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Local News 2008

Goalie Celebrates 21st Birthday


Senior goalkeeper Ciarán Dennehy celebrated his 21st birthday on Saturday 16th Aug. He was joined by his family and many friends at a celebratory party in the Lobster Bar. Music was provided by the O'Shea's of Cahersiveen. His special guest was his granny who made the long trip from Co. Wicklow. Great to see Ciarán's uncle P.J. and wife Mary back from the UK for the special occasion.

Therésé McGillicuddy Celebrates Birthday

A wonderful night’s celebration took place at the Waterville Lake Hotel on Friday 25 th of July. A surprise birthday party was organised by the family of local girl Thérése McGillicuddy who has reached the fortieth milestone in her life. Therése was joined by her many friends and neighbours. Other guests were Therésé’s special friends and the parents of her sporting hero and cousin Henry Shefflin of Kilkenny.
Therésé is the daughter of Katherine and the late Paddy Mac of the Cable Station.
She is an employee of Dunne’s Stores in Tralee and is highly respected by her colleagues and employers.
On arrival at the hotel Thérésé was greeted by her mom Katherine, sister Ursula, brother in law Tim, niece Jane and nephew Henry and her many neighbours and friends.
Guests were treated to a beautifully prepared meal and a choice of beverages. Afterwards the master of ceremonies Brendan O’Shea, who is Thérésé’s hairdresser introduced a number of speakers including the guest of honour herself. Therésé thanked everyone for coming and Katherine thanked all who have been so considerate and generous to Therésé so far in her life.
The evening continued with music provided by the O’Shea’s of Cahersiveen and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who were present. We wish Therésé many more years of continued good health and happiness.


Community First Responders

Waterville Community First Responders group are up and running as of Monday the ninth of June. The group will provide back-up assistance to our ambulance service for medical emergencies such as heart attack, choking, stroke, drowning etc. and give the casualty a better chance of survival by minimising the delay in the arrival of medical assistance and increase the chances of survival. The service is activated by the regular ambulance service and assists the casualty until the ambulance arrives.
In the case of an emergency the number to dial is 999 or 112. The call will be taken in the normal way and the First Responder on call will be contacted along with the ambulance personnel etc.
All C.F.Rs are fully trained in the skill of C.P.R and how to operate a defibrillator.
The first two C.F.R's to take up duty are Bunty Donnelly and Bridie Moran.
For further information contact John Galvin 0877403732 or Jacinta Foley 0876607703.

Micheál Sugrue of Beenbane & Birmingham

Micheál SugrueMicheál Sugrue, formerly of Beenbane passed away recently in Bermingham. Micheál emigrated in 1948 and like many more of his countrymen started in the construction business. After some time he started his own company employing many men from Kerry and other parts of Ireland doing contract work for the building trade.
In 1958 Micheál, Edward O’ Sullivan (Sneem), Eamonn Flanagan (Roscommon) and current Waterville Club chairman Paddy Fogarty were founder members of the St. Brendan’s GAA Club. Micheál was the driving force behind this club up to recent times.
Micheál attended his first All Ireland Football Final in 1946 and was at every final up to 2006 except for 1947 when the final was played in the Polo Grounds, New York. His wife Catherine accompanied him at most All Irelands whether Kerry was involved or not. He was always a great follower of the Waterville club and constantly kept in touch with events locally.
Micheál’s funeral took place at St. Dunstan’s church, King’s Heath, Birmingham and was attended by a large crowd of friends, former workmates and extended family. The funeral mass was celebrated by Fr. Fitzpatrick from Kilmakerin. Geraldine Fogarty travelled from London to sing at the mass and later at the graveside.
Waterville GAA club extends its sympathy to Micheál’s wife Catherine, his family Micheál, Patricia, Diane, Catherine, Caroline and Denis. Micheál has two nephews living in Waterville, Gerard and John Joe Curran. We extend our sympathy to them and their families also.

Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam dílis, is go raibh sé ar dheis lámh Dé.

 

From The Top of Tarmons to the Top of The World

First Kerry Man to Conquer Everest

Reaching a new height is a phrase often used to describe an achievement of special significance but this is doubly true in the case of local hero John Dowd from Tarmons.
John is well renowned for his exploits with the Kerry Mountain Rescue group and his great interest in mountain climbing. On March 28th along with eighteen others he headed off to conquer Everest. The expedition was led by American Dan Mazure, who hails from Seattle.
They took a plane to Katmandu and then on to the small village of Lukla in the Cumbu valley in Nepal. Strangely there are no proper roads to Lukla but it does have an airstrip, which was built by Sir Edmund Hillery after his famous climb in 1953. The airstrip was actually constructed in 1960. The party then had to trek on foot to Base camp which is 5400m above sea level. Nine days later on April 9th they reached their destination and after a few days rest they started stocking up three more camps further up the mountain.
Gas, stoves, food such as rice, canned tuna, chocolate, complan and packet soups were just some of the items that had to placed at each camp. Each climber also had to have a minimum of five cylinders of oxygen. This was an exhausting and energy sapping exercise. John’s companion for the climb was local man Tenzing Sherpa, who is a farmer when not climbing.
On May 16th the final ascent was attempted from camp four and the summit was reached on May 21st. John was in the first group that set off from camp four at eight pm on May 20th and they were on Top of the World at seven am on May 21st. They stayed at the summit for thirty minutes approximately and thus John became the first Kerry man to conquer Everest.
Over the next few days ten more of their group made it to the top but unfortunately some others couldn’t get there for a number of reasons. The descent to camp four took about five hours and they rested there overnight. It took three days in total to get from the summit back down to Base Camp.
They rested again for three more days and then walked the thirty miles back to Lukla. They then took a plane to Katmandu and finally home.
Kilimanjaro is next on the list and John plans to attempt that in January 2009. Cosioska in Australia also beckons after that.
John had an astonishing C.V. even before conquering Everest. Mt McKinley in Alaska, Mt Vincent in Antartica, Mt Elbrus in Russia and Aconcagua in Argentina have all been climbed. He has also climbed in Kazakstan, Tibet and Pakistan. He is the first Irishman to have climbed to a height in excess of 8000m (Broad Peek in Pakistan).

John’s family, friends and many well wishers gathered in the Waterville Inn on Saturday evening June 14th to celebrate this historic feat.
In attendance were Christy McCarthy from Kerry Mountain Rescue, Pat Falvey a renowned climber himself and South Pole Explorer, Tim O’Connor from Glencar who was attempting the same feat as John but with a different group. Tim unfortunately failed just 350m from the top. They all spoke highly and warmly of John’s perseverance and tenacity. Pat Everett on behalf of IRD Waterville presented John with a framed memento of his achievement.
We say “Well done” to John and wish him continued success in his chosen activity. Below are some pics from the Waterville Inn. Click each pic to see more.


Community First Responders

Waterville Community First Responders group are up and running as of Monday the ninth of June. The group will provide back-up assistance to our ambulance service for medical emergencies such as heart attack, choking, stroke, drowning etc. and give the casualty a better chance of survival by minimising the delay in the arrival of medical assistance and increase the chances of survival. The service is activated by the regular ambulance service and assists the casualty until the ambulance arrives.
In the case of an emergency the number to dial is 999 or 112. The call will be taken in the normal way and the First Responder on call will be contacted along with the ambulance personnel etc.
All C.F.Rs are fully trained in the skill of C.P.R and how to operate a defibrillator.
The first two C.F.R's to take up duty are Bunty Donnelly and Bridie Moran.
The C.F.R’s concept came into being through the efforts of Frank O’Leary and Anne Boland of Comhchoiste Uibh Rathaigh. Huge effort and finance has been put into training volunteers in the general South Kerry Area. The H.S.E’s Cork Emergency Services provided the initial training.
Volunteer groups have been set up in most local areas and are up and running. Many thanks to all who have given their time freely and are willing to take on the responsibility. More volunteers are welcome.

