A look back at our archives from 30 years ago.

No US trip is Kerry hard done by?

THE news this week that the Management Committee of the GAA has refused reigning AllIreland champions Kerry and Cork permission to take in a short tour in the US in April is sure to cause more than a ripple of dissatisfaction among the players concerned with the powers that be. For, whilst the decision did not exactly come as a great surprise, it means in effect that the 1978 All-Ireland champions are deprived of the customary trip to the States because of the decision to postpone the All-Stars tour to October each year in future.

The Management Committee's decision said the request could not be met "in view of the undertaking given that no tour would be permitted to the US to ensure that the organisers should concentrate on the All-Stars tour in October." Thus the committee were requesting the counties "not to pursue the matter in view of this undertaking and the fixtures problem at home."

Without looking into the crystal ball or anything like that, it would be a wise man who could say with any assurances that Kerry will be All-Ireland champions come next October when the 1979 All-Ireland title-holders take wings for their American tour.

As Kerry's new County Board chairman, Frank King, said this week when I asked him for his views on the matter: "We were just unlucky and unfortunate that the 1978 All-Ireland winners are not getting a trip."

Poor consolation one would have to say for Kerry's heroes of last September when they brought off what must be classed as one of Kerry's greatest ever All-Ireland victories.

Apparently negotiations for an April trip have been going on prior to Frank taking over the other Sunday as County Board boss. Let Frank himself take up the story from there: "Kerry made an application to the Management Committee for permission which was refused. The situation is that we have to accept the decision because the Central Council had apparently made commitments to the people in America, particularly the West Coast that there would be only one tour going out from Ireland in '79.

"The unfortunate thing about it is that Kerry, having won the All-Ireland in '78, due to this change which was all over the sponsorship and the commitments given by Headquarters, are more or less done out of a trip as All-Ireland champions.

"Personally, I feel a bit aggrieved about things for the sake of our players. When they are preparing for an All-Ireland final they sacrifice a lot more than what the normal supporter thinks or feels."

But Frank King regards this bad fortune which has befallen Kerry as something of a blessing in disguise as far as future championship aspirations are concerned.

"It means that we must ensure that Kerry will benefit from an Autumn trip in 1979 by us winning the All-Ireland," he remarked. "I am sure that our players will be more determined than ever of making sure they win the '79 All-Ireland."

I would certainly agree that this adversity is something which should get the adrenalin working better than ever. Still, by any standards I say the players are hard done by the decision. In an amateur sport there has to be some worthwhile kudos for the victors."

Parents give county's young farmers a raw deal

KERRY'S young farmers are concerned about the way they are being treated by their parents.

Many of them have no income other than the occasional few pounds from their parents and often they are forced to take a job in town when they want to settle down in marriage.

"The treatment many parents are giving their sons is very sad and leaves a lot to be desired," said Mr. John Sheehy, chairman of the county executive of Macra na Feirme.

Mr. Sheehy expressed concern for the younger generation of farmers when he spoke to members of his own Macra club in Kilmoyley at the weekend.

He said that a survey had been carried out at a County Executive meeting the previous Wednesday night and of the 17 present (all under 25 years of age) only two were paid a weekly wage and two more had enterprises of their own capable of generating enough income for their needs.

Of the remaining 13, five had small enterprises but these were not capable of providing income to live on. All of them had to approach their parents for a few pounds when they wanted to attend a dance or social.

Said Mr. Sheehy: "Because they have no savings of their own, these 13 will have to approach their parents about the transfer of their farms when they find a life partner — something they are encouraged to do in their twenties by Macra.

"In many cases the parents, too young to retire, will simply tell the young men to go off to town or city for a job if they have a mind for marriage.

"They'd have to head off for towns already overcrowded with job hunters when their rightful place is at home with their partners and parents earning a decent living.

"At the present time the treatment many parents are giving their sons is very sad and leaves a lot to be desired. A solution to the problem may be that the sons be paid a weekly wage from which they can save and develop worthwhile enterprises of their own, or that parents and sons enter into a partnership agreement."

Mr. Sheehy said that wherever the solution lay it could only be arrived at by bringing the problem out into the open, not brushing it under the carpet.

