Thurles Information

News and Information From The Heart of Tipperary

What Do You Need At Home?

Teacher Ms Ava Browne asked her pupils the following question; “Ok class, I’d like you to tell me what you badly need at your home.”

Seven year old Amelia McGrath put her hand up and said “Our family badly need a new state of the art computer, Miss.”

Eight year old Crystal Bourke said “My Mammy and Daddy would love a new car, Miss.”

Ten year old Theodore Ryan said, “We don’t need anything, Miss.”

A frowninf teacher Ms Browne said, “Come on Theodore, surely everyone feel they need something.”

“No Miss”, said Theodore, “My sister came home with her new Sinn Féin Councillor boyfriend last night, and my dad said, that’s all we fecking need.”

Ladies Not Kissed Under Mistletoe Doomed To Remain Single For At Least 12 Months.

The word ‘mistletoe’ is believed to stem from the Saxon ‘mistl-tan’, meaning ‘different twig.’

Note: Raw white mistletoe berries are very poisonous and tend to fall off the plant easily. They have been known to cause seizures or death when accidently ingested. Indeed, here in Ireland we are more inclined to have in our homes, hanging over our doors, the ornamental plastic variety, since ingesting real mistletoe berries can be especially lethal to small children and household pets.

Historically, mistletoe [A parasitic plant, that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from a wide range of host trees], represents romance, fertility, and vitality. Celtic Druids valued mistletoe for its healing properties. Its berries ripen in December, with the plant continuing to remain green, hence its appeal at Christmas.

Warning: Let be it known to all you ladies, young or old, you the fairer sex, cannot ever refuse to grant a kiss, if caught under a bunch of mistletoe. Ladies also please note, such a kiss under mistletoe will greatly increase your chances of marriage within the next 12 months.
According to an ancient custom, ladies not kissed will remain single until next Christmas.

Gentlemen Note: After each kiss, one berry should be removed from the mistletoe bunch. A fresh bunch of course can then be introduced, should you be required to kiss a lot of women.

Yes, it’s not an easy job for the male species, but let’s face it, someone has got to do it.

No Thurles Christmas Lights Until 16 Days Before Christmas.

As Thurles Municipal District continues to allow the towns public lighting system to burn 24 hours each day for some months now; we understand that Thurles Christmas lights will not be officially switched on until December 9th, 2022, just 16 days before Christmas day.
The Christmas lighting on Liberty Square, will be switched on between 2:00pm and 6:00pm, in the presence of none other than Santa Claus himself.

Dublin City Council were delighted to announce that their spectacular ‘Dublin Winter Lights’ were officially lit on the night of November 14th 2022, and will remain on until January 1st.

Meanwhile, on the “What’s On In Tipp” website, funded/hosted by Tipperary Co. Council, someone added some rather contradictory information for the publics consumption.
Smile and read the information currently displayed HERE.

The website invites people to:-
Shop Local this Christmas Thurles 2022.
Event Entry Fee: €0.00.

Of course there is an entry fee, as parking charges remain in place in Thurles, unlike our sister town of Clonmel, where free parking is permitted in council owned car parks every Saturday during December, 2022.
Following previous successful schemes, it has been decided to provide free parking in the following Pay & Display towns across Fingal County Council for 3 Saturdays in December in the run up to Christmas. The dates are 10th, 17th, 24th December 2022. The towns in question are: Balbriggan, Rush, Skerries, Swords and in Malahide, Bridgefield Carpark only .
Fingal County Council supports local enterprise and hopes that this initiative will assist local businesses by encouraging citizens to “shop local” in these towns at the busiest shopping time of the year.
It should be noted that Pay and Display areas in Clonsilla, Dublin 15, have free parking on Saturdays all year round.

Read On:-
Event Description
Thurles Chamber of Commerce and Thurles Traders are again joining forces this year to promote ‘Shop Local for Christmas’.
Over 65 shops and businesses are supporting the promotion with many putting on special events, giveaways and Christmas raffles. The promotion ties in with the completion of the refurbishment works on Liberty Square and the switching on of the beautiful Christmas lights in Thurles.

(Note: To date only half of the refurbishment of Liberty Square has now been completed.)

Event Status: On
Event Type: Public
Event Categories: Fairs, Shows, Markets
Event Start Time: 10:00 am
Event Start Date: Friday, December 3, 2021 (Are we totally living in the past?)
Event End Time: 05:30 pm
Event End Date: Friday, December 31, 2021
Venue Name: Thurles Chamber of Commerce
Venue Email: info@thurleschamber.ie
Venue Telephone: 050422257
Organiser Name: Thurles Chamber
Organiser Email: info@thurleschamber.ie
Organiser Telephone: 050422257
Nearest town or village: Thurles.

If you go to page 9 of the same website, you will find that Newport, Co. Tipperary will be having their Christmas Market on Sunday, December 3, 2023 @06:00 pm to Monday, December 4, 2023 @05:00 pm.
Now that is what I call great forward planning.

The waste by Tipperary Co. Council, who support, through the funding/hosting of this WordPress website, continues without any reduction in either intensity or strength.

Mother Nature Confused In Thurles.

Mother Nature continues to remain somewhat confused here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Berberis (Barberry) (Top Picture Above)
The attractive, easy-to-grow, evergreen shrub Berberis (Barberry) loved for its abundant bright orange flowers, which are normally expected in late March to May, was in bloom yesterday, some 5 months early.
These evergreens shrubs bear small blue-black shaded berries much loved by our feathered friends, (birds).

Primroses (Irish: Sabhaircín) (Bottom Picture Above)
Meanwhile, our dainty and colourful wild primroses (from the Latin word ‘primus’, meaning ‘first’.) which can be found decorating grassy banks, woodlands and roadsides, have not been fooled and appear to be on schedule to bloom in early or mid-December.

Both the flowers and leaves of the Primrose are edible; the flavour ranging between mild lettuce and more bitter salad greens.

More importantly, Primroses are beneficial as an excellent early source of nectar for bees, as well as an attractive flower to brighten up your outdoor spaces.

Also keep in mind that according to Irish folklore, when primroses are positioned near your front doorway, same protects your home from an unwelcome visit by the fairies. In Ireland, fairies were blamed for stealing babies and children, especially boys with blue eyes and fair hair, leaving fairy substitutes in their place; so do take care. You have been warned.

November 2nd, “All Soul’s Day”

Perhaps it’s being caused by climate change, global warming, or the current mild weather being experience here in Ireland. Either way, it appears that some ghosts, phantom ghouls and wandering souls are reluctant to return to that place of departed spirits, as I experienced and photographed, while passing a local graveyard tonight. [Thank goodness the gate was locked.]

In earlier times people would dread being out late on the eve of November 2nd, “All Soul’s Day” as ghosts were said to be observed in the most isolated of places, especially in rural graveyards.

People would remain at home and would refrain from going out after dark, thus avoiding walking on or indeed with the dead.

So deep was the belief that households would sit around a blazing fire, relating stories about their memories of ancestors, before retiring early to their beds.

However, going early to bed would not take place before leaving the house ready for any visiting dead. The door on this night would remain unlocked in rural areas; while in larger towns and cities a window was left open instead, and for obvious reasons. A big fire was put down before going to bed and hot ashes (Irish -gríosach) were never raked out on that night.

No water could be thrown outside on All Souls’ Day, as they could be accidently throwing it into the faces of invisible wandering soul’s.

If people gave money to a poor man calling to their door on All Souls Day, the householder could expect great luck within the next 12 months.