General « Thurles Information

South Tipperary General Hospital Ban Visitors

In the interests of patient care and as a precaution, a ban on visitors is in place at South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel, in a bid to curb 16 suspected cases of the Winter Vomiting Bug.

All infection control precautions are in place. Relatives of patients are encouraged to use mobile phones for contact as an alternative to visiting (some exceptions may be made, e.g. in respect of those critically ill or for partners re. maternity and parents re. paediatrics).

South Tipp General Hospital

The ongoing situation is being monitored by the management and infection control team on a daily basis. The hospital regrets this inconvenience but it is necessary at this time.

South Tipperary General Hospital General Manager Breda Kavanagh said a range of infection control measures have been put in place to stop the spread of the highly contagious bug.

She urged the public to co-operate with the visitor ban and requested relatives of critically ill patients to telephone the relevant ward via the hospital switchboard number (052) 77197) before visiting loved ones.

The bug is currently widespread in the community and people may unknowingly bring it into the hospital when visiting sick relatives or friends. An appeal to the public to fully co-operate with the restrictions, also advises anyone affected by vomiting and/or diarrhoea, or anyone who has been in contact with persons with these symptoms not to visit the hospital until they have been symptom free for 72 hours.

According to the HSE, the virus is spread by direct contact with vomit or diarrhoea; from someone who is ill, especially if personal hygiene is not good; from the air around someone who has just vomited and from contaminated food.

People affected by the virus should drink plenty of fluids, maintain strict hygiene and because of its highly contagious nature, avoid visiting hospitals or nursing homes.

If symptoms persist, the HSE advises people to contact their GP by telephone and advise him/her of your condition before going to the surgery so as to limit the spread of the virus.

Gardai Smash Toyota Land Cruiser Gang

Toyota Land Cruiser

Gardai yesterday successfully smashed a gang of local criminals, known to detectives and believed to have already grossed six-figure profits by the selling on of “manufactured” 4×4’s falsified from stolen and crashed vehicles.

This scam, which is known in the trade as ‘Cabbing’, (Meaning something retrieved from something else.) involves the buying of crashed 4×4’s from legitimate insurance companies. The chassis and engine parts are then fitted to stolen 4×4’s previously targeted by the fraudsters, because they are of similar make, model and colour. The finished product is then sold to unsuspecting buyers on known websites.

In the past year, 180 Toyota Land Cruisers have been stolen nationwide, with only 40 being recovered.

Gardai, as part of their investigations, raided some 25 premises based in counties Tipperary, Laois and Wexford and have recovered nine 4×4’s in one search in the Portlaoise area. Gardai have also recovered five engines, a large amount of vehicle parts together with intelligence and vital information from documentation and computers records, seized in the raids.

The gang, based in the Midlands and south-east are believed to have UK links and have been operating successfully for the past 18 months.

It is expected that significant arrests will be made when further Garda inquiries are complete.

Six Dead Following Plane Crash At Cork Airport

Six people are confirmed dead and six others are injured following a plane crash at Cork Airport. The Manx2 commuter flight from Belfast, flight number NM7100, had 10 passengers and two crew on board when it crashed in heavy fog at 9.45am.

The company confirmed that the aircraft, an 18-seater Fairchild Metroliner, was carrying ten passengers and two crew members – a captain and a co-pilot.

Two of the injured were able to walk from the wreckage of the plane, while four were taken out on stretchers. The four injured passengers in Cork University Hospital are described as being in a serious condition, while the other two are stated as comfortable.

It is believed that the aircraft had made three attempts to land at the airport and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said debris was scattered onto the runway and over a wide area.

Because the flight originated in Belfast, UK authorities will be providing the investigation team with the passenger manifest and with all details of how much fuel the plane was carrying.

It is not known at this stage if any of the passengers were from County Tipperary.

A witness at Cork Airport has stated that weather conditions were so poor that the crash could not be seen from the terminal building. Passengers in the terminal were unaware that a crash occurred because of the dense fog surrounding the building.

