Farming « Thurles Information

All Financial Institutions And Property Developers Take Note

Michael Ryan bought a donkey from Tom Dunne, a Tipperary farmer, for €100. Rather than walk him the 7.5 miles of treacherous pot holed road home, Tom agreed to deliver the donkey the very next day, in his horse box.

Sure enough, the next day our Tom drove up the lane to Michael’s home, looking very distressed.

“Michael“, said he, “Sure I’m sorry, but I have some very bad news, plain truth is, your donkey’s dead.”

Michael shook his head, “Sure no harm done, it could be worse” said he ” Just give me my money back.”

Tom said, ” Well Michael you see that’s the problem, I can’t do that. Truth is, I’ve already spent it and my bank won’t give me a loan.”

Michael though for a moment and then said, “Listen don’t worry about it, just give me my dead donkey.”

Tom replied, “Sure no problem, but what use is a dead donkey, what do you plan to do with him?”

Michael said: “Begod, I’m going to raffle him off.”

Tom replied, “You can’t raffle a dead donkey!”

Michael replied, “Sure I can. Just watch me…..Sure I just won’t inform anybody he’s dead.”

A month passed, and Tom met up with Michael again at the calf sale in Thurles Mart.

“Michael do you mind telling me what happened afterwards with that unfortunate dead donkey I sold you?” asked Tom curiously.

Michael, with a rye grin, said, ” Sure I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at €2.00 a piece and made a profit of €898. Now that’s taking into account the €100 I lost in my foolish dealings with you.”

Tom was amazed , “But didn’t anyone complain?” said he.

“Sure they did, but it was only the guy who won. So to be fair and honest I gave him his two euros back.” said Michael, with a knowing nod of his head.

Speaking recently to Michael, Thurles.Info understands he is being headhunted for various positions on the Board’s of A.I.B., National Irish Bank, Bank Of Ireland, and NAMA. He admits he has already, after much thought and many sleepless nights, refused an offer to run for Fianna Fáil in the next Dublin South by-election.

Michael, however refused to be drawn further, when we attempted to link him with the names of ten very well known Irish property developers. Ah yes, but then our Michael is no ass.

By the way, please note, all characters named in this true story, are purely fictitious and any resemblance to living persons in Thurles, or indeed County Tipperary as a whole, are truly accidental.

Meanwhile, we ask the ever growing question, ” Are we as a country looking to solve our financial problems in the right way?”

Tipperary Agriculture Offices Begin Closure.

Fifteen Departments of this countries Agricultural offices are to shut by the end of April as part of the governments ongoing rationalisation programme, which were announced last year.

Agriculture offices at Nenagh, Clonmel, Thurles, will now close in April, with responsibility to transfer to Tipperary town in the case of all of the Tipperary offices.

Countrywide, the reorganisation when fully implemented will deliver annual savings of €30 million, mainly in staff costs, resulting in a reduction of 400 staff, latter which are to be deployed elsewhere.

In relation to the resignation of Junior Minister Trevor Sargent today, the Brendan Smith TD Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Food, acknowledged the very significant contribution that Trevor Sargent has made since his appointment as Minister of State for Food and Horticulture in 2007, both to the work of the Department generally and the organic and horticulture sectors in particular.

O’Dwyer Steel Tipperary Diversifying

Presently demand for agricultural sheds and other farm buildings are in poor demand in rural Ireland these days, but this has not dampened the efforts of agricultural shed manufacturers O’Dwyer Steel, one of Ireland’s leading structural steel engineering businesses, situated in Dundrum village in County Tipperary.

The company have just completed the construction of a large animal compound, including swimming pool, animal accommodation and lifting equipment, for Dublin’s zoo elephant population.

As part of its new diversification program the company is also currently building a new farm in the heart of ‘the big smoke’, also at Dublin city zoo in Phoenix Park, Dublin 8.

This project will involve the construction of a miniature farmyard, to give Dublin urban-ites a true taste of farm life as experienced in everyday rural Ireland.

Milk just doesn’t appear in wax containers as some urban dwellers believe.

Teagasc Launch Organic Farming Courses

Organic Farming

Training courses given by Teagasc for farmers in Tipperary, who are considering converting to organic farming, will take place later this month here in Thurles Co.Tipperary and across the country.

This follows a strong uptake of the Teagasc organic training courses held during the autumn of 2009.
Organic farming continuous to grow steadily here in Ireland with presently 1,532 organic operators cultivating some 48,911 hectares of land. Growth is expected to increase further due to strong demand for organic Irish produce, the suitability of many farms to organic conversion, and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Scheme incentives.

The new training courses are FETAC (Further Education and Training Awards Council) accredited to Level 5 standard and will be run for one day per week over a five-week period, commencing Monday, January 25. The courses involve both indoor sessions and visits to successful local organic farms.

Training topics over these five weeks will include the principles of organic production, organic standards and regulations, and the economics and market opportunities for produce. Admission is €200 per person or family and pre-booking is essential.

Thurles Man Jackie Cahill Re-Elected President ICMSA

Jackie Cahill

Thurles farmer, Jackie Cahill has been re-elected as president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) following a vote of the ninety nine member National Council which held yesterday at Carlton Castletroy Park Hotel, in Limerick city.
Mr Cahill, a Thurles dairy farmer, who milks 80 cows and rears 220 other stock on his 220-acre farm, has already led the organisation for four years, defeated his immediate predecessor, Co Longford farmer Pat O’Rourke by a margin of 54 votes to 45.
The 47-year old will now serve an additional two years as President of the ICMSA, allowing him to hold office for the maximum term permissible which is six years.
Mr Cahill’s victory will be seen as further vindication of the association’s current strategy in dealing with the Irish Government and the EU Commission’s dairy policy, according to sources within the ICMSA.