Volunteer & Make A Difference

Commander Chris Hadfield Arrives Back To Earth

Over preceding months here on Thurles.Info we have continued to inform our readers when the International Space Station (ISS) was passing over Ireland

Canadian Astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield, whose beautiful 26 year old daughter, Kristin, presently attends Trinity College, Dublin, has bid farewell to the International Space Station, by making a cover version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity & posting numerous photographs, taken from space, of Ireland, as his successful five-month mission comes to an end.

Commander Hadfield, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko boarded their Soyuz capsule and undocked from the station at 7:08 p.m. for a planned landing on the Central Asian steppes of Kazakhstan at 10:31 p.m.

We wish you a safe landing & welcome home Commander.

A Third Tipperary Meat Plant Suspended For Mislabelling Produce

On the same day that Birds Eye withdraws three of its products from Irish supermarket shelves & Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney announces a new protocol for testing beef products, a third meat plant in Co Tipperary has had its operations suspended.

Minister Coveney said: “The issue here is one of mislabelling and that will be the focus of the investigation,” after inspectors found the B&F Meats Plant in Carrick-on-Suir, South Tipperary was exporting horse meat under a label in the Czech language, which translated as beef.

Production at the B&F Meats Plant, a small-scale de-boning factory, has now also been suspended. Minister Simon Coveney has said he is “seriously concerned” about this discovery and his department is now working closely with Gardaí in investigating the matter.

Special Investigations Unit Officers from the Department of Agriculture are understood to be carrying out searches at the factory this afternoon.

Meanwhile Birds Eye have stated it is withdrawing its Spaghetti Bolognese, Shepherd’s Pie and Beef Lasagne products from Supermarkets in Ireland and the UK, after horse DNS was found in Chilli Con Carne produced by Frigilunch N.V. and sold in Belgium.

Tipperary Polish Society Now Formed

Picture shows: L- R Patricia Dabrowska, Marcin Skruch & Konrad Parzychowski, committee members of the newly formed Tipperary Polish Society.

In today’s world, people are immigrating to other countries from all around our world, often in search of work or improved working conditions, dreams of success and fortune or just plain adventure. Polish people, just like Irish people past & present, have been immigrating for centuries. In the past we all had our reasons, Communism, War, Famine or simply Unemployment.

One good history example, worthy of note, can be found when one examines immigration during the first 6 months of 1847. Almost half as many Polish as did Irish people, immigrated to New York, the latter escaping the Great Potato Famine here in Ireland.

Today Polish people travel in search of a better life style, choosing to locate in many different countries, including Ireland. Indeed, according to the 2011 Census, 2.67% of the general population living in Ireland are now Polish, which makes them the largest single minority group living here. Since Polish people started arriving in Ireland they have begun to organise themselves in numerous ways. Everyone of them have found here in Ireland their own “harbour,” but sometimes they still feel totally lost & lonely in their own somewhat restricted private lives. Many of them have gotten themselves into a pattern of a,” Work to Home & back to Work again,” style of living, without any other motivation for further interactive community participation and integration. This creates a negative effect not just through their immediate contact with their family and limited friends, but with other existing multicultural societies and with Irish people, in the land they have choosen to adopt.

Continue reading Tipperary Polish Society Now Formed

Extra Trains & Cheap Fares For Sunday’s Hurling Fans

Thurles Railway Station

Iarnrod Eireann, in anticipation of Limerick hurling fans continuing support, are putting on additional train services to Thurles for the qualifier against Dublin. These trains are in addition to regular train services offered between Limerick, Charleville and Limerick Junction to Thurles.

Travelling supporters from Limerick will have a choice of three direct services to Thurles at starting at 10.35am, 11.40am and 12.35pm, while supporters from West Limerick can avail of services from Charleville at 11.09am and 11.40am. Latter will stop at Limerick Junction. Return services will also allow supporters to decide their choice of returning home after the first match, facilitating those who wish to stay on to enjoy the second quarter final between Galway and Waterford.

Iarnrod Eireann are also offering a special discounted online fare for advance bookings for travelling supporters to these matches, with a discounted fare of €18.50 from Limerick and Charleville for adults and half price fares for children under 16.

This can be seen as a significant reduction on their regular normal return fare, which usually costs €25.30.

Volunteer & Make A Difference

Ann Marie Brophy, Executive Librarian, at Thurles Library, seeks answers to the following 3 questions:-

Are you interested in volunteering but don’t know where to start?
Do you want to make a difference in your community?
Would you like to learn new skills?

If your answer is yes to any of the above, then you have her personal invitation to come along to the Thurles Volunteer Fair,to find out how you can assist and indeed personally benefit you and your local community.

(Click on Poster Image, on left, for larger picture.)

The fair is taking place in Thurles Shopping Centre on Friday 22nd July next, you’ll have the opportunity to meet organisations who are looking for new volunteers. Find out what they do, if you can get involved and how to assist.

The fairs will feature stands from volunteer organisations across Thurles and surrounding areas. So no matter where you live, come along and you might find the perfect volunteer match!

There will be a wide variety of stands there, such as Tipperary Regional Youth Service, Citizen’s Information Centre, Irish Girl Guides, the Fáilte Club, Upperchurch-Drombane Development Association, Cabragh Wetlands, Irish Pilgrimage Trust, Rainbows, An Taisce, Hidden Tipperary, St.Mary’s Famine Museum and much, much more!

We’ll have lots of family fun on the day too, with a balloon modeller, face painters, spot prizes and lots more, so do bring the whole family to this community event.
The volunteer fair will take place in Thurles Shopping Centre on Friday 22nd July from 5.00-8.00 p.m.

Other fairs will take place in Grant’s Hotel /Damer Court Hotel in Roscrea on Saturday 23rd from 12.00-3.00 p.m. and Nenagh Arts Centre on Sunday 24th from 12.00-3.00 p.m.
These fairs have been organised by North Tipperary Volunteer Fair Steering Committee, led by Europe Direct Information Centre in Thurles Library.

This event has received funding from the European Commission. Contact Thurles Library on Tel: 0504 29720 for more information.