Gleanings from the Guardian files from February 9 1924 and February 8 1964

February 9 1924

HAWKERS IN NENAGH

At Nenagh UDC meeting on Wednesday, Mr C. Cleary referred to the numbers of hawkers who visit Nenagh, particularly on fair and market days. A number of traders asked him if the Urban Council could do anything to remove them. There was a big number of them around the Market Cross on Monday. He suggested that the council insert a notice in the Press and call a public meeting of the traders of the town to see what they could do to stop the practice. The hawkers came to town only for one day and contributed nothing to the rates, but deprived shopkeepers, who were ratepayers, of some of their customers, and took away money from the town.

Mr Gill: “We tried to prevent the hawkers before now and failed. We would be too eager to help the shopkeeper, but we had a test case in Nenagh, and the hawkers won. They are licensed traders, and as the law stands, we cannot interfere with them.” Mr McLoughlin: “They may be licensed hawkers, but they are not entitled to obstruct the streets. On Monday it was impossible to get through the streets on account of the obstruction caused.”

Mr Guilfoyle, chairman, said that the case which the Guards brought in Nenagh was defended by a solicitor and the Guards lost it. If the traders were eager about the matter, they should have instructed a solicitor to watch the case for them.

Mr Quigley: “It helps to bring down prices and poor people would like to see the hawkers stay.”

Chairman: “Leave it over until the next meeting and the clerk can find out in the meantime what we could do to get rid of the hawkers.”

Rabbit Shooting

The plentiful supply of rabbits that can be found everywhere through the country is offering good sport at present. Those who can procure guns and cartridges are making large bags every day without much trouble. Captain D’Arcy Hamilton, in his weekly notes in the ‘Farmers’ Gazette’ gives his experience in this kind of sport. He says: “It is, of course, cold work waiting outside a burrow for rabbits to bolt.

Then the ferrets frequently have to be dug out; for often enough when rabbits won’t bolt, ferrets won’t leave them even if they can’t kill them. Waiting about in this way is cold enough naturally, but, on the other hand, when ferrets work well and rabbits bolt well the shooting is hard to beat.”

Our own experience of ferreting prompts us to say many gunners make the mistake - in our opinion - of working ferrets when hungry. We think this a mistake; because a hungry ferret when it comes on a rabbit that will not bolt at once kills it if he can, makes a meal of it or sucks its blood, then curls up and goes to sleep. This accounts for ferrets ‘lying up’ in the burrows, leaving the shooters standing blowing their fingers outside.

THE PICTURES

The programmes of the Ormond Picture Palace in McCann Street, Nenagh, for the coming week are varied and interesting. On Sunday and Monday night a very fine film of the sea will be shown, entitled ‘Oath Bound’, featuring the well-known star, Dustin Farnum. There is a very fine scene, a big race between a racing motorboat and an aeroplane.

For Tuesday and Wednesday Buck Jones will be on in ‘Rough Shod’, a very fine Western picture, with plenty of thrills and excitement. Thursday’s picture will feature the popular little Fox star, Shirley Mason, in ‘Lights of the Desert’, an absorbing romance of the adventures of a stranded theatrical company in a desert town. For Friday, William Russell will be screened in ‘Self-Made Man’, a romance of a disinherited son, who astounded financial magnets.

With above, comedy and interest films will be show. The usual matinee will be held on Wednesday.

FEBRUARY 8 1964

WHAT YOU SHOULD EAT

Irish people did not eat enough fish, Mrs Josephine Browne, Lecturer and Dietician, stated when she lectured on ‘Choosing Our Food for Good Health’ at Nenagh Vocational School on Thursday night of last week.

Mrs Browne, a graduate of Trinity College, mentioned meat, eggs, cheese and milk as they were important foods of protein. She said that by using the cheaper foods they get better value from the nutritional point of view. Beef liver was cheaper than veal liver.

She said cheese was one of the cheapest protein foods, and as good as meat. Eggs and milk, too, were recommended, but the lecturer thought people eat too many eggs. She knew of one man who eats 30 eggs per week. Eggs, she said, were an excellent food for growing children and invalids.

She suggested for an adult one pint to one and a half pints of milk per day, and young children two pints a day. This was a body builder and milk didn’t put on weight.

Mrs Browne thought Irish people eat too much fat, and that was the cause of such a high incidence of heart disease.

The fat meats were fried meals, the yokes of eggs which contained 100 per cent fat, and cream, dripping, lard.

DROMINEER BORN MONSIGNOR

Rt. Rev. Mgr. Fletcher, who has passed away in his seventies at Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, belonged to a well-known and greatly respected family of Garanfada, Nenagh.

There were five boys and five girls in the family. All are now deceased, except Mr Joshua Fletcher of Dublin, a retired official of the former Grand Canal Co.

Mgr. Fletcher received his elementary education at Carrig NS. Hence, he went in 1905 to the newly opened Cistercian College at Mt. St. Joseph, Roscrea. He used to say he was one of the first three students ever to enter its halls.

Having finished his secondary course, he proceeded to the major seminary of All Hallows for the long course of preparation for the priesthood. He was ordained in June 1914 and in October that year took up duty in his adopted diocese of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Father Fletcher returned once or twice on holidays to Ireland. But he found it difficult to get away because it was hard to find substitute priests to do his work.