Thurles Information

Death Of Joe Bolger, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday Wednesday 25th March 2026, of Mr Joseph (Joe) Bolger, Bohernanave, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by his parents Thomas and Annie, brother Thomas (Thos), sisters Betty Carew and Ann (Nan) Whelan, grandson baby Joseph; Mr Bolger, sadly, passed away unexpectedly, at his place of ordinary residence.

His passing is most deeply regretted sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family; loving daughter Anne, sons Tommy, Peter, Joseph and Jason, grandchildren Charlotte, Corey, Ronan, Kyle, Jayden, Lorcan, Jake, Max, Keegan, Justin and Aoife, son-in-law Jason Purcell, partners Helen, Jacklyn and Catherine, sisters Breda Walsh and Mary Carew, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Bolger will repose at Hugh Ryan’s Funeral Home, Slievenamon Road, Thurles, (Eircode E41 CP59) on Saturday afternoon, March 28th, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm same evening.
His remains will be received into the Church of St Joseph and St Brigid, Bothar-na-Naomh, Thurles at 9:00am to further repose for Requiem Mass on Sunday morning, March 29th, at 9.30am, followed by interment immediately afterwards in St Patrick’s Cemetery, Moyne Road, Lognafulla, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

The extended Bolger 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.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Atta Way To Go.

Lyrics and Vocals: American country music singer/songwriter , the late, great, Don Williams. [Donald Ray Williams (1939- 2017) ].

The song “Atta Way To Go” is a quietly powerful country ballad that captures the emotional aftermath of a broken relationship. The song reflects on love, loss, and resignation, as the narrator responds to a partner who has chosen to walk away.
Rather than anger or bitterness, Williams conveys a restrained sadness, highlighting the emotional distance that follows a breakup and the quiet acceptance of things left unsaid.
The understated lyrics and gentle melody exemplify his ability to turn everyday experiences into deeply relatable moments.
“Atta Way To Go” stands as an early example of Don Williams’ enduring appeal; his talent for expressing complex feelings with simplicity, sincerity, and a uniquely soothing presence that would define his career throughout the 1970s and beyond.

Atta Way To Go.

Atta Way To Go.

Atta way to go you finally broke it off.
Atta way to go we can’t even talk or cry,
Or even wonder why that a way to go.
Didn’t you believe me when I loved you.
I guess you thought we were playing games.
All this time I tried to think I’ve known you,
I guess I really only knew your name.
Atta way to go you finally broke it off.
Atta way to go we can’t even talk or cry,
Or even wonder why that a way to go.
I thought you knew I lived my life just for you.
There was just no price to big to pay,
And even though I know I still live for you,
The feeling’s that you show won’t let me stay.
Atta way to go you finally broke it off.
Atta way to go we can’t even talk or cry,
Or even wonder why that a way to go.
END

New Approach To Applications For Consideration Of A Presidential Pardon Introduced.

The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Mr Jim O’Callaghan has secured approval, in principle, from Government, for a new approach to applications for the consideration of a Presidential Pardon.

Article 13 of the Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann) provides that the right to pardon is vested in the President, exercisable only on the advice of existing Government.

Historically, Presidential pardons have been granted sparingly in exceptional cases only. Between 1937 and 2014, only three Presidential pardons were granted, none of which were granted posthumously and none related to cases pre-dating the founding of the State in 1922.
Since 2015, five further pardons have been granted. Four of these relate to convictions that pre-date the foundation of the State.

To grant pardons, a State must acknowledge that it has responsibility for miscarriages of justice administered by that State. There are also significant challenges associated with processing historical cases which predate the foundation of the State, including the likelihood that many of these cases may not be sufficiently documented.

Consequently, under this new approach, only convictions which have been imposed after the foundation of the State in 1922 would be eligible for consideration for Presidential pardons going forward.

In recent years, the volume of requests for Presidential pardons has increased.
While pardons were granted in the past related to cases prior to the foundation of the State, the Government now wishes to ensure that the power to pardon is not in some way devalued by overuse, especially in circumstances where the threshold of proof grounding any proposal for a pardon is lowered due to the passage of time.

The new approach to applications for consideration will adhere to the statutory scheme under the 1993 Act.

Special Education Teaching Allocations Finally Issued To Tipperary Primary Schools.

Today, Tipperary primary schools, together with all primary schools nationally, were told how many Special Education Teaching (SET) hours would be allocated to their school next year.

According to the Department of Education and Youth almost one third of schools nationally received more hours. Almost half of schools nationally stayed at the same hours as last year, and approximately one fifth had their Special Education hours cut.

The factors that influence how many hours a school gets include enrolment figures, educational profile of literacy and numeracy needs and educational disadvantage.

The Department of Education and Youth has been criticised for the late publication of these hours. Educational groups have consistently pleaded for allocation information to be issued early in the year. Whereas this information was released in early February last year, it was not released this year until today, that is, the end of March.

In the absence of information about hours allocated, it is difficult for schools to predict how many full-time and part-time special education teachers they will have in the forthcoming year.
Moreover, the hours allocated are not always enough and to fight for the hours they need, schools must engage in an arduous review process. The review process takes a lot of time and the later it starts, the later and longer schools wait in limbo to find out if they will get the hours they require to support pupils with special education needs in their school.

Today’s late release of allocation information follows significant backlash from parents, school communities and unions with regards to cuts in SNA allocations next year. It only serves to add to growing frustrations and anger in relation to government policy and provision for special education across Ireland.

Death Of John Maher, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday Tuesday 24th March 2026, of Mr John Maher, No. 46 Collins Park, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceaded by his parents Michael and Alice, his brother Paddy and sister Dina; Mr Maher passed away while in the care of staff at the Community Hospital of the Assumption, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

His passing is most deeply regretted sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family; loving and devoted wife Margaret, daughters Caroline, Sharon, Majella, Geraldine and Lorraine, sons Michael and John Paul, his adored grandchildren Jason, Shane, Colm, Rachel, Sophie, Adam, Dean and Lauren, sons-in-law Patrick,Noel, Seán and Lilian, daughter-in-law Amy, sisters Phyllis and Mary, nieces, nephews extended relatives, former colleagues at Thurles U.D.C., neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Maher will repose at Kennedy’s Funeral Home, Upper Kickham Street, Dublin Road, Thurles, (Eircode E41 XY47), tomorrow afternoon, Thursday March 26th, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm, before being received into the Church of St Joseph and St Brigid, Bohernanave, Thurles at 8:45pm, same evening.
Funeral Mass for Mr Maher will be offered on Friday morning, March 27th, at 11:00am, followed by a private cremation service.

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

The extended Maher 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: No Flowers. Donations please to Suir Haven Cancer Support.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.