Thurles.Info’s‘eye in the sky’ sent back some rather disturbing images this morning. The first issue was the wanton destruction, by some ‘uncouth barbarians’, of public bench-seating, situated in the Cabragh-Ballycurrane area, close to the now redundant old Sugar Factory and closer still to the Thurles Top Oil Depot, on Route 659, south west of Thurles town.
Over this St Patrick’s weekend, vandals struck, severely damaging community seating, which had a wheelchair accessible plinth (rectangular block base).
Public bench-seating in Thurles destroyed in an act of vandalism.
As locals are probably aware, this facility, over the years, was been widely used by both young, old and infirmed, e.g. those attending the Thurles Rehab Care Resource Centre, and in more recent times the Ukrainian Refugees, based at the old Sugar Factory, on Cabra Road.
This bench-seating plinth, was put in place, and paid for, some years ago by the local residents association in conjunction with Thurles Lions Club. This weekend was the first time that it was vandalised and sprayed with paint.
Hopefully our local authority will see the benefit in rushing out, to undertake necessary repairs to this community seating.
Another Bent Post.
Our second image demonstrates a failure brought about, once again, by Tipperary Co. Council’s failure to employ qualified engineers. The picture, immediately above, shows yet another bent signpost, adding to the very large number of other bent and misleading signposts, stretched right across the town, being ignored for years.
Sadly, this act carried out at 10:45 Greenwich Mean Time, this morning, will, I greatly fear, put an end to any hope of our 5 awards, as promised.
Yet Another Three Day, Single, Crater Filling, Exercise.
As you can see from the image above, our ‘Eye in the Sky’ caught a glimps of a JCB attempting, for the second time in just 6 days, to fill the same single pothole on Kickham Street, Dublin Road, Thurles. Thankfully, none of the other 48 craters were filled in, so I suppose we should be grateful to the town’s Administrator, her local Engineer and the Chief Executive of the County Council.
One nearby neighbour, in an effort to remove my frustration and my down cast fizzog, said that the new crater filling, put in place this morning, should be gone again, over the next two days, and hopefully long before the adjudicators reach their expected final decisions. (So least said in case judges are out and about). Luckily the JCB operator left the filling to exiting traffic, to put pressure on the craters filling, in the knowledge that he would be back again on Friday or Monday, at the latest.
It’s a funny country, our little Ireland; we give out about the cost of medical health issues and funds spent by the HSE, yet we ignore, completely, the sheer waste of taxpayer money spent at Local Government and Municipal District Council level.
Thurles.Info are proud to inform its readers that Thurles Town has been nominated for no less than five Irish National Awards, for the first time in the Town’s history.
We attempted to contact Ms Sharon Scully (Thurles District Administrator) to announce the news, on Thursday March 14th last, however Ms Scully failed to answer her telephone.
We then attempted to contact Tipperary Co. Council’s Chief Executive Mr Joe MacGrath, however all we got was the usual automated email reply which read; [(Thu, 14th Mar, 11:25)“I am away from my office until Wednesday 20th March, 2024. Please re-send your email to evelyn.harty@tipperarycoco.ie, if this matter requires urgent attention. Since it wasn’t, we didn’t.
Full details of these “Five Irish National Awards”, (much coveted by other competing counties I might add), were contained in a communication delivered by registered post, to the offices of Thurles.Info. today.
The communication received reads as follows:-
Dear Mr. Willoughby, It is with great pleasure that I, as President of the Pothole Preservation Society of Ireland (PPSI), can inform you that Thurles has swept the boards in our annual “National Pothole Awards Competition”. As you will be possibly aware the foundation of our Society came about because of the need to maintain the high standard and quality of all road potholes in Ireland, and to recognise and reward those local authorities who contribute to the making of new potholes and who also support the improvement of those already in existence, by not filling them in, thus destroying their original structure and cultural Irish diversity.
You have highlighted the pothole situation on many occasions with fine photographs from your local area and a number of these are now on permanent display in our Library.
As you know, potholes have been an intrinsic part of our heritage for centuries, in fact ever since the invention of the wheel. It is a matter of record that many blacksmiths all over our green and pleasant land, have made a good living, for many years, from the refurbishing of wheels on donkey carts, horse-drawn carriages and caravans, as a result of the careless driving through, rather than around, our nation’s numerous potholes.
