Everyone is warmly invited to come along and enjoy St Angela’s Academy Market Quarter Concert on Sunday next, June 7th, in the Market Quarter, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. This is a free admission event and promises to be a wonderful afternoon of live music, community celebration and family-friendly entertainment.
The programme begins at 2:00pm with the Thurles Community Orchestra, followed by the Thurles Children’s Orchestra at 3:00pm. At 3:30pm, the Thurles Ukulele Band, [featuring 4th, 5th and 6th class children], will take to the stage. The afternoon continues with The Grapevine Motown Band at 4:00pm, before finishing in style with The Papa Zitas Motown Big Band at 4:30pm.
St Angela’s Academy of Music undertakes magnificent work in educating, encouraging and inspiring music students of all ages. The Academy describes itself as an institution of musical excellence for more than 30 years, with experienced musicians and educators supporting students on their musical journey. Its Roundabout Programme also provides classical music education for primary school children, helping young musicians access instruments such as Trumpet, Trombone, French horn, Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Flute.
This concert is a lovely opportunity to support local young talent, celebrate the arts in Thurles, and enjoy uplifting music in the heart of the community.
Bring family, friends and neighbours — admission is free, and all are welcome!
The True Story of Villa Emma – The Village That Chose to Save Children.
At a time when Israel’s very presence on the football field is again the subject of protest, including the disruption of Ireland’s friendly against Qatar in Dublin over upcoming fixtures with Israel, the story of Villa Emma carries a particular force. The protests are framed by many as opposition to Israel’s conduct in Gaza, but for Jews and Israelis they also echo a longer and painful history: a people repeatedly attacked, excluded, and told that even their children, athletes, and symbols of ordinary national life are not entitled to safety or normality. From the Jewish children hidden in Nonantola in 1943, to the children killed at Majdal Shams, to Jewish children reportedly targeted in Skokie, the question is not only political but moral: when Jewish or Israeli children and communities are made vulnerable, do bystanders turn away, join the hostility, or choose protection?
In the summer of 1942, a group of Jewish refugee children arrived in the small Italian village of Nonantola, near Modena. They had already been on the run for years, fleeing Nazi persecution across Central and Eastern Europe. Most came from Germany, Austria, and the Balkans. Many had lost their families. An Italian Jewish aid organisation, DELASEM, arranged for them to stay in an abandoned countryside mansion known as Villa Emma. By the spring of 1943, their number had grown to around 70–73 children and teenagers, cared for by a small group of adult educators.
Catholic Priest & Teacher, Don Arrigo Beccari.
A fragile refuge. For about a year, life in Nonantola was unexpectedly peaceful. The children attended lessons, worked, and gradually adapted to village life. Local residents helped furnish the villa, brought food, and supported daily life. Two local figures became especially important, namely Don Arrigo Beccari, a Catholic priest and teacher, and Dr. Giuseppe Moreali, the village doctor. Both formed close ties with the children and helped organise their care. At this stage, despite anti-Jewish laws, Italy had not yet begun systematic deportations in the same way as Nazi-occupied territories but that would soon change.
By September 1943: everything shifts. On September 8th, 1943, Italy surrendered to the Allies. German forces quickly occupied northern Italy. The danger was immediate and clear. Within hours, the people responsible for the children realised that staying at Villa Emma would likely lead to arrest and deportation. What happened next was decisive. A village acts. In less than two days, often described as under 36 hours, the children were dispersed and hidden. Younger children were sheltered in the local seminary Others were taken in by families across the village and countryside Around 30–35 families, along with clergy and others, participated in hiding them. This was not a centralised operation directed by a government or military. It was a coordinated local response involving priests, doctors, educators, and ordinary villagers.
Forged identities and a dangerous plan Hiding the children was only a temporary solution. German patrols were active, and a search could happen at any time. Beccari, Moreali, and others began preparing an escape. They obtained blank identity documents and created false papers to disguise the children’s identities. The plan was to move them north, across the Alps, into neutral Switzerland.
The escape. Between early and mid-October 1943, the children left Nonantola in small groups. They travelled by train and on foot, guided through checkpoints using forged papers, and eventually crossed the Swiss border, often at night.Most of the group made it safely. One known exception was Salomon Papo, a boy who had been too ill to travel. He was later arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where he died.
Aftermath and consequences The rescue did not go unnoticed. Don Arrigo Beccari was later arrested and imprisoned by Fascist authorities. He was interrogated and beaten but did not reveal information about the network that had helped the children. He survived the war and returned to his life as a priest in the same community.
What this story really represents The rescue of the Villa Emma children was not the work of a single hero. It involved Jewish organizers who arranged the children’s refuge – Local clergy and medical professionals and dozens of ordinary families willing to take risks. Together, they protected and ultimately saved the lives of dozens of young people. After the war, many of those children emigrated to Palestine and later Israel, where they built new lives.
Why, then, are so many Christian communities silent? Perhaps because Israel has become politically contentious, and many fear that defending Jews or Israelis from hatred will be treated as taking a side in every aspect of the Middle East conflict. But this is a false moral trap. One can grieve Palestinian suffering and still condemn antisemitism. One can criticise Israeli policy and still defend Jewish children from intimidation, exclusion, and violence. The legacy of Villa Emma should make Christians especially uneasy about silence. When Jewish children were in danger, Don Arrigo Beccari and others did not hide behind complexity. They protected life. That remains the standard.
A legacy of quiet courage. In 1964, Don Arrigo Beccari and Giuseppe Moreali were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for their role in the rescue. Today, the story of Villa Emma is remembered not just as an act of individual bravery, but as an example of collective moral choice. In a time of fear and occupation, a small rural community chose to help. and because of that, dozens of children survived.
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.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its greenhouse gas emission projections for the period 2025-2055.
Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions could achieve a reduction of up to 25% by 2030, compared to a national target of 51%, with full implementation of a wide range of policies and plans across all sectors.
Ireland will be close to meeting the first carbon budget, but nearly all sectors are on track to exceed their sectoral emissions ceilings for the second carbon budget by 2030.
Ireland is projected to exceed its EU Effort Sharing Regulation target of 42% reduction by 2030. EPA projects a maximum reduction of 23%.
With less than four years left to 2030, there must be a strong focus on implementation of policies and measures to meet climate targets which will deliver wide-ranging benefits from environmental protection, supporting public health and wellbeing and reducing Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuels.
EPA analysis shows that Ireland’s planned climate policies and measures could deliver reductions of up to 25% of emissions by 2030, compared to 2018 levels. Assessment of the latest information provided by Governmental bodies and sector representatives indicates that the gap to target is widening in some sectors of the economy, while narrowing in others.
Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to be close to meeting the first Carbon Budget (2021-2025) of 295 Mt CO2eq. The second budget is projected to be exceeded by a significant margin of 53 to 82 Mt CO2eq.
Transport, Industry and the Buildings (Commercial and Public) sectors are projected to be the furthest from achieving their sectoral emission ceilings in 2030. Agriculture emissions are projected to reduce by up to 19%.
Dr Eimear Cotter, EPA Director General, said: “The EPA’s projections show that the current rate of delivery of the Climate Action Plan and associated policies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 – only half of the reductions needed. While greenhouse gas emissions are declining, European and national emission reduction targets are projected to be missed. There must be a renewed focus on delivering the actions to meet Ireland’s climate targets which will be a significant challenge given the short timeframe to 2030.”
Dr Cotter added: “Meeting these targets will deliver multiple benefits. These include reducing Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels in electricity, transport and heating and strengthening national energy security and resilience. Achieving these emission reductions will also improve public health, provide green employment and protect our environment. Overall, these trends demonstrate that progress is achievable but accelerating delivery is critical. Renewable energy is now expected to provide nearly 60% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030. It is imperative given the increasing demand for electricity across several sectors, that renewables are delivered at the pace and scale required to meet this demand.”
Agriculture. Depending on the level of implementation of measures outlined in Government policies and plans, total emissions from the Agriculture sector will decrease between 4% and 19% over the period of 2018 to 2030. Changes in nitrogen fertiliser usage, switching to different fertilisers and lower anticipated livestock numbers contribute to projected emissions savings. A direct comparison of the Agriculture sector against its absolute Sectoral Emission Ceiling is no longer possible given recent scientific updates to baseline historical agriculture emissions.
Transport. Emissions from Transport are projected to reduce by up to 28% over the period 2018 to 2030, if the measures set out in plans and policies are implemented. These include at least 751,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030, increased biofuel blend rates and measures to support more sustainable transport.
Residential Emissions. Emissions from fuel combustion for home and hot water heating are projected to decrease by up to 18% by 2030. Lower uptake of home energy improvement measures, including planned heat pump installation in existing dwellings, has lowered predictions for emissions savings by 2030.
Industry. Fuel combustion in manufacturing is the primary source of emissions in this sector; emissions from mineral, chemical and metal industries contribute the next largest portion. Emissions from this sector are projected to reduce by 12% over the period 2018 to 2030.
Energy. Continued rollout of renewable electricity generation to provide 52% – 59% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030 as well as increased importation of electricity from interconnectors, are contributing to reductions in Ireland’s emissions. However, delayed delivery of planned renewable energy projects such as offshore wind have lowered potential emissions savings by 2030.
Land use. Emissions from this sector are projected to increase between 4% to 72% over the period of 2018 to 2030 as Irish forestry reaches harvesting age, and shifts from being a carbon sink to a source of emissions. Planned policies and measures for the sector, such as increased afforestation, water table management on agricultural organic soils and peatland rehabilitation are projected to reduce the extent of the emissions increase.
Commenting, Dr Conor Quinlan, Programme Manager said: “The shortfall to our 2030 targets is narrowing in some sectors, for example emissions in the Transport sector are now projected to reduce by up to 28%. Encouragingly, projections for electric vehicle uptake has improved, reflecting growing confidence in the transition to cleaner transport. In contrast, the gap is widening in others such as the Residential sector which is projected now to reduce by up to 18%. It is imperative that ambition and action is maintained across all sectors if we are to meet our targets and realise the benefits of decarbonisation for our society.”
Mr Darragh Kelly(Community Water Officer, Tipperary & Waterford)Reports.
I am delighted to share details of the upcoming public consultation on the proposed Suir Rivers Trust. Please see the poster attached hereunder.
Communities, river users, businesses and landowners are being invited to help shape the future of the proposed Rivers Trust for the Suir. A River Trust is a community-focused organisation to protect rivers and their surrounding catchment habitats.
Please note the River Suir community meeting dates are as follows; Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary – May 27th. Cabragh Wetlands Centre, Holycross, Thurles – Thursday May 28th.
Why Participate? Share your views on the future of the river Suir. Highlight local issues, concerns and opportunities. Help shape how proposed River Trusts could and should be developed.
All information, booking links for meetings and focus groups, and access to the online questionnaires are available by scanning the QR code in the attached poster above or by visiting: www.researchanddig.com/three-sisters-rivers-trusts.
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