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“You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will be as one”
Extract from the song ‘Imagine’ with lyrics by John Lennon.
In our blog of January 21st 2017 last we called on Co. Tipperary elected representatives, from all political parties, to come together under one single umbrella; to find real solutions for our current poorly represented and grossly neglected town of Thurles and indeed the county of Tipperary.
 Archdeacon Henry Cotten, C of I, Thurles & Chairperson of the Thurles and Rahealty Famine Food Committee. Today we turn to history (knowledge acquired by investigation), to demonstrate, via a study of the past, the importance of politicians uniting under one umbrella; taking time to disregard their own personal differences, prejudices and beliefs, in favour of finding fair, equal and paramount solutions to the needs of every person residing in this forgotten rural ‘Premier County’.
Back then in 1845 it was not Irish elected Members of Parliament who came to the rescue of those shivering in the cold and wet, anxiously expecting the fragments of cold ‘stir-about’ that remained following the workhouse pauper meal. Rather it was religious leaders; Quakers, and here in Thurles Fr. William Barron (Administrator within the Thurles Roman Catholic community) closely working together with Archdeacon Henry Cotten (Head of the Thurles Church of Ireland community).
It was these same religious communities, whom we are so quick to condemn today that carried our town through the ‘Great Famine’ period, while at the same time encouraging the importance of education, which today 172 years later, has raised us out of hopeless misery and abject poverty.
In examining factual history; we ask the question “What were living conditions like in the town of Thurles, Co. Tipperary in 1847; the third year of the ‘Great Famine’ (1846 -1852), during a period of mass starvation, disease and the mass emigration and migration from rural Irish towns, villages and their hinterlands?”
For Thurles the most accurate answers to these queries are set out in two ‘Question and Answer Reports’ sent out by the Thurles and Rahealty Famine Food Committee, which met in the rented parlour of the home of Dr Robert C. Knaggs MD. (MD – Medical Doctor), Main Street, Thurles (Today known as Liberty Square, Thurles, in the building currently occupied by Ulster bank.)
First Report – British Association for the Relief of Extreme Distress in Ireland and Scotland.
The first of these reports was sent to the British Association for the Relief of Extreme Distress in Ireland and Scotland and forwarded to Lieutenant Col. Douglas on February 11th 1847. This Association had been formed in January 1847, in London, supported by bankers and other prominent people, to provide, “competent machinery for administering the public munificence”. Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) had requested that her name be placed at the head of the list of donors[1] to this Association with a contribution of £2,000.00 and later added a further £500, one sixth of whose total funds only went to support the potato failure in Scotland.
[1] It would be Charles Stewart Parnell (1846 – 1891), Irish nationalist politician and one of the most powerful figures in the British House of Commons in the 1880’s who later would spread the untruth, indeed myth, that Queen Victoria of England was the only sovereign who gave nothing out of her private purse to a starving Irish people.
Continue reading Great Famine – State of Thurles in Black 47 (1847)
Tipperary Library Service to host a panel discussion on the 1916 Rising.
Executive Librarian (Thurles Library), M/s Ann-Marie Brophy reports:
As 2016 draws to a close, Tipperary County Council Library Service will hold an author panel event; same entitled: – ‘1916: Remembering the Rising’.
 The Source Library Invitation.
Join our panel discussion to remember, reflect and re-imagine this pivotal period in Irish history. The panel will feature writers who have approached the subject in diverse and interesting ways. Chaired by Mr Fran Curry, broadcaster with Tipp FM and he will be joined in conversation by M/s Marita Conlon-McKenna, Dr Fearghal McGarry, and M/s Mary Morrissy. The event will take place on Thursday 24th November, at 7.00pm in the Source Library & Arts Centre, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Panel Discussion – Guest Members.
