Road Maintenance on N75 at Cathedral Street Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Photo G. Willoughby
A Quick Reminder: Tipperary County Council wish to inform the public, and have indeed confirmed on their website that there will be a “Stop / Go System” in place operating on Cathedral Street, Thurles (N75), from 7:00am to 7:00pm from tomorrow Monday, May 25th, 2020, to Friday May 29th, inclusive, to facilitate resurfacing works.
Traffic Management will be in place, but delays can be expected.
Note: All on-street parking is no longer permitted at this location for the duration of this work being carried out.
Tipperary County Council appreciate your co-operation and apologise for the inconvenience caused, during the period of this disruption.
County Tipperary community spirit is very much alive and well, as Ms Avril Wilson, (TPPN Co-ordinator) [Tipperary Public Participation Network] reports this evening: –
Ms Wilson writes, “Throughout this new life-changing situation we find ourselves in, regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, like many county organisations, the Tipperary Public Participation Network (TPPN) is doing huge work from behind closed doors.
It isn’t an easy time for any organisation or any one body, as we adapt to new ways of thinking and working; almost on a daily basis.
There are, however, always good news stories in changing times and one of those stories is that the TPPN is adapting well and working closely with its member community groups, thanks to a small but dedicated and creative team, headed by myself (TPPN coordinator) and Sharon Melbourne, TPPN administrator and the volunteers who work with them from all parts of the county.
I personally have come to the realisation that a true great learning for me is that community spirit is alive and well in Tipperary. It has been so heart-warming to see and hear the stories and the lengths that people will go to across the towns and villages to help others. Whether it be volunteers in the local community or paid staff in our myriad of organisations in the Premier County.
From the local authority to community and resource centres, they are all doing their bit to ensure that everyone in our society is and will be looked after as much as is possible. It is very humbling to watch and be part of this setting.
Groups have, unsurprisingly, sprung up in response to the Covid-19 emergency, wanting to actively help within their communities in all different ways. This means that TPPN has become even busier with an increase in applications for membership to avail of information and support that the TPPN can offer to them.
One of the new developments that has emerged, directly due to the Covid-19 crisis, by TPPN is a small, but vital, fund of up to €500 to support the PPN member groups, who are providing direct services and supports to the community during the Covid-19 situation. So far 25 groups have benefitted from this support to buy personal protection equipment (PPE), food supplies, tutors for online learning or mobile phones, for example.
Working together is the way to get through this crisis and the PPN is doing just that, whether it is with the Community Response Forum, Tipperary Volunteer Centre, Red Cross etc., sourcing much-needed foods or essential care packs, ensuring correct practical information and supplies gets to where it is needed.
I feel passionately that all agencies need to continue to work together, now more than ever and the importance of working in collaboration cannot be over stated. We need more collaboration going forward between agencies and government departments and not just because of this pandemic; communities are better served and services are stronger.
The PPN staff have been responding to an increase in calls from these groups looking for support, assistance/guidance around aspects of this crisis that affects them as well as an increase in welcome and vital correspondence the PPN has been sending to these community groups on the ground.
There is a dedicated section on the PPN website with Covid-19 information resource packs and everything is updated regularly.
The PPN will be more than happy to promote good work being done in communities and good news stories from its members.
Yesterday, May 9th 2020, Irish Water (Uisce Éireann) issued a “Do not consume notice” to several hundred customers, latter supplied by the Carrigmore Water Scheme; after elevated nitrate levels were discovered affecting homes on the Limerick/Tipperary border.
High levels of nitrate in ground water usually indicates an overuse of chemical fertilizers, or improper disposal of human or animal waste. Nitrate, however, can occur naturally in surface and groundwater, but at a level that does not generally cause health problems.
So what caused this problem? Irish Water refuses to comment.
Currently it takes, on average, 27 minutes to make phone contact with staff in Irish Water, before being told “We don’t know”. Irish Water refuses to interpret; convey or chastise, publicly or privately, those responsible for “Dirty Farming Practises” mostly causing such high levels of nitrate in our drinking water.
We do understand bottled water has been delivered to those people impacted by the problem, but possibly only to those families with infants, as is usual according to an Irish Water official with whom we spoke.
Irish Water state it is O.K. to wash our bodies, clothing and cooking utensils in water contaminated by human and animal defecation.
