Finance « Thurles Information

Dublin Airport Unveils Smarter eGates To Improve Passenger Arrivals.

The Irish Government has launched a major upgrade of the eGates system at Dublin Airport, strengthening the country’s border management capability while improving the arrivals experience for millions of passengers.

The project follows a competitive public procurement process managed through the Office of Government Procurement’s eTenders system. A contract was awarded to Vision Box / Amadeus, leading to the installation of 25 new and upgraded eGates across Dublin Airport.

The upgraded technology is designed to support faster, safer and more efficient passenger processing at Ireland’s busiest airport. New features include enhanced facial comparison technology, stronger impostor detection measures, a two-step verification process and ID card reader functionality for eligible passengers from participating countries.

These improvements are expected to help reduce pressure at immigration control points while maintaining robust security checks. Passengers who require further examination will continue to be referred to immigration officers, ensuring that automated systems work alongside existing border control procedures rather than replacing them.

The investment comes at a time of continued growth in passenger traffic. According to the Government, 6.3 million passengers used eGates in 2025, and this number is expected to rise following the introduction of the upgraded facilities. Dublin Airport also welcomed more than 18 million arriving passengers last year, underlining the need for modern infrastructure that can keep pace with increasing demand.

Minister Colm Brophy said the new system brings important operational and security benefits, including improved verification processes and the ability for eligible passengers to use ID cards. The Government says the upgraded eGates will help airport staff manage higher passenger volumes safely and efficiently while continuing to uphold strong border security standards.

This modernisation reflects Ireland’s wider commitment to improving border management, supporting international connectivity and strengthening the passenger experience at a key national gateway. With tourism, business travel and international links continuing to grow, the upgraded eGates represent an important step in ensuring Dublin Airport remains efficient, secure and ready for future demand.

The launch marks a practical investment in Ireland’s aviation and immigration infrastructure, helping to deliver smoother arrivals for passengers while protecting the integrity of the State’s border systems.

Ireland Completes Charter Removal Flight To Poland and Lithuania.

The Irish Government has confirmed that a charter flight removal operation, involving 34 EU nationals, has been completed.

The cost of providing the aircraft for this operation was €184,465 excluding VAT. Charter flight services are provided by Air Partner Ltd under a contract awarded in November 2024, following an open and competitive procurement process.

The group, made up of 22 Polish nationals and 12 Lithuanian nationals, were removed from the State on grounds of criminality. All 34 individuals were men, ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s, and had received custodial sentences for various criminal offences.

Removal Orders were enforced under the Free Movement Directive, with re-entry bans of up to 10 years imposed in order to prevent their return to Ireland.

The charter flight departed Dublin Airport today, Sunday 24th May 2026. It landed first in Warsaw, Poland, at approximately 3:45pm Irish time, before continuing to Vilnius, Lithuania, where it arrived at approximately 5:50pm Irish time.

This latest operation brings the total number of people removed under the Free Movement Directive in 2026 to 88. By comparison, 56 individuals were removed under the Directive during all of 2025.

The operation was carried out in close cooperation with An Garda Síochána and the Irish Prison Service. Garda personnel, medical staff, interpreters and a human rights observer accompanied those removed on the flight.

Including this operation, three charter flights have taken place so far in 2026, resulting in the removal of 130 people from the State. Of these, 67 were EU citizens removed on grounds of criminality.

Under Irish and EU law, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have the right to move and reside freely across member states. However, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration may issue removal and exclusion orders where an individual is deemed to pose a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to public policy, public security or public health.

Thurles Towns Quarter-Mile Obstacle Course.

Thurles Quarter-Mile Obstacle Course: Where Bollards Go To Die & Traffic Lights Go To Retire.

In a town famous for heritage, history and sturdy stonework, it is reassuring to see that the local Municipal District Council is doing its best to add a modern attraction; a quarter-mile stretch of road furniture carnage.

**Weigh, Hey and Up She Rises** **for the second time in 6 weeks**.

Above we have the full civic experience. Silver bollards, nobly installed to protect pedestrians, are flattened by vehicles, replaced lovingly back into the exact same spot, and then, in a plot twist visible from space, flattened again. One might call it maintenance. Others might call it a subscription service for bollards.

Meanwhile, two pedestrian crossings, at Cathedral Street and Parnell Street, have been non-functional for over six weeks after being struck by high sided vehicles. Six weeks is a long time in traffic-light years. By now, those lights are not just broken; they are on sabbatical. Perhaps they are taking time out to reflect on their career choices, or waiting for a council committee to confirm that pedestrians do, in fact, still exist in Thurles.

