Politics « Thurles Information

Government Waiver Immigration Fees For victims Of Domestic Abuse.

Victims of domestic abuse will not be required to pay the immigration registration fee of €300.

The Irish government has signed into effect regulations to facilitate arrangements for survivors and victims of domestic abuse, which exempts them from immigration registration fees.

Under the immigration guidelines anyone who experiences domestic abuse and whose permission to be in Ireland is linked to the perpetrator of that abuse, can apply to the Immigration Service for a separate independent immigration permission.
Providing a separate and independent permission removes barriers for people to leave abusive relationships or unsafe family environments. The application for this permission is free and requests are dealt with sensitively by the immigration authorities.

When a person applies for a residency permit, they are required to pay a registration fee.
Exemptions from the registration fee are provided by law, while some survivors and victims were already exempt under the previous Regulations, the government has now amended these regulations to expressly include survivors and victims of domestic violence, granted an independent permission.

The government is committed to protecting victims and survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence as a matter of priority and consequently encourages people to come forward and access State support services, where previously they may have been hesitant to do so.

Currently this €300 fee must be paid by all applicants, unless they are:

Under 18 years at the time of registration.
A spouse, widow or widower of an Irish citizen.
A civil partner or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen.
A spouse or dependent of an EU national who has a residence permit.
A Programme Refugee or a person granted Refugee Status under Section 47(1) of the International Protection Act 2015.
A person granted Subsidiary Protection under Section 47(4) of the International Protection Act 2015.
A person granted Permission to Remain under Section 49(4)(a) of the International Protection Act 2015.
A family member reunited with a recognised refugee in Ireland under Section 56 of the International Protection Act 2015.

EPA Again Confirm Tipperary Co. Council Is To Blame For River Suir Pollution.

EPA Quote “This is now a matter for Tipperary County Council to investigate and take action.……”

On September 4th, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed that Tipperary Co. Council are directly responsible for failure to protect the River Suir from pollution here in Thurles. (Complaint Ref. COM021813).

This firm confirmation came about, following a complaint made by Thurles.Info, asking that the EPA prosecute Tipperary County Council for their inability and failure to control the pollution of the River Suir over the past 12 years.

**One small section of Suir riverbed in Thurles town centre. This area is governed by a Municipal District by-law** **(latter a regulation made by a local authority**), **banning the consumption of alcohol in a public place.**

The following communication was received from the EPA today, September 9th 2025, which we now publish hereunder in full.

To the complainant, Thurles.Info:-

Dear Sir,
Further to our previous correspondence with you relating to the above referenced matter, we acknowledge receipt of your permission to refer it to Tipperary County Council on your behalf.

We have now sent a copy of your correspondence to Tipperary County Council for their attention and action. We have also requested that they contact you directly, regarding this issue.

Please note, a referral from the EPA obliges the local authority to log the complaint, open a case file, investigate the matter and report back to the complainant (you in this instance) as to any assessment or action either planned or taken.

This is now a matter for Tipperary County Council to investigate and take action as appropriate as they are the responsible authority.
Please continue to engage directly with Tipperary County Council any further enquiries regarding this matter for their attention and direct response to you.

As requested, please find attached copy of correspondence from the EPA to Tipperary County Council, our Ref COM021813.

Please use the reference number above in any further communication with the EPA regarding this matter.

Trusting this is of assistance to you.
Yours etc (Name withheld)

Correspondence forwarded to Tipperary County Council by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Subject: COM021813 Alleged pollution of river Suir in Thurles, Co Tipperary.
Environmental Complaints E.Complaints@epa.ie (Name withheld)

To customerservices@tipperarycoco.ie.

To Tipperary County Council,
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received correspondence on 01/09/2025 relating to concern regarding alleged pollution of river Suir in Thurles, Co Tipperary. Our Ref COM021813.

Please see attached copy for your attention and action.

Tipperary County Council should take steps to investigate this matter using appropriate enforcement actions. Your Council is also requested to directly contact the complainant in relation to this matter and to advise them how Tipperary County Council is investigating and dealing with the complaint.

Please use the reference number above in all further correspondence with the EPA regarding this matter.

Kind regards, etc (Name withheld).

This will now be the second case-file opened within the last 10 days, with no action taken in relation to this major problem in Thurles and no communication, as yet and as usual, entered into by Tipperary Co. Council.

Thurles, Co. Tipperary Councillor Fails In Her Environmental Responsibility.

While we as residents of Tipperary congratulate and laud the magnificent achievements; the talent and the skills of “Ronan and The Tipperary Team”, against Cork, back on Sunday July 20th last; one person in our midst has sought to abuse their position in Thurles, in search of self-glorification.

The phrase “Ignorance of the law is no excuse” is a legal principle, also known as “ignorantia juris non excusat”, meaning a person cannot escape liability for violating a law, by simply claiming they did not know about it.
If people could avoid responsibility by claiming ignorance, same would undermine the very rule of law itself, thus making it impossible to enforce, fairly, every person’s legal obligations within the State.
The law therefore expects a reasonably prudent person, regardless of their standing in society, to understand and abide by their societal roles, duties, and responsibilities.

This stated, one specific reserved function of elected Irish County Councillors is to approve policies with regards to environmental protection, especially at this time in our history. However, it appears this rule does not apply to one elected councillor, Cllr Kay Cahill-Skehan, latter a resident of Thurles town.

Time and time again in Thurles certain people seeking either election, or self-glorification, continue to damage our trees on roads leading into our town.

