Thurles Information

 Descriptive extract below from that wonderful children’s book, “The Wind in the Willows”, by Kenneth Grahame (1859-1952).

The River Bank

“He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before, this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a shake and a shiver, glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated.”

Rising on the slopes of Devil’s Bit Mountain, just north of Templemore in County Tipperary, the River Suir flows south through Loughmore, Thurles, Holycross, Golden and Knockgraffon. It merges with the river Aherlow at Kilmoyler and further on with the river Tar, before turning east at the Comeragh Mountains, thus forming the border between Co. Waterford and Co. Tipperary. The Suir then passes through Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir before reaching the sea at Waterford.

Important Workshops
Over the coming weeks the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office are holding a series of important public workshops to discuss the future potential of the River Suir and its tributaries; possible management options; funding for various projects, culminating it is hoped, in a shared vision for its long term future.

Initially at these now selected meetings there will be no agenda other than to get an important conversation under way, and see, as a community, where open, shared debate can take us into the future. The meetings will start at around 7.00pm; lasting for about one hour at the stated venues listed hereunder.

Selected Meeting Venues

Note: Shown below are the dates of upcoming meetings and their selected venues in relation to various district catchment areas:-

Tuesday, 19th July 2016, Newcastle Community Hall, Newcastle Village, Co. Waterford.
Wednesday, 20th July 2016, Golden Community Hall, Golden Village, Co. Tipperary.
Thursday, 21st July 2016, Anner Hotel, Dublin Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Tuesday, 26th July 2016, Cahir House Hotel, The Square Cahir, Co. Tipperary.
Wednesday, 27th July 2016, Fethard Community Hall, Fethard, Co. Tipperary.
Thursday, 28th July 2016, Kildalton College, Piltown, Co. Kilkenny.

Dr Fran Igoe, Regional Co-ordinator, who has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in river based projects and his colleagues, together with a representative from Tipperary County Council, will be on hand to help develop a shared vision and provide practical advice based on past experiences.

On the River Suir the existing built heritage, historic weirs, navigation tow-paths, angling pools and boating traditions will illustrate just how important the river Suir has been over the centuries. Today, this importance continues in the form of Angling, Tourism, Kayaking and many other recreational pursuits. The importance of a plentiful supply of clean water is self-explanatory whether it is for drinking, provisioning for livestock or for bathing.

It is well known that the River Suir holds the Irish record for a salmon caught on ‘rod and line’ weighing in at a massive 57 lbs. More over this river remains an internationally important Brown Trout fishery and is recognized internationally for its habitats supporting a large range of rare mammals, fish, birds and invertebrates.

The evening meetings have been organised to compliment the Office of Public Works (OPW) Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) public consultation days, which are being held to get the public’s view on potential flood management options being considered for areas at risk of flooding.

The ‘Waters and Communities River Suir’ meetings will be held immediately after the OPW Public Consultation meetings, with the aim of exploring how we see the river in our local area; what we want from it, and how we might best manage it in the best interests of the common good.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss, “The Lorax”.

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