Aviation expert Gerry Byrne said that Cork Airport has ‘category 2 instruments’ for landing, but he was not sure if the plane would have been capable of landing using those instruments.

The Air Corps is preparing to fly an investigation team from the Department of Transport from Baldonnel to the scene of the crash at Cork airport. Troops are also on standby in Cork to assist at the scene if required.

Representatives of Manx2 are expected to arrive at Belfast City Airport shortly.

Pall Manufacturing In Tipperary Town To Shut

The Pall Corporation manufacturing plant in Tipperary is set to close with the loss of 94 jobs.

Pall Manufacturing in Tipperary town has said that it is operating at a fraction of it’s available current capacity.
This decision has been described as sudden and it is understood that staff will not being offered any chance to relocate.

The health care products company began manufacturing in the Tipperary town in 1997, but suffered jobs cuts of 150 posts in March 2003, when its entire medical division was shut down. The remaining jobs were in the machinery and equipment division.

Mr David O’Driscoll, General Manager of Pall Ireland, stated: “This has not been an easy decision and Pall Ireland is committed to treating employees with dignity and respect. The company will be assisting and supporting everyone affected by today’s announcement to help make the transition as painless as possible.”

This announcement was made to the 71 permanent and 23 temporary staff this morning at a meeting held at 10.00am and the company confirm that the plant will be closed by 31 May 2011.

Wikileaks CIA Link To Shot Tipperary Native

Tipperary native Michael Dwyer pictured with Eduardo Rozsa

A Wikileaks cable reveals that a Bolivian prosecutor believed that one of the men travelling with Tipperary native Michael Dwyer, when he travelled to Bolivia in 2009 was in regular contact with a former CIA agent.

Mr Dwyer, 24, from Ballinderry in Tipperary, a construction management graduate of the Galway-Mayo institute of Technology, was shot in most controversial circumstances in Bogota on 16 April 2009. His family have since called for an International inquiry into his death.

The family have been adamant that Mr Dwyer travelled to the US and later to Bolivia to train as a bodyguard.

This confidential memo, written by John Creamer, the chargé d’affaires at the American embassy in Bolivia, reports that Marcelo Soza, a prosecutor, investigating the case, believes one of Mr Dwyer’s travelling companions, Eduardo Rozsa, was in contact with an alleged ex-CIA employee named “Belovays“.

The evidence is understood to have come from “a review of Rozsa’s computer hard drive which uncovered evidence of email communication.”

“Although this prosecutor stopped short of accusing the CIA of backing Rozsa’s mercenary group, we can expect that Bolivia officials will make that claim, regardless of the evidence,” Mr Creamer claims.

It is believed that Mr Dwyer may have met Rozsa through two men, Tibor Révész and Elod Tóásó, whom he encountered while he worked as a security guard at the Corrib gas pipeline site in Rossport, Co Mayo.

A Bolivian autopsy said that Mr Dwyer died of six gunshot wounds inflicted during a shootout with police, but Irish state pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy later fully contradicted this report, during an Irish inquest, saying there was only one fatal shot through his heart.

The coroner later directed the jury to return an open verdict.

The Bolivian prosecutor said computer files showed Rozsa was in constant contact with Belovays and kept him informed of his group’s activities and plans.

It was claimed in 2009 that there was a half hour shoot out between an elite army unit and the so-called “mercenaries” which included Mr Dwyer. However, the proprietor of the hotel where the men stayed have denied this. The men were also accused of taking refuge in the hotel after being chased by this army unit. However, press photographs show that the dead men were in their underwear. Mr Dwyer is shown in one photograph lying beside his bed. There were no guns to be seen in the photographs taken of the corpeses, nor were there any shell casings.

Mr Dwyer’s parents Caroline and Martin and siblings Ciara, Aisling and Emmett, vehemently refute claims from the Bolivian authorities that the 24-year-old was part of a terrorist plot to assassinate President Evo Morales.
This new claim appears to fully justify the families claim that Mr Dwyer may have been murdered because of association, rather than by implication, in the supposed plot to assassinate Bolivian President Evo Morales.