Thurles Information

Thurles Local Councillors Shift Responsibility For Thurles Flooding To Someone Else.

Councillors at a Thurles Municipal District Council Meeting on Monday last were calling for ‘a plan’, latter to be drawn up 40 years too late, in an effort to tackle unprecedented flooding in Thurles on Sunday night.

Fianna Fáil Councillors Mr Seamus Hanafin and Mr Sean Ryan; the former confirming that the issue was a 40 year old inheritance problem and blaming Tipperary County Council; while the latter councillor acknowledged that this was the 3rd such incident over the last 18 month period.

As non-red faced Councillors verbally “passed the political buck” yesterday, local dissatisfied residents were seriously asking the question; “What were both above named, paid and elected public representatives doing for the past number of years, while both were members of this same Tipperary County Council, led by Chief Executive Mr Joe MacGrath?”

The answer of course they already know, same being; “Mostly talking party politics and further destroying Thurles town’s valuable, rich, history, to the detriment of our local tourism industry”.

Meanwhile, according to a recent ‘Press Release’, Irish Water yesterday outlined its investment in water and wastewater infrastructure projects across the Premier County, since 2014.

Surprise, surprise, Thurles is not targeted for future upgrading except under the “Leakage Reduction Programme”, but we learn that between 2014-2019, the utility invested €69m into various projects in Tipperary, with an estimated €65m, once again being ‘pumped’ (pardon the pun) into other un-named projects, up until 2024.

[None of which I might add, includes even a sandbag or a sewage blocker, being offered to Thurles town businesses or residents, and OMG, do you think, with local elections occurring in 2024, will the local electorate remember?]

Pending the ‘Commission for Regulation of Utilities’ approval; a further €136m will be also invested beyond 2024.

Speaking after a meeting with Tipperary County Council’s elected representatives yesterday, ‘Operations Lead‘ speaking for Irish Water, Ms Catherine McDonough said; “Irish Water is committed to providing quality water and wastewater services for the people of Tipperary. There is a strategic and targeted approach to infrastructure developments and proper investment is allocated for improving water and wastewater treatment plants, strengthening networks, supporting housing and economic growth, and protecting the environment. All of which are providing a more quality service for now and years to come.

As part of the Leakage Reduction Programme, almost 30km of old and problematic watermains across the county have been replaced in Newport, Kilcommon, Garrykennedy, Ballyglass, Tullakeady, Clonmore, Thurles, Clonmel and Templetouhy; and next year we plan to replace approximately 17km throughout the county.

This year has been challenging so far for certain parts of Tipperary with the warm weather and drought we experienced. This put some water supplies under immense pressure and resulted in some water restrictions, outages, loss of water pressure, and in some cases, Boil Water Notices.

I want to thank the people of Tipperary for playing their part in conserving water throughout the Summer and for having patience while we tried to restore their water supply. We have invested a lot in the local infrastructure to limit the impact this can have. We have accomplished a significant amount with our colleagues in Tipperary County Council over the last number of years, and we have more work to do as we continue providing a quality service for the people of Tipperary “.

Irish Water are also investing €65 million to upgrade and standardise disinfection systems across Ireland. In Tipperary, 21 Water Treatment Plants have had upgrades of their disinfection systems to date and upgrades at the remaining eight plants will be completed by the end of 2023.

The National Water Resources Plan is Irish Water’s plan to identify how we will provide a safe, sustainable, secure and reliable water supply to our customers for now and into the future whilst safeguarding the environment.
It will set out how we will balance the supply and demand for drinking water over the short, medium, and long term and ensure we have a safe, sustainable, secure and reliable drinking water supply for everyone.

North Tipperary is included in the Regional Water Resources Plan for the Eastern and Midlands region – and was recently adopted by IW. The remaining parts of Tipperary will be included in the Regional Water Resources Plan for the south-east which will be published for public consultation in 2023.

More limited details on the plan are available HERE.

Garda Compensation Scheme Bill Completes Passage Through Oireachtas.

A Bill to overhaul Garda Compensation Scheme completes passage through the Oireachtas.

Claim assessment time and legal costs to be reduced.

Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee and Minister of State Mr James Browne are pleased to announce that the Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021 has completed all stages in the Oireachtas.

This Bill provides for a complete overhaul of the current Garda compensation scheme, which has been in operation since the 1940s.

The Garda Compensation Scheme is for members of An Garda Síochána who sustain personal injuries in the performance of their duties, to help affected members get support necessary for their recovery and compensate them for their injuries. The scheme is also open to dependants of deceased members of An Garda Síochána who were fatally injured while on duty, or while acting in their general capacity as a member, or merely because of their being a member of An Garda Síochána.

The main objectives of the Bill is to reduce the length of time it takes for Garda compensation claims to be dealt with from the initial application right through to the award of compensation and to reduce legal costs.

It also offers opportunities for settlement and resolution of claims much earlier in the process with cost savings for all of the parties involved. The Bill achieves this by setting out clear time limits in relation to each stage of the process and providing what will happen where those timelines are not met. It also aims to reduce the number of applications ultimately proceeding to court, which will in turn reduce the significant legal and administrative costs and lengthy delays associated with the current scheme.

A significant change in the new scheme is that where an assessment concludes that a member has been injured as a result of a malicious incident, and is therefore entitled to compensation, the Garda Commissioner will arrange for an application to be made on the claimant’s behalf to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) who will assess the claim on an independent and impartial basis. After a claim has been made to PIAB, the State Claims Agency will represent the Garda Commissioner.

