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Thurles – Looking Back

Hereunder, view the sad current demise of Westgate, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, situated on the junction of ‘Liberty Square’, ‘Friar Street’, ‘Croke Street’ and ‘Wolf Tone Place’.

Today, the area is sadly a place of dereliction and is disintegrating at breakneck speed, despite the odd coat of grey paint brushed on, in the vain hope that same will turn a ‘pig’s ear into a silk purse’, to the detriment of nearby rate paying businesses, attempting to trade.

Westgate, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, photographed in January 2021.
Here readers can view Westgate, Thurles, Co. Tipperary in better days, demonstrating a high level of business activity in the area. [This scene was possibly photographed in the early 1950’s, dated by the model of Morris Minor shown in the picture, latter manufactured between 1948 and 1952.)

The latter ‘Wolf Tone Place’ named above, gets its name from Theobald Wolfe Tone, (posthumously known as Wolfe Tone). Wolfe Tone was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members of the United Irishmen, latter a republican society that revolted against British rule in Ireland, where he was a leader going into the failed 1798 Irish Rebellion.

Wolfe Tone was also commemorated, with the erection of the 1798 monument erected in 1901, today positioned in Liberty Square, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, and affectionately referred too, most often, as simply ‘The Stone Man’.
The decision to move this Statue was called into question recently by Thurles.Info, following the publication of a misleading video, published by Tipperary Co. Council, and entitled ‘Liberty Square Enhancement Scheme’, (please view above video), which did not contain any reference to this 1798 monument remaining in the area.

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1 comment to Thurles – Looking Back

  • Chris

    Eh, Ireland 2040? These plans were drawn when Thurles Town Council still existed and was funded by Thurles Town Council before abolition. Tipperary County Council are claiming this is a part of the 2040 NDP? Iirc, Thurles, Nenagh and Clonmel were excluded from Ireland 2040.

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