Community & GAA Notes

CO-OP RELAUNCH

Callan Co-Op held their grand reopening of their new superstore last Saturday morning. Local radio station KCLR were present with Edward Hayden at the Helm. Edward conducted interviews with local celebs as well as members of the public and members or Callan Co-Op Sta and Committee. It was a massive undertaking over a two year period which was di icult during the pandemic but it was all worth it as today they now have an ultra modern super hardware store on West Street. It will certainly enhance the already well served Callan market and surrounds and by building such a new premises it will also help in attracting larger numbers to the town and in turn enhance other businesses in Callan. Best of luck to all on the new venture. (see Callan Co-Op Feature in this week’s Kilkenny Observer)

AGRI

Rural Forum

There was a huge turnout for the special Agri Rural forum held at Callan Parish Hall last Thursday night. The whole event was organised by local fine Gael councillor Joe Lyons who received huge praise from one and all for putting together the line up of excellent speakers and experts. We all know the Agri Industry is in precarious waters with emission rates increasing as herd numbers increase.

New legislation from the European Union will change a lot for farmers and especially Dairy sector. Many with large herds are buying additional land so as to ensure they can hold their herds at the same numbers as they are today. Other discussions centred on the costs of energy and how the farming sector can buy into wind and solar energy. This columnist has travelled in countries such as France, Spain, Portugal and Germany over the past 30 years plus and really as a country Ireland is light years behind in wind and solar energy. In all those countries mentioned every farm building has solar panels and most farms also have wind farms, so what is wrong with the Irish Farm sector and why in some areas there are so many objections to alternative energy. For many attending last Thursday they came away with some questions to ask of themselves, but also came away that Ireland can be a leader in reducing emissions and in turn can also be a leader in wind and solar energy.

OLD SCHOOL STORIES

This week we will continue with more of the old school stories from the Callan area dating back to the 1930’s. They are innocent, with poor spelling but real and heartfelt. So here are a few more from Alice Glennon from Goodwinsgardens and Brigid O’Leary from Kilree.

LOCAL POETS; There were many poets around this district long ago. There was a famous poet named Thomas Donnelly who lived on the right side of the Callan road near where the Kells Creamery is at present. All the people call it Donnelly’s pit since, because it is sort of a hollow. This poet was born in County Tipperary and he died at the age of 94 in the hospital in Kilkenny. The reason why he got to be a poet was, he inherited it from his father. It was always in English that this poet sang his songs and he was also a farmer. When he was dying he ordered his epitaph. “Here lies the body of Shoot the Moon who slipped his wind and never too soon and now he is dead and his tongue is civil thinking of God and shun the devil”

LOCAL ROADS

The local roads in Kells are known by di erent names. There is a road leading to Callan which is called the Callan road. There are three more roads leading from Kells, one is called the Kilree road the other road the Haggard road and the other the Kilkenny road. All these roads are leading to places, one is leading to Kilkenny the other to Haggard and one to Kilree. There is an old bye-road which is leading to Dunnamaggin which is called the “Crab Road”. This road was supposed to be made during the Famine period to give work to people who had no work. This road is used and the people who made those roads were not paid very much. There were many old men making these roads were not paid very much. There were many old men making these roads namely Patrick Millea, John Braithwaite and Patrick Moore, and many other old men who are now dead. Long ago before bridges were made people had to cross rivers in shallow places where fords were. There were many fords by which the people crossed, there was one in one of Mr. Hutchinson’s fields and many others along the rivers. There is also a bye-road leading to Kells-grange and it is called Lady’s Well road. It derives its name from the blessed well where Our Lady appeared long years ago.

HIDDEN TREASURE

The time the battle was in Carrickshock my grandfather was a chap. He remember a man coming to our house with two mules. The two mules were heavily loaded with big trunks. When he came to our house he inquired for Carrickshock and they told him the battle was over the day before. He told them he stopped in Kilkenny the night before he came to our house and that he le his trunks in the barracks and slept in some other house so as they would not suspect him of having any armour.

The loaded his trunks for him in the morning. He was very disappointed to have the battle over, and he showed all the swords to my grandfather and he also gave him a great many. My grandfather had a great many boxes of balls for shooting. The Summer a er my grandfather used to bring the balls to school to play marbles with them. The police had the barrack in Kells at Butlers in these days. One night a erwards he met one of the police that he was friendly with. He called him over and asked him had he any guns, and added “If you have remove them as quickly as possible for there is a warrant issued to search your house in the morning” So he came home and got all the guns and went out at the back of the house and dug the headland and buried the guns.

At ten o clock the next morning there were twenty police in the yard but the got nothing. In twelve months a er he dug the headland to get the guns and could not find them any more.

A STORY

When my grandfather was a boy he was playing cards in Dunnamaggin one night. At about eleven o clock he started to come home. The rest of the boys told him not to go until a er twelve or he would meet a ghost. They told him that there was always a ghost seen wearing a big long coat walking up and down on Carroll’s hill near Dunnamaggin. Then he said that he would go by New Road. The told him that there was a ghost seen there with a gallon and he was called the gallooneen. He started out for home and to avoid both places he came to Chapel Izod lodge. He was coming across Chapel Izod fields and it was very dark. When he came to the middle of the field he struck his foot against something and he put out his hands to keep himself from falling He put his hands into something very wooley with no substance. He got such a fright he was not able to go any further. He heard a sheep bleating and he knew that it was a sheep he felt. He said all the ghosts came could not give him a bigger fright.

RIDDLES question As I was going to the fair of Veince I met nine men and their nine wives Each wife had a child Each child had a cat Each cat had a kitten. How many were gong to the fair of Venice? question Add a bit to it to make it short cut a bit o to make it long. Answer - a grave? question Why is the moon like a well baked cake. Answer because it is light when it rises. question As round as an apple as plump as a pear and it never cries out until its caught by the tail. A bell

When is a motor-car not a motor car?

When it turned into a garrage.

Answer - one.

Question What is the longest word in a school book. Smiles because there is a mile between the two s s

What is Black and white and red all over.

A book

WEATHER LORE

If the clouds were black it is a sure sign of rain. If the sky was cloudless good weather is at hand. if the sun is shinning with all its splendour the following will be good weather. If the sun is shinning delicately bad weather is coming forth. When the rainbow is in the sky rain is sure to follow. When the crows fly heigh in the air its a sign of good weather. When the crows fly Low in the air rain will follow.