Similarly, in modern times, tyre companies have contributed greatly in reducing unemployment figures as they attend to the needs of motorists who fail to recognise the need to avoid potholes at all times, especially at night. Speaking of which, our Society is extremely conscious of the difficulty of this latter point raised, and is presently engaged in active discussion with the Road Safety Authority on the possibility of providing Pothole Warning Lights (PWL), for night-time driving.
Adjudication:
Judging of all the major towns in Ireland has just been completed and, while the final official ratings from our headquarters will not be available for some weeks. Delay is due to the practice by some County Councils, who insist on filling potholes that have already been nominated for an award.
However, I am in a position to inform you that, to-date, Thurles has been awarded first place in all of our major categories.
These categories include:
Highest Overall Number of Potholes.
Lowest Number of Streets with no Potholes.
Highest Number of Potholes impossible to avoid while driving.
Potholes that simply will not vanish.
First-time Potholes Filled In, but still causing serious bumps while driving.
Your town of Thurles is expected to finish top of the list outstripping, by a huge majority, all other leading contendersin their race for National Award recognition.
It is a matter of great pride for our Society to highlight the fact that the municipal authority, within the Thurles Town Municipal District area, has set new standards of preservation with regards non maintenance of potholes in the town and its environs. and have set new standards for others that will be most difficult to emulate into the future.
Yours sincerely, T. R. McAdam,Honorary Secretary, (Pothole Preservation Society of Ireland).
Readers please keep your fingers crossed, the race is on.
Before we update details of our annual St Patrick’s day celebrations; note, today is Sunday March 10th 2024, and tonight the 96th Academy Awards Ceremony takes place at the Dolby Theatre, in Hollywood, Los Angeles. In addition to reporting on who won what, magazines like ‘Vogue‘ and ‘Harper’s Bazaar‘ will be reporting on what the movie stars were wearing. Designer gowns by ‘Fendi‘, ‘Valentino‘ and other famous Italian designers will, no doubt, top the best dressed lists. But do our readers realise that Liberty Square, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, has historical links to ‘Vogue’, ‘Harper’s Bazaar’, ‘Fendi’, ‘Valentino’, and the wider Italian fashion industry? No we will not be just talking about labels on existing garments. So if you want to know more, tune in tomorrow, to read a fascinating piece of history, to add to Thurles Town’s already existing treasure trove of heritage.
Thurles St Patricks Day Parade Update.
A special thanks to Mr John Kenehan for his parade update.
Following many months of preparation the Thurles St Patrick’s Day Parade Committee has confirmed that the annual event is shaping up to be a good one, and they are praying for good weather on the day for the viewing public and the participants
We remind the public and visitors that the Thurles St Patrick’s Day Parade 2024, will take place on Sunday 17th March 2024, beginning at 2.30pm sharp in Liberty Square, Thurles.
This year’s theme is “Youth: Our hopes for the Future’. Our special “Guest of honour”, will reflect this theme, with CBS Secondary School pupil and twin category Young Scientist Award winner (2024), Luke Blackwell in attendance.
The continued success of the parade, over past years, is based largely on the generous sponsorship of local businesses, groups and Tipperary County Council.
The quality of entries and effort by clubs and organisations also ensure this annual level of success and we look forward to viewing this year’s presentation.
Note: Entry forms are still available from hello@thurlestouristoffice.ie or direct from the Tourist Office, Slievenamon Road, Thurles.
Live Music in Liberty Square will begin from 1:00pm with face painting and side attractions.
In keeping with the national day of celebration the Parade Committee are asking that all shops and businesses dress up their display windows and business fronts in green and national colours to signify our special day of celebration. Note: There will be awards for the Best dressed Window and runner-up and best Traditional Window and runner-up.
We look forward to fair weather for this most enjoyable of national holidays, and we look forward to meeting with you at the Parade on Sunday 17th March next
The committee would like to thank the people of Thurles, Upperchurch/Drombane, Holycross/Ballycahill and Moyne for their generous support to our annual fundraising appeal.
We would also like to thank also our local business sponsors for their generous support again this year:
Business Sponsors.
