Overview.
Tipperary County Council has rolled out a range of free-parking initiatives across multiple large towns in the county in the run-up to Christmas 2025. The aim is to support local retailers and encourage festive shopping.
Thurles Town – Free Parking Offer.
In Thurles Town: courtesy of Thurles Municipal District Councils administration (signed off on by Ms Sharon Scully), free parking will be available only for the first 30 minutes every day, (Fifteen minutes more than every ordinary) every day, throughout December 2025. Additionally, all council-owned car parks will provide free parking on the following Saturdays: 6th, 13th and 20th December 2025.
As it stands currently, it is important to note that three out of the town’s six main car parks will likely remain closed for this busy season, namely the car park beside the former Munster Hotel, (a long-standing resource for shoppers, parishioners and students); the car park underneath The Source building, (latter now closed for 3 years) and the new Market Area car park, beside The Source, (the upgrading of which has suffered serious delays).
So, no concessions on the busy three days prior to December 25th.
This limitation significantly undermines the stated objective of boosting local trade and enabling easy access to town centre shops.
Comparison With Other Tipperary Towns:
Tipperary Town: Same offers one hour of free on-street parking each day, and unlimited free parking in all council car parks for December 2025.
Roscrea: Same will have free parking throughout their towns every Saturday in December.
Templemore: Same will have free parking throughout their town every Saturday in December.
Clonmel Borough District: All council-owned car parks will have free parking on each Saturday in December, after 10am. The town also has a car park in Suirside which is free all year round and which will also be available for Christmas shoppers.
Cashel Town: Same will also offer free parking in all council-owned car parks on Saturdays throughout December.
Cahir Town: Same will also offer free parking in all council-owned car parks on Saturdays throughout December.
Carrick-on-Suir Town: There will be free parking in all of the council-owned car parks on each Saturday throughout the month of December.
Finally, in Nenagh Town: Here there will be three hours free parking in all council-owned car parks from Saturday December 6th, until Friday December 26th 2025. On-street parking will remain subject to ‘pay-and-display’.
Disparity Between Thurles and Tipperary Town:
The differential treatment between Thurles and Tipperary Town, in particular, is stark and concerning:
In Tipperary Town, shoppers benefit from unlimited free car-park access, plus one hour of free on-street parking, offering real convenience to those visiting the town centre.
In contrast, Thurles’ offer is limited to just 30 minutes free daily, and only on three Saturdays in December, while simultaneously reducing the supply of parking spaces by possibly having three of its main car parks closed. This severely undermines the town’s capacity to attract and accommodate shoppers.
Question: So where in this scenario are our Local elected Municipal District Councillors and our Thurles Chamber of Commerce. Thurles businesses no longer has a voice.
Given that the declared purpose of the initiative is to “promote local trade and encourage support for Town Traders during the festive season,” this disparity highlights an inequality in how different towns within the county are supported. Oh and by the way there is little on-street parking in Thurles town centre since over 60% was removed following it beings half upgraded.
Call for Review & Equal Treatment.
We call on Tipperary County Council to reconsider the parking allocations for Thurles, especially in light of the closure of significant car parks, thus ensuring that the town receives a level of support comparable to other towns such as the afore mentioned Tipperary Town.
Failing to address this inequity risks undermining the very objective of stimulating local commerce in Thurles during what should be one of the busiest trading periods of the year.
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