**Environmental Responsibility “More honoured in the breach than the observance”**.
*Pics: G. Willoughby*.

Damaging public trees in Ireland is a criminal offence under the Criminal Damage Act 1991 and the Forestry Act 2014, carrying both severe penalties and fines.
The severity of such penalties depends on the nature and extent of the damage, with severe penalties for offences under the Criminal Damage Act.
Local authorities can impose compensation charges for damage to council-owned trees. These trees in question shown in the photographs above, (and one, not shown, existing on the Nenagh road) are all council-owned; paid for by the former North Tipperary Co. Council and sown by Thurles Tidy Towns Committee members, some 30 years ago, in the autumn of 1995.

The tree on the Dublin road has no fewer than 13 tech screws driven deep into its bark to hold up this egotistical and narcissistic sign.
The primary purpose of a tech screw is to fasten metal without needing to drill a pilot hole. They achieve this function by way of a specialized drill-point tip which allows it to drill, tap and secure the screw in one single motion, thus saving time and effort by eliminating the need for a separate pre-drilling process.

Relevant Legislation and Offences
Criminal Damage Act 1991: This act covers damaging property, including public trees, without lawful excuse.
Forestry Act 2014: This act addresses offences related to unlawful tree felling and damage.
Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs): Local authorities can issue TPOs to protect trees on amenity grounds, preventing their removal or damage without consent.

Penalties and Consequences.
Fines: Fines can be substantial, with the Forestry Act 2014 setting penalties up to €25,000 for certain offences.
Local Councils can levy a compensation charge to cover the cost of damage to council-owned trees.
Prosecution: An Garda Síochána can prosecute under the Criminal Damage Act 1991 for damage to council-owned trees.

How to Report Damage or Check Tree Status.
Contact Local Authority: To report damage to a council-owned tree, contact the Planning Department of your local County Council. The posters have been in place for some 8 weeks, with no effort whatsoever to remove same.

The matter has now been reported to Thurles Municipal District Council officials to take necessary action.

Thurles MD Council Set To Tackle Overflowing & Shocking Problems.

Tomorrow morning, September 8th, a few Thurles Municipal District councillors will gather for their monthly meeting, latter a time-honoured event where the real challenge isn’t making decisions, but finding a topic colourful enough to secure a quote or a photograph in the paper, or even a 10 minute clip on local radio.

This month, however, two burning issues (one quite literally) await them:

Issue (1) Liberty Square’s “Shock Feature”.

Motorists exiting the shiny new, half finished, Liberty Square area, into the new car park, may notice an ESB junction box/cabinet, carefully positioned where nobody can see it until it’s too late.
Local observers have described it as “Thurles town’s first drive-thru toaster,” raising concerns that a poorly placed cabinet and a passing bumper could one day combine to produce Thurles’ first-ever flame-grilled shopper.
One lady has suggested that the engineer responsible should be castigated. (I hope I have spelt that word correctly).
While some might view this as a design flaw, others see potential: “It could be an electrifying tourist experience,” said one local. “Where else can you risk being fried without paying an admission fee?”
But look on the dark side; for the first time in 3 years, the lights in the pavement no longer work during daylight hours. I wonder where that white piece on the side went? (See image above).

Issue (2) Parnell Street’s Garment Pod Avalanche.

Meanwhile, the town’s clothing recycling pods are reportedly following a “fill once, empty never” maintenance schedule/policy, as I observed today. Overflowing bags and the odd suitcase now cascade gracefully onto tarmac, creating what locals have dubbed “The Thurles Textile Centre.”
Some residents are calling for official walking tours of the mounds of garments, while others suggest the pods be reclassified as public art. “At least it adds colour,” remarked one passerby, “though the smell in Summer could be as bad as the Suir-side walkway.”
Speaking of the Suir-side walkway; other observers suggested that those responsible for this littering should have thrown their ‘unwanted couture‘ behind the bushes at the swinging gates on Emmett Street, like other considerate idiosyncrasies.

Local Councillors New Dilemma.
Faced with these pressing concerns, councillors must now decide; will tomorrow’s headlines read “Councillors Prevent Electrocution” or “Overflowing Pods Finally Emptied”?
Or, more likely, with Xmas on the way, will they spend 45 minutes debating the colours of fairy lights, before returning to their other places of employment.

But keep in mind the writings of St Matthew 6:24 on double jobbers councillors, quote; “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other”

Thurles Waiting: Relief Road Moves Forward, Bypass Kicked Down the Road.

Tipperary County Council has confirmed it now owns all the land needed for the long-promised Thurles Inner Relief Road.
But with no funding in place for construction, locals fear it is yet another stalling tactic while the badly needed, long awaited Bypass Ring Road is left on the back-burner until at least 2040.

**The now forgotten ‘Thurles Bypass’ plans**.

The scheme, first floated years ago, would provide a 1.1 km road link from Slievenamon Road at the Clongour Road junction (N62) to Mill Road. It would include five new junctions, a 50-metre arch bridge across the River Suir, and associated lighting. The land, all of it lying within the Suir River floodplain, has been purchased by the Council, though the cost of same remains undisclosed.

Land granted courtesy of other residents along the Mill Road will allow for a long awaited footpath extension to form part of a safe walking route in the area, affectionately known currently as “Fat Arse Boulevard”.

Traffic modelling suggests the additional bridge might, cut congestion in the town centre at best by 15%.

But for many residents, the fanfare around this land acquisition rings hollow. Without construction funding, the Inner Relief Road risks remaining just another paper project for between 3-5 years.

Locals argue this recent announcement is designed to mask the continued failure to deliver a 50 year old Ring Road plan; latter a project seen as essential to tackle an ever increasing gridlock in the town.

Once again, they say, Thurles has been left waiting and badly let down by local politicians latter who have two offices funded by taxpayers within the town centre.