The bonfires may not have been set ablaze on Abbeyfeale Hill last Monday evening (it is now illegal to burn tyres) but there was general rejoicing in the area following the election of one of their own to the position of leas-cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council. (See MSN PHOTO ALBUM)

Francis Foley was first elected to Limerick County Council in 2004 and took over the seat which was held for many years by Michael O’Kelly.

The new leas-cathaoirleach is following a long and honourable family tradition in politics. His late father, Frank, was an active member of Abbeyfeale Fianna Fail Cumann and must be looking down today with great pride at the achievement of his eldest son. Grandfather, Frank, was also a life-long Fianna Fail supporter, while grand uncle, Gerry, was the renowned “Bomber Foley” (See PEOPLE section)

A small band of relatives and close friends accompanied Francis to County Buidings on Monday and watched the election proceedings from the viewers gallery. This was followed by lunch in the upstairs restaurant, and further refreshments in Collins’ Bar, Dooradoyle  courtesy of incoming cathaoirleach, John Gallahue. Jack O’Rourke’s bar in Abbeyfeale was the final destination where more family members and friends were on hand to toast the new leas-cathaoirleach.

We congratulate Francis and his family on his elevation to leas-cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council, and we wish him continued success.

RACES

The Abbeyfeale Horse and Pony Races went ahead in Relihan’s Inch on Sunday and were well supported. The weather remained dry, and the large attendance was treated to some excellent racing and exciting finishes. Proceeds from the day went to various local charities including the Limerick branch of GROW and the Nano Nagle School in Listowel

GLORACH:

The Glorach Players will stage John B Keane’s one-act play, “Backwater” in John B’s pub in Listowel on this Thursday night 3^rd July at 9.30 pm.

CARE:

Details of the newly-launched Primary Care Team in Abbeyfeale are now available in leaflets at the local surgeries and the Health Care Centre.

.GAA:

Leinster SFC semi-final: Dublin 0-13, Westmeath 1-8; Ulster SFC semi-final: Armagh 1-12 Down 0-11; Ulster MFC semi-final: Tyrone 1-11 Cavan 1-9; Connacht MFC semi-final: Mayo 1-13 Sligo 0-7. Leinster JFC Final: Dublin 1-13 Meath 1-9.

Limerick footballers play Meath in the qualifiers at the Gaelic Grounds, while the hurlers face Offaly at the same venue. Cork play Kerry in the Munster final next Sunday.
Fr Casey’s defeated Monaleen by 1-13 to 1-6 in the county minor championship. The seniors were beaten 0-10 to 0-6 by St Senan’s in the first round of the west championship.

GOLF;

The Captain’s Prize (Domhnall de Barra) at Abbeyfeale Golf Club was won by Eamon Scannell with a nett score of 63.

They say that bookmaking is the second oldest profession in the world, and that most bookmakers may be the direct descendants of those who practise the OLDEST profession in the world!
The first recorded race meeting under rules in Abbeyfeale took place in 1914. It is not recorded how many bookmakers were present that day, but […]

Dick Tuck was an American political consultant and campaign strategist during the Richard Nixon’s era. He was also a bit of a joker. He ran for the Californian State Senate in 1964 and opened his campaign with a press conference at Forest Lawn Cemetery, claiming that the departed should not be denied their voting rights,
As […]

Everybody seems to have an opinion about the Lisbon Treaty, but very few would appear to have read it. Of course, you could say the same about that other great Irish literary masterpiece, Ulysses. Academics will tell you it is a broth of a book, but you would wonder how many of them have actually […]

Euro 2008 kicks-off this Saturday 7th June in Austria and Switzerland. None of the so-called “home” nations of Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland have qualified. This is a sad reflection of the quality of teams being produced here at present. The Premiership is arguably the best league in the world, and three of […]