Saturday night, May 20th 2023, saw a presentation of €2,000.00 to the “Blue Door”, latter an initiate of Thurles Lion Club. The presentation was made in front of a large attendance, in Corcoran’s Bar, situated in the village of Two-Mile-Borris, Co. Tipperary.
The North Tipperary Vintage and Machinery Club“Road Run” took place on March 19th last, starting in Two-Mile-Borris before travelling via Littleton, Ballinunty, Ballysloe, Gortnahoe, Mary Willies and back to Two-Mile-Borris for a hot meal, provided by Joan Dwyer and her team, catering for up to 200 people.
Up to 150 Tractors, Cars and Lorries took part, with the Order of Malta giving valuable assistance on route. Much thanks to Vincent and Elaine Corcoran for the use of their premises, field etc.
North Tipperary Vintage & Machinery Club wish to thanks all who supported their raffle and gave donations.
The Blue Door initiative: The ‘Blue Door’ is an initiative of Thurles Lions Club, with overall ethos being one of inclusiveness, confidentially, friendliness, warmth and security, with no stigma, no mental health emphasis, just overall well-being. If you’re going through a tough time, for whatever reason, having someone to talk to can help. The Blue Door offers a listening service. Talk to their trained listeners in complete confidence. They promise to listen without judgement offering an empathetic ear. They can assist you by guiding you to professional councillors and /or other professionals as you require. So, if experiencing difficulties, why not call them on Tel: 085 2246371, with telephone lines open every day, from 7:00pm – 8:30pm.
The first of the new modular homes, currently being constructed here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary; latter designed to house fleeing Ukranian refugees, are expected to be fit for habitation, with the first residents to move in from the end of June if not earlier. Nationally, work to identify residents for these new homes remains ongoing.
The Government has approved the construction of 700 rapid build units, for this purpose, as part of its overall response in providing accommodation for those fleeing from Ukraine as Russia continues to inflict daily death and destruction from Wagner assault troops. This modular home national plan has the potential to house up to 2,800 Ukrainian people in family units of four persons, at an average cost of €145,000 per unit.
More than 70,000 people from Ukraine have arrived in Ireland, after fleeing from this Russian savagery, with more than 61,000 of them having sought accommodation from the Irish State.
It had been initially planned that same rapid build homes for refugees would have been installed by November last. However, understandable delays, confirmed by the Department of Integration, state that the delay in installing these modular homes, at a number of sites around the country earlier, were due mainly to challenges providing utility services; the timescale for manufacturing new modular home units which, in turn, had to be developed from scratch, and the preparation of the sites had taken more time and more work than had been originally planned.
The Office of Public Works (OPW); latter responsible for the delivery of the homes, before they are handed over to the Department, said it was proceeding with the project as fast as was possible and that the first homes will come into use on a phased basis over the coming months.
In total, work is under way on seven sites around the country, [e,g. Thurles Co. Tipperary; Cavan Town, Co. Cavan; Mahon, Co Cork; Sligo Town, Co. Sligo; Claremorris, Co Mayo; Rathdowney, Co Laois, and Clonminch Co. Offaly], with the afore mentioned development of 28 homes in Cavan being one of the first to be completed, together with the development of 64 housing units at Mahon in Cork.
The exteriors to each of the modular houses will be completed by contractors waiting on site. All of these new dwellings must comply with current building regulations and building control requirements and must achieve a 60-year durability in relation to all key elements included in their initial construction.
Laskavo prosymo do Thurles. [Ukrainian for “Welcome to Thurles”].
Lotto players in Co. Tipperary are being asked to check their tickets purchased prior to this weekend, to see if they are Ireland’s newest millionaire, following the news that a winning ticket worth €1 million was sold in the county.
The winner as yet have not made themselves known to Irish Lotto bosses, having scooped the Daily Million top prize in last Saturday’s 2pm draw.
Saturday’s draw with winning numbers 4, 16, 22, 29, 37, 38 and bonus number 10, to date marks the third Daily Million top prize win so far this year – and the 12th National Lottery millionaire of 2023.
The winner can make contact with the National Lottery prize claims team Tel. No. 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie to claim their prize.
The name of the retail unit that sold the winning ticket is expected to be revealed, at a celebratory event, sometime this morning.
* See section7.3 For Tipperary County Council’s Auditor’s ReportonLiberty Square Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
The Liberty Square Enhancement Project in Thurles seeks to deliver a vibrant Liberty Square at the heart of Thurles. It is hoped this €10m project will enhance the attractiveness of Thurles as a place to live and a place for investment / employment. The project has evolved and developed over a number of years with support and input from Thurles Chamber and extensive public consultation which influenced the design of the scheme.
