Environment « Thurles Information

Neglect & Waste In Thurles A Sign Of Our Times.

Pleasing everyone is just impossible, but pissing everyone off, I find, is a piece of cake, and so I go diligently to work.

Motorists will agree that, with increased traffic on our roads and streets, there are hazards everywhere, specifically in towns and other built up areas.
To this end warning road signs are normally put in place to avoid and reduce driving risks to an acceptable level, thus circumventing serious accidents. Well that is accepted normally; except in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

As in places of employment; were there to be a Health and Safety Authority investigation undertaken presently, on the town of Thurles, our whole unit would be immediately shutdown for weeks.

The video hereunder, valued readers, is not in any way fabricated, so if you are out walking this sunny eve, “eyes to the fore please” and observe for yourself the facts, while contemplating the question, “Why should I be forced to Pay Property Tax?”

Questions:
(1) Have the local Garda Authority or the Thurles Garda Roads Policing Unit, raised the issue of the Council failing to provide adequate signage at their monthly meetings, attended by elected councillors?
(2) Have Driving Instructors reported this issue to local Council officials on behalf of their students?
(3) What do Driving Instructors say to their pupils, when explaining why necessary warning ‘STOP’ signs, for over 6 months, are facing in the wrong direction – or totally absent – or indeed never erected at all, e.g. both ends of the Ikerrin Road in Thurles?
(4) Then there are the Driving Test Inspectors; have they contacted the Thurles Municipal District Council Office regarding this utter neglect of signage, noticed when testing learner drivers?
(5) We live in a town, possibly one of the few towns in Ireland, where there exist two elected, powerless and resident TD’s; namely Mr Jackie Cahill and Mr Michael Lowry. Both TD’s appear to coexist with five elected Councillors, namely, Mr Séamus Hanafin, Mr Micheál Lowry, Ms Peggy Ryan, Mr Jim Ryan and Mr Seán Ryan. To the latter named, “What do you intend to do to protect passing motorists not familiar with our Thurles medieval streetscape, promoted by council engineers?”.

All aforementioned appear to have no shame when it comes to denying truth, defending lies, and demonstrating only a modicum of principle.

Shame is nothing more than denial of the truth and I now ask why are you all failing to protect Thurles, the area you all promised to serve, prior to you being elected.

Note, all the aforementioned elected officials reside within the postal district of Thurles. All preside over a rural town seriously neglected and decaying at warp speed; all for the want of someone skilled in the use of a sweeping brush and a spanner.

This attached video link has been forwarded by email to Mr Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive, Tipperary Co. Council, (macgrath@tipperarycoco.ie), and to Ms Sharon Scully, Thurles District Administrator, (sharon.scully@tipperarycoco.ie).
We have asked both individuals to explain this wanton neglect and permitted destruction of Thurles, “A Town that I Love so Well”.

As readers are already aware, local TD’s and locally elected councillors do not read or reply to correspondence, only when threatened by the Standards In Public Office Commission. We have therefore decided to not disturb their daily idleness.

Elected representatives and local officials, please make an effort to earn your generous salaries, paid for by the taxpayer.

Man Attacked & Injured By Stag Settles Legal Claim With ESB.

Mr John Corcoran, aged 63, with an address at Fawnlough, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary; latter an ESB engineer who was tossed into the air by a rutting stag, while in the area of Cnoc Na Coille Duibhe, latter a remote hill north west of Templemore, Co. Tipperary, (back in September 2016), has settled his action taken against his employers; latter the commercial semi-state concern known as ESB.

The case taken by Mr Corcoran had been adjourned, after he had to attend hospital, having suffered a serious asthma attack while in the courts witness box, earlier this week.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey was informed today that the case had now been settled, in addition to another case also brought by Mr Corcoran against the ESB, in relation to alleged exposure to asbestos.

We understand that the terms of Mr Corcoran agreed settlement are to remain confidential.

Tipperary ESB Engineer Attacked & Injured By Rutting Stag.

A 63 year old Tipperary ESB engineer, who was attacked by a Stag, on September 12th 2016, before being tossed through the air, has sued his employers in the High Court.

Mr John Corcoran, with an address at Fawnlough, Nenagh, Co Tipperary; an engineer with the ESB, was on his way to check on an ESB mast, when the Stag attacked him on a forestry path on the 445metres (1460 feet) high Kilduff Mountain [Cnoc Na Coille Duibhe], Borrisnafarney, a hill north west of Templemore, Co. Tipperary.

Note: The three largest species of deer (red, fallow and sika) all rut in early autumn, with Stags pumped full of testosterone; becoming highly aggressive in parklands, often attacking and injuring people and other unrelated animals.

Mr Corcoran informed Mr Justice Paul Coffey that he came upon a herd of deer as he went about his work, on a forest track, before being attacked from behind by the Stag, whose antlers creating eight puncture wounds in his rucksack and injuring his shoulder area, as he tried to escape his attacker. The force of the attack propelling him through the air over a bank and into nearby scrub.

The stag then continued its attack using his feet and antlers, before reared up on his hind legs and crashing down on him, forcing him to lose consciousness for some 10 to 12 minutes.

It was claimed that Mr Corcoran had been allowed to work alone in a hilly area during the deer mating / rutting season, when it ought to have been understood that it was dangerous and unsafe to do so.

Mr Corcoran’s counsel Mr Edward Walsh SC, instructed by Mr Sean Fitzgerald solicitor, informed the court that Mr Corcoran is left with lifelong medical deficits, leading to the spoliation of his career, with his claim for loss of earnings amounting to a total of some €420,000.