At a time when HSE guidance on handwashing is considered totally essential; Irish Water stated yesterday that it was imperative that drinking water from this named water scheme supply is not consumed by infants. They also stated that same water could continue to be used for personal hygiene, flushing of toilets, for laundry and the washing of household utensils.
Note: Boiling such water in this case does not make the slightest difference in terms of reducing nitrate levels and therefore any affected water boiled, will continues to remain unsuitable for human consumption.
Could this be yet another pandemic waiting to destroy our very existence?
Remember our food sources do not have access to bottled water.
Hereunder, can be seen the 5 steps and their possible implementation dates being contemplated by our Irish caretaker government in relation to the current COVID-19 virus pandemic. Same steps are expected to be introduced in an effort to return Ireland to some sort of reasonable normality, as the COVID-19 virus curve flattens.
Phase 1 (May 18th, 2020)
Allow outdoor meetings between people from different households.
Open up childcare for healthcare workers.
Phased return of outdoor workers.
Open retailers which are primarily outdoor or those which were open during first level of restriction (e.g. opticians).
Opening of certain outdoor public amenities.
Phase 2 (June 8th, 2020)
Allow visits to households.
Develop plans and supports to open up business with consideration for safety of staff and customers.
Open small retail outlets and marts where social distancing can be observed.
Open public libraries.
Phase 3 (June 29th, 2020)
Allow small social gatherings.
Opening of crèches, childminders and pre-schools for children of essential workers in phased manner.
Return to work for those with low levels of interaction.
Open non-essential retail outlets with street level entrance and exit.
Open playgrounds.
Phase 4 (July 20th, 2020)
Opening of crèches, childminders and pre-schools for children of all other workers on a gradually increasing basis.
Return to work for those who cannot work from home.
Gradual easing of restrictions for higher risk services (e.g. Hairdressers).
Opening of museums, galleries, places of worship.
Phase 5 (August 10th, 2020)
Allow larger social gatherings.
Return to work across all sectors.
On a phased basis, commencing at the beginning of the academic year, 2020/2021, opening of primary and secondary schools and 3rd level institutions.
Further easing of restrictions on high risk retail services.
A scarce Tawny mining bee, up until 2012 believed to have been extinct in Ireland for some 80 years, has once again returned in large numbers, some to appear on Co. Tipperary soil.
The Tawny mining bee had been last observed by Arthur Stelfoxin in 1925 just outside of Kilkenny and since then was believed to have gone extinct in Ireland. In April 2012 Roger Goodwilliere reported, confirming he had observed this species in his garden, again in Co. Kilkenny, not far from where it had been last sighted, back in 1925.
Entomologists claim that the added growth of wildflowers, in public areas due to the failure by local authorities, to use poisonous weed killers; influenced by Covid-19 pandemic problems, lending itself to this increase in the bee’s population.
[Privately, Tipperary residents on the other hand believe the Tawney mining bee is leaving Co. Kilkenny, to migrate to the real home of hurling, following Tipperary’s 2019 All Ireland win.]
The female of this solitary species has bright, deep fox red hairs on its thorax (chest), with a more orange to red coloured hair on its dorcal surface (back). Their other ventral surface (underpart), i.e.legs and overall facial area are black haired.
The smaller, thinner male of the species are much harder to identify when compared with the female; as their hair is less dense and browner in colour. They display some long white hairs on their face; a tooth on each side of their mandibles (mouthpart) and without closer examination is passed off as our common honey bee.
They mate, requiring direct contact between the male and female, in spring, after which the male dies. On a south facing bank or lawn, the female will build, in a short foliaged ground area, a nest with the entrance surrounded by a small volcano-like mound of excavated spoil. Perhaps their solitary existance in your area can be most easily identified from this small, volcano-like, telltale mound, if you are out cutting your lawn this week. Please do not upset it, rather view it as a gift to your garden and any plants, fruit bushes it may contain.
Here her nest will contain numerous brood cells in which she will lay one egg in each cell. Here also she will independently fill each cell with a mixture of nectar and pollen to sustain her larva, who will emerge the following spring after hibernation, long after their mother has departed.
If you are out and about taking exercise in your local park or woodland, enjoying the sunshine tomorrow, (obeying social distancing I hope), do keep an eye out for this stunning red haired beauty, who likes to associate with a wide variety of flowers; including dandelions, buttercups, garlic mustard, sycamore, beech, hawthorn, fruit trees, blackthorn, maple and willow.
Get a picture on your phone if you can and send it to us.
Note: Tawny mining bees are totally harmless and will NOT sting.
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