Marita Conlon-McKenna is a well known author of fiction for both children and adults. Her latest novel, ‘Rebel Sisters’, is set in Ireland during the 1916 Rising and is based on the real life Gifford sisters – Muriel, Grace, and Nellie – three young women at the very heart of the Rising. ‘Rebel Sisters’ has been shortlisted for the ‘Popular Fiction Book of the Year’ at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards.
Dr Fearghal McGarry is based in Queen’s University, Belfast, and is the author of many books about Irish modern history, including ‘The Rising: Ireland, Easter 1916’. Much of his recent research on the Easter Rising of 1916 has focused on the role of memory and commemoration in Irish history.
Mary Morrissy is the author of ‘The Rising of Bella Casey’, which explores the life of Bella Casey, an ambitious young schoolteacher, and her relationship with her brother, the celebrated Irish playwright Sean O’Casey.
As stated, the panel will be chaired by Mr Fran Curry, well known broadcaster from Tipp FM. This free event is presented by Tipperary County Council Library Service and has received funding from the Tipperary 2016 Programme.
For further information:
Please contact M/s Ann-Marie Brophy, (Executive Librarian), Tipperary County Council Library Service at Telephone: 0761 06 6100.
Promises to be a ‘must attend’ event for lovers of Irish History.
 Thurles Rotary Club are delighted to assist Mr Christopher Kavanagh, of the Sue Ryder Homes, to launch his third book entitled: “Memoirs of a Small Town Solicitor”.
The launch will take place in Thurles Library, situated in the Source Arts Centre building, Cathedral Street, Thurles, on Tuesday May 24th, beginning sharp 6.30pm; with a Judge of the Circuit Court, Mr Gerard O’Brien, doing the honours on the evening.
The book tells the story of Christopher’s most exciting and interesting life, during which time he practised as a Solicitor in Zimbabwe, for some 47 years.
Do not be misled by the title of this book; apart from his life as a Solicitor, it also encompasses his life experiences as a Mountaineer: a Commissioned Officer in the Rhodesian Armed Forces; a part time Policeman; an Actor; his activities as a Rotarian; his first marriage in Switzerland and subsequent honeymoon in Budapest and Vienna; his participation in various Legal Conferences in Venice, Vancouver, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania etc. not to mention his incarceration in a Zimbabwe prison. The publication also deals with his second marriage to Wendy and his decision to settle in Ireland.
The book is lavishly illustrated with some 30 colour photographs and contains the most amusing of anecdotes; moments of terror; his sadness’s / joy’s, and is guaranteed to appeal to everyone who enjoys a thoroughly good factual read.
 It was with sadness we learned of the death yesterday, Tuesday 9th February 2016, of Mrs Nano Quinlan (née Egan), Eldergrove, Cabra, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Mrs Quinlan passed away peacefully in the loving care of St Vincent’s Private Hospital Dublin. Her passing is most deeply regretted by her loving husband Michael, her son Tom, daughters Aoife and Deirdre, son-in-law Dermot, daughter-in-law Mary, partner James, grandchildren Sam, Rachel, Sarah, Diarmuid and Conor, brothers Rev Fr John, Tom and Pat, sisters Mary, Lena, Anna, Margaret and Bridget, nephews and nieces, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, relatives and many friends.
Funeral Arrangements
The earthly remains of Mrs Quinlan will repose at her residence in Eldergrove, Cabra, Thurles, this Wednesday, 10th February, from 4:00pm to 8:00pm, before arriving at the Cathedral of The Assumption, Thurles at 12:30pm on Thursday 11th February.
Requiem Mass will take place at 1:15pm with burial immediately afterwards in St Patrick’s Cemetery, Moyne Road, Thurles.
Note: House private on Thursday please. Family flowers only. Donations if desired to Suir Haven, Thurles.
Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam dílis.
Some €150 million is being spent to redevelop the historic 1916 Boland’s Mill site in Dublin’s docklands, including the construction of a 15-storey apartment block, by Dublin City Council.
