Thurles Information

Co. Tipperary – Bournea Reaching Out Historical Society – Annual General Meeting.

Bournea Reaching Out Historical Society PRO Mr Tim Maher Reports:-

The Annual General Meeting of ‘Bournea Reaching Out Historical Society’ was held in Lismackin Hall on February 10th 2026 last.
The outgoing Chairman Mr Tim Lee welcomed everyone to this their 13th AGM. He thanked everyone for attending the meeting in the Hall and on their videoconferencing application ‘Zoom’. He told the meeting that the club had yet another great year in 2025. He said they had commenced the year with the AGM in February by electing a new committee. Members had continued with very successful hybrid meetings and it has now become part of their normal meeting each month, over the past few years.

He stated that the club had a great visit to Cahir on their Historical Outing; visiting the Swiss Cottage and Cahir Castle, before meeting up with Mr PJ O’Meara from Cahir’s historical society, who took members on a tour around the town. Finishing in the square, the society went to the Cahir House Hotel where they had a meal, on what was described as a wonderful day, on probably the hottest day of the year.

This year they helped the Hall Committee, by applying for a grant under their name to purchase new tables for Hall.

Mr Lee went on to state, “We had a wonderful morning in Clonakenny at the Norebrook Lounge, when we invited the Tipperary Village Tours Tipp FM team, with Allison Hyland and John G O’Dwyer on Friday June 13th. They interviewed and recorded 12 speakers from all the groups in the parish, with music from Davie Brereton, Michael Ryan, and Michael Doyle. The program was later aired on Tipp FM. All interviews were subsequently transcribed for an article in our 2025 publication.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have our annual Historical walk/drive this year, due to certain circumstances. We have done all the surrounding rural areas and maybe it’s time to look closer to home again, as it’s been nine years since we had a walk or drive in our own parish.
Mr Paddy Coady launched our 12th volume of “Bournea Reaching Out Historical Society 2025” publication in the Norebrook Lounge. Another great achievement, and sold extremely well. Tim thanked all involved in producing this publication, from the authors to the sellers and many more involved.
We also launched our website, which is a brilliant achievement, Tim thanked Emma for all her help to date. We have a lot of work to do with the webpages over the coming months but he had no doubt it will be a brilliant resource going forward.
We continue to compile research like the Maher families, school, graveyard, memory card, and other historical data, etc. Our Facebook page and private GEDmatch Discussion group page on both on social media remains ongoing, helping to connect new people searching for their family history in different ways”.

Mr Lee further stated that in June, he submitted his resignation as Chairperson of Bournea Reaching Out Historical Society, with effect from tonight. He said he knew it was a bit of shock to the members and that is why after careful consideration he submitted his resignation last June, to give the society time to organize a new Chairperson. “It is time someone new took on the role and bring new ideas to the job and lead it maybe in a new and better direction for the benefit of our society”, he added.

Mr Lee said he had been Chairperson since their formation first in 2013 and during that time he was more than satisfied with what was achieved in that period. When we started, Mr Lee said he could never have imagined the number of projects the society would complete and that to lead this society into so many projects was indeed a great honour.

Mr Lee said that the proudest moment for him was receiving the Ireland XO Volunteer of the Year National award, on behalf of the society in 2015. This was a Government award, and Minister of State and Diaspora Affairs Mr Jimmy Deenihan and Mr Mike Ferick of Ireland XO presented the awards recognising that out of 500 parishes affiliated with Ireland XO that year, they were the most active, reaching out to the diaspora, who were researching their origins and, most importantly, ensuring that every returning member of the Irish diaspora was greeted with a welcome.
Very few knew what we were doing outside the parish before then. That award gave Mr Lee great energy to lead the society at that time and look what they have achieved since. “We completed a lot of projects over the years and I didn’t think there was a year when we didn’t implement a significant project or event. Starting in 2013 with the setting up of Bournea Parish Group; the Ireland XO Presentation Night by Henry Healy; the Brief History of Couraguneen Graveyard booklet; all our lectures e.g. Willie Smyth when he packed the hall in 2014 and George Cunningham 2015, Joe Coughlan & Michael Ward 2016, DNA lecture by Tom Ryan 2018, Larry Breen and Rev. Mgr. Dr Maurice Dooley in 2020, the DNA Lecture by Professor Mark Kennedy 2021; first publication in 2014 to our last volume, 2025 (12 incredible publications); all our Book launches, launched by various distinguished people inside and outside the parish, including the Tipp FM Book Launch 2017; The unavailing of a plaque to Tom Delaney in Clonakenny village 2015. The Way we were project, bringing the Couraguneen Church Door back to life, the Commemoration of Toor to Loran in 2016; the school reunion and the outdoor way we were project in Clonakenny in 2017; all the historical walks mapped in our parish and reaching out to our neighboring parishes to do the walks and help them to record the history of their parishes; managing to continue during the Covid pandemic, by introducing different ways to communicate through Zoom meetings and WhatsApp; the sketch we did during Covid to promote the book in 2021; introducing the hybrid meeting in the hall; introducing the DNA GEDmatch Ancestor Project in 2022; the celebration of ten years in 2023; The Graveyard Projects over the years; the Ellis Island Project; digitizing the School Records; the opening of Jim Kennedy’s Castlepark Museum; and finally the new website we have launched in 2025, not forgetting the many smaller projects completed in the past 13 years that we have recorded in our publications.

