Archives

Death Of Oliver Nolan, Formerly Of Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday Thursday 19th February 2026, of Mr Oliver Nolan, Donaghmede, Co. Dublin and formerly of Collinstown, Co Westmeath and Holycross, Thurles, Co Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by his parents, brothers Peter, Patsy and Joe, sisters Kathleen, Maisie and Bernadette; Mr Nolan passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family, while in the care of staff at St Francis Hospice, Raheny, Co. Dublin.

His passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family; loving wife Marie, son Eamon, daughters Bróna and Eimear, grandchildren Lily, Aoibheann, Jamie and Ollie, sons-in-law James and Ciarán, daughter-in-law Mags, sister Chrissie, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Nolan will repose at Jennings Funeral Home, Oscar Traynor Road, Coolock, Dublin 17, (Eircode D17 FK58) on Tuesday afternoon, February 24th, from 2:00pm until 4:00pm.
His remains will be received into the Church of Holy Trinity, Donaghmede, Dublin 13, (Eircode D13 HP20) on Wednesday morning to further repose for Requiem Mass at 10:00am, followed by a service of cremation in Dardistown Crematorium, Collinstown Cross, Old Airport Rd, Dardistown, Dublin, (Eircode K67 HP26).

For those persons who would wish to attend Requiem Mass for Mr Nolan, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.

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

Note Please: Family flowers only. Donations in lieu of flowers to St. Francis Hospice in memory of Mr Oliver Nolan.

Sinn Féin’s White House “Boycott” Meets A Blunt Response – No Invitation Issued.

Sinn Féin’s decision this week to stay away from St Patrick’s Day events at the White House has taken a new turn, after the US embassy said the party wasn’t invited in the first place, and is not expected to be.

In a statement issued to Irish press, Mr Edward Walsh said that “no members of Sinn Féin have been invited to the White House, and none are expected to be invited”. He added that announcing a boycott “of an event for which invitations have neither been extended nor finalised is premature”.

What Sinn Féin said and why it said it.
Earlier in the week, Sinn Féin leader Ms Mary Lou McDonald said no party representatives would attend White House St Patrick’s Day events, citing the situation in Gaza Strip and the need for international attention to remain focused on Palestine.
The party position was framed as a protest and a statement of principle. Sinn Féin also indicated it was working on the assumption an invitation would again be issued, noting that invitations are often made close to the event itself.
It will be remembered that critics have long pointed to Sinn Féin’s past engagement with Hamas, including meetings, as a political vulnerability, even as the party insists its position is rooted in international law and support for Palestinian statehood.

The key update: “not invited” and “not expected”.
The embassy statement, however, cuts across that narrative. The message from Washington, via Dublin, is effectively, there is no invitation to decline.
The ambassador also pointed to what he described as unusually strong demand for access to this year’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the White House, presenting it as a sign of the “depth and vitality” of the US–Ireland relationship.

Wider context: who is going and who isn’t.
While Sinn Féin is opting out (and now being told it wasn’t on the invite list anyway), Taoiseach Mr Micheál Martin has confirmed he has accepted an invitation to meet Donald Trump at the White House on St Patrick’s Day (March 17).
Separately, Sinn Féin’s senior leadership in Northern Ireland has also indicated it will not attend: Michelle O’Neill has said she will not go to this year’s White House events, also citing Gaza.

Why it matters
This is now less a simple “boycott” story and more a three-way political dynamic:

  • A party staking out a moral position on Gaza, and seeking to use the St Patrick’s Day spotlight as leverage.
  • A US administration controlling access tightly, signalling who is , and isn’t, welcome in a high-profile diplomatic theatre.
  • An Irish Government continuing the annual engagement, arguing that the relationship is too economically and strategically important to step away from, even amid controversy.

Death Of Peg Cormack, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, today Thursday 19th February 2026, of Mrs Margaret (Peg) Cormack, of Barna, Templetuohy, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and formerly of Ballyerk, Moyne, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

In her ninety-fifth year, Mrs Cormack passed away peacefully, following a short illness, while in the care of the medical and nursing staff, at Tullamore General Hospital.

Her passing is most deeply regretted and lovingly remembered by her primary carers, her nephew John Butler and his wife Carmel, their daughters Louise and Aileen, Peg’s brother-in-law Larry Maher (Kilduff, Killea), her devoted nephews and nieces and their spouses, the Butler family (Barna, Templetuohy), Helen (Meehan), Seamus, Willie, Patricia (Martin), John, Michael and Marie (French), the Maher family (Kilduff, Killea), Mairead (Vaughan), Tim, Sharon and Liam; grandnieces and grandnephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mrs Cormack will be received into the Church of the Sacred Heart, Church Lane, Longorchard, Templetuohy, Thurles at 11:00am on Saturday morning, February 21st, to repose for Requiem Mass at 11:30am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in Moyne Old Cemetery, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

The extended families wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time.

Food Allergen Alert.

FSAI warn of undeclared almonds in a batch of mispacked Cottage Delight Garlic Stuffed Gordal Olives.

Alert Summary dated Thursday, February 19th 2026.

Allergy Alert Notification: 2026.A09.
Allergen: Nuts (almonds).
Product Identification: Cottage Delight Garlic Stuffed Gordal Olives; pack size: 280g.
Batch Code Best-before end: 12/2028.
Country Of Origin: Spain
.

Message:
The above batch of Cottage Delight Garlic Stuffed Gordal Olives was mispacked with almond stuffed olives.
Almond is not listed as an ingredient and this may make the batch unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of nuts (almonds), and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batch.

The affected batch is being recalled.

Death Of Ena Maher, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, today Thursday 19th February 2026, of Mrs Ena Maher (née O’Brien), Parkstown House, Horse and Jockey, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and formerly of Mitchelstown, Co. Cork.

Pre-deceased by her husband Joe; the passing of Mrs Maher is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; loving daughters Mary and Tina, sons Ken and Brian, grandchildren Joe, Grace, Karen, Mark, Tom, Stephen, Niall and Daria, sons-in-law Kevin and Carl, daughters-in-law Paula and Mary, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mrs Maher will repose at Hugh Ryan’s Funeral Home, Slievenamon Road, Thurles, (Eircode E41 CP59), on Friday afternoon next, February 20th, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm same evening.
Her remains will be received into the Church of St Peter Church, Moycarkey, Thurles, (Eircode E41 FY29), on Saturday morning, February 21st, at 11:00am, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 11.30am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in nearby St. Peter’s Cemetery, Moycarkey, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

For those persons who would wish to attend Requiem Mass for Mrs Maher, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.

The extended Maher and O’Brien families wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time, and have made arrangements for those persons wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.

The Maher and O’Brien families would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of Fern Dean Nursing Home, Stepaside, Co. Dublin, for taking such good care of Mrs Maher during her time there.