Politics « Thurles Information

Failed “Super Junior” Ministers Case Shows Reckless Disregard For Taxpayers.

Unsuccessful legal challenge raises serious questions about judgment, priorities and respect for public money.

The legal challenge taken by Deputies Mr Paul Murphy (People Before Profit) and Mr Pa Daly (Sinn Féin) concerned the attendance of so-called “super junior” ministers at Cabinet meetings. They argued that because the Constitution limits the number of full Government members to 15, allowing junior ministers to attend and participate at Cabinet went against that constitutional limit. However, the High Court rejected that argument and ruled that the attendance and participation of those ministers did not breach the Constitution.

**Pictured above left → right: Mr Paul Murphy and Mr Pa Daly**.
**Failed *“super junior”* ministers case leaves taxpayers footing the bill.**

The failed High Court challenge has now resulted in yet another avoidable cost for the taxpayer, and people are entitled to ask: what exactly was the justification for bringing it in the first place?

The court has already ruled that no provision of the Constitution was breached. Despite that, the public is now expected to pay 50% of the legal costs incurred by the two TDs in pursuing this unsuccessful action. At a time when families are struggling with housing costs, rising bills, overstretched health services and pressure on local communities, this is an outrageous misuse of time, energy and public money.

This case was presented as a matter of principle, but many people will see it for what it really was; a political exercise dressed up as constitutional concern. If there was no sound legal basis to succeed, then why was it necessary to pursue it at all? Why was it worth exposing the public to further legal costs without their consent? And where was the consideration for the taxpayers and voters who expect their elected representatives to show restraint, judgment and basic common sense?

Public representatives are elected to solve problems, not manufacture them. They are sent to the Dáil to fight for better housing, safer communities, improved public services and value for money for the people they represent. Instead, these two Deputies chose to embark on a failed legal challenge that has achieved nothing for their electorate except yet another bill that the public may now have to carry.

The suggestion that this action somehow served the public interest will ring hollow for many ordinary taxpayers. There is nothing responsible or commendable about pursuing costly litigation without sufficient justification and then leaving the public to absorb the obvious consequences. That is not accountability. It is not leadership and it is not respect for the people who pay the taxes and cast the votes.

The real issue here is one of priorities and judgment. At a time when every cent of public money should be spent carefully, this case showed a remarkable lack of awareness about the pressures facing ordinary working people. Voters are entitled to expect better than symbolic legal grandstanding with little apparent prospect of success.

There must now be full transparency around the total cost of this failed case, including both the portion of costs that the State has been ordered to pay and the State’s own legal expenses in defending the proceedings. Taxpayers deserve to know the full price of this unnecessary action.

This episode should serve as a warning. Taking a case of this kind without clear justification, without tangible benefit to the public, and without proper regard for the likely financial consequences reflects badly on those involved.

The electorate deserves representatives who fully respect public money, understand public priorities and exercise better judgment than this.

Ballingarry Rising Co. Tipperary – Arrest & Exile Central To Meagher Commemoration.

A series of events will take place in Waterford city this weekend to commemorate the life and legacy of Thomas Francis Meagher, with particular reflection on his role in the Young Ireland rebellion, the rising at Ballingarry in South Tipperary, and the dramatic events that led to his arrest and transportation to Van Diemen’s Land.

Signatures of Thomas Francis Meagher and Patrick O’Donoghue, both arrested at Rathcannon, Holycross, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, following the 1848 Ballingarry *(SR)* rebellion.
Both signatures are written on the back of a prison library book called “Wreath of Friendship”.
*Picture: G. Willoughby*.

Although Meagher is forever associated with raising the tricolour at the Wolfe Tone Confederate Club at No. 33 The Mall in Waterford on Tuesday 7th March 1848, his place in Irish history was shaped just as powerfully by what happened later that year. As one of the leading figures of the Young Irelanders, he became involved in the 1848 rebellion, culminating in the confrontation at Ballingarry, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, in July.