**Photo: Newly Elected Chairperson of Bournea Historical Society Ms Christine Timoney.**

After The Chairperson’s address, Vice Chairman Mr Michael Costigan paid tribute to Mr Lee on behalf of the whole group. Mr Costigan said he had always a keen interest in local history and was delighted when Mr Lee asked him in 2012 to help him for a new historical group in the parish. Mr Costigan praised Mr Lee for his brain power and knowledge, as well as his patience and persistence. He said so much would have been forgotten, but those stories will now be handed down to the next generation. Researchers will be delighted with the books that we have published. He thanked Mr Lee for all his work and insight, and wished him health and happiness.

This was followed by the election of Officers 2026.
Chairperson: Christine Timoney.
Vice Chairperson: (Regional) Michael Costigan.
Vice Chairperson: (Global) Anne Evola.
Secretary: Ann Feehan.
Assistant Secretary: Mary Conway.
Treasurer: Dick Conroy.
Public Relations Officer (PRO): Tim Maher.
DNA Project Admin: Gail Hannigan

Committee Members were as follows: Paud Treacy, Aidan Lee, Michael Kiely, Hannah Greed Quigley, Nora Byrne, Margaret Maher, Philomena Hynes.

Newly elected Chairperson.
Our new Chairperson, Christine Timoney lives in the city of Melbourne in Australia. She attends our meetings via Zoom every month. Christine Timoney first joined Bournea Reaching Out Historical Society in 2014 when she rented a traditional Irish cottage in Killough for four months from July to early November. The goals of her extended visit from Australia were to experience something of what it might be like to live in rural Ireland, and to reconnect with four distinct lines of Tipperary ancestors.

On one of those four lines, Christine’s maternal grandfather John Costigan left Borrisnoe for Australia in 1882, arriving as a 19-year-old in Sydney with his sister Mary Anne. They were followed seven years later by two more sisters Annie and Hannah.

John Costigan later moved on to Brisbane where in 1901 he married Honorah McMahon of Portroe. The youngest of their children was Christine’s mother Mary Costigan, born 1909. John Costigan died in Brisbane over one hundred years ago, on 30th July 1925.

Like many nineteenth century Irish emigrants, John and his sisters left more brothers and sisters behind in Ireland, and Christine feels very blessed to have reconnected in 2014 with her extended Costigan-Maher family, a great many of whom still live here.

Throughout her childhood Christine was entranced by exotic-sounding place names like Borrisnoe and Devil’s Bit Mountain, and now, having repeatedly achieved her dream of walking in her ancestors’ home places, she has stepped into the role of chairperson – from afar – of Bournea’s vibrant and active historical group. The group now boasts members from across the parish, elsewhere in Ireland and across the world. Their meetings are hybrid: every month the locals meet in Lismackin Hall while others Zoom into the meeting from Ireland, USA and Australia.

At the group’s recent AGM, Christine paid tribute to their impressive thirteen years of achievements under the inspiring leadership of founding chairperson Mr Tim Lee, and pledged to continue the many successful annual projects, including the publication of a fresh volume of Bournea history every year, the popular historical walk/drive each summer, the public history lecture and the members’ annual excursion to places of historical interest.

This year she also hopes to oversee significant progress in oral history interviews with long-time local senior residents,enhancements to the newly launched Bournea website and a thorough study of the movement of families into, out of and within the parish in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For this last project, the group keenly awaits the release of the 1926 census of Ireland, which will be freely available online from 18 April.

Christine pays tribute particularly to the group’s resilience in adapting to the challenges of the pandemic in 2020 and is grateful that their response was to go hybrid with their meetings. This has created a unique environment for cooperation and collaboration between local residents passionate about history and genealogy, and like-minded descendants of Bournea emigrants who moved to othercountries over the past couple of centuries.

