WITH the rise in temperatures after a spell of bad weather the Timoleague/Courtmacsherry Walkway is attracting large crowds each afternoon. It provides a very welcome amenity for young mothers with ‘buggies’ as they can meet and converse with their friends all along the route. A novel feature reported was the sight of County Sounds “Fugitive”, but he made his quick escape into Abbeymahon thinking that Lt. Gerrard was on his trail.
HUNTING
With the hunting season in progress, the music of the hounds can be heard over glen and dale as they span the countryside in quest of their quarry. There is a good supply of foxes at hand which should provide some excellent hunts. There are some different and amusing comments and controversies about Fox Hunting. The most amusing happened last year when a pack out one Sunday were confronted by a farmer’s wife who had some harsh words for them not because of any annoyance to property or animals, but because they were not coming often enough as the fox had savaged a number of her hens.
ANNUAL THRESHING
On this Sunday afternoon, October 22, the Argideen Committee will hold their Old-Time Threshing Festival. The Festival which opens at 1pm. will include Threshing, Winnowing, Baling, Horse and Pony Show, Dog Show, Butter-Making and Arts and Crafts. Coming at the end of the Threshing Season, it’s various events prove extremely popular most especially the Pony Show which attracts entries from a wide area with many young entrants using this as a very suitable event to cut their teeth, so to speak and set them on the road to greater and more spectacular adventures. The Butter-Making display always attracts a gallery of admirers as it’s a reminder to everybody of how farmers converted and processed milk into butter before the creameries were established. Another event which is extremely popular is the Dog Show and with classes for quite a number of breeds, exhibitors are expected to come from near and far. But the feature event of the festival will be the display of Old-Time Threshing on the forecourt of Harringtons Inn. Separating the grain and the chaff from the straw brings back memories of times past. As proceeds from the festival go to a number of deserving charities, including Clonakilty, Bandon and Kinsale Hospitals and the ACT Unit of the Mercy Hospital, Cork, it is hoped that there will be a good turnout to support the venture and ensure that these well deserving charities can gain the maximum support. The efforts of John Crowley, Tony Hunt and John Murray and their fellow workers deserve every support.
FOTA ISLAND
Since our report on the opening of “Sheraton Hotel” on Fota Island last week, we have been asked who owned Fota previously. Well John Fleming bought it or at least 550 acres of it from Tim O’Mahony. It was initially bought by UCC who greatly developed the ‘Arboretum’. Formerly to that it was part of the ‘Smit/Barry Estate’ and the last member of that family there was Major Bell who for a time was president of the Munster Agricultural Society and the farm was noted for its champion herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle.
GRADUATION
Amongst those who graduated with a degree in Business Management and Marketing at the Cork Institute of Technology on Friday, October 13, was Patrick Fleming, Courtmacsherry. He received his early education in Barryroe National School and afterwards at Clonakilty Community College and spent the last four years studying for his degree in CIT. Prominent on the gaelic field he has helped Barryroe to numerous under-age championships and played a starring role on the team that recently won the South/West junior hurling final. Son of Padraig and Mary Fleming, who are well known in the Tourist Promotion Business in Courtmacsherry and West Cork, his sister Aoife secured a Gold Medal Award when she graduated with a degree in Pharmacy.
UNDER AGE FINALS
Sunday, October 15, was a dull day for the Barryroe underage footballers. After last Mass their under 12 footballers entertained Timoleague in the league final, with Timoleague enjoying wind advantage during the first half, their halftime lead of 1-3 to 1-0 looked scarcely sufficient as the game was very evenly contested. However, Timoleague were to enjoy their best spell of supremacy against the wind as they ran out deserving winners on the scoreline of 3-7 to 1-4. The game was played in a fine sporting manner well refereed by Michael O’Mahony of Kilbrittain. While exchanges outfield were pretty evenly contested, it was the Timoleague backline which was soundness personified, repelling many a Barryroe attack. Barryroe: Ian O’Driscoll, Conor Madden, Barry Lawton, Barry Crowley, Patrick Moloney, Bobby Smith, John Whelton 0-1, Cian O’Donovan 0-1, Jack Murphy, Mark Crowley 0-1. Ml. McCarthy, Ml. O’Sullivan, Jamie Curran 1-0. Sub: John O’Sullivan.
