The following reply was received from Tipperary Co. Council, following a formal complaint having been made by this website, last Thursday. The complaint referred to the pollution of the River Suir over the past 12 years.
The Reply Reads:- Dear George, Thank you for your e-mail regarding Pollution of River Suir in Thurles. I have forwarded your e-mail to Environment Section for their attention and direct reply to you. Should you wish to follow up on this case, please contact Customer Service Desk quoting reference number ENV-11308-F6L3.
The formal complaint was sent to Tipperary Co. Council, when this website received confirmation that Tipperary Co. Council and Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), and the Office of Public Works would object to local volunteers attempting to improve the general appearance of the area. Work would have involved the removal of discarded clothing; bottles; cans; weeds; plastic bollards, wooden pallets, rushes, bags of sand and a mountain of sediment, currently clogging the area from Barry’s Bridge to the area south of the Swinging Gates, same a poorly lit spot where persons gather regularly to partake in alcohol consumption.
WE have also formally complained to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)info@epa.ie, asking the question; “Does the EPA have any real teeth or are they like LAWPRO, latter simply passing information, same to land on other departmental desks, where seated are people who refuse to be motivated? The EPA were also asked if they held the power to prosecute local authorities?
We now await a reply from the EPA, which we will publish here, in full, on receipt of same.
Pass It On Down.
Randy Owen, Lead singer with ‘Alabama’
Vocals: American Country Music band Alabama. Lyrics: ‘Alabama’ Band members Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, American country music singer and songwriter Ronnie Rogers and songwriter Will Robinson.
Pass It On Down.
We live in the land of plenty, But many things aren’t plenty any-more, Like the water from our sink, They say it’s not safe to drink, You gotta go and buy it at the store. Now we’re told there’s a hole in the Ozone, Look what’s washing on the beach, And Lord, I believe, from the heavens to the seas, We’re bringing Mother Nature to her knees.
Chorus. So let’s leave some blue up above us, Let’s leave some green on the ground, It’s only ours to borrow, then save some for tomorrow, Leave it and pass it on down.
Well, there’s a change taking place way on the mountains, Acid rain is falling on the leaves, And down in Brazil, the fires are burning still, How we gonna breathe without them trees?
RepeatChorus.
Well, there’s a place where I live called the Canyon (Canyon), Where Daddy taught me to swim, And that water, it’s so pure, And I’m a gonna make sure, Daddy’s grandkids can swim there like him. Now we all outta feel just a little bit guilty, When we look into the eyes of our kids, ‘Cause, brothers, it’s a fact, if we take and don’t put back, They’ll have to pay for all we did.
Poem by Michael Bannon, Littleton, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
In less than half a mile of the river bank, some 28 assorted drainage pipes now dump their contents into the River Suir in Thurles town centre.
“Ode To River Suir, in Thurles”
From clear mountain fountains your waters begin, Through Tipperary’s fields, where the sunlight shines in. From Clonmel to Waterford, proud is your lore, Your song will be carried forever and more.
From high on the hillside you wander in grace, Through towns and through counties you leave your embrace, From Thurles to Waterford, strong is your lore, Your story will echo forever and more.
The fisherman casts out his line, The heron waits, the sunlight shines, The bridges span wide where the townspeople go, You’ve carried their stories, through sunshine and woe.
But today in your waters the dark stains are seen, The plastics and waste, where that bright flow had been, Yet still you keep moving, though wounded and sore, We’ll fight for your freedom, to forever restore.
Your waters, once sparkling, now carry the pain, Of plastics and shadows that darken your name, Yet hope in the future will see you run clear, We’ll cherish and heal you, my own River Suir.
Now rubbish and poison are clouding your flow, The bright silver waters are struggling to glow, But still you keep moving, so steady, so sure, Time to stand up and guard you, to forever endure.
The message in the lyrics of the song “Runaway Train”, composed by Soul Asylum’s lead singer Dave Pirner and released in May 1993 (featured hereunder), highlights the feelings of severe depression. It also reminds both young and old individuals that our real world is not all a bed of roses. It also, importantly, highlights that we are not fully alone. Few realise that the video and lyrics would later become more than just music industry entertainment: it would literally save lives.
Grammy Award winning American rock band “Soul Asylum”.
Tony Kaye has on many occasions recalled what inspired his video of this song “Runaway Train”. He states that he was on his way home in Los Angeles, when an idea first struck him, having observed a poster by the road side. The poster was of a milk carton with a missing kid’s face etched on the side. He decided to use the faces of missing children in his “Runaway Train” video.
The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children sent him the photos, and Music Television (MTV) the American cable television channel aired it with a message urging people to call, if they had seen any of the faces of those featured, then declared missing.
