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Minister Mrs Helen McEntee to further extend legislation for pub and restaurant outdoor seating areas.
- Proposed to extend Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 until 30th November 2022.
- Provides certainty for licenced premises serving alcohol in outdoor seating areas as summer season approaches.
Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee has moved to further extend the operation of outdoor seating areas, as licensed premises look ahead, to the busy summer months.
The Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 was first introduced in July 2021, bringing about changes to allow for the sale and consumption of alcohol in relevant outdoor seating areas.
Minister McEntee stated: “Government has today approved my proposal to seek an extension to this legislation for a further six months until 30th November 2022. I will bring the necessary Motions before the Houses of the Oireachtas at the earliest opportunity in advance of 31st May.
The Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 gave much needed certainty to licenced premises during the pandemic, allowing publicans and restaurant owners across the country serving alcohol in relevant outdoor seating areas to operate lawfully.
Alcohol may be sold in the applicable areas until 11pm, which is considered reasonable and proportionate as a nationwide approach for private land outdoor seating areas.
While most of the Covid-19 restrictions have now lifted, I am very aware of how hard our pubs, restaurants and nightclubs have been hit by the restrictions of the past two years.
Many of these businesses are still struggling and it’s important that we give them the assistance they need to thrive as the busy summer season approaches. The extension of this legislation is a key support in that regard.”
The legislation applies where those outdoor seating areas have been permitted by the relevant local authority on public land, such as a path, or where they are on private land abutting the licensed premises, such as an abutting yard, as provided for in the Act.
Minister McEntee added that the forthcoming legislation on licensing laws – the Sale of Alcohol Bill – will help to further support and revitalise the hospitality industry and Night-Time Economy.
The Minister said: “I am committed to enacting alcohol licensing laws that reflect the changing expectations and lifestyles of 21st century Ireland. A modernised licensing system will play an important role in revitalising existing Night-Time Economy businesses.
To this end, my Department is currently working on the drafting of the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill. This is advancing well, and it is my intention to progress this legislation in the months ahead with a view to enacting it this year”.
  
An Taoiseach Mr Micheál Martin informed a National Famine Commemoration ceremony today in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, that there was no more devastating or traumatic an event in Irish history, than the Great Famine of 1845-1849.
Today’s ceremony also included military honours and a wreath-laying ceremony by ambassadors to Ireland, in remembrance of all those who perished, during this, the last great famine in Europe, caused by the failure of the potato crop over successive years.
Addressing the crowd today, An Taoiseach Mr Micheál Martin said, “It is impossible for us to imagine the feelings of hopelessness, anger and loss experienced by those who suffered through the Famine years.
Famines do not happen in democracies. In fact, there is no recorded account of a famine in a country where the government is freely elected and there was free speech.
I think if you want to know why Ireland didn’t have another famine you will find it in our commitment to self-determination and building a democratic state”.
There was no mention of the Thurles Great Famine Double Ditch demolished by his Fianna Fáil colleagues on the Mill Road, here in Thurles despite several emails sent to his government.
This evening we sent an email to An Taoiseach’s office, asking him to send a copy of today’s address to local Fianna Fáil TD Mr Jackie Cahill and current government supporter Independent TD Mr Michael Lowry.
We trust Mr Cahill will share this address with Fianna Fáil Councillors Mr Sean Ryan and Mr Seamus Hanafin in due course.
[Well, as we are already aware elected Fianna Fáil reps. share everything. View HERE.]
Dublin singer-songwriter Mr Declan O’Rourke also took part in this event, singing two songs from his 2017 album ‘Chronicles of the Great Famine’, namely ‘Poor Boy’s Shoes’ and ‘Go Domhain i do Chiumhne’.
Meanwhile, let’s have a listen to Mr Declan O’Rourke.
Declan O’Rourke – “Poor Boy’s Shoes”
When he met her at the dance, she had flowers in her hair.
There was no girl in this land that could have stood next to her there.
And there everyone could see, how he loved her instantly,
Though he had nothing to give her but his poor boy’s hopes and dreams.
Well he danced with her that summer till it showed on her sweet face.
As she was taken by the warmth of him and all his gentle ways.
Then he swore his love was true
And he married her in poor boy’s shoes.
Well not many years had passed through the grip of his strong hands,
When a great unyielding hunger drew its veil across this land.
His young love soon took ill and with two little mouths to fill,
It took all he could to keep them from the poor house on the hill.
But when his pockets had run dry from crying tears that rang like bells
And their home drew in the wind like an old sea shell.
Then he gathered everything he had to lose,
And he walked them up in poor boy’s shoes.
First God took the little boy,
Then he took the little girl.
And soon their little souls were free from all the sadness in the world.
Their father lifted up his love,
She could no longer walk alone
And from the poor house on the hill,
He took her on the long walk home.
There he felt the cold upon her as he laid her down to rest,
And so he knelt down by her bed and drew her feet up to his chest.
There he tried to warm her cold feet through
And they found him there in poor boy’s shoes. END
“Sunday Morning Coming Down”
Early this bright, sunny, Sunday morning [as I “watched a small kid cussin’ at a can that he was kicking”.], Liberty Square and along the River Side Walk in Thurles looked like a promotion for the Song “Sunday Morning Coming Down” written by Kris Kristofferson.
The litter was everywhere, 90% caused, once again, more by the type of meaningless litter bins currently provided by our engineers on this €9m to €12m street fiasco, rather than the more irresponsible, prideless individuals we more often are wont to encounter.
Congratulations to the two ladies (representing No. 61 Scanlons News Agency (Nuachtanai) and Sos Beag – Coffee Shop), latter who both ventured out early, to clean the litter widely scattered in front of their respective shop fronts.