The Anner Hotel, Thurles Lions Club, Hanna Curtains & Blinds Ltd, The Thurles Irish Countrywomans Association, Linnane Carry-Out, Sammons Pharmacy, Vale Oil Company Ltd, Lyons Tyre Services, Denis Kinnane Motors, EuroGiant Thurles, Tipperary County Council, Barry’s SuperValu Thurles, SHE Boutique Thurles, Ronayne’s Hardware, Air Impact Ltd, Premier Surgery, Supermacs’ Thurles, O’Dwyer Transport, The Premier Credit Union, The Mall Curios, Hanafin’s Furniture & Flooring, Tim Looby Accountants, Thomas Murphy & Sons Machinery Ltd, Londis The Square, Thurles info, Butler & Young Tyres, Stakelum’s Home & Hardware, Dinan’s Timber, E. Cleary Motors Ltd, Ryans Cleaning, Hugh Ryan’s Funeral Directors, Centenary Thurles Co-op, Michael’s Jewellers, Noel Ryans Pub, Michael Lowry T.D., Pat Brennan’s Bar Thurles Ltd, Flowers R Us, Jackie Cahill T.D., Jennings Opticians, Bowe Travel, Tipp FM, Kings Mobile, Kennedys County Bar, Hickey’s Pharmacy, Mobile Tek, Kambo Chinese Restaurant, Q Mobile Thurles, The Tipperary Star, Tipperary Live, Thurles Tourist Office and Thurles Chamber of Commerce.
EPA announces funding of €14.3m for 33 new research projects to address climate and environmental challenges. This represents a 34 per cent increase in investment from the previous call in 2022.
EPA funding is building essential research capacity in Ireland with over 40 per cent of lead researcher applicants in 2023 new to the EPA Research Programme.
The funding covers research in the areas of climate change, the natural environment, the green & circular economy, and the environment & human health.
Reflecting the need for cross-sectoral research, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and Geological Survey Ireland to co-fund some of the research.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new funding for Environmental and climate research in Ireland, with funding of €14.3 million awarded for 33 new research projects. This represents a significant increase over previous years and reflects the EPA’s ongoing commitment to funding environmental and climate research. These innovative projects will support the development and implementation of environmental policies in Ireland, as well as building research capacity in strategically important areas.
This funding will support more than 200 research staff across 13 organisations to conduct projects in innovative areas such as:
how blue light can affect human health and biodiversity.
societal transformation required to address climate, environmental and social challenges.
digital twins for coastal areas.
nature-based solutions for water quality and ecology.
the circular economy for batteries.
sustainable tourism.
air pollution in Irish towns.
Announcing the awards, Ms Laura Burke, (EPA Director General) said: “Scientific research and innovation are playing an increasingly important role in informing how governments and society can respond to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation. The projects announced today will address knowledge gaps, both current and future, to provide robust evidence to support the implementation of effective environmental policies in Ireland. This EPA funding will also help to build transdisciplinary research capacity and talent in Ireland in key areas relating to sustainability transitions and societal transformations. These specialist skills and expertise are essential to enable Ireland to effectively leverage the full range of environmental, economic and societal opportunities offered by the green transition. I congratulate the successful research teams and look forward to seeing the project outputs making a positive contribution to environmental protection in the years ahead”.
The EPA places a high priority on promoting the uptake of funded research to inform policy and to maximise the impact of research and innovation. Reflecting the need for an integrated, cross-sectoral approach, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and Geological Survey Ireland to co-fund a number of projects.
Of the successful lead research applicants supported through the call, over 40% had not previously applied for funding to the EPA, broadening the base of the researchers and institutions engaging in research relevant to environmental policy.
University College Cork (UCC) received the highest number of successful research awards in 2023. Professor Mr John Cryan, (UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation) said: “I would like to thank the Environmental Protection Agency for continuing to award talented researchers. This allows them, through scientific research and innovation, to tackle critical environmental, climate, health, and sustainability issues. These awards will further strengthen UCC’s position as a recognised global leader in the field of Sustainability. Aligned to UCC Futures – Sustainability, these projects will enable UCC researchers to support environmental policies in Ireland, address key societal challenges caused by climate change, and help deliver a healthier environment for all”.
The list of Awards made under the EPA Research Call 2023 is available on the EPA website HERE.
The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative, funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The EPA Research Call 2024 will open for applications in April 2024. Details will be made available on the EPA website which can be viewed HERE.
Child benefit payments will be extended to include 18-year-olds, latter who remain in full-time education, with effect from May 1st next.
Ms Heather Humphreys (Minister for Social Protection) is expected to bring this proposal to Cabinet this morning.
This measure, which will also apply to children with a disability, was previously announced in Budget 2024, but was scheduled to begin from next September.
Ms Humphreys is expected to now inform the Cabinet today that the Department is in a position to implement this measure with effect from May 1st, next.
She will use social welfare legislation; same due before the Seanad this week, to implement this change.
The new policy change was initially designed as a cost-of-living measure.
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