The road signs are putting in an equally spirited performance, (See above). Some are totally missing, (Kickham Street), some are pointing the wrong way, and others seem to have adopted a more philosophical approach to navigation: “Cork is that way… probably.” A driver looking for Cashel, Cork, the Horse and Jockey, or basic municipal competence may need not a map, but a medium.

All of this is squeezed into a stretch of roughly a quarter of a mile (402 metres); a compact showcase of avoidable repairs, repeat damage and public money being sent out to do laps. The council’s own roads services information says local authorities deal with road surface maintenance and road markings, while road signs are listed among roads and transport services provided and maintained by local authorities. The relevant Thurles Municipal District office also lists roads contact arrangements, including an out-of-hours roads number.

Which makes the current scene all the more impressive. It is not neglect in one location. It is neglect with choreography. Bollard down, bollard up, bollard down again. Crossing broken, still broken, somehow even more broken. Sign missing, sign twisted, sign auditioning for interpretive dance.

Perhaps there is a master plan. Perhaps the district is trialling a new “guess-your-own-junction” traffic system. Perhaps the bollards are part of a renewable metal initiative: install, destroy, invoice, repeat. Perhaps the non-working crossings are intended to encourage eye contact between pedestrians and motorists, in the same way cliff edges encourage balance.

But to the ordinary resident, pedestrian, driver, parent, visitor or ratepayer, it looks rather simpler: a dangerous, shabby and expensive mess being allowed to continue in plain sight.

Thurles deserves better than road safety by “shrug”. It deserves crossings that work, signs that point where they are meant to, and bollards that are not repeatedly sacrificed like shiny stainless-steel offerings to the gods of poor planning.

At this stage, the council should either fix the problem properly or install a tourist information plaque:

“Welcome to Thurles Municipal Money-Go-Round:
Please mind the bollards. They won’t be here long.”

Shannon Pipeline Project Moves Forward, Despite Strong Tipperary Opposition.

The controversial Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region has cleared another major hurdle, after its business case was approved by the Uisce Éireann board and noted by Government.

The decision allows the project, which would take water from the River Shannon at Parteen Basin and pipe it towards the Greater Dublin Area, to move into its next phase, including procurement and tendering. Uisce Éireann says the scheme is needed to reduce the east coast’s dependence on the River Liffey and to provide a more secure water supply for up to half the State’s population.

Under the proposal, water would be abstracted from the lower Shannon, treated near Birdhill in Co Tipperary, and then transported through Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to Peamount in Dublin. Uisce Éireann says the project would involve taking a maximum of 2% of the long-term average flow at Parteen Basin and insists its studies show no negative impact on Shannon water levels or water quality.

However, the plan has faced sustained opposition across Co Tipperary and the wider Shannon region. Local concerns centre on the principle of removing water from the Shannon system to serve the east of the country, with opponents questioning whether enough has been done to protect Lough Derg, the Lower Shannon, wildlife habitats, farming communities and local water needs. Others argue that Dublin’s supply problems should be tackled first through leak reduction, conservation and upgrades to existing infrastructure before a multi-billion euro pipeline is advanced.

There are also concerns among landowners along the proposed route, including disruption during construction, compulsory purchase issues, long-term restrictions on land use and the scale of works required for a 170km pipeline. Critics in Tipperary have repeatedly described the project as one that asks rural communities to carry the environmental and construction burden for the benefit of the capital.

Uisce Éireann has defended the scheme as essential national infrastructure. It says the project would not only serve Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, but could also create a treated-water “spine” with future offtakes for communities in Tipperary, Offaly and Westmeath.

Gary Gibson, Senior Programme Manager with the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region, states that the utility is already seeking contractors as the project progresses. If planning is secured, Uisce Éireann has previously indicated that construction could begin in 2028 and take around five years to complete.

Help Shape Future Of The River Suir.

Mr Darragh Kelly (Community Water Officer, Tipperary & Waterford) Reports.

I am delighted to share details of the upcoming public consultation on the proposed Suir Rivers Trust.
Please see the poster attached hereunder.

Communities, river users, businesses and landowners are being invited to help shape the future of the proposed Rivers Trust for the Suir.
A River Trust is a community-focused organisation to protect rivers and their surrounding catchment habitats.

Please note the River Suir community meeting dates are as follows;
Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary – May 27th.
Cabragh Wetlands Centre, Holycross, Thurles – Thursday May 28th.

Why Participate?
Share your views on the future of the river Suir.
Highlight local issues, concerns and opportunities.
Help shape how proposed River Trusts could and should be developed.

All information, booking links for meetings and focus groups, and access to the online questionnaires are available by scanning the QR code in the attached poster above or by visiting: www.researchanddig.com/three-sisters-rivers-trusts.