Education « Thurles Information

Tipperary Pheasants Hatched By Incubator.

Four adorable pheasant chicks have been recently hatched near Thurles, as part of an education and conservation initiative organised by the National Association of Regional Games Council (NARGC).

The recommended temperature, using an Incubator, for pheasant eggs is 37.6 – 37.8 degrees Celsius and pheasant eggs take between 23-28 days to hatch using this method.

Pheasants are widespread across Ireland, but contrary to popular belief they are not native to us or the UK. It is believed that pheasants were first introduced to Ireland in medieval times from Southeast Asia. Back then, as now, they were popular ‘Game birds’ for hunting.

Many readers will be familiar with the distinctive white stripe seen on the neck of many pheasants around Ireland and that particular species is actually native to China.

**The pheasants pictured above were hatched in a Brinsea Mini Incubator**.

Pheasants are known by their hoarse call, their long tails, spotted angular markings and for eating seeds, grains and insects gleaned from the ground. They inhabit gardens, woodlands and farm hedges and are notorious for nesting on the ground. Indeed, when mowing near hedges and other ground level nesting areas favoured by pheasants, take care not to destroy or damage their nests.

To find out more about pheasants you can visit HERE or HERE.

Irish Historic First – European School Chess Championships Get Underway At UL.

History is being made this weekend with the hosting of the European School Chess Championships taking place in Ireland for the first time.

More than 200 children, aged between 5 and 16 years, from 14 European countries are all participating in the week-long tournament, which takes place at the University of Limerick (UL) and continues until Friday June 7th 2024.

The Irish Chess Union (ICU) beat off competition from four other countries to win the bid to host the event against four other countries, with the support of UL, Limerick City & County Council and the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau.

“Securing this event is a major milestone in the development of chess in Ireland and demonstrates the ICU’s unwavering commitment to promoting the game nationwide and Ireland as a chess destination for future events,” commented Mr Desmond Beatty, (Chairperson, Irish Chess Union.)

Mr. Beatty said the decision to bring the Championships to Ireland reflects the unprecedented growth the game has experienced since the pandemic.

“Chess has proven to be a source of fun and intellectual stimulation for individuals of all ages and can help improve concentration,” he explained. “As a result, the promotion of chess in schools has increased significantly most notably in the classroom following continuous professional development (CPD) courses for primary school teachers now realising the benefits of chess in education, notably in social skills and critical thinking. Over 10000 children this year have taken part in competitions run by ficheall.ie, the organisation of primary teachers promoting chess. Building on the success of both Glorney Cup and Chessmates internationals, this is a remarkable opportunity for us to showcase Ireland’s thriving chess community, promote the growth of the game, and provide an unforgettable experience for participants and spectators alike,” concluded Mr. Beatty.

All games will be broadcast live on chess.com and lichess.org. Diana Mirza and Antonina Gora, both members of Ireland’s women’s team, will be providing live commentary HERE

Speaking on behalf of UL Conference & Sports Campus, Mr David Ward said, “Attracting the European School Chess Championships to UL, highlights the success of our one stop model with accommodation, catering and venues on site. We look forward to setting the stage for a thrilling tournament in June 2024 and hope that many memorable moments will unfold.”

Ms Karen Brosnahan, (General Manager, Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau) said “We are delighted to see the European School Chess Championships coming to Limerick. This is testament to the collaborative efforts of UL, Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau, Limerick City and County Council, and Failte Ireland working together to promote Limerick as a host city and developing strong relationships with the sporting bodies and event organisers. Tournaments like this are highly lucrative, contributing significantly to the local economy.”

Ireland Projected To Exceed National & EU Climate Targets.

Ireland to miss emissions targets even under a best case scenario – EPA.

Ireland is projected to achieve a reduction of up to 29% in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to a target of 51%, when the impact of the majority of actions outlined in Climate Action Plan 2024 is included.
To achieve a reduction of 29% would require full implementation of a wide range of policies and plans across all sectors and for these to deliver the anticipated carbon savings.
Almost all sectors are on a trajectory to exceed their national sectoral emissions ceilings for 2025 and 2030, including Agriculture, Electricity and Transport.
The first two carbon budgets (2021-2030) will not be met, and by a significant margin of between 17% and 27%.
Ireland will not meet its EU Effort Sharing Regulation target of 42% reduction by 2030.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its greenhouse gas emissions projections for the period 2023-2050.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its greenhouse gas emissions projections for the period 2023-2050.