Phase 1 Following a successful bid for funding, consultants were appointed to develop designs for this project. The main contractor, for phase 1, was appointed in October 2019 and the tender amounted to €2.8m excluding VAT. The new car park off Liberty Square opened on 1st October 2020 and Phase1 of the project reached substantial completion on 23rd December 2021, with a ‘defects completion period’ ending on 22nd December 2022. ‘Change Order Claims’ including interest by the contractor amount to €3.4m while an ER (Exchange Rate) Determination of €880k, has been made in this regard. This equates to 31% above the original contract price. A ‘Notice of Dispute‘ regarding the determination of claims for works undertaken during the contract has been submitted by the contractor. While it has been jointly agreed by both parties that a conciliator will be appointed prior to the completion of the project, to mediate the disputed determinations, in accordance with the terms of contract, this has not happened to date.
Phase 2 Consultants were appointed in December 2021 to prepare the Phase 2 Part 8 drawings and documentation. The Complete Options Report including preferred option and preliminary design is expected by the end of 2022 with Part 8 Planning expected to commence in Q1 2023. Cost estimates are to be completed by the end of Q2 2023 and are subject to agreement for the final cost for Phase 1, rising input costs, shortages and increasing energy costs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and the war in Ukraine. [Surely the Russo-Ukrainian War began to affect energy costsonly inIreland, after March 2022, (I remain confused here.)]. This project will be reviewed again in 2022.9.
Chief Executive’s Response I am satisfied with the robustness of project management and governance structures that are in place in Tipperary County Council dealing with the delivery of Project Ireland 2040 approved projects and in this particular case the structures that are in in place in Thurles Municipal District. Thurles MD has a dedicated Project Manager in place to manage these major projects and the associated contractual risks. The project management is further strengthened by the oversight of the Project Ireland 2040 Steering Group and the District Delivery Group and also by the engagement of competent external experts to supervise the site and the works and to manage the contractual claims, the subsequent financial determinations and any dispute resolution processes.
Existing applications will continue to be processed in the normal way.
The Minister for Justice, Mr Simon Harris TD has today obtained approval from Government to close the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) to further applications from close of business tomorrow, February 15th 2023.
The Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) was a pathway for non-EEA nationals to secure an immigration permission in Ireland on the basis of long-term investment in a range of options approved by Government under the Programme. The IIP was introduced by the Irish Government in 2012 to encourage inward investment for the creation of business and employment opportunities in the State. The programme was designed to encourage investors and business professionals from outside the European Economic Area to avail of opportunities of investing and locating their business interests in Ireland and acquire a secure residency status in Ireland. Applicants to the IIP were required to be high net worth individuals with a personal wealth of at least €2 million. The IIP required applicants to invest a minimum of €1 million for a minimum of three years or €500,000 as part of an Endowment (or €400,000 as part of joint endowment). The funds used for an investment had to be from the applicant’s own resources and not financed through a loan or other such facility.
Announcing the closure of the Programme, Minister Harris stated: “The Immigrant Investor Programme was established over a decade ago during a time of unprecedented economic difficulty to stimulate investment in Ireland that would be of strategic and public benefit to the State. Since its inception, the Programme has brought significant investment to Ireland and has been operated by my Department to the highest professional standards. However, it is important that we keep all programmes under review including any implications for wider public policy, such as the continuing appropriateness and suitability of this programme for cultural, social and economic use. We have also taken on board a number of reports and findings from international bodies such as the EU Commission, Council of Europe and OECD on similar investment programmes. Taking all of this into account, and informed by both internal and external reviews, I have recommended that it is now timely to close this Programme to new applications, and have received Government agreement to close it for further applications from close of business tomorrow, February 15th 2023.”
Since its inception, the Programme has approved investment of almost €1.252bn that has benefited many enterprises, both economic and social, including community and sporting organisations.
Applications will no longer be accepted from close of business tomorrow, February 15th 2023. The closure of the Programme will not affect existing projects or individuals already approved under the programme. The Department of Justice will continue to monitor existing approved projects in relation to the delivery and for compliance with the terms of the Programme. Current applications on hand at the time of closure will continue to be considered.
The Government also operates the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP), which was established in 2012, as a way for entrepreneurs with an innovative idea to apply for a residence permission in Ireland, and this will continue.
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