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Smithwick's – About time it got the publicity boost it and the city deserves
LET'S hope that drinks company giant, Diageo spend as much time and effort celebrating the 300th anniversary of the foundation of Smithwicks brewery in Kilkenny as they did celebrating Guinness Day recently to mark the 250th anniversary of the establishment of Guinness at James's gate in Dublin.
The latter was great success and if they give the city and the brew the same profile it will be marvellous for all of us living in Kilkenny.
Word on the street has it that the future of the brewery has been saved and that for once the forward planners realise the value of a product like Smithwicks which is steeped in the tradition of the city and which is one of the most popular destinations for tourists to the city. Wouldn’t it be great to have the court house open, the brewery buildings re-invigorated to add to the great work being dome at Rothe House to make Parliament Street the really “wow” place in the city.
It’s a pity they changed the name from Smithwicks brewery to St Francis Abbey because it kind of tried to do away with the fine tradition built up the Smithwicks family although that was not the reason for it. The brewery was handed down from father to son for years until it was sold to Guinness's in the 1960s. People still have great memories of Walter Smithwicks and the parties at Kilcreene Lodge which were reported in the KP in the good old days. Let's hope that Walter’s sons Peter, the retired president of the District Court and Paul, the Dublin based solicitor play a leading role in the celebrations, after all they are the direct line from the founding of the brewery and part of our living history and are two marvellous human beings.
It is not so long ago that Diageo were going to have one main brewing plant in Ireland and were going to close the existing breweries like Kilkenny and possibly Waterford. Thank goodness they have seen sense even if it took a recession to make them see it. Now, they realise the value of Smithwicks and the importance it has and its enormous appeal.
Just look at what has happened in Waterford city with the closure of Waterford Glass and the shifting of manufacturing to Eastern Europe and the Philippines. We have to hold on ot our brewing tradition.
You can understand the irritation felt by people over the possible loss of such a great brand and the name of Smithwicks which has so many positive attributes. So here’s to Smithwicks Day in 2010.
Phelan wedding
Heard the Newpark Hotel was the place to be last Thursday where revellers enjoyed the wedding of the year. Pius and Sheila Phelan’s only daughter Louise tied the knot to local man Willie O’Dwyer. Guests were stunned when three waiters came out at the end of the meal and started belting out classical numbers one after another. It was, I am led to understand, fantastic.
Kilkenny Alive
Jimmy Rhatigan and Sean Hurley have stated categorically that they have not received an approach from any person or organisation concerning a possible buy out or takeover of Kilkenny Alive.
Expenses for candidates
The list of expenses for candidates at the last county council elections makes very interesting reading. Five of the six people who spent least were elected while three of the top six spending candidates were not elected.
However, Cllr Catherine Connery must be the only politician in the country who spent absolutely nothing during the campaign. The posters she used were paid for by her party, Fine Gael.
On the other hand, Cllr Andrew McGuinness was the highest spending and that’s perfectly alright too because he seems destined for a full time career in politics.
Where is Fr Jack’s pub?
A lot has been written about Johnstown cleric Fr Jack Skehan who dipped into the funds of St Vincent's Church in Delray Beach, Florida to keep up the high life, take gambling holidays, buy property and gold coins.
He was supposed to have bought a pub in his own area of North Kilkenny but in fact he did not. He does it appears have an interest in a pub somewhere else in Kilkenny and word has it that it is being run by a friend. We know this because Fr Skehan used to drink there when he was on holidays from the US with his female secretary.
A remorseful and genuinely contrite Fr Skehan (81), admitted the charge of grand theft of over $100,000 (e77,000) and received a 14 month sentence earlier this year which many felt was a bit harsh seen as he gave a lot of the money away to various people in trouble.
During the entire criminal investigation into his affairs and the Kilkenny pub, the police in Florida could not find one person with a bad word to say about Fr Jack.
Detective Thomas Whitely, who was the officer who prosecuted him, said he struggled to find even one person who disliked Fr Skehan – including the parishioners he stole from.
“He was a well-liked priest in the community," Det Whitely said. "In fact, I like him and I haven't said that about too many first-degree felons in my 21 years of investigations, but I liked him when I walked him into the jail to get booked. Trying to interview and talk to people that really supported Skehan was a really difficult task because I couldn't find one person who disliked him.
“There's a term over here that people used to describe him. Because he's very short, about 5'2" and he's got the Kilkenny accent, a lot of people referred to him as the Likeable Leprechaun," he laughed.
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Weather for Kilkenny
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