Christine thanks Bournea Reaching Out Historical Society for offering her this unique opportunity to make a difference from afar.

Jessie Buckley Wins Oscar, Inspiring Pride In Thurles & Across Ireland.

The Ursuline Secondary School community here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, is celebrating with great pride, following the news that former student Ms Jessie Buckley has won the 2026 Academy Award for Best Actress for her powerful performance in the film “Hamnet”.

The Academy’s official results confirm Buckley’s win, while multiple reports noted that she became the first Irish performer to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

Jessie Buckley’s success has been warmly welcomed in Thurles, where she is remembered as a talented and creative former Ursuline secondary student whose journey from the classroom to the world stage continues to inspire immense local pride. Recent local reporting has also identified Buckley as a past pupil of Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles.

Her Oscar-winning role in “Hamnet” has been widely praised by critics and audiences alike, with Buckley earning acclaim throughout the 2026 awards season before securing Hollywood’s highest acting honour. Her performance as Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, has been described as emotionally powerful and deeply memorable, helping to cement her place among the most respected actors of her generation.

For the Ursuline school community, Jessie’s achievement is a moment of enormous joy and celebration. It is a reminder to current and future students that talent, dedication and belief in oneself can lead to extraordinary opportunities. Her story reflects the strength of ambition nurtured at local level and realised on the international stage.

Everyone at Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles, extends heartfelt congratulations to Jessie on this remarkable achievement and wishes her continued success in all future projects.

Mammy’s Day – March 15th.

Today, Sunday 15th March 2026, is Mother’s Day in Ireland, and that feels especially fitting for a nod to the legendary “Irish Mammy” energy Brendan Grace made so memorable; the woman who could find your lost jumper, your manners, and your future all in one sentence.
So let us begin by honouring the queens of the side-eye, the guardians of “Were you raised in a barn?”, and the fearless women who could heal any illness with tea, toast and a threat.

**Late, Great, Commedian Brendan Grace** *(1951- 2019)*.

Mothers don’t just bring us into the world; they spend the rest of their lives asking why we went out without a coat and whether we’ve thanked them properly for the privilege.

The Irish Mother.

And as we close, let’s raise a cup of tea, hide the good biscuits, and salute the women who somehow managed to keep the whole show on the road, while making it look like we were the hard work.

Happy Mother’s Day to every mammy, mum, mother, and maternal legend, may your compliments be plentiful, your feet be up for at least ten minutes, and may nobody dare say “What’s for dinner?” unless they’re the one cooking it.

Walsh Park Wipeout – Waterford Collapse As Tipp’s Storming Revival Sends Déise Down.

Waterford’s Allianz Hurling League survival bid ended in bitter fashion at Azzurri Walsh Park, as they squandered a commanding half-time lead and crashed to relegation, with Tipperary roaring back, on a windy afternoon, to secure their own Division 1A status.

Tipperary won 2-24 to 1-23 after trailing by eight points before the break, with John McGrath starring on his first start of 2026 and Gearóid O’Connor grabbing a crucial second-half goal.

Waterford began with real intent and looked in complete control for long stretches of the opening half. Driven by a dominant display around the middle and sharp attacking movement, the Déise repeatedly found gaps in the Tipp defence. Dessie Hutchinson hit the ground running with a string of early points, while Shane Bennett was hugely influential, surging forward to clip over four superb scores.

By the 24th minute, Waterford had built a powerful platform. Seán Walsh’s goal, taken brilliantly after latching onto a huge delivery, injected even more life into the home crowd and pushed the margin wider. With Reuben Halloran, Darragh Lyons and Mark Fitzgerald all adding scores, Waterford appeared to be cruising as Tipp struggled to cope with their pace and intensity.

Yet the visitors found a lifeline before half-time. A couple of late scores trimmed the gap and offered a hint that all was not lost. That sliver of momentum became a tidal wave after the restart.

Backed by the strong wind, Tipperary returned with purpose and aggression. S. Tobin, impressive throughout, made a big contribution, while Conor Stakelum and Eoghan Connolly also helped swing the momentum. Waterford, so fluent before the break, suddenly found scores far harder to come by. Crucially, neither Hutchinson nor Bennett managed to add to their tallies in the second half.

The turning point arrived in the 58th minute. John McGrath flicked possession into the path of Jake Morris, who burst through the heart of the defence before teeing up Gearóid O’Connor to finish calmly to the net. In one sweeping move, Tipp had turned the contest on its head.

