Community News « Thurles Information

This Is Not Activism. This Is Intimidation.

Activism: The use of deliberate, vigorous action to promote, or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change.

Intimidation: The act of making someone feel fearful and powerless. It involves using threats, pressure, or aggressive behaviour to control or influence behaviour. Key aspects are to compel compliance, silence a person, or deter them from taking an action.
The legal implications in Ireland, identifies same as a civil or criminal offence.

Actress Dame Helen Mirren, an 80-year-old Academy Award-winning actress, was verbally abused in the street and called an “Evil Zionist” after publicly defending Israel’s right to exist and opposing the idea that Jews should be made targets for who they are.

There is no moral cause advanced by screaming abuse at an elderly woman in public. There is no justice in intimidation. There is no humanity in treating support for Jewish survival as something shameful.

Reports indicate that the initial confrontation involving Dame Helen Mirren was not a new incident, but resurfaced footage from November of 2025. The video, reportedly filmed near Tower Hill in London while Ms Mirren was walking with her husband, (Mr Taylor Hackford), was originally shared by Antifascist Action UK, before re-emerging in wider media coverage in May 2026.
Yes, that timing matters; the abuse itself was already disturbing, but its resurfacing now shows how quickly hostility toward public figures perceived as sympathetic to Israel can be revived, amplified, and normalised.

People can debate politics. They can criticise governments. They can protest policies. But when the response to someone’s support for Jewish existence is harassment, misogynistic abuse, and public humiliation, the mask slips.

Sport politicians Mr Patrick O’Donovan and Mr Charlie McConalogue, should also take note. When two sports ministers refuse to attend a football match involving Israel, the message travels far beyond the stadium. Whatever they intend, such gestures risk giving legitimacy to the idea that Israelis and, in practice, many Jews who are made to answer for Israel, should be singled out, shunned, and treated as untouchable. That does not lower tensions. It feeds hatred Ministers.

The Irish people, as a whole, care little whether politicians get free tickets to attend sports games or not, but expressing views or verbally attacking people for refusing to accept Jewish murder or erasure, does not help your cause.

Well unless, of course, that is your cause.

Hopefully, people will continue to behave at any planned future football protests. But yesterday I suppose, was a slow news day for political journalists.

Food Alert.

FSAI warn of recall of a batch of Bare Pantry Shelled Pistachios due to the presence of Salmonella.

Alert Summary Dated Thursday, 28 May 2026.

Category 1: For Action
Alert Notification: 2026.27
Product Identification: Bare Pantry Shelled Pistachios; pack size: 100g
Batch Code: 061025; best before date: 06/06/2026
Country Of Origin: USA

Message: The above batch of Bare Pantry Shelled Pistachios is being recalled due to the presence of Salmonella. Recall notices will be displayed at point of sale.

Nature Of Danger: People infected with Salmonella typically develop symptoms between 12 and 36 hours after infection, but this can range between 6 and 72 hours. The most common symptom is diarrhoea, which can sometimes be bloody. Other symptoms may include fever, headache, and abdominal cramps. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Diarrhoea can occasionally be severe enough to require hospital admission. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Action Required: Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, caterers & retailers:
Wholesalers / Distributors: Same are requested to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated batch and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to retailer customers.
Retailers: Same are requested to remove the implicated batch from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.
Consumers: Consumers are advised not to eat the implicated batch.

Gardaí Hunt Suspect Following Armed Raid At Fethard Post Office, Tipperary.

Gardaí are investigating an armed robbery at Fethard Post Office on Main Street in Co Tipperary after a man entered the premises and allegedly threatened staff while brandishing, what is believed to have been a firearm.

The incident happened on yesterday (Wednesday afternoon), prompting a local Garda response and an appeal for public assistance. The man fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed sum of cash. No injuries were reported, although it has not yet been confirmed how many people were inside the post office when the robbery took place.

The raid has caused concern in the local community, particularly given that it occurred during daytime business hours in the centre of Fethard. Gardaí are now working to establish the full circumstances of the incident, including the route taken by the suspect after leaving the post office.

According to local reports, the suspect was described as a lone male wearing a dark-coloured, long-sleeved hoodie with a grey front. Gardaí are appealing to anyone who was in the Main Street area, or elsewhere in Fethard, around the time of the robbery to come forward.

Investigators are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have noticed suspicious behaviour between 2:00pm and 3:00pm, or who may have dashcam, mobile phone, CCTV, or doorbell camera footage from the area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Clonmel Garda Station Tel: (052) 617 7640 or the Garda Confidential Line Tel: 1800 666 111, or indeed any Garda Station.

