DEVELOPMENT NEWS: Bríd Hynes from Kilkenny County Council visited the hall in Windgap on Thursday evening to meet members of the Development Committee to discuss their plans for the hall. The committee have received an amenity grant from Kilkenny Co Council of €1500 for the tidy towns work carried out during the summer.
CARD GAME: The first Progressive 25 Card Drive of the season takes place in Guinans on Friday next 28th of October at 9pm sharp. All are welcome to enjoy the traditional game and social occasion.
CLUB NEWS: The Hurling Club Committee meet on this Thursday evening at 8pm in club meeting room. The Agenda includes, Ball netting repair, U14 and U21 championships, Fundraising etc. All committee members are asked to please try and attend.
NEW ARRIVALS: The arrival of breeding Buzzards to the skies of the area in recent years has been followed by the sighting of a family of wild deer in the early hours and late evenings.
UNSOCIABLE BEHAVIOUR: As recent weeks have seen the robbery of diesel, farm equipment and the break in to a commercial premises residents and property owners are asked to be on the alert.
CAKE SALE: The communities of Ahenny and Faugheen are holding a Halloween Cake Sale and Raffle in the Faugheen Clubhouse on Sunday October 30 after 10am Mass. The proceeds of the sale go towards paying the debts incurred by the cross border groups opposing the planned wind turbines overlooking the Lingaun Valley. There will be plenty of naughty but nice treats for all tastes and all donations would be appreciated including such as Cakes, buns and jams to sell! Donations of prizes for the raffle, any item large or small will help greatly. People to come along and buy the cakes! So please support and spread the word! Donations can be dropped to Eileen Butler’s house, 8 Churchview, Faugheen, or to any committee member.
ONLINE FUNDRAISER: The communities of Ahenny and Faugheen are also holding an online fundraiser for this appeal and ask all to remember to share the link www.ifundraise.ie/2532_sos-sliabhnamban.html with friends and family by email, snail
LOTTO: The winning numbers of 2, 16, 22, 26 and bonus number 15. Next week’s prize fund is €8.400.
GALMOY WINDGAP: Windgap and Galmoy play Tullougher Rosbercon in the under fourteen replay in St Johns Park at 4pm on Saturday afternoon. The side plays the same opposition in the under twenty one hurling championships at a later date.
MIKE DENVER: Kilkenny GAA Supporters Club in conjunction with Langtons have Mike Denver, Gloria, Brendan Quinn and other guests in concert in Cillín Hill on Saturday 29th of October at 7.30pm. Tickets cost €25 and are available online from tickets.ie and from the local Centra and Super Valu stores.
FOOTBALL FINAL: Lining out in the Tipperary under sixteen football championship with Mullinahone on Sunday were local Camogie players Mollie Walsh, Lucy White and the O’Shea sisters Cliodhana and Caoimhe. After wins over Moycarkey Borris and the Silvermines in the semi-final in recent weeks, the results will see them play Ardfinnan in the County Final. The fixture is at a time and venue to be arranged this weekend.
CARERS: Kilkenny Carer's Support Group, Tuesday 1st November 2016, 3.00-4.30pm at The Village Day Centre (behind the Village Inn Pub). Information and support for past/present carers of people with Alzheimer's/Dementia. Everyone welcome. Drop in to group or for more information call 056 7771230.
HURLERS DRAW: Tickets for the Kilkenny Senior Players Training & Holiday Fund Draw are on sale. First prize is €5,000, 2nd is a 40" LED TV and 3rd Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. 2nd and 3rd prizes are kindly sponsored by Electro City. Tickets cost €10 and will be on sale at the games in Nowlan Park each weekend between now and County Final day on October 30th. Tickets are also available from any officer in the local club.
BUILT ENVIROMENT: The Tidy Towns adjudicators first stop in Windgap “was in the car park beside the pleasant lake area and we were quite impressed. This amenity area includes active and passive facilities and is accessible to the public but particularly to the students from the adjacent school. We suggest planting a hedge against the chain link fence at the basketball court to provide some screening and to reduce wind on the court. Wooden picnic tables here were very good and the little wooden bridge to the island is attractively built. Remember to keep the wood protected. The car park was very clean and the backdrop of trees added to the scene. The boulders do an efficient job but they always look temporary. A low stone wall would be a more attractive feature as a future project. New entrance piers would also enhance more than the barriers. Across the road, the old school is boarded up and no doubt you look forward to the building being in use again at some future date. The new school building looks very well. Old creamery building are not used except for the yard which is a fuel and feed business operated by Glanbia. We suggest painting windows, curtains etc., to improve the building and take the vacant look of it. Old rings on wall probably for tying horses could be an art feature. The rest of the complex is derelict and should be removed or screened. The building opposite needs painting. The Handball centre was painted but the ground outside was untidy. The GAA building looks well; the grounds are sheltered with evergreen trees on many sides. We admired the old forge entrance restoration; it is an attractive feature in a prominent location. The abandoned medical centre and the old RIC Barracks were noted also. The Land league house was in good condition and also the parochial house. The town pump with Nasturtium was noted favourably. We walked through the cemetery to the Calvary; what a wonderful location. What appears to have been the site of an old church is now a well maintained grassed terrace. Some sweeping of the path was needed here and also on the street outside. The signs for the Loop Walks are of a good standard and the access points are very appropriate. We saw the children and teacher using the loop. Finger post signs are very good and the playground is attractive”.
STREETSCAPE: The Tidy Towns adjudicators visit to Tullahought noted “The village is very well presented and it is clear that everyone in the community plays their part in ensuring that their premises and also public buildings are well maintained. The church being the largest building makes a strong statement. We noted it is over a century old and well on the way for the second centenary. The adjoining graveyard looks very well as does the small adjacent building immediately beside the church. The works done on the adjacent farmyard were noted. Stone walls throughout are impressive and we admired the new stone wall and landscape feature on Windgap Road. The old Forge from the Browder Family of 1860 is also an important heritage feature. It is conserved in an appropriate and interesting manner with the anvil in the centre. The picnic area here is well placed and well maintained. The main crossroads in the village announce the importance of Tullahought by the presence of the Tidy Towns sign and by the manner in which this area is maintained. Powers Public House looked well as did other buildings in that area. The grotto looked well as did the interesting water feature on that side of the road”.
NOTES: Contributors and Clubs are invited to email items for publication with a name and contact number to windgapnotes@gmail.com by Sunday evenings at 6pm. For all the local news and photos visit windgap.ie