Mr Corcoran went back to his employment in February 2017, but on medical advice retired early in November of the same year, having spent in total 38 years working with the ESB.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey was informed that liability had been admitted in the case, which was now before the court, for the assessment of damages only.

The case before Mr Justice Paul Coffey is expected to conclude tomorrow.

4,000 Householders Benefit From MyWaste.ie Roadshow.

Over 4,000 Householders benefit from MyWaste.ie’s Food Waste Separation Roadshow.

More than 4,000 households have benefited from MyWaste.ie’s Food Waste Separation Road Show which visited 11 locations across the country in November and December this year.

As part of the roadshow MyWaste.ie’s Food Waste Separation Teams travelled to some of Ireland’s largest towns, met with shoppers, and handed out free household food waste separation kitchen caddy packs with some easy-to-follow advice. The food waste separation packs contained a free kitchen caddy, a starter pack of caddy liners and an information leaflet.

**Photographed at the MyWaste.ie Food Separation Road Show were Percy Foster** *(cre),* **Minister Ossian Smyth, Anthony Mulleady** *(Chair)***, Irish Waste Management Association, Angela Ruttledge** *(VOICE)***, Declan Breen** *(EMR)***, Sinead Ni Mhainnin,** *(CUR*).

MyWaste.ie, Ireland’s official website for guidance on managing waste, coordinated the roadshow after a Food Waste Recycling Pilot Project published in 2020 demonstrated an increase of between 20 and 25% in food waste tonnage presented, while contamination decreased by more than 56%. In relation to the caddy and liners, as many as 81% of respondents included in this pilot project found the caddy enormously helpful.

Ms Sinead Ni Mhainnin, spokesperson for MyWaste.ie explained that this year’s roadshow gave valuable insight into people’s willingness to segregate their food waste properly once armed with the correct information and equipment. “The use of food waste separation caddy packs, and ongoing correct segregation of food waste has the potential to significantly improve household waste recycling rates. We are confident that food waste segregation will be enhanced due to the circulation of these food waste separation caddy packs,” she said.

Minister of State with special responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy, Mr Ossian Smyth TD said, “Food waste can create emissions, adding to climate change. But we can limit this harm by separating food from other waste. These food waste caddy packs make it easier for people at home to manage their food waste.”
Given the success of the recent roadshow event, plans are now being developed to roll out further food waste separation awareness campaigns in the future. As many as 300,000 packs will be funded by the Government over the next 2 years to support these campaigns.

The Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) has also committed to all new household customers signing up to a waste collection service receiving a food waste separation kitchen caddy pack from IWMA affiliated waste collectors from the beginning of 2022.

The Food Waste Separation Roadshow initiative was co-ordinated by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices, supported by the IWMA, Environmental Protection Agency, Cré (Composting & Anaerobic Digestion Association of Ireland), and the local authorities, and funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate & Communications. The road show visited Arklow, Limerick, Navan, Clonmel, Birr, Portlaoise, Wexford, Letterkenny, Belturbet, Ballymun and Carrickmacross.

The Food Waste Recycling Pilot Project published in 2020 is available HERE

To find out more information on food waste management and to have all your waste related questions answered log on HERE.

For more information about preventing food waste visit HERE

More Focus On Enforcement Needed By Local Authorities To Protect Water & Air.

More focused and co-ordinated enforcement is needed by local authorities to protect water and air quality, cautions EPA.

Local authority inspection numbers remained high (180,000 in 2020) despite the impact of COVID-19. However, water inspections decreased by 30 per cent and air and noise inspections decreased by 10 per cent.
Focused water quality enforcement and follow through on non-compliances in key areas such as farm and septic tank inspections needs improvement.
The burning of non-complaint solid fuel remains a key issue impacting on human health, with co-ordinated and targeted inspections of fuel supplies required.
More resources need to be targetted at water and air enforcement to address the environmental and health challenges highlighted.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today released its report on local authority environmental enforcement activities for 2020. The EPA has seen a high level of inspections and enforcement actions carried out by local authorities, with the bulk of these relating to waste and litter. Local authorities also handled a substantial volume of environmental complaints during the year – predominantly relating to waste issues.

**River Suir, Barry’s Bridge, Thurles, Co. Tipperary**

Waste enforcement activities largely remained resilient in 2020. However, the EPA found progress on water and air enforcement priorities lagged behind waste enforcement, primarily due to having less resources assigned to them and a lack of enforcement co-ordination services, across the local authorities.

EPA stated: “The resilience of the waste enforcement activities and better co-ordination through the support of the regional waste shared services is to be commended. However, it is concerning to see the reduced enforcement activity in water, air and noise, given the decline in our water quality and the impact of poor air quality and noise on the environment and human health. Local authorities must address these challenges as a matter of priority in their enforcement activities.”

The national water quality monitoring programme was substantially completed by local authorities, providing up to date information on water quality. However, there is not enough evidence that this information is being used effectively by local authorities to target local enforcement efforts.

Mr Noel Byrne, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said:

“National water monitoring data is showing a continuing decline in water quality and more needs to be done to protect our water environment. Local authorities need to make sure that they are targeting inspections of farms and septic tanks in the areas of greatest risk and are taking effective enforcement action where non-compliances are found.”

In addition, the burning of non-complaint solid fuels remains a key issue impacting on air quality and human health. Local authorities should engage in co-ordinated and targeted inspections of solid fuel supplies and take follow-up enforcement actions to ensure that the environment and health are protected.

The Focus on Local Authority Environmental Enforcement Report 2020 is available on the EPA website, which contains an infographic highlighting the main findings from the report.

Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie