Health « Thurles Information

Down By The River.

Took a walk by the River Suir in Thurles today in the beautiful warm sunshine. Having surveyed the river area, I was reminded of the song “Down by the river”, written by Mike Hazlewood and British singer-songwriter and composer Albert Louis Hammond.
The lyrics, shown hereunder, tell the story of a man and his girl friend taking a camping trip down by a river. The weather being warm; they both decide to go swimming. That night they both felt unwell, and having failed to get sleep, went for an early morning walk. During their walk, they see a silver fish lying on its side dead on the river bank and they wonder how it died.
After visiting a doctor, they are informed that only foolish people go swimming in polluted river water.

The song highlights the negative environmental impact on our water, which is being accepted by our local elected Thurles politicians and councillors, to whom we pay large salaries and who are presently calling door to door, in the hope of being re-elected for yet another 5 years of waste and inactivity.

Ask those canvassing for your vote this time around, the following question “Where did the pump for the fountain, in the river Suir end up”. You will be surprised and possibly angered by the reply.

Down By The River.

Lyrics: British-Gibraltarian singer, songwriter and record producer Mike Hazlewood and British singer-songwriter and composer Albert Louis Hammond.
Vocals: Albert Hammond.

Down By The River.

City life was gettin’ us down,
So we spent the weekend out of town,
Pitched the tent on a patch of ground,
Down by the river.
Lit a fire and drank some wine,
You put your jeans on the top of mine,
Said, come in the water’s fine,
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
Said, come in the water’s fine,
Down by the river.
Didn’t feel too good all night,
So we took a walk in the morning light,
Came across the strangest sight,
Down by the river.
Silver fish lay on its side,
It was washed up by the early tide,
I wonder how it died,
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
Silver fish lay on its side,
Down by the river.
Doctor put us both to bed,
He dosed us up and he shook his head,
“Only foolish people go”, he said,
“Down by the river”.
Why do willows weep, said he,
Because they’re dying gradually,
From the waste, from the factories,
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
Why do willows weep, said he,
Down by the river.
In time, the river banks will die,
The reeds will wilt and the ducks won’t fly,
There’ll be a tear in the otter’s eye,
Down by the river.
The banks will soon be black and dead,
And where the otter raised his head,
Will be a clean white stone instead,
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
The banks will soon be black and dead,
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
Down by the river.
The banks will soon be black and dead,
Down by the river.

END

FSAI Recall Calm Releaf CBD Oil

Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) recall batch of Calm Releaf CBD Oil due to the presence of unsafe levels of Delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Alert Summary dated Wednesday, May 1st, 2024.
Category 1: For Action.
Alert Notification: 2024.17.
Product Identification: Calm Releaf CBD Oil; pack size: 10 ml.
Batch Code: AS1223; best before date: 01.11.24.

Message: The above batch of Calm Releaf CBD Oil is being recalled due to the presence of unsafe levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9THC) in excess of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) acute reference dose. Recall notices will be displayed at point-of-sale.

Action Required: Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, caterers & retailers: Retailers are requested to remove the implicated batch from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.

Consumers: Consumers are advised not to consume the implicated batch.

FSAI Food Alert – Recall Batch Of Ecosana Copo Teff Bio.

Food Safety Authority of Ireland recall of a batch of Ecosana Copo Teff Bio (Organic Teff Flakes) due to presence of tropane alkaloids.

Alert Summary dated today Tuesday, April 30th 2024.

Category 1: For Action.
Alert Notification: 2024.16.
Product Identification: Ecosana Copo Teff Bio, pack size: 500g.
Batch Code: C11109, best before date: 28/02/2025.
Country Of Origin: Spain.

Message: The above identified batch of Ecosana Copa Teff Bio (Organic Teff Flakes) is being recalled due to the presence of tropane alkaloids. A recall notice has been emailed to online shoppers.
Tropane alkaloids are naturally occurring plant constituents found in a variety of plant species. Plants produce tropane alkaloids to protect themselves from predators (e.g. insects). Contamination of food can occur if parts (mostly seeds) of tropane alkaloid containing plants are unintentionally harvested with agricultural crops.

Nature Of Danger: Symptoms can include a change in heart rate, decreased salivary and sweat secretion, pupil dilation, dizziness, headache, nausea, hallucination and disorientation.

Action Required:
Consumers: Consumers are advised not to eat the implicated stated batch.

A 269 Year Old Thurles Recipe For Cheese Cake.

“Little Miss Muffet, she sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider, who sat down beside her, and frightened Miss Muffet away.

As promised on April 21st, 2024, a 269 year old recipe, adapted from the manuscript book of Catherine Hughes, Killenaule, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, dated 1755, and published by Mrs Theodora FitzGibbon, in her book ‘A Taste Of Ireland’, published 56 years ago, in 1968, is published hereunder.

**Milk going to the creamery**, **pictured in the** **late 19th century,** **at Killenaule, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.**

Cottage cheese, once considered to be the least desirable item to pick up in your supermarket’s dairy aisle, is now being heralded as one of the best items to put in your shopping basket.

Cottage cheese, as the name implies, is a type of cheese made up of curds and whey liquid (yes, the very thing Miss Muffet was eating before being rudely interrupted by that spider). It hasn’t always been celebrated for it lumpy wet consistency, but health enthusiasts highlight that it is a good source of calcium. More importantly, cottage cheese is naturally very high in protein, with on average, a whopping 11g of protein per 100g. Protein is essential for human growth and repair and for helping us to maintain our muscle as we get older.

A quick internet search will yield hundreds of cottage cheese recipes including pancakes, breads and desserts, but here’s a recipe for cottage cheese that is 269 years old.

Curds (Grut in Irish) formed an extensive part of the diet of the ancient Irish. They are mentioned in the earliest documented sources. Various early cheeses were made from them; one cheese being ‘faiscre grotha’, (Irish meaning literally ‘pressed curd’).
The Reverend Richard Hopkins Ryland* in ‘The History, Topography and Antiquities of the County and City of Waterford’, dated 1824, says “Cheese made from skimmed milk and called ‘Mullahawn’ was formally an article of commerce in Waterford and was exported in large quantities…”

*Reverend Richard Hopkins Ryland was born in 1788, the descendant of 16th century Protestant planters who had settled in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. Generations of the family became ‘Church of Ireland’ ministers.
Rev. Ryland married Isabella Julia Fleury (latter nine years his junior), the daughter of the Rev. Archdeacon George Louis Fleury of Waterford in 1818; at St. Patrick’s Church, Waterford.
The couple had six sons and two daughters.
His best known historical work was ‘The History, Topography and Antiquities Of The County And City Of Waterford’, (published 1824), which was dedicated to the Duke of Devonshire, while he also published religious pamphlets.
He died in 1866, aged 78 years, followed by his wife Isabella Julia in 1873; aged 76 years, in South Kensington, Middlesex, England. The Tipperary ‘Clonmel Chronicle’ newspaper published her official ‘Death Notice’.

Pastry.
6 oz (6 heaped tablespoons) of flour.
3 oz (3 heat tablespoons) butter.
1 tablespoon sugar.
½ teaspoon salt.
Water.

Filling.
½ lb (2 cups) sweet curds or cottage cheese.
2 eggs, separated.
2 heaped tablespoons sugar (vanilla sugar if possible).
Grated peel and juice of half lemon.
1 tablespoons of butter.

For the topping.
1 egg and one tablespoon each of sugar, flour and melted butter.

First make the pastry by mixing the fat into the flower, sugar, and salt, to a firm pliable dough with a few tablespoons of water. Cool if possible before using. Make the filling by well mixing the curds with the sugar, soft butter, grated peel and juice of the lemon and the beaten egg yolks. Beat is well, then add the stiffly beaten egg whites. Roll out the pastry to fit a flan-tin, 7 in-8 inch across, line the tin with it and paint the bottom with beaten egg (this prevents the bottom pastry becoming heavy).

Put the filling into the pastry case, and, using the rest of the egg, mix it with the topping sugar, melted butter, and flour. Pour this evenly over the top. Bake in a moderate oven (350° F. electric; gas regulo 4) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Serve cold, but not chilled, cut into wedges.

Some 51,000 Food Businesses To Benefit, As FSAI Launch New Learning Portal.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today announced the launch of its new ‘Learning Portal’, latter an easy-to-navigate digital platform designed to consolidate best-in-class compliance training content and resources on food safety and hygiene. The introduction of this new desktop and mobile compatible learning portal aims to strengthen adherence with food safety legal requirements and supplement the food safety training provided by food businesses to their staff.

The new learning portal, now available to more than 51,000 food businesses, is free to use and offers a wealth of specialised content to assist users in keeping up to date with the latest food safety requirements.
The learning portal’s materials can be easily incorporated into food safety courses, staff meetings, or used for self-learning, allowing learners to study at their own pace and convenience. It was developed to assist in building compliance by food businesses and it includes eLearning modules, webinars, short videos, and explanatory materials covering a broad range of relevant topics.

Welcoming the new learning resource, Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO, FSAI said: “The launch of the ‘Learning Portal’ underscores our commitment to ensuring the highest level of food safety standards are achieved across Ireland. It is imperative that all food businesses recognise the importance of food safety training and the consequences if their staff are not properly trained. Untrained staff can lead to serious non-compliances, which can put consumers’ health at risk. It is the food business’s legal requirement to ensure the food they are producing, selling or distributing is safe to eat. We believe ongoing training and development is an essential component of every food business. I strongly encourage all food businesses across the country to avail of this free resource to assist in creating an ongoing positive culture of food safety compliance in their business”.

The primary content areas of focus include:
Food Safety Culture: This module provides guidance on how to develop and maintain an appropriate food safety culture in a food business, in order to be able to demonstrate this to inspectors and customers. Food safety is legally required to be placed at the core of every food business.

Food Safety Controls in Ireland: This module outlines the role of the FSAI and other official agencies responsible for supervising food businesses in Ireland. It also provides training and information around the latest resources and supports available to food businesses to ensure the highest standards in operational food practices.

Why Food Safety Matters: A module designed to highlight and create understanding around the importance of food safety in protecting the public health and the risks associated with non-compliance.

Product Recall: In line with the latest Irish and EU legislation this topic includes easy to understand short videos outlining what steps need to be taken in the case of a product recall.

The FSAI calls on all food businesses and relevant food professionals to access the new ‘Learning Portal’ and take advantage of its valuable resources to enhance food safety practices across the country.

You can access the FSAI Learning Portal HERE.