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Death Of Former Thurles Hotelier John McCarthy

With Sincere Sympathy

With Sincere Sympathy

We report, with great personal sadness, that the death occurred yesterday of retired former leading Irish hotelier and business man, Mr John McCarty, aged 88, and late of No 9, The Heath, Circular Road, Galway and Pembroke Road, in Dublin.

Mr McCarthy was predeceased by his wife Eileen, (Latter nee Norton & daughter of the late William Norton, T.D.,  former Tanaiste and planner of the first Inter-Party Government in 1948, under Mr. John A. Costello.) 

Formerly proprietor of the Glenview Hotel, Delgany, Co Wicklow and later proprietor of Hayes Hotel, Liberty Square, Thurles, Co Tipperary, until his retirement in the late 1980’s.

Our sympathies go to his son John, his daughter-in-law Kay (nee Bowe), two grand daughters Michelle and Sinead, relatives and his many close friends and acquaintances.

Mr McCarthy’s body reposed at No. 9, The Heath yesterday Tuesday, February 4th 2014, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

In accordance with his wishes, his body has been donated for medical research.

Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam dílis.

Another Tipperary Hotel Goes Into Receivership

Clonmel Park Hotel

Clonmel Park Hotel

A receiver has been appointed to the South Tipperary Clonmel Park Hotel, latter owned by the Brennan Group situated at the Poppyfield Retail Park in Clonmel town. The Hotel is one of four hotels in the group, with the Arklow Bay in Wicklow, and the Springhill Court Hotel situated in Kilkenny also in receivership.

The fourth hotel in the group, the Green Isle in Dublin, is not affected and continues to trade as normal.

Hotel Asset Management Services (HAMS), a company formally set up to manage hotels which get into trading difficulties, has confirmed that it had been appointed to manage the three affected hotels.

This news follows the appointment earlier this week of a provisional liquidator to the Ballykisteen Hotel near Limerick Junction, Tipperary town & last month both the Hayes Hotel and Anner Hotel in Thurles, Co Tipperary.

All the hotels above named continue to trade, for the moment, with all staff remaining employed, however this news further highlights the neglect of Tipperary by this present government, with regard to the promotion of tourism in the county.

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) – 1884 – Meeting In The Haye’s Hotel Thurles

hayes-hotelThis year, 2009, will see the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) celebrate its 125th anniversary. The man most credited with the original impetus behind this formation was a west of Ireland man, Michael Cusack, a native of County Clare. Cusack’s original dream was to resurrect the ancient Tailteann Games and establish an independent organisation to promote young athletes, however hurling and Gaelic football would over the following years eventually predominate.
Michael Cusack, a native Gaelic speaker, was born in Carron, County Clare in 1847. Regarded by many as having a rather complex personality, he had developed a passion for Gaelic games which was matched only by his love of his native local environment the wild and beautiful limestone landscape of the Burren, where he had been born and raised. Cusack pursued an academic career, eventually becoming a teacher at Blackrock College, in Dublin. In 1877 he set up his own school, known as the Civil Service Academy. The aim of the latter was to prepare students for examinations, necessary to gain them admission into the British Civil Service. This school which was better known as “Cusack’s Academy,” was extremely successful. The many pupils then attending this establishment, were encouraged to get involved in all and any forms of physical exercise. Cusack greatly disappointed by the apparent decline in Irish native games established a hurling clubs at his Academy and thus began his dream to re-establish hurling as the national pastime.

Meanwhile, a farmer from Carrick-on-Suir, Maurice Davin, an outstanding athlete who won international fame in the 1870’s had been actively campaigning for a body to control Irish athletics, so at 3.00pm on Saturday,1st November 1884 at the Haye’s Hotel, Thurles, Co.Tipperary, a meeting of like-minded individuals took place.

This day was chosen for its mythological significance, for according to Irish legends, November 1st was the day when the power of the Fianna died and Cusack’s choice of day was meant to symbolise the rebirth of these mythological Irish heroes, whose aims were; Glaine ár gcroí (Pureness of heart); Neart ár ngéag (Strength of limb); and Beart de réir ár mbriathar (Deeds to match words).

