Employment « Thurles Information

MSD Pharma Company To Build New €140 Million Tipperary Facility.

Pharmaceutical company MSD Ireland, which is part of the US giant Merck, is planning to build a new €140 million manufacturing facility, [3,266sqm in size and 20.75m high] alongside their successful existing plant in Ballydine, Co. Tipperary.

Planning documents are understood to have been submitted to Tipperary County Council with the proposed scheme, same expected to create some 300 construction jobs over the life of the construction period, understood to take 18 months.

MSD, which employs some 2,700 people in the Irish Republic, said the proposed facility was needed to address a manufacturing need to produce small volume, highly effective drugs, to meet increasing product demands. An example of these types of medicines are those used for chemotherapy products.

The Ballydine site first opened in 1976 and currently employs some 500 highly skilled individuals. The site has API and Formulation facilities for the manufacture of commercial products and the development of new products.
They invested €75 million between 2014 and 2017, furthering their commitment to the manufacturing site with 20 of MSD’s pipeline products undertaken at this state-of-the-art research and commercialisation facility; exporting products to approximately 25 countries around the world for further processing.

Thurles Firefighter Vacancies

Applications are invited for the position of part-time firefighter with the following Brigade units: – Thurles, Borrisokane, Cahir, Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel, Clonmel, Cloughjordan, Nenagh, Newport, Roscrea, Templemore, and Tipperary Town.

Possition offers a possible average annual earnings of €15,000 to €20,000 Per Annum.

Panels may be created from which vacancies arising, during the lifetime of these panels, will be filled. Depending on the number of applications received, shortlisting of candidates may be necessary. Shortlisting will be based on the information on each individual application form.

Application forms and further particulars are available on HERE or by e-mail from recruitment@tipperarycoco.ie, with whom completed and typed application forms must be returned by a date not later than 4.00pm on Wednesday, 27th January, 2021.

Only application forms received via e-mail will be accepted.

Note: Garda Vetting also applies to this post.

Germinal Holdings To Move Operational Base To Thurles.

The seeds and grain firm Germinal Holdings, founded in 1825; latter which supplies high-grade grass seeds, fertilisers and wild flowers for use in agriculture and sports arenas, has made the decision to move its operational base from Banbridge, Co. Down, to relocate at its existing premises at Thurles Road, Ballytarsna, Horse & Jockey, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Their decision comes as part of a wider strategy to further improve their operational efficiency.

While their decision will see a transfer of its head office function to Belfast, Co. Antrim, its operational base will be in Thurles, where Germinal has already invested heavily in a new production and distribution facility.

Employing 81 staff; the company had sales of £27.6 million and grew profits of £5.2 million during its last trading year.

The company are accelerating their investment in digital and e-commerce technologies, which is seen as major growth opportunity for their business.

Germinal Holdings presently remain the largest family-owned seed firm in the UK and Ireland.

Plans For New Housing Development In Thurles.

**Dún Lia, Lognafulla, Dublin Road, Thurles**, **Co. Tipperary** *[Shaded in Blue.]*

Permission has been granted to Ormonde Homes (Thurles) Ltd, for a new 63-house development initiative, here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, subject to 23 added planning conditions by Tipperary County Council.

Ormonde Homes (Thurles) Ltd, was first established as a company on Wednesday December 11th 2019, for the purpose of Developing Building Projects. They submitted their original plans for a new building project at Dún Lia, Lognafulla, Dublin Road, Thurles (South of St. Patrick’s Graveyard), to Tipperary Co. Council, on May 26th 2020, for the 63 unit dwelling house development.

The now granted planning application for the 63 dwellings, which consists of 21 x 1 two bed bungalows, 36 x 1 three-bed units and 6 x 1 four-bed units, will commence subject to the attached 23 conditions specified by Tipperary Co. Council.

Thurles – Looking Back.

**Pictured** *(centre of crowd)* **An Taoiseach Mr Éamon de Valera *(1882 – 1975)* arriving in Thurles to turn the sod on the Thurles Sugar Factory, in 1933**.

In 1933 the first state owned company, Cómlucht Siūicre Eireann Teo, was formed and the then Taoiseach Mr Éamon de Valera came to Thurles to turn the sod on the second of three new sugar beet factories.

One year later, in 1934 the first sugar beet campaigns commenced at Thurles, Mallow and Tuam. In the 1934 production campaign more than 44,000 acres of sugar beet were sown and approximately half-a-million tonnes of beet were processed.

In Thurles this enterprise back in 1934, transformed the fortunes of Thurles and its hinterland. In an era of acute economic hardship, arising from a worldwide depression and a bitter trade war with Britain, the plant was described as “manna from heaven”.

In 1989 the Thurles Sugar Factory closed with the loss of 400 jobs, delivering a blow from which Thurles, to date, would never recover. This devastation, would be followed later by the closure of the GMX factory, with the loss of 230 jobs; Erin Foods with the loss of 95 jobs, while smaller Thurles industries like Tipperary Candy and Tipperary Cereals also vanished; and while local politicians found themselves incapable of consigning even the smallest modicum of replacement industry.

Interesting to note from the picture the number of men found “doffing their hats” in a cultural expression of recognition, respect, gratitude, simple salutation or acknowledgement rarely seen in today’s Ireland.