2010 July | Thurles Information

Aldi Co-Founder Theo Albrecht Dies Aged 88

Theodor Paul Albrecht (28 March 1922 – 24 July 2010)

Theo Albrecht, the joint founder of the popular budget supermarket giant Aldi, last seen in public after his release from kidnap 39 years ago, has died aged 88. The company said he died on Saturday in his home city of Essen, but gave [...]

EU Grant Aid Decision Could Help Boost Employment

Ireland's Mid West Region

A significant investment boost for the Mid West Region comes on foot of a decision by the European Commission to allow grant aid to help boost employment. Such aid had been phased out two years ago.

This revised European Commission decision on Regional Investment rules could help create employment [...]

Infrastructure Investment – And The Award Goes To Dublin

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has stated, with not so much as a blush, that the Government’s revised €39bn Capital Investment Programme will lead to 270,000 jobs being provided between now and 2016. However, overall spending on infrastructure is being cut by up to 40%, when compared to the 2007 National Development Plan.

Announcing his plan, the Taoiseach confirmed that Metro North and the €2.5bn Dart Underground will go ahead in Dublin.
Nice one Dublin, and whilst we accept that investment of this kind is welcome, using current estimates, we must keep in mind that it costs €200,000 to construct a simple bus stop.

We continue to over developed and over balance our east coast, while neglecting most of the rest of Ireland. It seems that despite the country being in ruins, Dublin must continue to be nurtured, and rural Ireland must “Eat the crumbs which fall from the masters table“, (Matthew 15:27). In rural parts of Ireland you can damaging your car by taking a short drive on our roads, but we are told there is no money to repair them. In Dublin there is a Railway service, there is the Luas, there is a Bus service, there are Taxi’s, but now they require an Underground as well. Dublin does not need an Underground, Thurles does need a ring road, but it would appear that Fianna Fail are borrowing to buy the next election and the gullible Irish electorate will fall for it again, if there are three successive declines in the unemployment figures in late 2011 and early 2012.

There will, we are informed, be more capital investment in Water Services which really means “lets get those water metres in place, and get our €350 minimum from every household, in water charges, to prop up the City of Dublin, County and Local Councils“. This whole plan fails to realise that people can only spend money if they have it. Soon 80% of all incomes will disappear in stealth taxes before each taxpayer is allowed to pay the “candle maker” and the “shoe maker”.

Continue reading Infrastructure Investment – And The Award Goes To Dublin

Drilling Targets Identified South Of Lisheen Mine

Connemara Mining plc, a company presently exploring successfully for zinc in Stonepark, Co Limerick, is considering adding a number of additional drilling rig targets close to the Lisheen zinc mine near Moyne, Co.Tipperary, the Companies chairman, Mr John Teeling told shareholders in Dublin yesterday.

The company owns three blocks near the village of Moyne, near [...]

Albanian Organised Crime Gang Member Questioned In Thurles

Ten Albanian men have been arrested as suspects involved in organised crime gangs, and stand accused of having committed crimes of large scale burglary in counties Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.

The men, all aged 30-44, were detained following intelligence led operations across Munster and southerns Leinster.

It is understood [...]

Tipperary Galway – Classic All Ireland SHC Quarter Final

Gearoid Ryan Celebrates Tipp Victory

From start to finish, it was a classic spectacle, as on at least ten occasions, a crowd of 27,864 watched both teams draw level and between them register six goals. Tipperary were impressive from the start with 0-4 to 0-1 in front after nine minutes. Eanna Ryan gave [...]

Dublin – A Plague On Your City Says Rural Ireland

Dublin! Dublin! Dublin! everything appears these days to be centred in and around Dublin. A plague on our Capital city say the dwellers from “Beyond the Pale.”

It now appears that this city formally known as “The Pale” is being promoted as a place for “Fun and Craic” in a new solo run using €1 million of our Tourism campaign funding.

"The Pale"

The word “pale ” (An Pháil) derives ultimately from the Latin word palus, meaning a stake, used to support a fence and from this came the figurative meaning of boundary and eventually the phrase “beyond the pale” as something outside the boundary of an area from Dundalk to Carrickmines Castle, Dublin known today as gullible “Rural Ireland.”

Minister for Tourism Mary Hanafin TD said that this new radio and online campaign by Tourism Ireland would be seen by an audience of over 12 million, British tourists. She correctly states that Britain is the largest single source market for visitors to the island of Ireland and provides more than half of all visitors to the island. This campaign will involve direct marketing and social media initiatives, as well as promotions with tour operators and air and sea carriers. It will capitalises on the British market and intensively promote Dublin to the British holidaymaker.

