The Great Famine Double Ditch that Thurles Elected Councillors say does not exist.
The following email from Cllr. Mr Jim Ryan was sent to me in the last few days. Same now confirms that, sadly, the Great Famine “Double Ditch” is to be destroyed, to construct an inner relief road to benefit the new Thurles Town centre, being developed at Slievenamon Road. [The former town centre at Liberty Square, Thurles, having been destroyed by Tipperary Co. Council assisted by Thurles Municipal District Councillors].
TheEmail from Cllr. Mr Jim Ryan, Mill Road, Thurles, sent on March 1st, 12:21pm, is show hereunder.
Dear George In a follow up to your concerns regarding the removal or closure of the double ditch walkway in Thurles I can now confirm the following as presented to me by Roads Section of Tipperary County Council.
The proposed new Thurles Link road from Clongour to the Mill Road will be going through a small section of the double ditch or College Lane walkway on the Mill Road side.
The walkway will remain fully accessible with a newly opened access point from the new link road on the Mill Road side after construction.
The construction of the new Link Road will require the removal of the existing walled entrance on the Mill Road side along with the removal of a small section of the walkway itself on that same side.
The council stated that a full and comprehensive Archeology (Read as Archaeology)and Envirnomental (Read as Environmental) Assessment was carried out as part of the process that highlighted no concerns to the council or An Bord Pleanala
The Double Ditch or College Lane walkway will not be closed off to the public or removed once the construction of the new link road is completed. It will however be reduced slightly in length with a new access point on the Mill Road side.
I hope this clarifies some of the issues raised by you. Yours, Cllr Jim Ryan Comhairle Contae Thiobraid Árann Tipperary County Council.
The content shown in the above email, to say the very least, is a watered-down version, designed to affect my silence.
One example of this is that Mr Ryan has failed to notice that a further two-lane exit through the double ditch is designed to allow traffic onto the new road, from the new housing estate; see area/map reference indicated between F4 & F3. A second exit is designed possibly to connect to the rear of the Mary Immaculate College (formerly St. Patrick’s College). See between F6 & F5 on the map immediately published hereunder. Also on the map hereunder the Double Ditch has been shortened, by almost one half, compared to the cover map on our first video shown above. Same map referred to above is the first map ever recorded of this area in the 1800’s. This is deceit of the first order, by Council officials.
We now learn that none of our Municipal District Councillors can be trusted following the disclosure by Cllr. Ryan.
Tonight, I have replied to Cllr. Jim Ryan, Member of Thurles Municipal District, Council.
Sir,
Thank you for your communication of the 1st instant. My sincere apologies for failing to respond to your communication earlier.
I am fully aware, since June 3rd, 2019, that it was the intention of Tipperary Co. Council to demolish the Great Famine Double Ditch, latter situated within 500 meters of your principal private residence on the Mill Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
It was to that end, indeed, that I contacted, in November 2019, Ms Rosin O’Grady, (Latter Tipperary Heritage Officer and Creative Ireland Co-ordinator), asking that she contact the National Monument Service, with a view to granting protection to this historic area. I was soon to realise that Ms O’Grady, despite her official title, is not fully independent of her titled duties, governed indeed by Thurles Municipal District Councillors and senior officials within Tipperary Co. Council.
Suffice is to state that Ms Rosin O’Grady has been instructed not to enter into further communication with me or has failed in her required duty as a County Heritage Officer.
You and your Council colleagues and Co. Council officials, including Chief Executive Mr Joseph MacGrath were informed regarding this wanton destruction of our local Thurles history, on May 24th 2020 (almost 10 months ago).
You Sir, including your County Council C.E. Mr Joe MacGrath, together with all elected Thurles Municipal District Councillors, and the Lowry Team, deliberately and with ill will, chose to ignore every communication sent to each and every one of them, while failing to acknowledge or even reply to any and all of my communications.
Following my complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission(SIPO) regarding you and others of your Council colleagues, including TD’s Mr Jackie Cahill and Mr Michael Lowry; you were contacted by Registrar, Mr David Coleman, (Administrative officer, Corporate Services) regarding your failure to maintain proper standards of integrity; conduct, and concern for the public interest. It took you Cllr. Ryan, almost 3 years to inform me of what you knew, refusing to confirm the information which I had already informed you.
You will now please answer for the moment the following two questions:-
(1) Do you support this decision to remove yet another piece of Thurles history, which if properly marketed would benefit, greatly, the community of Thurles.
