Environment « Thurles Information

Fire Crews Prepare To Resume Battle Against Slievenamon, Co. Tipperary Wildfire.

Emergency services are continuing efforts to contain a wildfire burning on Slievenamon mountain in County Tipperary.

Slievenamon is one of County Tipperary’s most important natural and cultural landmarks, rising prominently above the surrounding plains and serving as a valued destination for walking, recreation and appreciation of the county’s landscape. Its importance extends far beyond scenery: the mountain contains prehistoric burial remains, is deeply connected with Irish mythology and the stories of Fionn mac Cumhaill, and inspired Charles Kickham’s song “Slievenamon,” widely regarded as Tipperary’s unofficial county anthem. As a place where nature, archaeology, folklore and local identity come together, protecting Slievenamon is essential for preserving biodiversity, heritage and a powerful symbol of belonging for generations to come.

Firefighters withdrew from the mountain overnight because darkness, difficult terrain and limited visibility made operations unsafe. Crews maintained a presence in the area and continued monitoring the fire throughout the night.

Overnight fog helped subdue the blaze, while firebreaks established during Monday’s operation limited its spread. However, the fire remains active, and officials say there is still considerable work to be done.

Crews from Clonmel, Cahir and Carrick-on-Suir are assessing the affected area and developing a plan to safely return to the mountain. Aerial assessment is also being used to establish the extent of the fire and any possible impact on nearby forestry.

Emergency services have said there is currently no imminent threat to residential properties. Members of the public are being asked to avoid the affected area, follow all instructions from emergency personnel and exercise extreme caution during the continuing warm and dry conditions.

People should not light fires or disposable barbecues grills in or near forests, grasslands or upland areas. Any sign of fire should be reported immediately by calling 112 or 999.

What Could El Niño Mean for Ireland?

Scientists are closely watching the developing 2026 – 27 El Niño, but what does that actually mean?

El Niño (Spanish for ‘the boy’) is a natural weather pattern that begins in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Normally, steady winds push warm surface water towards Asia and Australia. During an El Niño, those winds weaken, allowing unusually warm water to spread eastwards across the Pacific.

That might sound like a small change, but the Pacific Ocean is enormous. When its temperature and rainfall patterns shift, they can influence weather around the world.
According to the latest update from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, El Niño is already under way and is expected to become stronger towards the end of 2026. Scientists currently estimate a 97% chance that it will continue into early spring 2027. There is also a significant possibility that it could become a very strong event.

A strong El Niño can increase the chances of:
► Heavy rain and flooding in some places.
► Drought and extreme heat in others.
► Greater wildfire and crop-failure risks.
► Disruption to fishing, especially near South America.
► A temporary rise in average global temperatures.

Could El Niño affect Ireland?
Yes, but its influence on Ireland is usually indirect and much less predictable than in countries closer to the Pacific Ocean. Ireland’s weather is mainly controlled by the Atlantic Ocean, the jet stream and the North Atlantic Oscillation. El Niño can sometimes influence these systems, potentially increasing the chances of a colder, calmer and drier winter, but it does not guarantee this outcome. Met Éireann says there is currently no clear evidence that El Niño alone will cause unusually warm weather in Ireland, and it is still too early to say exactly how the 2026–27 event will affect us. The best approach is to follow Met Éireann’s seasonal forecasts as the event develops.

El Niño can also reduce Atlantic hurricane activity overall, although dangerous hurricanes can still occur.
This does not mean every country will experience extreme weather. El Niño changes the odds of certain weather conditions, but its effects vary depending on location, season and other climate patterns.

Scientists will continue watching ocean temperatures, winds, rainfall and atmospheric pressure to understand how powerful this El Niño may become and which areas could be most affected.

Where Tipperary Childhood Can Truly Run Free.

Where Tipperary Childhood Can Run Free – A Magical Day at Leahy’s East Cork Open Farm.