For further information contact John Galvin 0877403732 or Jacinta Foley 0876607703.

New Sports Centre Opens In Waterville

New sporting facilities have been provided at the football field, which will benefit the whole community. Four new dressing rooms have been constructed along with a large new gym, handball alley, meeting / function room, storage facilities, a new entrance to the pitch area and parking area along with a number of other enhancements.

This has involved an enormous amount of time, firm belief in the feasibility of the project and financial committment on the part of many. Lotto funds were applied for and successfully drawn down. Many thanks to Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue who officially opened the development, for his assistance in this regard. Local people and friends of the locality dug deeply and contributed generously.

May Bank Holiday weekend began with the annual golf classic on Saturday and competitors had to deal with some inclement weather.On Sunday after the opening, Micko's Wicklow took on South Kerry and showed them that they can play good football by winning convincingly.

Then on Monday Terrace Talk, which was broadcast from the the new facility paid tribute to Micko.
Well done to all concerned.

 

What A Whopper

Well known local ghillie Mike O'Dwyer had the catch of the day while fishing in Butlers Pool on 19th April, using a stoats tail fly. The salmon weighed in at sixteen and a half pounds.
Also in the photo are Adam O'Dwyer and his friend Padraic Fitzpatrick.
Click the picture to see a larger version

 

The World To School In Waterville

Every community has its own share of challenges. This can vary from a lack of infrastructure to remoteness from services to ageing population but one of the pressing challenges facing South West Kerry at the moment is the provision of a living and working environment for adults with special needs.
A group of parents and carers of children and young adults with special needs came together in 2007 and set up an organisation called Cunamh Iveragh to try to provide such facilities. The intention is to provide housing, working and recreational facilities in a rural setting near the town or one of the facilities.
While the state can give considerable financial support for capital costs, a certain amount will have to be raised locally.
The committee came up with a novel fund raising idea which invoved each GAA club putting together a variety show in various venues and thereby raising some badly needed funds. The clubs responded with enthusiasm and already a number of these shows have taken place and attracted huge crowds.
Our club performed their first show in the community centre on Friday last and attracted a capacity crowd. Paddy De Buis put the brilliantly crafted script together and club members put in a considerable amount of time in rehearsals. The theme of the comedy was the returning to school in Waterville of world leaders to re-discover their "Inner Child" and learn to live together in a more civilised way. A special thanks to Gerry Conneely for his valuable guidance.
The young people also did their bit with a short sketch and musical entertainment under the guidance of Marion O'Neill of South View Terrace. Paddy and Rose also did their bit.

Billy Huggard R.I.P.

The Waterville GAA club would like to extend its sympathy to the family of the late Billy Huggard who died recently. Billy at one stage owned the Butler Arms Hotel and was also responsible for the construction of the Reenroe Hotel. Both hotels were important employers and were vital to the economy of the locality at the time. Click the picture to see some more.
But times and circumstances change and Billy and his family moved from Waterville, first to Dublin and then to Killarney where the family still owns and runs The Lake Hotel.
Billy was a prominent playing member of the club in the nineteen fifties. Anecdotal evidence suggests that he was a tenacious, wily and athletic attacker. He was instrumental also in arranging for Waterville to play in Croke Park in 1954. The exact arrangements are unclear but the opponents were St. Sylvesters of Malahide. This was a marvellous occasion at the time and a major coup for a small club to play on the hallowed soil of Croke Park. Other team members on that occasion were Mikie O’Sullivan (Tailor), Austin Lucey, Pat “King” O’Shea, Batt Galvin, Jimmy Teahan, Kevin Fogarty, Pete McDonnell, Micheál Dineen, Paddy Reidy, Christy Moriarty, John Joe Sheehan, Mick O’Dwyer, Donal O’Dwyer, Tom Corbett, Finbarr McAuliffe, Danny McGillicuddy, John Fitzgerald, Tommy Sheehan, Dan Courtney and Paddy Fogarty. The club officials at the time were John McCarthy, Paddy Lucey, Joe Brennan, Seán Cournane, Jack O’Connell and Jamesie Murphy.
Billy was also on the first Waterville team to win the South Kerry Championship in 1956 and continued to be a valuable team member for a number of years afterwards. It was particularly pleasing to see him at the forty fifth anniversary of that victory at our annual social in 2001.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé.

