PRAISE FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Fermoy Town Council members and residents have been generous in their praise for the response of the emergency services in the areas affected by flooding last week.

Gardai, the fire service, council workers, engineers and the army all worked hard to provide the necessary support to those who needed it on the day.

“I’d like to thank the emergency services: Cork County Council, the town council staff, engineers, gardai, fire service, the army and the community for doing such a fantastic job. I don’t think we realised just how bad it was going to be. It caught Fermoy by surprise,” Fermoy Mayor, Noel McCarthy said.

Cllr John Murphy thanked the emergency services as well, and especially Ken Barry, a resident of Rathealy Road, who was helping people out all night long.

Mayor McCarthy also complimented Direct Route, the company that runs the toll booth on the Fermoy bypass, for cooperating with the local authorities and allowing commuters to and from Fermoy to pass through free of charge on the day, due to the emergency situation. The barrier was up for the better part of the day until around 6pm, when the bridge was reopened to traffic.

Cork county councillor, John Paul O’Shea, also paid tribute to all emergency staff that responded to the recent devastating floods that hit the North Cork area.

“The commitment and dedication of staff from all sectors of the frontline emergency services has to be commended. These services are continuing to ensure that all essential maintenance will be carried out as soon as possible.”

Cork County Council is currently carrying out an inspection of all roads and bridges within the county to ensure their safety. It is also hoped that the ongoing OPW flood relief works in Fermoy will make a difference in the future and ensure that flooding in Fermoy will become a thing of the past.

“It has worked for Mallow. It should be a success in Fermoy as well,” said Mayor McCarthy. There was criticism about the emergency response as well, though, from some of the town’s residents.

“People said we didn’t give them enough sand bags and enough warning, that the flooding was the worst in 25-26 years. We didn’t realise what we were dealing with. We did the best we could under the circumstances,” stated Mayor McCarthy, adding that he empathised with the people affected by recent flooding.

“We are enquiring about aid from Cork County Council. Any hardship cases will be looked at individually,” Cllr McCarthy concluded.

BYGONE DAYS RECALLED IN NEW BOOK BY BURNCOURT AUTHOR

A new book from first time author, Ann Gardiner of Burncourt, will be launched at Kilcoran Lodge Hotel next month. The book, ‘The House Remembers’ is a personal memory of childhood days growing up on a farm in Burncourt and tells of Ann’s life in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

“We lived in a 150 year old thatched farmhouse and that is where I got the title for the book. When we sold the house I came across a lot of old photos and other memorabilia. It was a labour of love and represents my memories of growing up on a small farm at the foot of Galtymore,” Ann told The Avondhu.

The book is full of memories from a bygone era - parcels from America, going to the fair, killing a pig on the farm and cycling to Mitchelstown from Burncourt for school all are retold with skill and obvious feeling.

“My book is all about what life was like on the farm in Burncourt and it was much more than just telling the stories I remember. It was a labour of love and I hope the readers will enjoy it,” Ann said.

Ann Gardiner is the wife of the internationally renowned Comhaltas musician, Bobby Gardiner, who has, for decades, been one of Ireland’s most respected traditional entertainers. ‘The House Remembers’ will be launched at Kilcoran Lodge Hotel at 8pm on Tuesday, December 8.

PLAYERS TO BE DISCIPLINED AFTER MATCH FRACAS

Passage West GAA Club have confirmed that some of their players will be severely disciplined after violent incidents at an U16 football game against Mitchelstown, writes Brian Moore.

The match was abandoned after a Mitchelstown player and a Passage West mentor suffered broken noses after being punched.

However, a spokesperson for the club denied any Passage West mentor or spectator was responsible for breaking the Mitchelstown player’s nose.

“We absolutely deny that any Passage adult, mentor or spectator, at any time, struck any Mitchelstown player,” the spokesperson said.

It has been reported that a Passage West mentor, Paul Maxwell, also had his nose broken while he was trying to separate players who were fighting on the pitch. Mr Maxwell reported that he was unable to identify the player that struck him.

The spokesman for Passage West GAA went on to allege that after half-time, one of their players was knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the face by a Mitchelstown player.

The club have identified that player by the number on his jersey. In Mitchelstown, a spokesperson for the club said that Bord na nOg were dealing with the matter and commented “We will co-operate fully with their findings.”

HOT PROSPECTS FOR ‘COLIN AND GRAHAM’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURES’

‘Colin and Graham’s Excellent Adventures’ has taken Ireland by storm and may soon, it seems, also take the world by storm.

The show is broadcast on RTE2 on Wednesday nights and, has so far recorded very high ratings.

Freemantle Media, the international TV corporation that produces, The X Factor, American Idol, Got Talent, ‘The Bill’ etc asked to view the series featuring Fermoy’s solicitor Colin Carrol and his buddy, Northern Ireland journalist, Graham Little, and if interested, the show, could be sold and broadcast around the world.

“There have also been five enquiries from countries that want to buy the programme, among them, Australia and France. It’s all good news for Colin who likes to stir things up. Being in the public eye has long become second nature to him. It’s what he does best. It is also what he will be doing in the follow up series, which he is currently concocting.

“The second series will be based on the same principle as the first one, but taken to a new level. It will be fun, gone wild, fun out of control,” Colin says. On a different note, Carroll is afraid that ratings will suffer after last week’s show was cancelled without any proper announcement from RTE2, after the soccer match between Ireland and France went into extra -time and the commentary session at the end of the game was extended.