Here we have a new, admittedly only half updated town centre, now looking filthier than what it had previously replaced. We had previously warned about these tiny litter bins. We and others within our community, had also warned against the use of light grey Chinese granite on a surface accommodating motor vehicles, but council officials and their inexperienced and expensive town planners felt they knew better. Result on Liberty Square today, oil stains, rubber tyre stains and other liquid stain, all beginning to rear their ugly heads.
(Ask yourself; what idiot buys white carpet flooring for the shed?)
Meanwhile, local residents continue to leave bags of household waste beside litter bins on the River Side Walk and Thurles Park areas, south of the town, which would appear to be acceptable to our Municipal District Council officials.
(Where is the Thurles CCTV system taxpayers paid €100,000 to install?)
But today, Sunday, May 15th, 2022; it’s all about the Litter Bins and the failure and consistent waste of taxpayer’s money, by our Thurles Municipal District Council.
A Tipperary employee, who was injured when he was knocked to the ground by sheets of glass falling from a trolley, has been awarded a total of €113,000 by the High Court.
The award, which has yet to be fully finalised by Mr Justice Garrett Simons, was made in favour of Mr James Molloy, aged 59 years, with an address at Knight’s Crescent, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, who sustained compression injuries and lacerations to his back and to the region of his lower limbs.
Mr Molloy had sued his employer, Tipperary Glass Limited, with an address at Railway Road, Templemore, Co Tipperary, latter whom he alleged had been negligent with regard to an incident which had occurred on March 16th, 2018.
Liability in the case had already been admitted by the company and the action was before the court for assessment of damages.
In his judgement, Mr Justice Garrett Simons stated that Mr Molloy was entitled to a sum of €75,000 in general damages, together with a further sum of €38,000 in damages for his loss of current earnings. He is also to receive a sum equivalent to four years of earnings in respect of the loss of his future earnings.
Mr Justice Garrett Simons said the accident had occurred because another employee had failed to properly secure the glass sheets contained on a trolley, which in turn had impacted on Mr Molloy’s lower limbs.
It was estimated that the trolley had been carrying between 10 to 20 sheets of glass at the time of the accident, with the combined weight of the glass being 100kg (2cwt).
Mr Molloy, following the accident, was confined to bed for over a month, left him with permanent scarring on his legs. The consensus of the medical evidence arising out of his injuries, left Mr Molloy medically unfit for the sort of manual labour he had previously undertaken at his place of employment.
The case will return before the court to finalise outstanding matters later this month.
I was forced to travel on foot this evening, down through Liberty Square, here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Yes, this is the same Liberty Square that received a “circumferential (360°) tummy tuck” at an overall cost of between €9m & €12m, over the past 3 years, which in the process successfully destroyed every business in the town centre, leaving it naked of any real footfall.
The local municipal district council are keeping the actual overall cost of this 50% upgrade, close to their chests, until they get around eventually to finishing the other half.
The first thing that struck me as I strolled along, was the strong smell of hydrogen sulphide in today’s escaping sewer gas. I asked a few people could they smell anything unusual. One of their replies informed me that I was obviously driving through town in the past number of weeks, with my car windows closed.
I asked where it was coming from and one person suggested it was the wind coming south west from the Thurles sewage plant. Another one suggested I ask contractor Messrs Walsh, whom they stated had to rip up some of their upgraded pavements, because of a reported collapsed pipe. Either way this problem will no doubt be dealt with sometime before the next General Election, in possibly February 2025, if not before.
Actually, what really attracted me, positioned, as it is, in the centre of this half upgraded new Liberty Square, was the last remaining antique looking, Victorian, iron signage still standing, situated just 50 metres from the Thurles Tourism Office.
Having left my glasses at home I moved closer to peruse same signage more clearly. Starting at the top in English, I read the printed utterance we use here in Tipperary, as a greeting or acknowledgement of another’s arrival in the town; the word “WELCOME”.
Same was followed by the words “VISITOR INFORMATION”. (I tell you when Sinn Féin get to hear about this, the Russian Kalashnikov’s will come out. (Not one word of Irish to be seen – No “Fáilte”, – No “Eolas do chuairteoirí”)
As a reasonably fluent English speaker, I moved closer. No, nothing, despite the 7.50 centimeter lettering threatening to inform the visitor and despite it being so close to Thurles Tourism Office. As I examined the dreaded British post box faded red paint, I discovered that obviously someone had accidentally leaned against this sign’s thick, translucent, Perspex facade on some frosty night about 3 years ago, thus leaving it in its current demise.
One had hoped to find helpful information contained their-on, for the benefit of any straying tourists — info like “Nothing Left Here – Try Blarney 118km Further On”, or “Nothing Left Here – This Way To Dublin City 151km Further On“; with perhaps a sort of codicil in small print on other necessary helpful information, like “Warning Traveller: Beware of out-of-control youth gangs leaping from car to car in Dublin city centre”, or “Warning Traveller: Beware of Dublin cowardly youths continuing to attack random individuals leaving them suffering serious head injuries”.
[Actually between ourselves, I blame all this on that feckin Covid-19 vaccine, causing this sort of moronic behaviour in our Republic’s Capital City].
Anyway, I’m not worrying, when Fianna Fail TD Mr J. Cahill reads this; out will come the video crew to provide footage for his social media page. Hope in this case he can find the right area, unlike another video venue, which he failed to identify.
Politicians and powerless local councillors in Thurles and Co. Tipperary, for the moment at least, are enjoying the silence of their electorate, but for how long more is anyone’s guess.
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