Frank Magee of Dublin Tourism states: “The capital city attracted 1.5 million visitors from Britain last year, which resulted in five million bed nights, but losing its market share in Britain. Dublin has been the driver in Irish tourism, bolstering the Irish figures in recent years and there’s a realisation that if Dublin doesn’t do well, Ireland doesn’t do well.”

What a load of verbal diarrhea Mr Magee. Ireland’s false reputation of being an expensive holiday destination is spread by Tourists who spend too much time in Dublin drinking €3.50 cups of coffee served by staff who do not speak English .

Come on down to Tipperary folks if you want a holiday offering value for your money. Thurles is the ancestral home of your head of state, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and it is here you can experience friendly relaxation, carefree fun and craic, your children can run wild and run free, the air is clean and you can find your car still parked where you left it the night before.

It would appear rural Irish taxpayers, for far to long, have been the silent and subservient suppliers of ‘money on demand’ to support Dublin tourism, so let us keep things in perspective remembering that in 2009 the Irish Hotels Federation represented almost 1,000 hotels and guesthouses throughout the whole country, which in turn employ over 59,000 people. It seems only proper that those beyond the Pale should like their fair slice of the tourism promotion cake.

How Much Money Was Spent Promoting Our Capital City Dublin In The Past Ten Or So Years?

€5m for “The Monument of Light” or “Spire Of Light” erected in O’Connell Street, better known by the names: ‘The Spike’, ‘The Stiletto in the Ghetto’, ‘The Erection at the Intersection’, ‘The Poker next to Croker’ and ‘The Stiffy in the Liffey’. At the time of its erection on O’Connell Street in 2003, the Spire Of Light was described as “self-cleaning”, but Dublin’s city council now concede that its maintenance cost €205,000 last year and will increase to at least €218,000 this year, and thats before they pick up a discarded chip bag.

Continue reading Dublin – A Plague On Your City Says Rural Ireland

57,516 Irish Passport Applications Await Processing

Passport Scandal

Figures released show that there are 57,516 passport applications waiting to be processed in Dublin and Cork passport offices, but a new service has been introduced to prioritise applications for people with immediate travel plans within three days. The cost of this new service to the taxpayer however has not been [...]

Garda Recruitment Embargo Still In Place

A total of 263 Gardaí, comprising 151 men and 112 women, graduated from the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary on Thursday last and will now be posted to various Garda stations around the country.

Thursday’s passing out ceremony will be followed by a further graduation in October. From October next, the college will [...]

“Invaders” GAA Medal Goes On Sale

"The Invaders" GAA Medal

A rare Co.Tipperary GAA medal, commemorating the first ever GAA hurling match in America is to be auctioned on Thursday, July 29th, at Mealy’s auctioneering premises in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. This is the first medal ever to go on sale from the GAA’s first official trip to the United States in 1888.
1888 was the year that the Gaelic Athletic Association organised a trip to New York for hurlers and with the view of strengthening the interest of the exiles in their native pastime, but more importantly to raise funds for the hosting of a ‘Celtic Festival’ or ‘Tailteann Games‘ (An Aonach Tailteann).

The medal soon to be auctioned is, we understand, presently is in the ownership of as yet an unnamed Tipperary family.

Five players from Tipperary were included in this group of 51 persons, dubbed “The Invaders” or Invasion Tour and included members of the Tipperary team who had won the previous year’s inaugural All-Ireland Hurling final.

39 members of "The Invasion" Tour. (Figure left with hammer is Maurice Davin.)

It is understood that only 39 of these silver medals, in the shape of a ‘crosse pattée‘ featuring a design of crossed hurley’s in the centre, were originally distributed. An interesting fact is that when “The Invaders” tour left America on October 31st 1888, its original number had fallen somewhat from the original 51 returning home, with 17 men at least choosing to remain in America permanently.

In 1888 the idea of hosting this ‘Celtic Festival’ was discussed and plans were put in place to hold this festival in Dublin in the Summer of 1889. This festival was to include athletic contests, field games, an Irish industrial exhibition and traditional music /literary competition. The estimated cost of hosting such a festival was estimated at £5,000.

To raise necessary funding it was planned that a group of Irish hurlers and athletes would embark on a fundraising tour of strongly inhabited Irish centres in America staging displays of hurling and athletics. While the process of selecting hurlers and athletes to accompany the tour began, £1,000 had to be raised through a nationwide fundraising campaign to cover players fares and each of the 800 or so affiliated clubs were asked to contribute a small amount.

Continue reading “Invaders” GAA Medal Goes On Sale