Entertainment « Thurles Information

Hitmaker Jim Steinman Dead At Aged 73 Years.

It was with sadness we learned of the death of the great hitmaker and music producer Mr Jim Steinman, latter who passed away following kidney failure at the age of 73 years on Monday last.

Mr Steinman will possibly be best remembered for his associations with singer Meat Loaf, latter who took him to court for the right to perform ‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’, later performed by Celine Dion, on her multi-million selling “Falling Into You” album .

English composer, impresario of musical theatre and Fethard, Co. Tipperary resident, Mr Andrew Lloyd Webber, who worked with Mr Steinman on the musical “Whistle Down The Wind”, compared the songwriter to the German composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner.
We remember the song “No Matter What” written by Mr Andrew Lloyd Webber and Mr Steinman from that musical, and popularised by Irish boyband ‘Boyzone’ in 1998; recorded to tie in with the show’s first UK production.

On learning of the death of Mr Steinman, Mr Lloyd Webber stated, “He was one of the nicest, kindest people I have ever met in the music business; the ‘Wagner of rock’, if you like.”

Mr Lloyd Webber recalled an evening out with Mr Steinman and his generosity, while in New York City at a Mexican restaurant, adding, “he was extraordinary”.

Mr Steinman also penned/produced hits for other performers such as ‘Bonnie Tyler’, ‘Air Supply’ and ‘Take That’.

Exciting Free Online Event For Kids.

Thursday, April 22nd next, is ‘World Earth Day’ and the Rediscovery Centre and the Natural History Museum of Ireland are offering a unique and free opportunity for primary school pupils.

This free 1 hour online event, for 3rd to 6th class pupils, takes place from 11:30 am to 12:30pm, as already stated on April 22nd. The session, entitled “Cool Fossils and Hot (Climate) Facts”, begins with a half hour exploration of Ice Age fossils from Ireland. Pupils will be enabled to learn about the Woolly Mammoth, Spotted Hyena, Giant Deer, Brown Bear and Grey Wolf.

The second half of this not-to-be missed session, invites pupils to learn about climate change. Pupils will be enabled to investigate how CO2 causes global warming, with the help of some fascinating experiments.

To take part in this event and to view its associated resources you can register via eventbrite.ie, by simply clicking HERE.

The theme for this year’s ‘World Earth Day’ is ‘Together, We Can Restore Our Earth’.
For more information on ‘World Earth Day’ visit HERE.

Fine Gael Minister Humphreys Allocates €2.8m For Thurles Market.

**Planning art work above courtesy Tipperary County Council.**

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Ms Heather Humphreys TD, has this week announced, in total, €75million for 24 landmark regeneration projects, in rural communities across the Republic of Ireland.

The funding, which is being provided under the €1 Billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund will support the key objectives of ‘Our Rural Future’ – the Government’s ambitious new policy for Rural Ireland.

A large number of the successful projects will provide for the regeneration of vacant town centre buildings as remote working and hot-desking facilities. These projects will support remote workers and commuters to work from and remain in their own local community.

Just one examples of these successful projects is the allocation of €2.8m for the Thurles Market Quarter, Co Tipperary, situated close to The Source, building on Cathedral Street. This project will renovate a mid 19th Century (1848) vacant agriculture building and associated car park to create a new ‘Thurles Market Quarter’. The new location will include a designated Market Space, a multi-functional ‘Events Space’ and a ‘Student’s Union’ and ‘Café’.

Announcing the overall funding Minister Humphreys stated:

“Just three weeks ago, the Government launched ‘Our Rural Future’, the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in decades. Today we are putting that policy firmly into action and delivering major investment aimed at town centre regeneration and supporting remote working.
These projects will breathe new life into towns and villages across the country making them attractive and vibrant places for people to live, work, socialise and raise a family.”

Thanking Tipperary Co. Council for their vision, Minister Humphreys continued:

“When I launched ‘Our Rural Future’, I said I wanted to see innovative and exciting projects coming forward that would make a real and lasting difference in our rural towns and villages – that’s exactly what the projects we are announcing today are about.

It is absolutely clear that Local Authorities and communities across the country have picked up the ball on remote working and ran with it. I am delighted that so many of the successful projects today will see the development of remote working and hot-desking facilities in rural towns and villages.

These projects will not only enable people to live and work in their community but they will also see iconic town centre buildings given a new lease of life and increase footfall for local businesses.

Supporting the development of remote working facilities in places like Enfield and Carrickmacross will give commuters in those areas the choice to work locally rather than spend hours in traffic each day.

A large number of these projects also include significant public realm works such as developing new pedestrian areas in town centres, creating new green areas and developing new outdoor public spaces for community and cultural events – these projects will help to make our towns attractive, lived in and vibrant places.

