Thurles Tourism Debate : Part I.
Maybe I am missing something.
But where were the invitations issued to the people whose pay packets actually depend on Thurles and Tipperary tourism? How many hoteliers, B&B owners, tour operators, café and retail staff, guides and event organisers; those living the reality of the season, were to be found at this month’s council meeting to spell out, at firsthand, what is choking the industry and what must now change?
Isn’t there a deeper irony here? Are these not the very councillors and officials who, year after year, have presided over the slow neglect and destruction of our visitor attractions, allowing standards to slip, opportunities to be missed, and avoidable damage to mount, only to now lament the consequences as if they were bystanders rather than decision-makers?
I refer of course to the Tipperary County Council members who warned that a shortage of visitor accommodation is now the single biggest barrier to growing tourism in Tipperary, limiting the ability to host events, retain tour groups and convert day-trippers into overnight stays.
At the Tipperary County Council’s January meeting, elected members heard an update on tourism performance and marketing activity, but stressed that the county is effectively trying to grow the visitor economy with insufficient “bed nights” to support conferences, festivals and group travel.
Councillors also raised concerns that coach tours are increasingly stopping briefly at flagship attractions before moving on, while organisers of large gatherings are forced to seek accommodation outside the county due to limited capacity and difficulty securing blocks of rooms.
Councillors also stated that 5,000 visitors attended the two-day music festival in Thurles, [ Same hosting 17 Tribute Bands on July 4th & 5th, 2026] and yet they also claim events like this receive only paltry funding from Tipperary County Council, [press quote “not worth a damn to festivals …”.]
But is that claim borne out by the numbers?
With this year’s event already sold out, and with day tickets priced at €30 and weekend tickets at €45, even a basic calculation raises obvious questions. If the headline attendance figure of 5,000 daily in attendance is accurate, then 5,000 weekend tickets at €45.00, would suggest revenue in excess of €225,000 before any single day-ticket sales are even considered.
So why, then, is the Council’s support being described as paltry? On what basis is that judgement being made and against what set of accounts?
The difficulty is that, as far as we are aware, the Council has not publicly published last year’s accounts in relation to the Thurles Musical Festival. Without transparent figures, it is impossible for the public to assess what level of funding was provided, what costs were involved, or whether the paltry label is fair, exaggerated, or simply politically convenient. After all this so called paltry sum is taxpayers money; not the gift of a benevolent and nameless altruistic patroness or good fairy.
Indeed until those accounts are published, the questions will remain: how much public money was actually provided, where did it go, and how does it stack up against the event’s apparent income?
The core warning they claim is simple – promotion is outpacing capacity.
Members were clear that marketing alone cannot deliver tourism growth if Tipperary cannot provide sufficient accommodation to keep visitors in the county overnight. The meeting heard that reduced availability in some areas and the broader national pressures on accommodation is impacting Tipperary’s ability to capitalise on tourism demand.
While officials noted this is a national challenge, councillors argued that the consequence for Tipperary is specific and immediate: events, tour groups and visitor spending are being lost because the county cannot consistently offer the volume of bed nights required to compete.
But the people whose pay packets depend on Thurles and Tipperary tourism ask the question “Where is all this promotion”?
Local councillors flagged caravan/campervan parking as a growing issue, particularly “unmanaged” parking in scenic spots (including lakeside areas), and warned it’s causing local frustration and putting pressure on amenities.
What was said, in plain terms:
Unmanaged campervan/caravan parking is becoming “a serious problem” in some areas, with councillors reporting that it is increasingly to be found along lakes and other high-amenity locations.
Councillors said they’re getting complaints from residents about inappropriate parking and pressure on local facilities, and that the situation needs planned, serviced, designated locations rather than ad hoc stopping.
Council officials responded that a dedicated campervan and caravanning strategy is being developed, backed by‘external funding‘, to ensure facilities are properly located/designed and to curb unmanaged activity.
We will be speaking more about these failures in the coming days, so do stay tuned. See Part II HERE.
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