The Ballingarry rising, though unsuccessful, became one of the defining episodes of the Young Ireland revolt. In its aftermath, Meagher was arrested at Rathcannon, Holycross, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, tried for treason, and sentenced to death, a sentence later commuted to transportation to Van Diemen’s Land*. His exile marked a crucial chapter in his life and secured his place among the most significant Irish nationalist figures of the nineteenth century.

* Van Diemen’s Land was the original European name for the island of Tasmania, Australia, used from its 1642 discovery by Abel Tasman, until renamed in 1856. Settled by the British in 1803, it served as a notorious, harsh penal colony for convicts. It is now a state of Australia known for its rugged landscape.

Earlier that same year, Meagher had unveiled what would later become the national flag of Ireland in his native Waterford. The tricolour flew for eight days and nights before being removed by the then British authorities. Speaking about the flag in April 1848, Meagher said: “The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between Orange and Green and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood.”

The tricolour was adopted as the flag of the Irish Free State in 1922 and formally confirmed as the national flag in the 1937 Constitution.

This weekend’s Thomas Francis Meagher 178th Anniversary Tricolour Celebration will see a three-day festival of talks and events take place in Waterford city. Organisers say the festival offers an opportunity not only to reflect on the proud history of the flag, but also to consider Meagher’s wider legacy as a revolutionary, a political exile, and a symbol of Irish resilience.

Sadly, our local Thurles Tourist Office promoters have seen fit to ignore this same 178th Anniversary Tricolour Celebration. Same seem to be keeping themselves busy promoting Facebook posts about local children’s and men’s clothing shops, local nail bars, pubs, cafés, Easter camps, college open days, and Mother’s Day; clearly the kind of world-famous attractions that have international tourists booking flights as we speak. After all nothing says ‘must-visit destination’ quite like a last-minute Easter camp and a half-price manicure.
Seriously, while all these Thurles advertised businesses are unquestionably among the very best in their field, same can hardly be seen as unique selling points (USP’s), as far as foreign tourism attractions are concerned, and therefore are about as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle.

The commemorative weekend opens this evening with the Thomas Francis Meagher Fife and Drum Band performing at the Granville Hotel on Meagher Quay.

Chairperson of the organising committee, Mr Éamonn McEneaney, said the weekend will feature many highlights, including the Friday evening walking tour of the city, four guest speakers at the Medieval Museum on Saturday morning, a gala dinner on Saturday night, and the military parade, wreath-laying ceremony and raising of the flag on Sunday morning.

The events are open to the public, with more information available on the Thomas Francis Meagher Tricolour Celebration website.

Revenue Processes €26.7m In Tax Adjustments Following Reviews Of Worker Classification.

The Revenue Commissioners have processed gross tax adjustments totalling €26.7 million arising from cases where workers were incorrectly treated as self-employed rather than employees.

Revenue said 280 voluntary disclosures were made, covering more than 6,600 employees. The disclosures relate to situations where some businesses classified staff as self-employed contractors when, in practice, the individuals should have been on payroll as employees.

Revenue Chairperson Mr Niall Cody is scheduled to appear before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee on today, where he is expected to outline the findings and the compliance activity behind them.

Mr Cody is also due to highlight that, while misclassification has long been a known compliance risk, the Supreme Court decision in Revenue Commissioners V Karshan, in October 2023 has significantly altered the operating environment for employers. The case, commonly referred to as the Domino’s Pizza delivery drivers judgment, upheld Revenue’s position that the workers involved were employees rather than independent contractors.

The ruling has been widely viewed as a landmark moment in addressing bogus self-employment, where individuals carry out work comparable to employees but without access to standard employment protections and benefits such as paid leave, sick pay and pension contributions. Historically, the issue has been particularly associated with sectors including construction and media.

Ireland Represented At Ministerial Meeting Of EU Internet Forum in Brussels

EU Internet Forum endorsed a revised EU Online Crisis Response Framework, to enable a joint response to protect users online in times of crisis, and ensure the timely removal of content related to suspected terrorist or violent extremist attacks.
Discussed addressing the emerging threat of nihilistic extremism.
Discussed collective actions to protect minors from being radicalised online.
Exchanged views on innovative approaches to tackling antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred online.