At first, the record company worried as no children had returned, but soon one child did and then came another, followed by another and another. The first located was Elizabeth Wiles, a runaway teenager who recognized herself in the video and reached out once again to her family.
Sadly not every story ended happily as some children had died, but each time one was found, the video was again updated with a new missing child’s face added. In total, 21 of the 36 kids featured were actually located.
“Runaway Train”
Vocals:Grammy Award winning American rock band “Soul Asylum”. Lyrics:Soul Asylum‘s lead singer, Dave Pirner.
“Runaway Train”
Call you up in the middle of the night, Like a firefly without a light. You were there like a blowtorch burning, I was a key that could use a little turning, So tired that I couldn’t even sleep, So many secrets I couldn’t keep, Promised myself I wouldn’t weep, One more promise I couldn’t keep. It seems no one can help me now. I’m in too deep, There’s no way out. This time I have really lead myself astray, Runaway train never going back. Wrong way on a one-way track. Seems like I should be getting somewhere, Somehow I’m neither here nor there.
Can you help me remember how to smile? Make it somehow all seem worthwhile. How on earth did I get so jaded? Life’s mysteries seem so faded, I can go where no one else can go, I know what no one else knows. Here I am, just drowning in the rain, With a ticket for a runaway train, And everything seems cut and dry. Day and night, Earth and sky, Somehow I just don’t believe it. Runaway train never going back, Wrong way on a one-way track. Seems like I should be getting somewhere, Somehow I’m neither here nor there.
Bought a ticket for a runaway train, Like a madman laughing at the rain. A little out of touch, a little insane, It’s just easier than dealing with the pain. Runaway train never going back, Wrong way on a one-way track. Seems like I should be getting somewhere, Somehow I’m neither here nor there. Runaway train never coming back, Runaway train tearing up the track, Runaway train burning in my veins, I run away but it always seems the same.
Annual Heritage Week takes place from 16th – 24th August 2025.
All around Ireland there will be free admission to over 70 fee-paying heritage sites on Saturday next, August 16th. The aim of Heritage Week each year is to build awareness and education about our heritage, thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation.
But perhaps one of the better happenings, involving both children and adults, is taking place here in Co. Tipperary at Cashel Library on Monday August 18th next.
Ms Maura Barrett, (Cashel Library) explains: Firstly, Ogham is an ancient Irish alphabet primarily used for inscriptions on stone and wood, dating back to the early medieval period. It is characterized by a series of strokes or notches arranged around a central stem line. Each letter is represented by a specific number of these strokes, and the alphabet is often referred to as the “Celtic Tree Alphabet” due to its association with trees.
Experienced community artist Ms Cher Gleeson will give an engaging, hands-on workshop, exploring this early medieval Ogham alphabet, latter which was used to write the early Irish language. This workshop invites participants to translate their own names into the ancient Ogham script, connecting personally to Irish heritage through language and symbolism.
The morning workshop, 11:00am – 12:30, will be for children aged 8 years and over. The afternoon workshop, 2:30 – 4:00pm, will be for adults.
Each participant will:
Learn the history and meaning of the Ogham alphabet.
Translate their name using a traditional Ogham reference.
Create an “Ancient Name Scroll”, a parchment-style artwork aged with natural techniques, featuring their name in Ogham script.
Shape a personal Ogham Stone from clay, inspired by standing stones and tree lore.
Participants will leave with two meaningful keepsakes and a deeper appreciation for Ireland’s rich linguistic and artistic legacy.
N.B. This workshop is free but places are limited. Please call Cashel library Tel: 062 63825, to secure your place.
Visitors attending this event can locate the Cashel Library building; situated on Friar Street, Lady’s Well, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, HERE. (G487+RX).
Lyrics: American record producer and country music songwriter Allen Reynolds. Vocals: American country music singer Brenda Gail Webb, known professionally as Crystal Gayle, (Latter younger sister of the late Loretta Lynn (1932 – 2022) and known not just for her magnificent voice and beauty, but also for her long, flowing, floor-length hair.)
Wrong Road Again.
I can’t seem to learn not to love you, You get to me every time. You’re someone I just can’t say no to, And you’re so good at changing my mind. Here I go down that wrong road again, Going back where I’ve already been. Even knowing where it will end, Here I go down that wrong road again. Though I see the web that you’re weaving, You and your soft easy lines, Before I stop to think I’m believing, And I’m falling for you one more time. Here I go down that wrong road again, Going back where I’ve already been. Even knowing where it will end, Here I go down that wrong road again. Here I go down that wrong road again. Going back where I’ve already been, Even knowing where it will end, Here I go down that wrong road again. Here I go down that wrong road again. Going back where I’ve already been.
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