There are childhood days that disappear almost as soon as they are over, and then there are days that seem to glow in children’s memory for years. A family visit to Leahy’s Open Farm in the green countryside of East Cork belongs firmly in the second category.
For families travelling from Tipperary, the journey to Dungourney feels like the beginning of the adventure. Familiar streets gradually give way to winding country roads, hedgerows, open fields and the soft colours of rural Ireland. By the time the farm comes into view, everyday routines already feel far behind.
Yet it is when children discover the play areas that the true magic begins.

**Playground Made for Big Imaginations**.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

A Playground Made for Big Imaginations
Leahy’s is not simply a place where children look at animals and move quietly from one enclosure to another. It is a place created for movement, curiosity and joyful noise.
Across the farm, play spaces invite young visitors to climb, race, dig, slide and explore. Adventure trails stretch ahead like secret pathways, while climbing towers challenge children to rise a little higher and become a little braver with every step.
The playgrounds feel less like ordinary equipment and more like stages for childhood stories. A wooden tower becomes a castle. A bridge becomes a crossing over a mysterious valley. A slide becomes a thrilling escape route from an imaginary dragon.
Sure, Parents may see timber, ropes and platforms, but children see entire worlds waiting to be conquered.

The Thrill of the real Digger Park
For many young visitors, the Digger Park is where dreams suddenly become real.
Here, children can take control of real machinery and experience the irresistible satisfaction of scooping, lifting and moving earth. Small hands grip the controls in safety with serious concentration. Faces light up when the bucket finally rises. For a few exciting minutes, they are no longer visitors to a farm; they are builders, engineers and expert machine operators with important work to complete.
It is hands-on play at its best; exciting, physical and wonderfully absorbing.
This attraction is especially memorable because it offers something children do not often experience elsewhere. They are not merely pressing buttons on a screen or watching someone else having fun. They are participating, experimenting and discovering what they can do.

Laughter on the Barrel Train.
Then comes the Barrel Train, rumbling along its route with a cheerful collection of passengers.
Children climb aboard with bright eyes and waving hands, ready to be carried around the farm. As the little carriages follow one another, laughter drifts across the countryside. Parents stand nearby, smiling as the train passes, cameras raised to capture expressions of complete delight.
The ride may last only a short while, but to a child it can feel like a grand journey through a faraway land.
It is one of those simple family experiences that asks for nothing more than everyone being present; children laughing, parents watching and a day unfolding without hurry.

Indoor Adventures When the Rain Appears.
Irish skies have a habit of changing their minds, but rain does not have to end the adventure at Leahy’s Farm.
The Play Barn and other indoor attractions provide plenty of space for energetic children to continue exploring. When showers tap against the roof, families can step inside rather than packing up and heading for home.
The covered play areas also give the day a pleasant rhythm. Children can race around outdoors while the weather is bright, retreat indoors when the clouds gather and return to the fresh air when the sun reappears.
This mixture of indoor and outdoor entertainment makes the farm particularly reassuring for parents planning a full day away from home.

Gentle Moments Among the Excitement.
Although the play areas are filled with action, Leahy’s also offers quieter moments.
Between climbs and train rides, families can wander through the farm, meet its animals (friendly Alpacas, Goats, Sheep, Donkeys, Horses, Rabbits, Snakes, Pigs and Chickens) while discovering displays celebrating Irish rural life. The farm museum introduces visitors to tools, machinery and traditions from earlier generations, adding a sense of heritage to the day.

There is something lovely about watching a child move from the excitement of a playground to the gentle wonder of meeting an animal. One moment they are racing towards a climbing tower; the next, they are standing perfectly still, fascinated by a goat, donkey or rabbit. These contrasts give this farm its special character. Adventure and education sit naturally beside one another, without the day ever feeling organised like a classroom lesson.

**Homemade Ice cream**.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

A Sweet Ending to the Adventure.
After hours of climbing, digging, running and exploring, there is still one final pleasure to enjoy.
Leahy’s is also known for its ice cream and chocolate experiences, offering families a suitably sweet conclusion to their visit.

