Political Spin, Lies, Broken Promises & A Destroyed Heritage Trail.

The Real Truth About Thurles Inner Relief Road.

“Though the mills of God grind slowly,
Yet they grind exceeding small,
Though with patience He stands waiting,
With exactness grinds He all.”

[Extract from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Retribution”; the lines meaning that God’s judgment or moral justice does not happen quickly. Wrongdoers may seem to escape consequences for a long time. But when justice finally comes, it is thorough and precise. ]

Nothing escapes accountability.
For over a decade the people of Thurles have been subjected to political spin and conflicting claims regarding the so-called Thurles Inner Relief Road. What was once presented as an urgent infrastructure priority now appears increasingly unlikely to begin construction before 2028, despite repeated assurances from politicians that funding had already been secured years ago.

The public is entitled to ask one simple question: who exactly has been telling the truth?
Back in October 2021, former Fianna Fáil TD Mr Jackie Cahill publicly declared that he had “secured funding” for the Thurles Inner Relief Road under the National Development Plan. He presented this as a major breakthrough and claimed the project was effectively on track. Yet here we are in 2026 with no contractor appointed, no construction underway, no visible site mobilisation, and only limited allocations for design work and appraisals.
On November 6th 2025, Fianna Fáil TD Mr Ryan O’Meara publically stated on local radio that the Thurles inner relief road, which first received planning permission from An Board Pleanála in 2014 (12 years ago), was set to go to tender by the end of 2025.

Even more remarkably, recent political statements from other quarters have continued to portray the project as somehow newly “secured” or “advanced”, despite those earlier promises. The people of Thurles are now being asked to believe that funding was secured in 2021, land acquisition was the breakthrough in 2024, government commitments were obtained again in 2025, and yet construction still cannot realistically begin before 2028. None of this adds up.

The facts tell a very different story.
Tipperary County Council’s own 2025 Service Delivery Plan confirms that the project still remained at Department appraisal and detailed design stage, not construction stage. Earlier reports showed that only modest sums such as €75,000 and later €100,000 had been allocated for planning and design-related work. That is not what a shovel-ready infrastructure project looks like.

Meanwhile, the town itself continues to choke under worsening traffic congestion, while politicians repeatedly issue triumphant press releases claiming “progress”.

But the greatest disgrace surrounding this project is not merely the delay. It is the destruction and dismissal of Thurles heritage, [See HERE page 6], in pursuit of a road many residents believe will never adequately solve the town’s traffic crisis in the first place.

The proposed route, shown on the map above, cuts through the historic Great Famine “Double Ditch”, a rare surviving famine-era landscape feature, known locally to date from the 1846. This historic pathway, associated with famine relief works, was effectively treated as expendable. Despite its historical significance to many in Thurles, archaeological assessments failed to properly recognise or protect it. Campaigners repeatedly warned that a unique part of Thurles history was being sacrificed for a project whose actual traffic benefits remain questionable.

What makes the situation even more infuriating is that Thurles still does not have the bypass it has needed for generations. The town’s medieval street layout continues to carry modern heavy traffic because successive governments failed to prioritise a proper outer bypass solution. Instead, taxpayers are expected to fund an “Inner Relief Road” which many believe will simply shift congestion from one bottleneck to another, while permanently damaging part of the town’s heritage.

For years the public has been bombarded with photographs, announcements, consultations, launches, and declarations of “fantastic news”, yet the basic reality never changes. The project drifts endlessly between planning, appraisal, land acquisition, consultation, and redesign, while local politicians compete to claim ownership of it.

At this stage, many residents no longer trust a word of it.
If funding was truly secured years ago, where is the road? If construction was imminent, why is detailed design still ongoing? If this project is so transformational, why has the timeline repeatedly slipped further and further into the future?

The people of Thurles deserve honesty instead of political theatre. They deserve real infrastructure instead of endless press releases. Most importantly, they deserve a serious long-term bypass solution rather than another decade of delay, confusion, and public relations exercises masquerading as progress.