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Children & Adult Events This Week In Cashel Library.

Cashel Branch Librarian Ms Maura Barrett Reports:-

Children Events this week in Cashel Library.

1. The next meeting of the Juvenile Book Club will meet on tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17th, 6:30pm to 7:00pm. Please Contact Tel: 062-63825.

2. Join us on Friday, February 20th, from 10:00am to 10:30am, for a fun and Cozy Story Time.
Enjoy the magic of books and quality time together! To book your spot or learn more, Please Tel: 062-63825.

3. LEGO Free Play in Cashel Library! (Strictly 7 years +). Join us for creative fun on Fridays: Feb 20th from 3:30pm to 4:15pm. Build, play, and let your imagination soar! Booking required: Tel: 062-63825.

Adult Events this week in Cashel Library.

1. There are free conversational English classes in Cashel Library – Tuesday morning at 10:30am.
Practice and improve your English, Meet new people. All levels welcome.
Contact Tel: 062-63825 or email cashellibrary@tipperarycoco.ie

2. Cashel library invites you to the Exhibition Launch of artwork by Ms Marguerite Keating on Tuesday Evening, February 17th, at 6:30pm. Refreshments Served. All are welcome.

3. Join the Cashel Craft Circle every Wednesday morning, from 10:00am to 12:00pm, for their weekly social gathering.
Bring along your own project to work on, share ideas, patterns and enjoy a chat and a ‘cuppa’ with others.
No need to book, just come along. Cashel library Tel: 062-63825.

“Don’t Sell Out Our Lake”: Cllr Phyll Bugler On Shannon–Dublin Pipeline.

A North Tipperary councillor has warned that Tipperary County Council must “come out strongly” with regard to its position on the proposed Shannon-to-Dublin water transfer scheme, as the multi-billion euro project moves through the planning process.

The proposal from Uisce Éireann would abstract treated water from the River Shannon system at the Parteen Basin and transfer it through a new pipeline to support supplies in the Eastern and Midlands region and the Greater Dublin Area. Planning permission has been lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála.

Tipperary’s Lough Derg shore line.

What is being planned?
Project documentation published by Uisce Éireann sets out a new abstraction from the lower Shannon at Parteen Basin; a proposed water treatment plant near Birdhill, and a pipeline running approximately 170km to a termination point reservoir at Peamount, connecting into the Greater Dublin Area network.

Uisce Éireann states the abstraction would be a maximum of 2% of the long-term average flow at Parteen Basin. The volume most commonly cited in public reporting is roughly 330–350 million litres per day (depending on the source and whether a rounded “up to” figure is used).

Cost estimates are varied. Uisce Éireann has referenced a preliminary indicative range in the €4.58bn€5.96bn bracket, while other reporting has noted higher “worst-case” risk scenarios discussed in official correspondence.

“A legacy of a beautiful lake that’s destroyed”
Speaking on local radio, Councillor Bugler said she fears the council will not oppose the project strongly enough when it finalises its submission. She said she raised her concerns directly with council Chief Executive Ms Sinéad Carr, warning against any temptation to prioritise potential local “community benefit” funding over environmental impact.
She has urged the council not to “sell us out” and said she was worried about damage to Lough Derg for future generations.

Uisce Éireann has said it is proposing a “bespoke Community Benefit Scheme” linked to communities hosting construction and permanent infrastructure.

Criticism after Killaloe meeting.
The councillor also criticised Uisce Éireann’s public engagement after a recent information meeting in Killaloe, saying she was dissatisfied with the answers provided on how the project would operate during low-flow or drought periods.
In particular, she questioned how a 2% abstraction figure based on long-term averages would translate during dry spells and whether abstraction would be reduced or suspended, and what that would mean for the reliability of supply to Dublin and the wider region.

Proposed Tipperary – Dublin Pipeline.

What turns this from local frustration into national hypocrisy is the scale of spending Ireland is willing to contemplate elsewhere. The Irish Government has backed the Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands region, intended to bring a new long-term water source from the Shannon system towards the greater leaking Dublin area“. See Link Here

Ms Bugler further claimed that some representatives displayed limited familiarity with local water and wastewater infrastructure, including the source of supply for towns Ballina and Newport from the Mulcair River, and raised concerns about treatment levels at Ballina’s wastewater facility. These are allegations made by the councillor in media reports; Uisce Éireann has not, in the published material cited here, issued a point-by-point response to those specific claims.

Council submission in preparation.
Meanwhile, Tipperary County Council is preparing its formal submission to the planning authority. Separate coverage has reported that consultants have been appointed to assist the council in drafting its response.
With the application now before An Coimisiún Pleanála, we learn that stakeholders and members of the public can also make submissions as part of the statutory process, ahead of a decision on whether the project proceeds and, if so, under what conditions.

Chocolate Easter Eggs, Peppa Pig, & The Price Of “Pester Power”

The Easter Supermarket Aisle is really a ‘Confession’ of what we Value.

Not taste. Not ingredients. Not children’s health. What we value and what we reward, is packaging that wins the argument in the moment.

Enter into any Irish supermarket in the weeks before Easter and you’ll find it, that dazzling wall of foil, cartoon faces and glossy packaging, positioned strategically at child height.
Now walk a child past that wall of Easter eggs and watch what happens. They don’t scan ingredients. They scan cartoon characters, colour and sparkle. Their attention is being bought through design and the bill is handed to parents at the till.