Tired children can sit down with a treat, while parents enjoy a well-earned pause and talk about the day’s favourite moments.
Perhaps it was the Barrel Train. Perhaps it was the biggest slide, the diggers or the animals. Every child will carry home a different memory.
For Tipperary families searching for more than an ordinary afternoon out, Leahy’s Open Farm offers space to reconnect, play and make memories together. Its playgrounds are not simply places to burn off energy. They are places where confidence grows, imaginations awaken and childhood is allowed to run gloriously free.

Long after the muddy shoes have been cleaned and the final photographs have been shared, the laughter of that East Cork adventure will still feel wonderfully close.

RATE Leahy’s East Cork Open Farm with regards Enjoyment and Value for Money: An exceptional 10/10 rating – something increasingly rare in Ireland today.

Thurles Deserves Roads, Not More Political Promises.

For years, the people of Thurles have heard announcements, assurances and political claims about the Inner Relief Road and the long-promised Outer Ring Road. Yet despite all the publicity and political celebration, Thurles still has no completed Inner relief road, no Outer Ring Road and no binding construction timetable that the public can honestly rely upon.

Mr Michael Lowry TD and Mr Ryan O’Meara TD, who both support the present government, must now accept political responsibility for the continuing lack of measurable progress. Meetings, press releases and statements welcoming developments are not substitutes for an approved budget, completed design, signed construction contract and machinery working on site.

Tipperary County Council describes the Inner Relief Road as approximately 1.1 kilometres of new road linking the N62 at Slievenamon Road with Mill Road. The scheme includes a new bridge over the River Suir, several junctions and associated flood-relief works. However, the council’s May 2026 management report still stated that Department of Transport approval was required before the project could proceed to detailed design and construction.

One of our many readers has submitted the suggestion shown above, which they believe could help ease the daily traffic bottleneck in Liberty Square, Thurles. This problem is likely to become even more severe when schools reopen in late August and early September.
Any suggestions from other readers?

Inner Relief Road: The public was informed that the Inner Relief Road may be “ready for construction” in 2027. That wording does not provide a guaranteed completion date. If approvals, design work, procurement and funding continue to slip, there is a genuine danger that construction will not commence before 2030.

Outer Ring Road/Thurles Bypass: The situation surrounding the Outer Ring Road is even more concerning. Mr Michael Lowry has said that the Thurles bypass will advance through design and planning and that he will insist it is “ready for construction in 2030.”
That is not a promise that the road will be built or opened by 2030. The scheme remains at a very early development stage, despite the need for a bypass having been recognised as necessary, some 40 years ago or more.

If the shorter and more advanced Inner Relief Road cannot be brought promptly to construction, how can the public have confidence that the much larger and longer Outer Ring Road will be construction-ready by 2030? The Thurles electorate are not fools.

There must also be accountability for the loss of the historic Great Famine “Double Ditch” at Mill Road. Local heritage campaigners described and proved it to be a famine-era pathway dating from approximately 1846, constructed as relief work for impoverished and starving people and later used as a right of way and Mass path.
Concerns were raised publicly from 2020 onward, that the proposed Inner Relief Road would seriously damage or destroy this locally significant landscape feature. The tragedy now is that part of Thurles’s tangible Famine heritage appears to have been sacrificed for a road that, years later, has still not been delivered. Whatever disagreement may exist about its formal archaeological status, the failure to preserve, commemorate or meaningfully incorporate the “Double Ditch” into the project represents a serious loss to Thurles town’s historical memory.

Meanwhile, HGVs will continue entering Thurles every day. Even after a bypass is eventually constructed, some heavy vehicles will still need to enter the town to supply supermarkets, shops, hotels, restaurants, construction sites and other local businesses. These essential deliveries cannot simply be prohibited.

However, there is an important difference between HGVs that must enter Thurles to supply local businesses and heavy through-traffic that has no business being in the town centre. In the absence of proper alternative routes, both types of traffic continue to use the same narrow medieval streets and junctions.

The council’s own transport planning identifies the effect of through-traffic on Thurles and recognises the need for relief and bypass infrastructure. The Local Transport Plan presents the Inner Relief Road and a town bypass as important elements of the future transport network.