EPA analysis shows that planned climate policies and measures, if fully implemented, could deliver up to 29% emissions reduction by 2030 compared to 2018, a reduction of 4% each year from 2023 to 2030. This is insufficient to achieve the ambition of 51% emissions reduction in Ireland’s Climate Act.

The first two carbon budgets (2021-2030), which aim to support achievement of the 51% emissions reduction goal, are projected to be exceeded by a significant margin of between 17% and 27 %.

All sectors, except Residential buildings, are projected to underperform relative to the sectoral emissions ceilings. Agriculture, Industry and Electricity sectors are projected to be the furthest from their sectoral ceiling in 2030.

Ms Laura Burke, Director General, EPA said: “The EPA’s projections show that full delivery of all climate action plans and policies could deliver a 29% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This is well short of both our European and National emission reduction targets and highlights the scale of effort required to achieve the required reductions across all sectors of our economy. The key priority must be to translate the aspiration in our policies and plans to implementation on the ground.”

Ms Burke added: “The transition to a low carbon society is building momentum in Ireland. We see this with more electric vehicles on our roads, renewable electricity powering our homes and adoption of new farm practices. However, we need to speed up and scale up the transition.”

Agriculture.
Total emissions from the Agriculture sector are projected to decrease by between 1% and 18% over the period 2022 to 2030. Savings are projected from a variety of measures including limits on nitrogen fertiliser usage, switching to different fertilisers and bovine feed additives. The higher ambition scenario assumes that most of the measures outlined in Climate Action Plan 2024, AgClimatise and Teagasc (MACC) are in place.

Transport.
Emissions from the sector are projected to reduce by 26% over the period 2022 to 2030, if the measures set out in plans and policies are implemented. These include over 940,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030, increased biofuel blend rates and measures to support more sustainable transport. Road freight is projected to be the biggest source of road transport greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Energy.
Driven by a reduction in fossil fuel usage and increased net importation of electricity from interconnectors, there was a marked drop of almost 24% in emissions from electricity generation between 2022 and 2023. In combination with planned increases in renewable energy generation from wind and solar, energy sector emissions are projected to reduce by 62% and achieve over 80% renewable electricity generation by 2030.

Land use.

Emissions from this sector are projected to increase between 23% to 99% over the period of 2023 to 2030 as our forestry reaches harvesting age and changes from a carbon sink to a carbon source. 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, Ms Mary Frances Rochford, Programme Manager said: “The EPA projections show the importance of accelerating the delivery of renewable technologies to support decarbonised electrification across the economy, adopting known emission reduction technologies while new solutions are developed in agriculture, providing alternatives to car and freight transport, and taking action to reduce emissions from land to reduce Ireland’s emissions. Increasing the pace of implementation will deliver the required emission reductions and create space for adoption of further policies and measures.”

For further detail on these figures, see the EPA report Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections 2023 to 2050 and EPA Greenhouse Gas web resource on the EPA website.

Free Property Marking Services Available At Venues During May 2024.

Tipperary Central Community Policing Unit will be out and about at venues across Tipperary from today, Friday May 24th, until May 31st, 2024.
They will be offering a ‘Property Marking Services’ in each community visited, giving people the chance to have any valuable property marked with their Eircode.
Gardaí would especially like to see owners of high value items e.g. Trailers / Lawnmowers / Power tools etc. attend at the venues tabled hereunder. (For more details visit https://propertymarking.ie )

Date:	Time:	Venue:
May 24th.	12:00pm – 4:00pm.	Knockanrawley Community Resource Centre, Tipperary Town.
May 26th.	3:00pm – 7:00pm.	Rahealy Primary School, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
May 27th.	3:00pm – 7:00pm.	*Ballinunty, (opposite graveyard), Killenaule, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.*
May 28th.	3:00pm – 7:00pm.	Moyne GAA Club, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
May 29th.	3:00pm – 7:00pm.	Kickham GAA Club, Dundrum, Tipperary, Co. Tipperary.
May 30th.	4:00pm – 7:30pm.	Lattin GAA Field, Lattin, Tipperary, Co. Tipperary.
May 31st.	3:00pm – 7:00pm.	Borrisoleigh, GAA Field, Thurles, Co. Tipperary

Gardaí will also use this opportunity to speak to those in attendance on all aspects of safety (including personal security, online security and in particular, road safety).

So please do come along to the named venues during the times stated above.

Legislation Targeting Those Who Groom Children To Commit Crime Welcomed.

Up to five years imprisonment if found guilty on indictment.
One of a set of holistic measures under the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027.
Complemented by Greentown Programme which seeks to disrupt the influence of organised crime groups on young people.

The Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee and the Minister of State with responsibility for Youth Justice Mr James Browne have welcomed the coming into effect of legislation criminalising adults who draw children into crime.

Minister McEntee has this morning commenced the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act 2024, which makes it an offence for an adult to either force or encourage children to engage in any criminal activity.

Those found guilty of the new offences may face imprisonment of up to 12 months on summary conviction and up to five years on indictment.

The legislation recognises the life-long impact and harm done to a child by drawing them into criminal activity, and is one of a set of holistic measures being progressed by the Department of Justice and Minister Browne under the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 to address youth offending.

Under that Strategy, the Department has established an intensive intervention pilot called the Greentown Programme, which is specifically focused on disrupting organised crime groups who lure children into crime, and improving outcomes for children at risk or already engaged in criminal networks.

Minister McEntee recently extended that programme for a further three years so that the learnings for best practice can be formalised and disseminated to the entire network of youth justice initiatives.

Speaking today, Minister McEntee said: “This important legislation will criminalise adults who are ruining young people’s lives and blighting their communities by forcing or enticing them into criminal lifestyles. While offending might start small, it often snowballs into something more serious and suddenly there is no way out for a young person whose life can become plagued by debts, fear and intimidation.

It will be an important tool in the arsenal of Gardaí to disrupt criminal networks and pursue those who use vulnerable young people to keep their own hands clean, complementing the holistic intervention work already underway through the Greentown Programme.

We must pursue those who do the harm, but also work to undo the harm – the Greentown Programme provides intensive wraparound supports and interventions for young people either at risk of or already influenced by criminal networks. It provides intensive supports for the positive development and diversion of the affected children, as well as their family members.

I would like to thank my colleague Minister Browne for his work in developing this legislation and seeing it through the Houses. I look forward to seeing its impact.”

Welcoming the commencement of the Act, Minister Browne said:

“Seeing this legislation over the line has been a key priority for me given its centrality to the Youth Justice Strategy. To really change and reduce youth offending, we need a holistic approach – criminalising those who induce children into criminal activity, creating pro-social opportunities for young people at risk, and intensive interventions for those who are already involved in criminality to improve their long-term outcomes.

The reality is that some children are dealt a losing hand when they have people in their lives – it could be a parent, a cousin, a sibling, a neighbour – who actively exploit them. These people do immeasurable harm to the life of a young person and this legislation recognises that.

Young people may be coerced, forced or enticed by promises of wealth and social status, but what may seem like a quick way to make money or even as something glamourous or cool, very typically turns sour.

A criminal conviction can seriously affect young people’s opportunities to travel abroad, to gain access to education or work, all of which can set people onto worse paths.

This legislation will help to prevent the next generation from being used and abused by criminal gangs, and will contribute to the building of safer, stronger communities.”

This meets objectives contained in both the Programme for Government and the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027.

A key objective in handling youth crime is to try to keep young people out of the criminal justice system as far as possible. The provisions in this legislation limit liability for the offences to adults in order to avoid further consequences for children who are already victims of crime themselves and who may also have been groomed.

The Government is committed to supporting youth justice services in every way possible. In Budget 2024, a further €2.9 million in funding was allocated to youth justice services, increasing the total budget allocation for the youth diversion measures to over €33 million.

This new legislation has been informed by the Greentown Programme, which is being implemented by the University of Limerick in partnership with the Department of Justice and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and was recognised at the 2020 European Crime Prevention Awards. The aim of the Programme is to investigate the involvement of children in criminality and to establish interventions to tackle the problem.

The Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act 2024 can be found HERE.