Modern Day Good Samaritans

Local man Alan Murphy, now domiciled in Sydney has a most unusual story to tell. While holidayng in the U.S, over the Christmas/New Year period with mother Ann, sister Noelle, sister Elaine and her husband Noel O'Sullivan and their young children Alan left his camera in a New York cab.
Panic, disappointment and many similar emotions were the immediate response to the loss, not only of the camera but the hundreds of irreplacable holiday snaps.
Disappointment however turned to elation when a modern day Good Samaritan found the camera in the cab. Erika Gunderson asked the driver which previous passenger might have left it, but the cabbie didn't seem to care. So Gunderson brought it home and showed it to her fiance, Brian Ascher. They decided that the only right thing to do was to find the owner.and after some extraordnary detective work on their part located Alan and reunited him with his camera and photos.
The story made the networks in both the U.S. and in Australia. Indeed, Alan has been interviewed on Australian TV. If you do a Google search and use"Alan Murphy + lost camera" as the criteria you'll find some excellent coverage of the story. . Click here to see a picture of Erica and Brian

Annual Dinner Dance

The annual club social took place on Friday 1st of February at the Waterville Lake Hotel. While the weather outside was wet and wild the hotel was warm and welcoming. The meal as usual was top class and well done to the chefs and ancillary staff for that.

While the top table was bare of silverware there was still plenty to celebrate, not least the attendance of the guests of honour ......the team of 1963 who captured the South Kerry Championship.

A special presentation was made to Denis "Benny" O'Sullivan who was a member of the team but headed for England as a young teenager shortly after the final and missed out on the medal presentation. Forty five years on, Benny finally got his medal, which is an exact replica of the original. Benny was accompanied by his wife Alice, brother Donie and his wife Bernie. Benny and Alice now live locally and we wish them long and continued good health

The well deserved honour of "Player Of The Year" went to Kevin O'Dwyer, Beenbane. Kevin is still a very young man and has a very bright future ahead in Gaelic football.

Dancing and revelry went on 'til the early hours of the following morning and the whole event was an optimistic start to the new year.

A special word of appreciation to all who contributed spot prizes and to all who helped to make the event a success.

This is an image of the medal presented to Benny. It was specially commissioned for the occasion.

Senior Citizens' Party

Rose, Micheál & Paddy

Our senior citizens held their annual party at the Bay View Hotel last Sunday January 13th. The day began with mass in the function room celebrated by Fr John Kerin. Afterwards friends met, related old stories to each other and reminisced about earlier times over a hot toddy or two.
A hot meal was then served up by the dedicated committee, having been prepared by chefs supreme Danny & James O'Sullivan.
After the meal the ever youthful Paddy and Rose provided the musical entertainment and Micheál Donnelly as usual was the inimitable MC for the evening.

 

Paddy Daly of Islandboy was deemed to be the most senior male at eighty nine and will be ninety on St Patrick's Day. Mary O'Shea (Mrs Tom) was the most senior female and will be ninety six in May. We wish both of them and indeed all our senior citizens continued good health.
Our young dancers also took the time to come along and perform for their elders.

There was more singing and dancing with most guests winning spot prizes provided by the many generous sponsors.
Much of the finance was raised by those who braved the icy waters of the Atlantic on Christmas Day. Well done to them and all who gave of their time freely. We look forward to seeing them all next year again "le cúnamh Dé". Below are some of the guests. Click the pictures to see more.