Regrettably, local elected representatives and county councillors have failed to grasp—or act upon—the urgency of this critical issue.

No redesign of Liberty Square can really solve the underlying problem. Wider footpaths, altered parking arrangements, crossings and junction changes may improve the visual appearance and pedestrian environment, but they cannot create a proper alternative route for strategic traffic.

Without the Inner Relief Road and Outer Ring Road, attempts to improve traffic movement in Liberty Square, risk becoming little more than a rearrangement of the same congestion.

Mr Michael Lowry TD and Mr Ryan O’Meara TD must now jointly secure and publish:

► Final Department approval for the Inner Relief Road;
► A fully funded programme for detailed design and construction;
► Firm construction commencement and estimated completion dates;
► Immediate progression of the Outer Ring Road through its formal planning and approval stages;
► An interim HGV-management plan separating essential local deliveries from avoidable through-traffic;
► A permanent memorial or heritage interpretation scheme acknowledging the Great Famine “Double Ditch” and the people whose suffering and labour it represented.

Thurles has already lost an irreplaceable piece of its Famine-era heritage. It must not now be left with neither the historic “Double Ditch” nor the road whose development was used to justify its loss. A plaque of some description must now be constructed recognising its once construction and recent destruction.

Thurles does not need more political celebration of mere preliminary steps, which is all our local politicians have had to offer their electorate over the past 40 years. It needs approvals, funding, contracts, construction and most of all accountability.

Spotted in Thurles, But How Rare Is The Holly Blue Butterfly In Co. Tipperary?

The small Holly Blue butterfly is one of those bright, delicate insects that can be missed until it suddenly flashes pale blue in front of you. This one was spotted in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, drinking water from damp stones; a behaviour butterflies often use to take in moisture and dissolved minerals.

**The Holly Blue **Butterfly**, *(Celastrina argiolus)*.**
*Picture: George Willoughby.*

The Holly Blue, (Celastrina argiolus), is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about 2.6 – 3.4cm (1.02 -1.34 Inches approx). It is usually the first “blue” butterfly, that people see in spring, and it can appear again later in summer.
Unlike the Common Blue, which is more often seen low over grassland, the Holly Blue tends to fly higher around hedges, shrubs, trees, gardens, parks and woodland edges. Its pale silvery-blue underside, marked with small black spots but no orange markings, is a useful identification feature.

So how rare is it in Co. Tipperary? Nationally, the Holly Blue is not considered threatened. The Irish Red List assessment lists it as Least Concern, describing it as common and widespread in Ireland, with evidence of spread in suburban habitats. However, that does not mean every sighting is ordinary at local level. In Tipperary, Holly Blues are present but still worth recording, especially because they can be easily overlooked as they move quickly through gardens and hedgerows. A recent Butterfly Conservation Ireland note describes the Holly Blue as a successful garden and woodland-edge species, seen in wooded parks, gardens, hedges and woodland, with a second generation often emerging in July.

Its success is closely linked to two familiar plants; namely holly and ivy. In spring, females lay eggs mainly on holly flower buds; later in the year, ivy becomes especially important for the summer generation. This is why mature hedges, old gardens, churchyards, woodland margins and ivy-covered walls can be surprisingly good places to find them.

The Thurles sighting is a lovely local record because it shows the species using an everyday urban or garden-edge habitat. Damp stones, puddles and wet paths can attract butterflies when they need moisture, particularly during warm weather. Leaving a little wildness helps: keep ivy where safe, allow holly to flower, avoid cutting all hedges at once, and grow nectar plants such as bramble, bugle, thistles and other native flowers.
In short, the Holly Blue is not rare in Ireland overall, but a confirmed sighting in Thurles is still a valuable reminder that Co. Tipperary’s gardens, hedgerows and green spaces can support beautiful native butterflies.

Anyone who sees one should consider submitting the record to the National Biodiversity Data Centre, as local sightings help build a clearer picture of how this small blue butterfly is doing across the county.