Buildings at No.14 to No.17 inclusive at Moore Street, Dublin have been purchased since 2015 from Nama, by Fine Gael Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys. Possibly three of these buildings were in ruins prior to the 1916 Easter Rising and therefore, despite Sinn Féin’s revenge protestations, are of no real historic significant. Admittedly around three hundred Irish Volunteers and members of Cumann na mBan did use the cover of these derelict buildings to escape from the GPO after it caught fire, following a bombardment by British artillery; breaking in and tunnelled their way through gable walls. The fourth house No.16 is important, since it became Volunteer headquarters and the place from which it was decided to finally surrender on April 29th, 1916.
An extra €2 million in 2015, we are informed, was transferred from Arts to secure funding for the wages of staff operating free tourist admissions to National Cultural Institutions which included the National Museum of Ireland, the Natural History museum on Dublin’s Merrion Street, Archaeology on Kildare Street and the National Library of Ireland.
We are informed that a capital provision of €22 million was allocated in 2015 to a number of flagship projects, including the development of a permanent exhibition space and interpretative centre at the GPO in O’Connell Street; the renovation of Kilmainham Courthouse in Dublin to enhance the visitor experience at Kilmainham Gaol; the provision of a permanent visitor facility at Cathal Brugha Barracks for the Military Service Pensions Archive; renovation works at Richmond Barracks; the development of a Tenement Museum in Dublin; and the restoration of the Kevin Barry rooms in the National Concert Hall.
Forgetting the €150 million spend on the historic 1916 Boland’s Mill site, some €28 million, at least, has now been set aside for 1916 projects; all of which has one theme in common – DUBLIN.
 Today the Tipperary Kelly / Coonan Circus rolled into Thurles, led by their Ringmaster the Minister for Property Tax, Water and higher Bin Charges, Mr Alan Kelly. You know the guy I mean; in April 2010, as an Irish MEP he had his Twitter account supposedly “compromised” and God forbid, if the little ‘divils’ didn’t write; “just got stopped by a pikey, scuse me sir, ya haven’t seen a black mare and white pony go by ave ya??? err no sorry”. The word ‘Pikey’ here in “Éire of the Welcomes” is rightly considered a derogatory insulting racist reference, directed at members of our Travelling Community. (It was on the back of this insulting Tweet that no doubt gave justification to Labour’s Joan Burton to raise Kelly’s political stature to the post of “Minister for the Homeless”.)
The other partner of this Circus, Fine Gael’s Minister for Nothing or Other, Mr Noel Coonan also arrived into Thurles today; no doubt to familiarise himself after five years with the Thurles layout. After all when you get a few extra Saturday shoppers walking the town one thinks in the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
The late session with the Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Templemore last night must have kept the junior Minister for Something or Other, Mr Tom Hayes running late; no sign of him.
Anyway, I digress; sure feck-it, unable to afford the price of a parking space in Liberty Square, didn’t I miss both or all of these fine publicly elected representatives.
Question: Why bother, I hear our readers say?
Answer: I suppose Firstly I wanted to sincerely thank all three for staying up in Dáil Éireann to vote, thus supporting their ‘Party Whips’ wishes; that they should support the largest majority government in the history of this State, instead of being down here in their constituencies of Co. Tipperary spreading “The Recovery.” Well done boys; as FG MEP Phil Hogan would have said “That’s real patriotism being expressed lads.”
Secondly: I wanted to thank them both for creating 135,000 jobs since 2012, and to explain that I understand perfectly, unlike other ungrateful bastards, why all three of these boyo’s failed miserably to find even one job, over the last 5 years in Tipperary, until 6 weeks before the forthcoming 2016 General Election.
Thirdly: Boys, what happened, on your watch, to ‘The Bolton Library’ down the road in Cashel?
Question: What the hell is ‘The Bolton Library’ I hear you say?’
Answer: Read on and be enlightened!
Continue reading Broken Promises Lead To Rural Tipperary’s Destruction
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