Today you are seeing Our Rural Future in action – and this is only the beginning. In the coming weeks, I will be inviting new applications under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and bringing forward an enhanced Town and Village Renewal Scheme, which will provide rural communities with more opportunities to make exciting and impactful projects like these a reality,” the Minister concluded.

Five Fun Easter Games For Family Members.

For an extra bit of family fun this Easter Sunday, why not play some of these great Easter games. Each one requires nothing more than a few materials that can easily be found around the house. What’s more, each game can be played indoors or outdoors and can be played by kids of all ages.

Easter Egg Hunt.

Easter egg hunts on Easter Sunday have grown increasingly popular in recent years. In the most basic version of an Easter Egg Hunt, chocolate or toy Easter eggs are hid indoors or around the garden. Participants search for eggs, collecting as many as they can find and placing them in their Easter basket or bag. You can add a competitive element by having a time limit and declaring the winner as the person who found the most eggs. For even more ideas for an Easter Egg hunt click HERE.

Draw the Bunny.

Anyone familiar with the classic “Beetle Drive” game, will understand how to play “Draw the Bunny”. All you need is paper, pencils and a dice. For a full set of instructions visit the excellent games resource “Family Games Treasure House” by clicking HERE.

Egg and Spoon Race.

There’s nothing as fun as an egg and spoon race and it’s no wonder the game has been around for generations. Get out your spoons and eggs. Put an Easter spin on things by substituting hard boiled eggs for chocolate ones.

Pin the Tail on the Bunny.

This game puts an Easter spin on the traditional “Spin the Tail on the Donkey”. The game is simple. One player is on and blindfolded. In their hand they have a cotton tail. On the wall there is a picture of a bunny. They are spun around three times and have to try and place the cotton tail on the bunny. For the bunny, you can draw one or cut one out from a picture. For the cotton tail simply use a piece of cotton wool with sticky tape attached.

Roll the Egg.

Another race game, this will have everyone in stitches. Using chocolate or hard boiled eggs, participants have to roll their eggs with their nose from the agreed start to the finish line. Lots of silly fun to be had with this game.

We wish all our readers a very Happy Easter.

Five Great Irish Giggles & Pranks On April Fool’s Day.

Today is April Fool’s Day.

April Fool’s Day has been a tradition across different countries and cultures for centuries. Although it’s exact origin is debated, one most likely theory goes back as far as 1582.

In that year, the French switched from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. Under the Julian Calendar the new year began with the Spring equinox around April 1st. Under the Gregorian Calendar the new year began on January 1st. People who were unaware of the change or refused to follow the Gregorian calendar were deemed “April Fools” and subject to much ridicule.

Centuries later, on this particular April Fool’s Day, we could all do with an extra laugh. With this in mind, we thought we would share some funny pranks and giggles courtesy of Irish TV and YouTube.

Please be advised that some of the hilarious sketches hereunder contain crude language.

Brendan Grace and “The Wedding”.

The late, great Brendan Grace was one of Ireland’s best comedians. His hilarious sketch “The Wedding” will have you in stitches and it was a firm favourite of the world famous singer Frank Sinatra. In 1989, Sinatra performed in Dublin and at the after show party, Grace supplied the entertainment. Sinatra was so impressed he convinced Grace to travel to the USA. See hereunder.

Pat Shortt and “Lost in Limerick”.

No list of Irish giggles would be complete without a contribution from our very own Thurles native Pat Shortt. It’s well worth subscribing to his YouTube channel for a guaranteed regular laugh. Shortt’s latest sketches explore the lighter side of the Covid- 19 pandemic, chief among them is “Lost in Limerick”. See hereunder,

Cork’s 96FM Prank Call Series, “The Car Wash”.

Many unsuspecting members of the public here in Munster have been victims of a prank call from Cork’s 96FM over the years. This is among their most hilarious prank calls and involves a Car Wash owner and a customer who rings claiming that his car wash got his engine wet. This call takes an even more ridiculous turn when the “customer” goes to take a look at his petrol tank. It really is hilarious and it’s easy to see why it has 100K views on YouTube (Listen HERE).

RTÉ2’s The Fear and “That’s Not My Son”.

In this very funny prank from the hidden camera show “The Fear” on RTÉ2, an unsuspecting couple try their best to negotiate with the Gardaí who want to drop off their son to finish off the final three months of his prison sentence, under their roof as part of a new house arrest scheme. The problem is that the prisoner is not the couple’s son but he claims otherwise. Click HERE to view this hilarious prank.

Funny Fails on RTÉ Television.

Some of the biggest giggles are often unintended ones and RTÉ has delivered its fair share over the years. Click HERE to view a compilation of their most infamous and funniest fails.