Mr Niall Collins TD, (Minister of State with special responsibility for International Law, Law Reform and Youth Justice), represented Ireland at a Ministerial Meeting of the EU Internet Forum in Brussels yesterday.

The EU Internet Forum (EUIF) was launched by the Commission in December 2015 and addresses the misuse of the internet for terrorist purposes through two main actions:

reducing accessibility to terrorist content online
increasing the volume of effective alternative narratives online

The Forum’s activities also cover the fight against child sexual abuse online (since 2019), drug trafficking online and trafficking in human beings online (since 2022).

The Forum brings together relevant EU Ministers, technology companies and experts to discuss and advance responses to terrorism, violent extremism and illegal content online.

At the meeting, Ministers endorsed a revised EU Online Crisis Response Framework for the rapid removal of online content relating to terrorist attacks. This new Framework builds on the EU Internet Forum Protocol which was developed in the aftermath of the Christchurch terrorist attack in 2019, footage of which circulated widely online at the time.

The new Framework includes additional measures to enable Member States’ law enforcement authorities to share early warning alerts with other EU Internet Forum members in case of a suspected terrorist or violent extremist attack. This will allow for better monitoring and quicker action in case the situation develops into an online crisis.

The meeting also contained two round table discussions, the first of which opened with a presentation by Professor Ms Maura Conway (Dublin City University and member of the EU Knowledge Hub Research Committee) on the threat landscape and risks to minors stemming from terrorism and violent extremism online.

Increasingly, these risks are interlinked with other harms, such as exploitation, self-harm, child sexual abuse and recruitment into organised crime. The presentation served as an introduction for the round table discussion on innovative actions and cooperation to better protect children online.

The second round table session opened with a presentation by Ms Sasha Havlicek, [Co-Founder and CEO of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD)], on the increase of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred online. Ministers and industry representatives then discussed actions being taken and required to effectively tackle this issue.

Tributes Paid As Cistercian Community Set To Leave Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.

Bishop Monahan Pays Tribute as Cistercian Community to Leave Roscrea for Mellifont.

Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe has expressed deep sadness following confirmation that the Cistercian Community of Our Lady of Silence Abbey, Roscrea (formerly Mount Saint Joseph’s Abbey), is to relocate to Mellifont Abbey in Co Louth.

The Bishop noted that, since 1878, the abbey has been a cherished and faithful presence in the pastoral life of the Diocese of Killaloe, holding “a special place in the hearts of the people of Roscrea”, including all who prayed and worshipped there, generations of pupils, (former students, included former Taoiseach Mr Brian Cowen and former Tánaiste Mr Dick Spring), and staff connected with the school on the grounds since 1905, and those who benefited from retreats and the hospitality of the guesthouse. He also acknowledged the importance of the farm on the college grounds to the wider local community.

As stated, the abbey was founded in 1878 by a group of 32 monks from Mount Melleray Abbey, County Waterford. A number of years earlier Arthur John Moore MP of County Tipperary had visited Mt Melleray petitioning for it. The church was later opened for worship in 1883, on 600 acres in Mount Heaton, Roscrea, and a Boarding school, Cistercian College, Roscrea, was founded in 1905.

Bishop Monahan paid tribute to the contribution of the monks and school staff to education, highlighting the respected tradition of the boarding school and its strong sporting ethos. He confirmed that the Cistercians will continue as patrons of Cistercian College, ensuring the Cistercian spirit remains central to school life.

He said the abbey’s greatest gift has been its spiritual witness, including the long-standing availability of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the enduring legacy of figures such as Dom Eugene Boylan OCSO.

While acknowledging local disappointment, Bishop Monahan said he understands the decision follows prolonged prayerful discernment and reflects wider rationalisation in Church life today. He offered gratitude to Dom Rufus and the community, assuring them of prayers and good wishes as they undertake this transition.