He added: "The problem must be talked about between the parties, each being aware of the dignity and feelings of the other."

Mr. Sheehy quoted the case of Denmark where 90% of the young farmers were paid a weekly wage and this wage enabled 75% of them to buy the family farm from their parents by the time they reached the age of 30.

'Adopt the rate, are ye codding us?'

THERE was a very strong reaction from Mr. Jackie Healy-Rae last Friday evening when Mr. John Joe O'Sullivan proposed, at the conclusion of that day's consideration of the rate of estimates at the county council in Tralee, that they be adopted.

Mr. Healy-Rae, who had his overcoat on at the time (5.30), returned to his seat, and, taking off his headgear, banged the table with his fist and said in apparent amazement: "Adopt the rate, are ye codding us?"

Mr. O'Sullivan's proposal had been seconded by Deputy Tom McEllistrim.

Mr. Redmond O'Sullivan wondered if his namesake was serious, remarking that they had only gone through ten pages of the estimates — housing, roads and water and sewerage which they had been discussing until that stage, the third day of the estimates meeting.

There were 19 more pages to go through, he said.

At that time the services not considered were deveoplment incentives and controls; environmental protection; recreation and amenity; agriculture; health and welfare; miscellaneous and support services.

Declaring that more than half the estimates had still to be considered, Mr. R. O'Sullivan proposed that further consideration of them be adjourned and Mr. James Courtney seconded.

At this stage, a number of members were talking at the same time and Mr. Healy Rae was heard to ask the Chairman if he would allow the rate to be adopted and more than half the estimates still to be considered.

The Chairman said that the officials of the Council had been there for three years when they could have been better employed on behalf of the council rather than listening to a lot of nonsense. Mr. John Joe O'Sullivan said last year they had passed the estimates in an hour.

On a vote, Mr. R. O'Sullivan's amendment was passed by eight votes to seven and, on a show of hands, it was decided to resume consideration of the estimates this Friday.

Sheep men are 'hopping mad'

MEMBERS of the Kerry Blackface Sheepbreeders' Association are "hopping mad". They feel they are not alone being forgotten when farmers' subsidies are being dished out but they are getting no voice at all in local bodies with some authority.

In fact, they claim there is not one sheep man on either the Kerry County Committee of Agriculture or the Kerry Sheep Dipping Committee and each, at times, professes to speak on behalf of the sheepbreeders on something about which they know nothing.

"There is an awful lot of dissatisfaction about the whole matter," says Mr. Tom Crean, chairman of the Kerry Blackface Sheepbreeders' Association, who resides at Knockglassmore, Camp.

Tom says that most of the mountain sheepmen live off their sheep because they have nothing else, except the farmers' dole and they are convinced that they are receiving a raw deal.

over the years the Association has endeavoured to get representation on the Kerry Agricultural Committee and the Kerry Sheep Dipping Committee but failed — even when the Association offered the enticement that their representatives would not claim travelling expenses!

"We feel that the people on these committees just don't know or fully appreciate our problems," he says.

There was no doubt that at the annual general meeting of the Sheepbreeders' Association the morale of the members was at a low ebb. More than one person strongly condemned the politicians for being "out of touch" with mountain sheep production and felt they were confusing them with lowland producers who, they admit, are having a bonanza.

For the past five years the mountain sheepmen have got no increase in subsidy, whereas lowland and cattlemen are on a far better wicket.

"We've got no increase in subsidy and we are the most deserving of all," said one member.

It is contended that hill lambs can not be fattened on farms where they are produced, except on concentrates which are costing £13 per lamb plus housing.

Association members feel it is vital to have a change of policy at Government level, otherwise there could be a drastic reduction in the number of mountain sheep.

The Association members present endeavoured to make it clear that they were not abiding by political party affiliations and did not want a continuation of what appeared to them to be a "political institution" as regards the appointment of the county committees on which they could have a voice.

They felt that Kerry is possibly the only county in Ireland where the sheepbreeders have not got representation on committees which deal with matters appertaining to them.

