Today, Japan offers an example worth examining. VIEW HERE. Its school lunch approach brings together nutritionally balanced meals and shokuiku(Translated – Food Education). This connects what children learn about food with what they experience at mealtimes.
The lesson for our leaders is practical; make nourishing meals accessible and give children the knowledge to understand their food.
Delivering nutritious school meals and practical food education will require substantial investment in ingredients, facilities and trained staff. However, the potential returns extend well beyond the classroom. Research modelling stronger school meal standards suggests that healthier childhood diets could reduce diet-related illness and healthcare costs later in life. Over time, this could mean fewer avoidable hospital visits and admissions, less need for costly treatment and reduced pressure on our health service. These savings would take time and depend on the programme’s effectiveness, but investing in children’s nutrition today offers a valuable opportunity to prevent illness and its human and financial costs tomorrow.
We should work towards a school meal programme built around these priorities:
Nutritious, appealing meals: Support balanced menus developed with qualified nutrition professionals, with attention to children’s ages, allergies and dietary needs.
Access with dignity: Ensure that children from families facing financial hardship can participate without embarrassment or exclusion.
Practical food education: Help pupils learn about ingredients, cooking, food hygiene and reducing waste through activities suited to their age.
Support for local communities: Explore partnerships with local farmers and suppliers where these can meet quality, affordability and reliability requirements.
Resources and accountability: Give schools the funding, kitchen facilities and trained staff they need, then assess meal quality, participation, costs and food waste.
The lesson for our government leaders is practical; make nourishing meals accessible and give children the knowledge to understand the food they eat.
The purpose should be to nourish children and help them build a positive relationship with food. Success should include whether pupils enjoy their meals, have equitable access and gain useful knowledge.
Our political leaders can begin by bringing together educators, nutrition professionals, parents and pupils to design a practical pilot programme. Publish the findings, improve what needs work and expand what proves effective.
Finally, Ireland has shown before what determined political leadership can achieve for public health; from Dr Noel Browne’s leadership in the campaign against tuberculosis (TB) to Mr Micheál Martin’s introduction of the workplace smoking ban in 2004. Both demonstrate the importance of government taking responsibility for protecting people’s health. That same commitment should now inspire a sustained investment in nutritious school meals and practical food education. By making healthy food accessible to every child and teaching habits that can last a lifetime, today’s leaders have an opportunity to leave their own enduring legacy. Let us bring that ambition to our schools, giving every child a healthier start and a fairer chance to thrive.
Every school day offers an opportunity to invest in children’s wellbeing. Let us make the most of it; one nourishing meal and one useful lesson at a time.
French-bred and Irish-trained two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner ‘Galopin Des Champs’ died on Tuesday, September 1st 2026, aged 10, after suffering a severe leg injury in a field, just five days following his retirement.
Mr Ruby Walsh confirmed that vets attended immediately, but X-rays showed damage that could not be repaired. The much-loved gelding had joined the Walsh family to begin a new equestrian career.
Trained by Mr Willie Mullins and owned by Ms Audrey Turley; ‘Galopin Des Champs’ enjoyed an outstanding racing career, winning 15 of his 26 starts and earning approximately €2.3 million in prize money. His 12 Grade One victories included consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups in 2023 and 2024, alongside three Irish Gold Cups between 2023 and 2025.
His death has left his owners, carers and racing fans mourning a remarkable champion. Mr Mullins described the loss as heartbreaking for everyone connected with him.
Galopin Des Champs leaves a lasting legacy and memories of unforgettable triumphs on the racecourse.
Motorists travelling through County Tipperary in early October should plan ahead for two proposed overnight closures on the M8 motorway to facilitate road resurfacing.
Tipperary County Council’s proposal affects the section between Junction 6 at Horse and Jockey and Junction 7 at Cashel North, with each direction scheduled to close on a different night.
The southbound closure is planned from 9:00pm on October 5th until 5:00am on October 6th, 2026. Traffic will be diverted through Horse and Jockey and along the R639 before rejoining the motorway at Junction 7, Cashel North.
