Politics - Thurles Information

New Thurles Municipal District Council To Meet on Monday Next

The first meeting of the newly elected members of Thurles Municipal District Council, established under the Local government Reform Act 2014, will take place on Monday June 17th 2019 at 10.00 am sharp.

This meeting follows on from the local election results announced after the Local Elections held on May 24th last.

The first business of this newly elected Municipal District Council will be the election of its Cathaoirleach (Chairperson).

Thurles Municipal District Council by virtue of their democratic mandate will most likely make appointments to a range of bodies, e.g. The Joint Policing Committee; Drainage Committees; Thurles Swimming Pool Limited; Roscrea Swimming Pool Limited, etc.. However, at the new Council’s discretion, latter issues are permitted to be postponed to a later date, where appropriate, after Monday’s Annual Meeting.

Thurles Municipal District council is not itself a legal entity; Tipperary County council being the corporate body. However, the members acting within the stated district do have powers relating to the running of their own meetings and somewhat lesser governance with regard to schedule maintenance works and other operations that may be carried out within the same district.

Sinn Féin Withdraw Recount In Euro Parliament Election

Sinn Féin have withdrawn their earlier request for a full recount in the recent European Parliament election for Ireland South. Same decision was made following initial recounting of 755,9876 ballots, which began this morning, further indicated that no major ballot anomalies had taken place.

Following the initial count last Thursday, the Sinn Féin MEP, Ms Liadh Ní Riada, stood to lose her seat by some 326 votes, to the Green Party candidate Tramore, Co. Waterford Senator Ms Grace O’Sullivan.

Following a demand by Sinn Féin, it was deemed necessary by the Mr Martin Harvey (Returning Officer) to grant a full recount following a day long recheck of votes which saw Ms Ní Riada gain just a single vote, thus reducing her then deficit from 327 votes to 326.

Ireland South EU Election results now stand as follows:

Fine Gael MEP and former GAA President Mr Sean Kelly topped the poll and was elected on the ninth count, while on the seventeenth count, the former Fianna Fáil Minister Mr Billy Kelleher was elected. Wexford Independent TD Mr Mick Wallace and outgoing Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune were both elected without reaching their required quota of 119,866. Ms Ní Riada’s transfers will now decide the alignment of the two remaining seats, that of Ms O’Sullivan and Ms Clune.

University Hospital, Limerick – Most Overcrowded Yet Again

University Hospital Limerick (UHL), which services North Tipperary, yet again ‘Tops the Poll’ as the most overcrowded medical facility here in Ireland.

In fact the two hospitals serving the people of County Tipperary are today grossly overcrowded, while nationally 426 people are waiting for beds, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

Total patients in Co. Tipperary without a bed 101.

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) is as expected, worst hit, with 66 patients waiting on a bed. In South Tipperary’s General Hospital, Clonmel 35 patients currently remain on trolleys.

Nationally, of the 426 patients stated; 298 are waiting in emergency department, while 128 are in wards elsewhere in hospitals.

Despite current Local & European Elections the Silence Continues, however Fine Gael are not ruling out the possibility of an early General Election, so let’s vote accordingly.

Thurles Local Election Results

All five seats in the 2019 local election, for the Thurles Ward, have now been filled.

Thurles Elected Candidates:

Mr Micheál Lowry – Independent – Holycross, Thurles – First Count – [Votes 1,710].
Mr Seamus Hanafin – Fianna Fáil – Thurles – Fifth Count – [Votes 1,558].
Mr Peter Ryan – Fine Gael – Thurles / Upperchurch – Fifth Count – [Votes 1,546].
Mr Sean Ryan – Fianna Fáil – Littleton, Thurles – Seventh Count – [Votes 1,329]
Mr Jim Ryan – Independent – Thurles – Seventh Count – [Votes 1,180].

Mr Seamus Hanifin ran his election completely without election posters.

Thurles Non Elected Candidates:

David Doran – Independent – [Votes 1,091].
Fergal Butler – Fianna Fáil – [Votes 585].
Tommy Barrett – Independent – [Votes 341].
Ciara Mccormack – Sinn Féin – [Votes 267].
Catherine Fogarty – Independent– [Votes 118].
Michael Bracken – Independent – [Votes 91].

Sinn Féin, as expected, failed completely to make any impact in Thurles; with their next General Election candidate, Mrs Ciara McCormack, winning a mere 267 first preference votes.

In all, 40 councillors have now been elected to Tipperary County Council.

Ireland Vote To Pass Divorce Referendum

The Republic of Ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of the removal of the existing Article 41.3.2 (i) in Bunreacht na hÉireann being removed, thus changing current references on ‘Divorce’ in the Constitution.

Final Vote:
The final vote was 1,304,949 in favour of these changes (82.1%), with 284,735 against (17.9%).

The changes to Article 41.3.2 (i) will mean that couples won’t have to wait as long before getting a divorce and reduce the waiting time frame, before obtaining same, to two of the previous three years; rather than four out of the previous five years, as exists currently.

Nationally the voter turnout was 50.83% with some 1,727,056 participating.