Although Halloran briefly kept Waterford alive with placed balls, Tipp finished the stronger side. Bryan O’Mara produced a vital intervention at the back, and late scores from Oisín O’Donoghue, Andrew Ormond and McGrath ensured the comeback was complete.

For Waterford, it was a collapse that will sting deeply. For Tipp, it was a rescue mission completed in style.

Tipperary: R. Shelly; R. Doyle, R Maher, M. Breen; O. O’Donoghue (0-01), B. O’Mara, E. Connolly (0-02) [1 x 65, 1 x f ]; C. Morgan, C. Stakelum (0-01); J. Caesar, K. McCarthy, J. Morris (0-02); J. McGrath (1-04 (7pts)), J. Forde (0-06), [5 x f ], S. Tobin (0-04).

Subs: A. Ormond for K. McCarthy, G. O’Connor for J. Caesar, D. Stakelum for C. Morgan, D. McCarthy for J. Forde, and S. Kenneally for S. Tobin.

Referee: T. Gleeson (Dublin).

Tipperary Home Energy Upgrades Still Worth It, Even If The Headlines Sound Confusing.

Homeowners across Co. Tipperary could be forgiven for feeling mixed messages about retrofitting right now.

A new ESRI review has sparked debate by highlighting that actual household energy use does not always match what BER ratings predict.
Put in simple terms, some highly efficient homes use more energy than expected, while many low-rated homes use less than the models suggest. The ESRI says this helps explain why average real-world consumption can look surprisingly similar across BER bands.

At first glance, that can make insulation, heating upgrades, or a heat pump seem like poor value. But that would be the wrong conclusion, especially in a county like Tipperary, where many homes are older, more rural, more exposed to weather, and more likely to depend on oil, solid fuel, or outdated heating systems. The same CSO data that raised eyebrows also shows that better-rated homes generally use less energy per square metre, which remains one of the fairest ways to compare homes of very different sizes. In 2023, A and B rated homes using electricity for heating consumed 39 kWh per square metre, compared with 66 for C-rated homes and 58 for F and G rated homes.

That matters in Tipperary because house size and dwelling type play a big role in energy demand. Detached houses use far more energy overall than mid-terrace homes simply because there is more space to heat. The CSO found detached homes had the highest mean electricity consumption in 2023, at 7,388 kWh, 77% higher than mid-terrace houses. For a county with a large stock of detached and one-off rural homes, that makes efficiency upgrades especially relevant.

There is another reason this matters locally. CSO figures published in 2025 showed that Tipperary had one of the highest proportions of G-rated homes in the country, at 10%. That suggests a significant number of households in the county are living in homes that are harder and more expensive to keep comfortable. In practice, many families in lower-rated homes are not “saving” energy in a meaningful sense. They may simply be under-heating rooms, avoiding turning the heat on, or living with draughts and cold spots, because the cost of comfort is too high. That is very different from saying an upgrade has no value.

This is the key point often lost in the national argument: retrofitting is not only about cutting a bill on paper. It is also about comfort, health, resilience, and future-proofing. A warmer, drier home is easier to live in. It is healthier for children and older people. It is less exposed to fossil fuel price shocks. And it is more attractive in the property market. The BER is not a perfect measure of human behaviour, but it is still a useful measure of the building itself: its insulation, airtightness, and heating potential.

For Tipperary homeowners, the smarter question is not “Are upgrades worth it at all?” but “Which upgrades make sense for my house, my budget, and my timeline?” A full deep retrofit may not be realistic for every household. Nationally, the government supported 53,984 home energy upgrades in 2024, and more than €1.2 billion has been invested in 186,000 homes since 2019. Low-cost retrofit loans are also now available to help with upfront funding. That means households can often take a phased approach: attic insulation first, then wall insulation, then heating controls, solar PV, or eventually a heat pump.

And heat pumps should not be dismissed. SEAI says they use less than a third of the energy of an oil or gas boiler and work well in cold climates, which is why they are so common in countries like Sweden and Norway. In Tipperary Town, the local Sustainable Energy Community is already backing projects involving solar upgrades, public housing retrofit, and an air-to-water heat pump for a sports centre redevelopment.

So yes, the headlines deserve scrutiny. BER ratings do not tell the whole story. But for many homeowners in Co. Tipperary, energy upgrades are still a sound investment. Not because every retrofit instantly transforms the numbers, but because a better home is about more than a spreadsheet. It is about comfort, control, and making older Tipperary houses fit for the future.