A home from home at the heart of the community in Fethard
50th anniversary of Fethard Community Council
A powerful sense of community shines through at the Fethard Community Café, with volunteerism and a desire to enhance the lives of others at the heart of the wonderful enterprise.
Community leaders came together in a very special way to mark the 50th anniversary of Fethard Community Council by creating a wonderful social outlet for everybody in the community and beyond to enjoy and take great pride in.
Open now for the last few months, the Fethard Community Cafe at the Fr Tirry Centre is proving to be a very popular addition to the town.
The buzz of conversation fills the room, which is decorated like an old-style kitchen, a place you would feel very comfortable meeting family, friends, and the people of Fethard and the many curious visitors that drop in on their way through the town.
Not a phone or a laptop to be seen on the tables where the chat is ever flowing, and Jack Hayes, the man in charge of the boiler, is on hand to make sure tea top-ups are flowing.
“There is no limit on the amount of top-ups.I keep the tea flowing, that is one of the most important jobs,” said Jack, one of the many volunteers who have come forward to ensure that this special community project is a success.
“I love the buzz that is in the room. It is not like work, everybody knows everybody. People from Killenaule, Mullinahone, and Clonmel drop in as well. A lot of people love the old china cups,” said Pamela…….
Volunteers Pamela and Annette 0’Donovan were the driving force in setting up the Community Café and enjoyed going around the country trying to source dressers, furniture, curtains, and old-style items that would blend into what they had in mind.
“We went all over the place. We went to Cork, to Athlone, and to Vincent de Paul in Clonmel to find what we needed to create an old farmhouse style. People love the room, and we are after getting a very good reaction to it,” said Pamela.
It is a homely and welcoming environment, nobody is in a rush to leave, and nobody is put under pressure to leave.Ity opens three days a week, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9.30 to 3.30 and is not open at the weekend.
“There is nobody swiping plates off the table here. People stay and chat for as long as they like. We are not looking for turnover of people here at all,” said Pamela.
“It is like a party here every day. Nobody is stressed when it's busy; it just flows,” said Annette O’Donovan.
“People come in and meet people they might not have seen for years..It is one big kitchen and people really feel at home here,I love coming in to meet people every day,” said Annette.
Community Council Chairman Joe Kenny said the decision to go ahead with the opening of the Café would not have been taken were it not for the drive and enthusiasm of Annette and Pamela to take it on.
“The feedback we are getting is fantastic and we are delighted to see so many people coming in every day,” said Joe.
The dining area is an extension that was built onto the Fr Tirry Centre for the Day Care Centre which has now relocated to the site of the former Presentation Convent in the town.
“Last December the Day Care Centre moved out of the building here as it was growing and growing, and the Community Council had to decide what to do with it to try and generate income,” said Joe Kenny.
“We wanted to do something that would serve the community. There was a need to establish a place where locals could meet one another, and there were a number of volunteers offering their time.We did look at other options and spoke to other organisations elsewhere and looked at what they were doing,” said Joe Kenny.
They spoke to Imelda Goldsboro in Ballingarry and were told that the Community Cafe there was doing well, and the Fethard Community Council decided to go with the idea.
“Annette and Pamela took it on, kitted it out and everything is going very well with it thanks to the support of local people and the wider area,” said Joe.
The Tirry Centre also uses other rooms for a variety of community services including Barnardos, counselling, speech and drama, Legion of Mary.
The Fethard Community Council, previously known as the Fethard Development Committee,is also responsible for other important projects in the community, including the Heritage Festival, running the Community Hall, Tidy Towns, and the playground, which was an initiative of the Community Council.
“We have a strong committee and a great team of volunteers. We are always looking for more volunteers to keep things going,” said Joe Kenny.