The northbound closure is planned from 9:00pm on October 6th until 5:00am on October 7th, 2026. Drivers will leave at Junction 7 and follow the R639 towards Horse and Jockey, rejoining the M8 at Junction 6. Both proposed closures are scheduled to last some eight hours.
Anyone travelling during these hours should allow extra journey time, follow diversion signs and check for updated traffic notices before setting off.
“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit” Above quote by the late American theologian and Quaker Elton Trueblood, (1900 – 1994). [From his 1951 book “The Life We Prize”].
Scots Pine(Pinus sylvestris).
“Planting for the Planet,”
Primary schools across County Tipperary are being encouraged to get outdoors and get planting as National Tree Day returns on Thursday, October 1st 2026.
Organised by the Tree Council of Ireland and supported by Glennon Brothers, the initiative is making 2,000 free Scots Pine saplings available to primary schools nationwide, giving pupils throughout the Premier County an opportunity to take part.
This year’s theme, “Planting for the Planet,” highlights the contribution trees make to our environment. From storing carbon and protecting soil to providing food and shelter for wildlife, trees play an essential role in the world around us.
Schools can mark the occasion with tree planting, nature walks, tree identification and classroom activities. It is a chance for children to explore their surroundings, discover local wildlife and learn why caring for trees matters.
The Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) offers plenty for young nature enthusiasts to discover. An evergreen with distinctive needles and cones, it provides seeds for red squirrels and shelter for birds and insects. Planting a sapling can also create an ongoing learning opportunity as pupils watch their tree develop through the seasons.
Teachers and school leaders can request a free sapling through the online form HERE. Trees are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and the organisers advise that a similar variety may be substituted if demand requires it.
Get your school involved and help a new generation in Tipperary discover the value of planting, protecting and caring for trees.
Yesterday, September 20th 2026, marked fifty years since three men sadly lost their lives in a plane crash in the Galtee Mountains. A gathering at the aircraft monument on the Black Road remembered Jimmy Byrne, Tom Gannon and Dick O’Reilly, whose names remain closely connected with this place.
On Monday, September 20th 1976, the three men were returning to Abbeyshrule, County Longford, after visiting an airstrip at Kilbrittain in County Cork. All were founding members of Abbeyshrule Aero Club and shared a love of flying. Mr Tom Gannon, a solicitor aged 40, was piloting the aircraft. With him were Mr Jimmy Byrne, a farmer aged 56, and Mr Dick O’Reilly, a garage proprietor aged 63. Their journey ended tragically on the southern slopes of the Galtees, above Glengarra Wood, Cullenagh, County Tipperary.
A group photo of family and friends of the three men, as well as local people and members of SEMRA at the 40th anniversary of the accident back in 2016. (Pic: Courtesy of Mr Jimmy Barry).
The aircraft was described as a single-engine, French-built Morane which crashed in thick cloud. Mr Jimmy Byrne had converted part of his farmland into an airfield, reflecting the practical commitment behind the men’s enthusiasm for aviation.
When the aircraft failed to reach its destination, an Air Corps helicopter searched the intended route and located the wreckage. There was no dedicated mountain rescue service in Co. Tipperary at the time, and the knowledge of local hill walkers proved vital in recovery.
The men’s bodies were recovered the following morning in an operation involving Gardaí, the Defence Forces, Civil Defence, relatives, members of Tipperary Adventure Sports Club and local volunteers. The tragedy helped prompt the development of formal mountain rescue structures in the South East in 1977, a lasting legacy associated with the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association, SEMRA.
In 2006, on the thirtieth anniversary, a memorial made from Longford stone was erected beside the Black Road near Skeheenarinky, a townland in south-west Co. Tipperary. Shaped like an aircraft’s tail, it was unveiled by sons of the three men. Its presence has helped maintain a connection between their families, the Abbeyshrule community and those who came to their aid in the Galtees.
Fifty years later, the monument remains a place to pause and remember three lives, the families who mourned them, and the people who answered the call for help.
Remembering Jimmy Byrne, Tom Gannon and Dick O’Reilly. May they rest in peace.
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