anne who was born on the 21st January. Love from Mam, Dad, Patrick, Fiona and baby James. Welcome to the world Tori Anne. Congratulations also to George Keith Collins who will celebrate his Christening with his family on Saturday 20th February. Best Wishes and enjoy the day to Hayley, Paul, Dylan and of course little George himself. QUOTE OF THE WEEK God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try. Mother Teresa READERS NEWS AND VIEWS 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, because that is when I do the notes. Thank you.