That’s why the palm oil conversation matters. Not because palm oil is a cartoon villain, but because it’s often part of a bigger formula: cheaper fats, big sweetness, high profit margin, huge volume.
And, when you attach that formula to a licence kids already love, you get a product that sells itself and most importantly for the retailer, sells fast.

Palm Oil Conversation Matters.

A Tesco listing for a Tesco Peppa Pig Easter product includes “Vegetable Fats (Palm, Shea…)”.
Read that again; the most child-attractive packaging can be paired with ingredients designed to protect a price point, not a growing body.
Now here’s the part that will annoy people. Supermarkets will say, “We simply stock what customers buy.”

Yes True, but incomplete.
Retailers shape what customers buy. They choose what gets eye-level space, what gets aisle-end promotion, what gets “2 for €X”. They decide what looks like the normal choice.
If the loudest, sweetest, most character-heavy egg is placed where every family must pass, then “choice” becomes a bit of theatre. A kid asks. A parent caves. The system works exactly as is so designed.

And don’t pretend we don’t know the long game. Health guidance remains consistent: keep saturated fat lower overall and don’t let it quietly dominate the diet.
We also know that diets built around ultra-processed treats don’t damage a child in one day, they train preferences and routines over years.

The tragedy is that Irish makers who are trying to do it better are often invisible to children.

That’s a strong ethical and ingredient choice. But on a crowded Easter shelf, a subtle box can’t compete with the instant dopamine or feel-good hit of a character egg.

So here’s my fair, defensible ask:
Supermarkets: Stop hiding Irish quality behind adult-looking packaging and premium-price assumptions. Give local makers seasonal visibility where families actually shop. Supermarkets aren’t trying to harm children. They are, however, designed to maximise sales per metre of shelf space. Character products sell fast, drive “pester power”, and deliver predictable seasonal turnover. Artisan chocolate can be slower-moving, pricier, and less visually “grabby” for small hands.
Irish chocolatiers: You don’t need to slap a cartoon face on everything, but you do need to meet kids where they are. Easter is visual. Make “better ingredients” look fun. The uncomfortable truth is that the better chocolate product often loses the packaging battle. Here’s where Easter gets unfair. Many artisan brands package beautifully for adults; elegant boxes, subtle colours, premium cues, but kids don’t buy with adult eyes.
Parents: Don’t let the aisle decide for you. Flip the box. Read the fat list. Buy the fun, but buy it with open eyes. Look for palm oil/palm kernel oil on the label (it will be named).

Easter should be a treat. It shouldn’t be a marketing lesson where children learn that the brightest box is automatically the best choice.

If we really want better food culture, we have to reward it, not just applaud it.

A Night Of Music For A Great Thurles Cause – “In Our Hands”

There’s something special on the way for Thurles, a proper live night out with a purpose at its heart; supporting “In Our Hands”, the re-roofing campaign to preserve our Cathedral of the Assumption, for generations to come.

We’re delighted to confirm that final plans for the music night are now almost concluded. While the final details are still being agreed, the spirit of the evening is already clear; community, music, and meaningful support for a cause that matters deeply, right across the Diocese of Cashel and Emly.

Those performing have very kindly committed to making this a night that keeps the campaign front and centre, and it’s being done in a particularly fitting way. The event will also mark a milestone year for the professional performers themselves, a moment that reflects years of gigs, hard work, and loyal audiences who kept showing up. Rather than celebrating quietly, they’ve chosen to share it in the best way possible; by helping the events committee restore Thurles Cathedral roof.

So what can people expect?

  • A professional live music night — Upbeat, Welcoming, and Community-focused for all age groups.
  • Clear ticketed fundraising on the night, with a chance to win major raffle prizes.
  • Confirmed updates coming soon in relation to date, venue and time.

In the meantime, please keep an eye out, spread the word, and if you can, bring a friend.
Nights like this work best when the whole community gets behind them — because the best kind of anniversary isn’t just looking back. It’s giving something forward.

Tickets will cost €25.00. Come for the tunes, the atmosphere, and the shared sense of doing something worthwhile — all under the one roof, all pulling in the same direction.

Remember: Success is sweeter when it’s shared.

Death Of Nora Lonergan, Dublin.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday February 14th 2026, of Ms Nora Lonergan, Cowper Road, Dublin and late of Gurtnagarde, Cappamore, Co. Limerick and AIB Rathgar and Dame St. Dublin.

Ms Lonergan passed away peacefully following a long illness.

Her passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; loving sisters Jody Delaney (Borrisoleigh, Thurles), Amy Kennedy (Pallasgreen), and Ciss Ryan (Newport), brothers-in-law Pakie and Michael, cherished nieces and nephews extended relatives, neighbours and many friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Ms Lonergan will repose at Meehan’s Funeral Home, Cappamore, Co. Limerick, on Monday afternoon, February 16th, from 5:00pm until 6:30pm, same evening.

Her remains will be received into the Church of St Michael, Main Street, Cappamore, on Tuesday morning, February 17th, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 11:30am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards in Doon Old Graveyard, Doon, Co. Limerick.

The extended Lonergan 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.