It was felt that the 50p profit margin per lamb enjoyed by the Milltown Lamb Fattening Co-Op is dangerously low and could result in the Co-Op, which handles some 10,000 lambs per year, losing a considerable sum of money. Yet another hazard which the sheepbreeders find is increasing is the growth of the fox population. There was reference to the moves to have foxes preserved and the disastrous effect it would have on lambs and sheep.

Butchers hit out at 'moonlighters'

KERRY butchers want the sale of meat in the county which, they claim, has not been inspected by Vets and passed as fit for human consumption, ended.

The meat, they allege, is being killed by "moonlighters" in sheds without a Vet being able to ensure that it is produced under hygenic conditions.

The "moonlighters" product, the butchers say is sold to the public to a small number of restaurants and hotels.

When the situation was discussed at the annual general meeting of the Kerry Butchers' Association members criticised the "non-action of the Southern Health Board to stamp out the illegal killing and slaughter of animals in the Kerry area."

The Association called for the immediate appointment of a full-time Vet by the County Council to deal with the problem. A member of the Kerry Association, which is affiliated with the 3,000 strong Irish Master Butchers' Federation, recalled this week that a proposal brought before the County Council to appoint a full-time Vet in the county was defeated by one vote.

Mr. Frank O'Leary, V.S., Cahersiveen, a member of the Irish Veterinary Association said it had been the policy of the I.V.A. to have a county Veterinary Officer appointed to every county and documentation had been submitted to the Department as far back as 1970 on this subject.

He had, he said, to disagree with the Kerry Butchers' Association in regard to their reference to the non-action of the Southern Health Board because any reports on illegal slaughtering made to him by the County M.O.H. had always been investigated and the County M.O.H. on receipt of his report had pointed to the people concerned the fact that they were breaking the law and that they should, in fact, register as butchers if they wished to continue.

"I am quite confident," said Mr. O'Leary, "that what happens in my area happens in the rest of the county. As a veterinary body we are concerned that meat killed for human consumption should be killed in a hygenic manner and that this meat should be disease-free. We have had consultation with the C.M.O. and with the Butchers' Association to ensure this would happen and further meetings are planned for the near future."

Nuclear explosion fallout risk over county

KERRY will be under siege next Sunday, with the population in danger of being killed by fallout from nuclear explosions.

There's no need to rush off to build a fallout shelter because it won't really happen. But as far as the Civil Defence is concerned it will all be very real, because a country-wide Civil Defence exercise is being staged on Sunday morning, with the aid of television.

As part of the exercise, 145 wardens have been recruited from all parts of the county over the past few months, each with a telephone and television set in his house.

They will be keeping their eyes glued to RTÉ1 between 8.00 and 9.15am on Sunday to see if their areas are mentioned in the nationwide broadcast, or if their areas are in 'danger' from fallout.

County Controller of the operation will be County Manager, Mr. Tom Collins, and the operations headquarters will be the Ashe Memorial Hall, Tralee.

Maintenance dredging cost in Dingle soars

THE estimated cost of maintenance dredging of Dingle Harbour every two years by Kerry County Council has jumped from £1,100 to £10,000.

This was disclosed at the meeting of Kerry County Council by Mr. Tom Collins, County Manager, in reply to Deputy Michael Begley.

Mr. Collins pointed out that this was a huge increase and he recalled that the councillors had unanimously decided that a meeting should be held between all the parties involved. However, this had not taken place. When he raised the matter, Deputy Begley said that the Council had a local commitment regarding the dredging of the harbour.

Mr. Timothy Murphy, Law Agent, pointed out that the Council's agreement with the Board of Works was not legally binding. He stressed that he was giving his: "Sincere, objective legal opinion." Deputy Begley said that he was: "Amazed and flabbergasted," at what the legal advisor had to say.

Mr. Collins said that they had received a letter from the Office of Public Works stating that an estimate of the cost would be sent to them in the near future, but they had not yet received it.

Councillor Tom Fitzgerald supported Deputy Begley, pointed out that skippers were forced to leave the harbour at 2am and return at 2pm because of the present situation.

After some further discussion it was agreed to place the matter on the agenda for the next meeting.