Thurles businesses and parish alarmed, as Munster Hotel car park in Thurles, faces closure, yet again, with effect from 1st December, 2025.
The decision to close the car park, situated beside the former Munster Hotel, yet again, on December 1st next, 2025, has sparked deep concern and outrage among local business owners, churchgoers, and the wider Thurles community.
What was once a lifeline for retailers, consumers, parishioners and school-bus users, east of the town is now threatened, just as the town prepares for its busiest season of the year.
A Blow To Faith, Commerce and Community.
The car park’s closure will leave attendees at Thurles Cathedral, for Masses, funerals, and other important rites, struggling to find parking, creating potential hazards and serious access issues.
Small local businesses, already feeling the strain from limited footfall, now fear a catastrophic drop in trade at the worst possible time: the run-up to Christmas.
With the Thurles Market Quarter car park still closed for over a year and ‘The Source’ building car park closed for nearly three years, the looming loss of this space could be a tipping point.
Shockingly, in what many see as “salt in the wound”, a number of previously public parking spots on Kickham Street, have recently been reallocated, without prior notice, to school bus services.
Ownership, Influence And Frustration:
The Munster Hotel and its adjoining car park are understood to be owned by Mr. Martin Healy, a high-profile local businessperson and a former member of the Thurles Chamber of Commerce, latter the very organisation that is tasked in promoting entrepreneurship and supporting small enterprises in the town.
The irony is not lost therefore on local small business owners: the private owner closing a facility that is absolutely vital to the community.
The car park is currently rented by Tipperary County Council, but unconfirmed reports suggest that lease negotiations have broken down, fuelling accusations of neglect and mismanagement.
A Town On The Brink:
Many in Thurles are now asking: how much more can local businesses absorb? How many more loyal customers will be lost because they simply cannot find a spot to park? And what message does this send when, at a time when the town should be rallying together, its own infrastructure fails exactly those who need it most?
The impending closure will also likely expose pedestrians and road-users to increasing risk. With school buses now allocated to street parking, and the Cathedral’s forecourt full, the potential for dangerous traffic congestion is all too real.
Businesses Call For Immediate Action:
Tipperary County Council must urgently intervene. This car park is not just a private asset; it is a public necessity.
Thurles Chamber of Commerce must reflect on its role: supporting small businesses means protecting their lifelines, not shutting them off.
Local elected representatives and stakeholders must demand a rapid, transparent solution that ensures parking is available for parishioners, shoppers, and visitors, especially during this Christmas season.
Conclusion:
This is more than a car park dispute. This is a story of a town’s heartbeat being squeezed: of faith, community, and commerce, all now under threat. With the Munster Hotel itself long derelict, the parking facility has become more than a convenience, it is a cornerstone of Thurles daily life.
Its closure cannot be allowed to be yet another casualty of short-term thinking.
Leave a Reply