CAHIR NOTES;  27/12/2007 PROPOSED POWER PLANT At a specially convened meeting on Tuesday 18th December, Cahir Development Association decided to make an official Objection to the planning application by Mountside Properties Ltd for a Power Plant at Kilcommon, Cahir, which was lodged on 20th. It was a pleasure to read Bernie Cummins’ report in this paper last week and to find that Mountside was no longer intending to use a water cooling system, as one of the serious concerns of Cahir Development was the potential damage to the Suir and its valuable fishing – valuable to locals and to visitors alike. The main worry about the planning application as it now stands is the total lack of clarity as to where and how gas, water and High Tension Electricty lines are to be laid. There is no plan or map available, and the whole area surrounding this matter is murky. My personal concern is that there has been no independent Environmental Impact Study. Mountside says that this area is zoned for industry, and that a development is bound to happen, sooner or later. I would like to say to Mountside that there are very many possible industrial uses that would cause no concern whatsoever to local residents, so why go with one that does? WILDLIFE SIGNS My personal New Year’s Resolution is to raise the funds necessary to repair, and in one case to replace, the beautiful wildlife signs in the Inch Field and on the Swiss Cottage Wall. Mindless vandalism should not be allowed to get away with this wanton destruction. The first, and many think the most beautiful of the five signs erected, was totally destroyed earlier in the year, and it will probably cost in the region of €7,500 to replace it (it was two-sided) and repair the others. Eleanor Morrissey and myself, when we were involved with Tidy Towns, raised the monies for these signs as part of our Millennium efforts, along with the booklet on the plants from Swiss Cottage to Sandy Bottom. I have no intention of leaving the situation as it is. SCARBOROUGH VISIT 2008 It may seem a little soon to be thinking of next year’s visit to Scarborough, but here is advance notice of the plans for 2008! Two alternative trips to Scarborough will be on offer. One will leave on Tuesday 25th March and the second trip will leave two days later, on Thursday 27th March. The first trip will be a four-day option, while the second trip is a two-day option, with both trips returning on Saturday 29th March 2008. The reasoning behind the two trips is that we believe four days is too long for some, while two days may be too short for other people. So flights for both days will be organized and everyone will come back together. There is a new direct flight to Leeds/Bradford from Shannon, which is so much handier than going through Dublin. To ensure that those traveling benefit from the best value, commitments from people who wish to travel are needed. The sooner bookings are made, the more money can be saved, as can be seen from the present price of €47 return, including taxes. So book early for great value. It terms of the hotel that will be used, the best option will be found, with a location quite close to Mike Manning’s new hostelry being the obvious preference. Hand in €100 as a non-refundable deposit for the trip at the Enterprise Centre for the attention of Tim Shanahan, and details can begin to be firmed up early in the New Year.  In fact, Cahir Development is happy to take monies in the Enterprise Centre from those who wish to use it as a Savings Club, so that the entire trip will be  paid for when March comes around. And with Christmas nearly upon us, why not consider either a deposit or contributions towards the trip as a Christmas present? A SEASONAL THANK YOU Well known Cahir gardener Ger O’Brien would like to wish a happy and healthy New Year to his friends and those people who continue to wish him well, following his serious illness in 2006, and thank them for their support, which is much appreciated. Despite a set-back in the autumn, Ger hopes to be back in those gardens in the New Year.  AMAZING GENEROSITY The Coffee Morning for Sr Ethel Mormoyle on Saturday 8th December in Grange Community Hall was a huge success. The organizers would like to thank everyone who helped in any way to make it a great day. In particular, they thank the Tipperary Hunt for their generosity in facilitating a collection at their recent Point-to-Point in Lisronagh;  to the Bridge Clubs in Clonmel, Grange and Cahir; to Ballingeary ICA for all their help;  to the Golf Club in Cahir for allowing them to display Raffle Prizes. I was delighted to hear that at the time of writing to me, over €11,000 had been collected, and still counting.  Well done, indeed! WORD OF THE YEAR:  LOCAVORE It’s that time of year again. It is finally starting to get cold (if you are worried about the global warming, maybe you should become carbon-neutral) and the New Oxford American Dictionary is preparing the holidays by making its biggest announcement of the year. The 2007 Word of The Year is (drum-roll!)”locavore”. The past year saw the popularization of a trend in using locally grown ingredients, taking advantage of seasonally available foodstuffs that can be bought and prepared without the need for extra preservatives. The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun supermarket offerings as an environmentally friendly measure, since shipping food over long distances often requires more fuel for transportation. “Locavore” was coined two years ago by a group of four women in San Francisco who proposed that local residents should try to eat only food grown or produced with a 100-mile radius. Other regional movements have emerged since then, though some groups refer to themselves as “localvores” rather than “locavores”. However it’s spelled, it’s a word to watch. WELCOME BACK I can hardly believe that I was so delighted to see a particularly “littered” area in the centre of Cahir. The pied wagtails are back, roosting in the chestnut trees in The Square at night, and looking like a particularly lovely set of Christmas ornaments – and who cares about what they leave behind? CAHIR LANDSCAPING PLAN Details I omitted from last week’s issue include the fact that Grangemore will be planting up baskets and boxes of flowers and the Council is taking responsibility for watering them. This is a huge advantage, as there are so few willing workers now. What is needed from every householder or business person in Cahir is the willingness to keep the area in front of their home or business premises clean and tidy. On an individual basis this shouldn’t be too much to ask, and would mean that our lovely town would look good all the time. SOUTH TIPPERARY SINN FÈIN PRESS RAITEAS/PRESS STATEMENT Sinn Fèin welcomes news on Cahir Bus Shelter                                                                                                                                                              Cahir Sinn Fèin spokesperson, Micheal Nugent, has welcomed the news that Bus Èireann has added Cahir town to their list of recommended bus shelter locations. The decision to add Cahir to the list was outlined in a letter from Bus Èireann’s Chief Executive following representations from Mr Nugent. Speaking to a meeting of the Cahir Sinn Féin Cumann Mr Nugent, welcomed the news but cautioned that pressure had to be kept up in order to ensure Bus Èireann lived up to the commitment.  “Obviously it is welcome news indeed that Cahir has been added to the list, but Bus Èireann hasn’t signed up to any timetable or deadline for construction of a shelter, and this is a cause for concern.  “They have examined the situation in Cahir and have stated that there is sufficient space for a shelter on the car-park side of the Castle Street but there may be difficulties in achieving enough space on opposite side due to a lack of space.  “I also raised the issue of electronic timetables with real-time updates for a Cahir shelter but as of yet Bus Èireann has made no commitment to including this in any future Cahir bus shelter.  “Cahir sits in an extremely strategic public transport location and it is vital to keep the pressure on Bus Èireann to deliver a bus shelter for Cahir READERS NEWS & VIEWS A peaceful and prosperous New Year to you all. Do keep your news and views coming, either to 10 Market Yard, to 086 840 5020 or to the e-mail address above.