“It is an interesting dilemma. It is unfortunate that RTE didn’t announce the show was to be deferred. The ratings will now be disrupted. There is no consistency, no trail,” he comments.

And does he know how to stir it up. Their show doesn’t leave people indifferent. People react. Some hate it, some love it. He’s been called anything from ‘racist’, ‘homophobic’ to ‘retarded’, ‘ignorant’ and ‘gay’, mostly by what he calls ‘nameless people’ on various blogs.

“I feel sad for these people who are sitting without a name and who don’t matter. The people in the industry are the ones that matter. We know who we are at this point,” Colin confesses.

“Graham said on a show when being asked about how we met, ‘It was love at first sight.’ We always try to stir it up. We want controversy.”

As for his clients whom he legally represents and who follow their solicitor on a TV show doing things they would probably never do, he says,

“Once they get what they want, it shouldn’t matter to them what I do in my free time. At least, I do something healthy.”

PAMPER NIGHT HAS PLENTY PULLING POWER

In Rathcormac last Friday night members of Bride Rovers Ladies Football & Camogie Club replicated an event that has proved a lucrative money spinner in the past. Once again things came good for the progressive club when their ‘Pamper Night’ attracted a capacity audience to the local community centre.

At the risk of being sexist this is an event designed exclusively for the female fraternity and a lot of the jargon would mean little to the breakfast roll eating, Bass drinking, Sky Sports watching man in the street who has 3 clean shirts, two pairs of shoes and one good suit.

An example of the jargon is ‘office to bar glamour’ – a considerable amount of time was spent on this important topic that deals with the process whereby a woman changes from office garb to attire suitable for an evening in a nightclub. The show then moved on to the ‘accessory upgrade’ part of the evening.

According to those in the know you can’t have enough accessories (bangles, beads and bags) and the ability to ‘accessorise’ is a highly desirable trait in any woman we were told. From accessorising the focus shifted to ‘winter wardrobe inspiration’.

Needless to say all were inspired and then it was on to the topically entitled ‘credit crunch chic’.

The ladies were told that a pay cut is no impediment to looking good and with the necessary adjustments you can be just as desirable post Celtic Tiger as you were during the boom.

It’s debatable how scientific all this advice is but ultimately the people who paid in treated it as Gospel and that’s all that matters.

Fresh from their AGM and with the pamper night giving the club account a nice top up the talented ladies footballers and camogie players from Rathcormac were extremely upbeat. They were particularly anxious to thank The Arcade Fashion Shop in Midelton for its support.

GLENVILLE LAUNCH FOR BOOK THAT TELLS STORY OF BOTHAR MILK PROCESSING PLANT

‘Heifers and a Creamery from Ireland bring Hope to the People of Malawi’, a new book compiled by the third world charity organisation Bothar that tells the story of a milk processing plant in Malawi, will be launched in Glenville on Friday.

Since 2001 Bothar had sent 323 in-calf dairy heifers to struggling families. By 2003 the local farmers had built a milk cooling centre so that they could market their surplus milk.

VINTAGE ENTHUSIASTS

Then an intrepid group of vintage tractor enthusiasts from Kildinan near Watergrasshill teamed up with a local Bothar support group called CGW Friends of Bothar and between them they travelled, by vintage tractor, from Glenville down to Mizen Head, up to Malin Head and back again to Glenville, a round trip of approximately 1,000 miles.

With the assistance of a great group of helpers and the support of clubs, organisations, hotels, guest houses, restaurants, shops, post offices and a host of individuals they managed to raise €112,000 for Bothar and this funded the setting up of the first milk processing plant or creamery in the Mwera Mkaka hills.

SOURCED IN IRELAND

The equipment for the processing plant was sourced in Ireland from redundant stock by Harry Lawlor, it was assembled in his warehouse in Hospital, Co. Limerick, photographed, tagged, dis-assembled and shipped out to Malawi for re-assembly under the experienced and watchful eye of David Mitchell, an international dairy equipment expert.

OFFICIAL OPENING

By July 2005 the plant was up and running and a group from Ireland representing Bothar, the tractor drivers, the fundraisers and a television crew travelled to Malawi for the official opening and dedication of the plant.

It was blessed by his Grace Most Rev. Dermot Clifford, DD. and the opening ceremony was performed by Dr. Martin Kansichi, the Malawi Minister for Trade and Private Sector Development.

It was dedicated to the memory of T.J. Maher, founding chairman of Bothar, president of the Irish Farmers Association and Member of the European Parliament.

DAY TO DAY

The day-to-day operation and management of the plant is overseen by Sute Mwakasungula and the SSLPP team (Small Scale Livestock Promotion Programme).

The plant processes about 1,000 litres of milk each day and produces pasteurised milk, cultured milk and yoghurt.

In a recent report to Bothar, Sute informed them that the plant was now ahead of targets, the dirt road serving the plant has been tarred, small businesses are springing up around the plant and the running of the plant has been devolved to the local farmers cooperative – a real success story, providing real, sustainable help to the people of the area.

OPEN INVITATION

It is in acknowledgment of the success of the overall project, that Bothar has compiled this publication.

An open invitation is extended to one and all for the launch of the book by his Grace Dr. Dermot Clifford D.D., Archbishop of Cashel & Emly in Kades County, Glenville on this Friday, November 27 at 8pm.

Sute Mwakasungula is coming specially to Ireland to report on the success of the project, to thank all who contributed in so many ways and to say that it has become a blueprint for other communities. So come along to Kades County, Glenville on this Friday where you will be informed and entertained with stories, refreshments, music and dancing, and remember it’s free and it is not a fundraising event.