Death Of Eileen Egan, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great sadness that we learned of the death, on Tuesday 26th May 2026, of Mrs Eileen Egan (née Kennedy), Clontarf, Co. Dublin; Donnycarney, Co. Dublin and formerly of Ballingarry, (South Riding), Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by her beloved husband John and her brother Phillip; Mrs Egan passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, while in the care of staff at Ashford Nursing Home.

Her passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; loving daughters Anna Maria and Movita, sons-in-law Paul and Dermot, grandchildren Darragh, Ronan and Louis, brothers Martin and Gus, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mrs Egan will repose at Staffords Funeral Home, Strand Road, Burrow, Portmarnock, Co. Dublin, on Friday afternoon, May 29th, from 2:00pm until 4:00pm.
Her remains will be received into the Church of St. Anthony, Clontarf West, Co. Dublin, (Eircode DO3TY23), on Saturday morning next, May 30th, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 10:00am, followed, immediately afterwards, by a Service of Cremation in Glasnevin Crematorium, Finglas Road, Glasnevin, Dublin, (Eircode D11 XA32) at 11:30am.

For those persons who would wish to attend Requiem Mass for Mr Egan, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.

The extended Egan family wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time, and have made arrangements for those persons wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.

Note Please: Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to St Francis Hospice, Raheny, Co. Dublin, in Memory of Mrs Eileen Egan (née Kennedy).

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis.

From Soot To Ceremony: How Wedding Chimney Sweeps Could Bring Luck.

There was once an old wedding tradition that believed it was good luck for a bride and groom to meet a chimney sweep on their wedding day. The story is often linked to a royal legend: a chimney sweep is said to have helped save a king from runaway horses, after which sweeps became known as bringers of good fortune. Whether the tale is fact or folklore, the symbolism is easy to understand. The sweep was connected with the hearth, the fire, and the warmth of the home; all powerful images for a newly married couple beginning life together.

Today, this tradition has become a charming wedding extra. A chimney sweep may appear outside the church, registry office, or wedding venue to greet the couple, shake hands with the groom, kiss the bride on the cheek, pose for photographs, and offer a few words of good luck. It is unusual, memorable, and full of character, exactly the kind of detail many couples now look for when planning a wedding.
Wedding venues and professional photographers could also adopt the idea as an added service for couples looking for something traditional, quirky, and memorable.

**“Wishing you a lifetime of love, luck, and happiness.”**

A venue might offer a “lucky chimney sweep” as part of a heritage or vintage wedding package, while photographers could suggest it as a characterful photo opportunity after the ceremony.
Some couples may worry about soot marking the bride’s white dress, but this can be easily avoided. The sweep can arrive in clean ceremonial clothing, use a display brush rather than a working one, avoid close contact with the dress, and pose carefully at the bride’s side. With a little planning, the charm of the tradition can be kept without any risk to the gown.

For modern chimney sweeps, this old custom could also offer a useful additional income stream.
The trade is changing. With cleaner heating policies, reduced reliance on fossil fuels, and the gradual move toward low-carbon homes, traditional chimney work is not the same as it once was. Gas, oil, coal, wood, and smokeless-fuel use are all under closer environmental scrutiny, and many households are moving toward heat pumps, better insulation, and electric heating. At the same time, sweeps remain important for homes with working fireplaces, wood burners, and multifuel stoves, where regular sweeping is still essential for safety.

That creates a challenge but also an opportunity.
A wedding appearance does not replace the practical work of chimney sweeping, but it can sit alongside it. It makes use of the sweep’s traditional clothing, local reputation, storytelling, and historic image. It can be offered as a weekend or seasonal service, especially during the spring and summer wedding months, when demand for chimney maintenance may be lower.

A Chimney Sweep could offer packages such as:
► A lucky sweep appearance after the ceremony.
► Photographs with the bride and groom.
► A short traditional blessing or good-luck greeting.
► A certificate or keepsake for the couple.
► Optional attendance at the reception for photos with guests.

The idea works especially well for historic venues, country weddings, church weddings, vintage-themed ceremonies, and couples who want something different from the usual wedding entertainment. It also gives younger generations a chance to see a trade that was once central to everyday life but is now becoming less visible.
In that sense, the wedding chimney sweep is more than a novelty. It is a way of keeping an old craft in public view, preserving folklore, and helping working sweeps adapt as heating habits change.

For chimney sweeps looking to diversify, the message is simple: the soot may be less common, but the story still has value. A clean chimney keeps a home safe; a lucky sweep at a wedding brings a smile, a photograph, and a tradition that couples will remember for years.

“Come on, lads — let’s bring a little imagination to wedding events.”