The Personal Injuries Assessment Board is the independent state body which assesses personal injury claims. It was established to support the prompt and fair resolution of claims without the need for costly and lengthy litigation.

Welcoming the passing of the Bill today, Minister McEntee said: “We can all agree that members of An Garda Síochána do their utmost to tackle crime and to keep the public safe and I commend them on this.

Unfortunately, the nature of this work means that members of the Garda can suffer injuries, or in the most tragic cases, injuries causing death, and they, or their family members in the case of death, deserve to be compensated in recognition of this.

Having met the Garda representative organisations on a number of occasions since becoming Minister for Justice, I know this is an important issue to members, and I am delighted to see the legislation passed so we can move towards establishing a revised scheme that will better serve those who need to avail of it”.

Minister Browne commented: “This much anticipated Bill to reform the Garda Compensation Scheme is important, to not only those individuals on the frontline protecting and supporting our communities, but also their family members who feel the direct effect of when their loved ones are harmed while on duty. It is only right that when incidences like these occur that members and their families are redressed in a fair and efficient manner to avoid any further burden on the injured parties.

I cannot express enough the deep respect that we all have towards members of An Garda Síochána who, despite the now dangers involved with tackling criminal activity, go out to face it first-hand. I am pleased to have brought this Bill through the Houses and look forward to the revised scheme assisting in providing Gardaí with compensatory supports in a way that will lessen delays and financial costs that the now outdated procedures sometimes had on members in the past”.

Ministers McEntee and Browne look forward to early commencement of the Bill and express their thanks to their colleagues in both houses of the Oireachtas for their assistance in ensuring its timely delivery.

Death Of Kathleen Foley, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, on Monday 17th October 2022, of Mrs Kathleen Foley (née Rafter), Drangan Village, Drangan, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by her husband Jim; Mrs Foley passed away, while in the care of staff at Willowbrook Lodge Nursing Home, Mocklershill, Fethard, Co. Tipperary.

Her passing is most deeply regretted by her sons Sean and Chris, sisters Eileen (Ford) and Margaret (McParland), brothers Tom and John, daughter-in-law Mairead, grandchildren Cathal, Clodagh and Donncha, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mrs Foley will repose at McCarthy’s Funeral Home, Fethard, on Thursday evening, October 20th, from 5:00pm, with removal at 7:30pm, to be received into the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Drangan, Thurles at 8:00pm.
Requiem Mass will be celebrated at 11:00am on Friday morning, October 21st, followed by interment in St. Mary’s (Old Cemetery),Knockroe, Drangan, Thurles, immediately afterwards.

The extended Foley family wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time and have made arrangements for those wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.

Suaimhneas síoraí dá h-anam dílis.

Status Orange Rain Warning For Co. Tipperary.

Met Eireann issued a ‘Status Orange’ rain warning for five counties last night, to run until midnight tonight, (October 19th).

The counties threatened are Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois and Offaly.
The forecaster warned that residents of these counties should expect heavy rain, with the possibility of thundery downpours, which in turn could lead to localised flooding and some disruption.

Following this advice some Thurles business premises and residents, last night, placed sand bags in front of their doors in Friar Street and Cathedral Street, based on their experiences of Sunday night last.

**Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary**, **October 18th**.

**Friar Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, **October 18th**.**

At 5:00am this morning, our eye in the sky spotted some flooding beginning to materialise to the rear of Tesco, on Emmett Street in the town, caused possibly by a blocked drain. We base this assumption on the fact that the the River Suir, some three metres away, remains unperturbed by last night’s rainfall.

**Emmett Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, **October 18th**.**

Motorists in Co. Tipperary, continue to be advised to slow down and allow a greater braking distance between themselves and the vehicle in front, particularly on high-speed roads such as dual carriageways and motorways.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) have stated that if the road ahead is flooded choose another route, and not to attempt to drive through it. Flooded roads that appear shallow could be deeper than you think. The verge may have subsided and there may also be trees or branches that have fallen that may not be visible.

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists were similarly warned to take care by wearing bright clothes and high-visibility material.

Note: According to Met Eireann, all Munster GAA post primary schools games, which were scheduled to take place today have now postponed due to this forecast Status Orange rain warning.

Update On Thurles Flooding.

Workshop held today (October 18th) between representatives of Irish Water and elected members of Tipperary County Council.
Issue of flooding in Thurles Town high on the agenda.

Today, a ‘Workshop’ was held between representatives from Irish Water and elected members of Tipperary County Council, including Thurles Municipal District officials and engineers, from the Council’s Water Services Section; their business to discuss investment plans for Co. Tipperary.

We are told that high on the agenda was the issue of flooding in Thurles Town, experienced on Sunday night, which occurred following a period of heavy rainfall, which in turn resulted in streets being flooded by water and sewage, to a dept of over 100mm on various streetscapes.

We understand that Thurles Municipal District Council members outlined on our behalf, details of the impact that flooded streets were having on the town and the difficulties being frequently experienced by local businesses and private homes in the areas of Friar Street, west of the town.

Irish Water representatives from the Waste Water Network Asset Planning
section confirmed that they were aware of the extent of the issues and confirmed that an analysis of the network had recently been completed and would be expedited.

While we have no details as of yet, with regards to the closed discussions, we understand that our elected representatives were informed that once design options were further advanced, then Irish Water will present all solutions to Tipperary County Council.

As we head into an uncertain winter season and to sum up; there are no real solutions currently in the ‘pipeline‘ (forgive the pun), aimed at presently solving or resolving the flooding problems in Thurles, so probably best to acquire sandbags.