Note: I am aware that you are a senior, active committee member, with that grouping known as “The International Garden of Remembrance Committee”, (Chairman Mr John Worth), situated at St. Mary’s Graveyard, Church Lane, Thurles. You annually attend a ceremony in this garden to commemorate “An Gorta Mór – Ireland’s Great Hunger 1845-1849”. Indeed your group unveiled a large headstone of black marble, (latter which in the past I have strongly objected to its introduction, without planning permission), breaching, as it does, government heritage guidelines and regulations. Are you now going to support the destruction of a real piece of Thurles heritage, which Thurles can use to attract the ever elusive Thurles tourist?
(2) Do you or any other extended member of your family, either in the past or at any time in the future, expect to benefit, through the sale of land, or other advantage, conveniences or possessory rights, which is being now brought to bear, thus aiding the future destruction of the 175 year old Great Famine Double Ditch, at Mill Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Mr Ryan, you, your council colleagues, local TD’s and Co. Council Officials bring shame on this community and you are observed as no better than delinquent, vandals.
Your answers are of particular interest to me, in relation to steps I intend to take to reverse this outrageous, wilful and destructive decision.
Yours faithfully, George Willoughby.
I now invite Thurles Chamber of Commerce, Tipperary Tourism, Thurles Tourism groups and the Irish Government, to support the retention of this piece of valuable history. As a right-of-way Tipperary County Council are obliged to clean up this area and restore, that which they damaged on the watch of Mr Joe MacGrath, CE. Tipperary, Co. Council, in the last 9 years since 2013.
Footpaths, southside of Aldi Supermarket on Kickham Street today, February 23rd 2021.
With a Status Orange rainfall warning currently in vogue for Co. Tipperary until approximately 9.00pm this evening, take a look at conditions being accepted by Thurles pedestrians, as they head to shop in Aldi Supermarket on Kickham Street over the past number of days.
We have reports of men, women and children being splashed not just by accumulating water from road craters but also being struck by gravel/stones, same being accidentally catapulted by the tyres of passing motor vehicles.
Windows of just some of the houses on Kickham Street Thurles being struck by gravel and water; accidentally catapulted by the tyres of passing motor vehicles. It is through the doors of these houses that local councillors and TD’s will be pushing political brochures, in the not to distant future, claiming “Sorry We Missed You”. Don’t be sorry, you go missing for 5 years evertime you get elected.
Local TD’s Mr Michael Lowry and Mr Jackie Cahill are both being asked to forget about the rubbish they post on social media accounts, (Facebook and Twitter) and publicly declare Thurles town a disaster area in relation to its roads.
We smile as we read on February 16th, 2021; courtesy of our local politicians, of how they have attracted €29.5 million in State Funding, same to be allocated for road improvements in Tipperary this year.
I phoned Tipperary Co. Council this afternoon, but only the switch operator was available to accept my complaint; everyone else was “working from home” and unavailable. Funny that, all Supermarkets, Banks, some schools, hardware stores, nurses, doctor, etc. etc., were trading as usual, but Co. Council officials normally seated in private offices were “working from home”.
On another note: Readership of Thurles.Info now currently stands at over 3 million readers, [3,039,132 as at 3.30 this afternoon]. Each day between 2,000 and 8,000 Tipperary readers, many living abroad, all login from the United States, Germany, France, Turkey, Holland, UK, Australia, New Zealand, China, Saudi Arabia and even Russia, all anxious for news from their home town of Thurles.
Parnell Street car park can be located directly opposite the Office of Mr Jackie Cahill TD, in Parnell St, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, [E41 VY66].
Currently this Parnell Street car park, with its torn up surface and muck, is reminiscent of an unoccupied slum area. For all intents and purposes and in every practical sense, same is virtually now a refuse packed ghetto, with responsibility for its present deplorable state, the remit of Thurles Municipal District council. It is to the latter, as residents and business people, we pay our high Rates and Local Property Tax (LPT).
We watched yesterday, as civic minded individuals arrived with their boxes and bags of glass bottles; to file in the various glass containers. As you can see from the picture, all glass containers are packed to capacity and have been for weeks.
While some individuals returned home with their recyclable glass, others left same neatly on the ground in paper bags and loose; in the centre of already smashed glass, from glass containers which had previously fallen from the existing overloaded bins.
We learned recently that Tipperary Co. Council spent €50,000 removing litter left by fly-tippers. One wonders how many glass containers were thrown out of car boots into ditches and hedges, as individuals headed for their homes yesterday, unable to recycle their glass, under the promised glare of CCTV cameras.