UNDER 16 FINAL
It was on to Clonakilty in the afternoon when Barryroe and St. James’ of Ardfield met in the final of the Under 16 football championship. From the throw-in, it was evident that the boys and girls from the Mountain Parish were a class apart. Much stronger and more attuned to their game, they ran ragged through the Barryroe defence especially with the aid of the breeze in the second half. From a spectators’ point of view, one would think we were looking at teams from two different grades. True to tell, most of this Barryroe outfit are under fourteen and one can look forward to see when they should be more mature and a formidable outfit. That's not in anyway taking from the performance of St. James whose anticipation, ball control and general teamwork was a treat to watch. Barryroe: David Finn, Darren McCarthy, Tadg O’Brien, Shane O’Driscoll, Stephen Kelly, Edward O’Dwyer, Eoin O’Donovan. David Flynn, David O’Sullivan, Colin Hunt and Sean O’Donovan.
AT THE TRACK
It was a good night for local followers at Curraheen Park on Saturday night when Mrs Cecelia Fleming’s “Rising Well” won the 330 yards sprint in convincing style. No doubt this prodigy of “Droopey’s Kewell and Rising Singer’ should have a bright future if this performance is anything to go by. As it’s ‘Laurels’ season at Curraheen Park the crowds are swelling the stadium and no doubt it should be a box office sell-out this Saturday night for the final of the ‘Laurels; the premier event in Greyhound Racing down south. While all six contestants are there on merit, last year’s winner “Tyner Ted” will attract great attention. Memories of a Laurels Final go back many years. We remember Munster Hotel in 1945, then in the fifties, Chub O’Connor of Killorglin dominated with Spanish Lad, Spanish Chestnut and the immortal Spanish Battleship, who won on three occasions and in more recent years we remember Denis Lynch with Knockrous Favourite and Knockrous Slave.
MAIZE HARVEST
During the past weekend harvesting of the maize crop has been very advanced. During the present year acreage of maize crop has been greatly increased because of its great nutritional value for stock feeding and also due to the fact that beet growing has ceased. As corn on the cob its popularity is growing by the years, a far cry from the belief that in the distant past any talk about maize would relate to ‘yellow meal’ or ‘parate’, mostly used for poultry feeding.
SEMI-FINAL
All roads will lead to Pairc Ui Rinn this Saturday afternoon, when Barryroe and Dungourney meet in the semi-final of the junior hurling championship. A club steeped in history due to their great hero of 100 years ago, Jamesy Kelleher and coming from the division in East Cork steeped in hurling, Dungourney will be a team enjoying tremendous respect more especially since their great victory over Ballinhassig in the quarter-final. However, Barryroe have trained exceptionally hard and the advantage of replays against both Diarmuid O’Mathunas and Brian Dillons should stand them well with regard to teamwork and experience and if they can reduce their talk of wides and get more inside the posts, they could well be on their way to the county final by Saturday night. No doubt memories of 1994 will rekindle on many minds when they had a lucky escape against Fermoy at Pairc Ui Rinn and then the unlucky two point defeat by Carrigtwohill in the county semi-final. Since it’s teams from the same two divisions are in the penultimate stage again this year,but in reverse, it could well be Barryroe’s year, so let’s hope for the best on this Saturday afternoon.
VINTAGE RALLY
A huge convoy of Vintage cars passed through Courtmacsherry and out the parish on last Sunday at midday. With so many cars,some over 100 years old they proved quite an attraction during the quick stop in Courtmacsherry.
LOTTO
There was one lucky winner in the Barryroe GAA lotto draw on last Sunday night when a Dutch resident Jaap had the lucky numbers of 8, 29 and 30 when the draw was held at the Lifeboat Inn. Miniature winners were Anita O’Rourke, Bridget Fowler and Des Murphy. Next draw, this Sunday night at Wheltons, Lislevane with a projected jackpot of
• 1,000.