Following this meeting, a committee called The Gaelic Athletic Association for the Cultivation and Preservation of National Pastimes was established. Those elected to form this committee were John Wyse Power, John McKay, J. K. Bracken, Joseph O’Ryan, Maurice Davin, Michael Cusack and Thomas St. George McCarthy. This name was eventually shortened to “The Gaelic Athletic Association“. Others believed to be in attendance at this inaugural meeting included Frank Moloney, Nenagh, William Foley,Carraig-on-Suir, William Delehunty, Thurles, John Butler, Thurles, and William Cantwell, Thurles. Maurice Davin who had presided at this meeting was elected the GAA’s first president and historically the only president ever to serve two terms in office.

The aims now set by this committee were as follows:
• To foster and promote native Irish pastimes
• To open athletics to all social classes
• To establish hurling and football clubs which would organise matches between counties

Within a few weeks of the organisation’s foundation, the then Archbishop of Cashel, Thomas Croke gave this organisation his approval and became its first patron. Its other patrons included both Michael Davitt and Charles Stewart Parnell.

Archbishop Croke would later introduce a new rule to the organisation which forbade members of the GAA from playing foreign games, such as tennis, cricket, polo and croquet. Given later controversies which concerned the playing of ‘foreign games’ and the banning of members of the British armed forces and police from joining, it is notable that one founder member, Thomas St. George McCarthy a native of Bansha, Co.Tipperary was a capped international rugby player, having played for Ireland against Wales in 1883 and was also a District Inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). Also, founder J.K. Bracken, latter the father of Brendan Bracken,who was to become Winston Churchill’s closest friend and Minister for Information in Churchill’s wartime government and then later became a member of the British Cabinet during World War II.

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Celebrates Its 140th Birthday Today.

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) will mark its 140th birthday in Thurles today, Friday, 1st November, 2024.

The GAA was founded on November 1st 1884 at a meeting in Hayes Hotel, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, by a group of spirited Irishmen, latter who had the foresight to realise the importance of establishing a national organisation to make athletics more accessible to the masses and to revive and nurture traditional, indigenous sports and pastimes.

Michael Cusack 1847- 1906. [GAA’s first President elect.]

Irish teacher and founder Michael Cusack, latter born in 1847, (during the Great Irish Famine 1846-1849), a native of the parish of Carron on the eastern fringe of the Burren, in Co. Clare, would become its first President.

(Sad that our councillors and Tipperary Co. Council officials set about destroying our Great Famine Double Ditch, 10 2022, thus removing a great tourist attraction which linked both the GAA and Michael Cusack).

To mark today’s birthday, the GAA’s History Committee will attend at Hayes’ Hotel for a meeting at 12:00 noon, to make a presentation to the hotel. They are expected to be joined by Munster GAA President and GAA Vice President Mr Ger Ryan (Tipperary), as well as other Tipp GAA officials including Mr Patrick McKay, great grandson of John McKay, the former who was elected first secretary in 1884. To mark the event a meeting will be held in the same room where the Association was initially founded.

All are welcome to attend this event in Hayes Hotel.

Death Of Winnie McGrath, Templederry, Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great personal sadness that I learned of the death, yesterday, Friday 23rd August 2024, of Ms Winifred (Winnie) McGrath, Ballycarron, Curreeney, Templederry, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by her parents Michael and Catherine, her brothers and sisters Pat, Annie, Michael, Mary, Tommy, Kathleen, Joseph and Danny; Ms McGrath retired employee at Hayes Hotel, Thurles and retired sacristan at Curreeney Church, passed away peacefully, while in the care of staff at Nenagh General Hospital, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.

Her passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; brother Gerard, sisters Bridie, Rita, Joanie and Pauline, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, extended relatives, kind neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Ms McGrath will repose on Sunday afternoon, August 25th, in the Church of the Little Flower, Curreeney Commons, Lacken, Co. Tipperary, (E41 DE43), from 5:00pm until 7:30pm same evening.
Requiem Mass for Ms McGrath will be celebrated on Monday morning, August 26th, at 11:00am, followed by interment, immediately afterward, in the adjoining graveyard.

The extended McGrath family wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time, and have made arrangements for those persons wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.

The family of Ms McGrath wishes to acknowledge the excellent care that she received from the wonderful staff of Nenagh Manor Nursing Home, together with the staff of University Hospital, Limerick city, Co. Limerick and Nenagh Hospital, Tyone, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.