We joked about it first on September 17th, 2018. Now 2 years and almost 5 months later, it has finally happened. Heavy vehicles, in the coming days, can soon hopefully travel without obstruction or other hinderance; same caused by the stupidity of Council road engineers.
Road junction structure first introduced in September 2018, at the junction of Clongour Road and Slievenamon Road.
But just how much of taxpayers money has been wasted by these same Tipperary County Council officials, led by Tipperary Chief Executive Mr Joe MacGrath and Mr Marcus O’Connor (Director of Services Roads, Transportation, Infrastructure).
Same junction at Clongour Road and Slievenamon Road being properly realigned today, February 22nd, 2021, but at what cost to Thurles taxpayers?
Perhaps latter named gentlemen would like to inform our paid, elected, public representatives at the next online meeting of Council reps, or perhaps Mr Jackie Cahill or Mr Michael Lowry could find out through a freedom of information request, while condemning the wanton waste.
Meanwhile, the waste continues within the town, as a ‘not fit for purpose Thurles Chamber of Commerce’ also remains in hiding, incapable of supporting Thurles business interests.
We here at Thurles.Info always give credit where credit is justified.
To this end we have sought nominations for Thurles Municipal District Councillors Mr Sean Ryan(Fianna Fáil) and Mr Jim Ryan(Independent) to be considered for the Kluge Prize, which recognizes the highest level of achievement and impact on public affairs, and today is considered one of the nation’s most prestigious awards.
According to my copy of the Tipperary Star Newspaper, both men demonstrated what was observed by a reporter as demonstrating unreasonable or foolhardy contempt for danger, by verbally speaking out, accusing Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) of neglect in relation to investment and an overall failed responsibility for roads, here in our rapidly deteriorating Thurles town.
Their remarks were addressed through Mr Marcus O’Connor, (Director of Services Roads, Transportation, Infrastructure), who appears to have taken on the role of Chief Executive (CE) within Tipperary Co. Council, in an as yet unpublished Coup d’état, dislodging the reigning Chief Executive Mr Joe MacGrath.
Mr Marcus O’Connor of course felt that it was not right to be criticizing Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) at this time, because quote “they are playing their part”.
Evidence of failed ability either by Mr Marcus O’Connor himself or TII however is evidenced in the video hereunder.
The video above shows again the same repair work being carried out every 3 days, using cold tarmac; while wasting taxpayers money, through the use of necessary machinery, inferior materials and man hours.
Further along Cabragh Road heading out, towards the stronghold of Mr Michael Lowry TD; run-off areas designed to remove water off the road surface are blocked. Outside Cabragh Business Park the footpath, for at least the past 10 years, has remained 10 centimeters (4 inches) below the actual road surface itself, gathering muck and troughs of water, rendering it useless to pedestrians.
Further wasted Money. In the past few weeks a new tributary of the river Suir has emerged to flow on the Mill Road, flooding out through the gates and through the walls of residential gardens.
Believing that a pipe had burst, immediately Irish Water were summoned. Tests were done, showed no presence of Chlorine. Thus this water was deemed to be a “newly developed underground spring”.
Today this new river Suir tributary continues to flow along the surface of Mill Road, passing residential houses, local businesses and forcing oncoming pedestrians to use the wrong side of the road.
A few hundred metres further up, on higher ground, the new half completed housing estate is flooding our ‘Double Ditch’ (near to its centre) as the estate builder, now in lockdown, is allowed to drain this land, latter a flood plain of a choked River Suir.
This drain, ripped out by Tipperary Council contractors some years ago, for the first time in its history, now contains thousands of gallons of contaminated water, 1.3 Metres deep (Over 4ft), carrying clay, sand, and what appears to be an oily paint-like substance.
This created trench ripped out at the side of the Great Famine Double Ditch by these Tipperary Council contractors, has no proper drainage pipes connecting it to the river thus allowing this contaminated water to pass through the Double Ditch into the adjoining fields on the other side.
One must ask is this the same water causing this new fast flowing Suir river tributary to appear at a lower level in the Mill Road gardens.
Meanwhile, our video clearly demonstrates the complete failure by Mr Marcus O’Connor and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in serving the needs of Thurles town.
Perhaps Mr Marcus O’Connor might like to get up from his office desk and visit the streets of Thurles and surrounding roads, to experience at first hand the failures now being tolerated by the people of Thurles.
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