'Red-letter day for Cashel with contract signing and turning of sod for new bypass'

Making the front page of the Tipperary Star on April 19, 2003, was a story about Thurles jockey Richie McGrath - who partnered Scottish Grand National winner Ryalux at Ayr on the previous Saturday.

Richie, son of Richie and Kay McGrath, 2 Childers Park, Thurles had been across the water for a decade at the time and had many winners over those years.

However, the previous Saturday was one of his greatest ever successes as he rode Andy Crook’s mount to a neck finish at the line.

Ryalux, who, having fiddled the final fence when challenging Stormez, lost ground but effectively gained an advantage.

“Up until then, I’d been slightly concerned about getting there too soon. But having something in front of him gave him something to race at. It’s nice to gel a good horse and show what I can do. To win a race like that means an awful lot,” reflected Richie after the race.

A regular visitor to Thurles, Richie then turned around and rode a 9/1 winner at Hexham on the Sunday when he steered Monty’s Quest to victory in the novices’ chase.

Also making the front page was a story about how the strike by public health doctors had entered its fourth day, as clinics throughout north and south Tipperary had been cancelled and patients who had concerns about their health were told to contact their general practitioners.

In north Tipperary, no clinics were scheduled for Thurles or Roscrea that week. Other services affected included the TB Clinic, due to be held in Nenagh, the Developmental Clinic which had been scheduled for Nenagh on Tuesday, the BCG clinic in Roxtown on Tuesday, the Developmental Clinic in Oola on Wednesday and the Developmental Clinic in Millford, all of which affected north Tipperary patients.

Another front page story that week was about a “red-letter day for Cashel with the contract signing and turning of the sod for the new bypass costing an estimated €29.5m”.

The Council Chamber at Civic Offices witnessed another piece of history in the making when local authority officials and public representatives joined with representatives of Roadbridge Ltd of Limerick for the official signing of the construction contract.