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American Diplomat and former Northern Ireland peace talks Chairperson, Dr. Richard Haass, in the company of his wife, son and daughter, will personally make the trip to Tipperary to receive the 2013 Tipperary International Peace Award. This event will take place at a ceremony in Ballykisteen Hotel and Golf Resort on Monday next, June 23rd.
Dr. Haass receives the 2013 Tipperary International Peace Award for his significant role in his attempts to assist the peace process here in the six northern counties which make up Northern Ireland.
Although all the political parties involved did not reach any true and final agreement, the blueprint then laid down by Dr Haass, in his efforts to address Northern Ireland’s future concerns, is observed as representing very considerable progress in the way forward.
This year, on the eve of the award ceremony, the people of Ireland will have an unique opportunity to meet Dr. Haass at a special admission-free Tipperary Peace Convention event – titled “An Evening with Richard Haass,” This event, beginning at 7.30pm, will feature Dr Haass being interviewed by Mr Martin Quinn at Ballykisteen Hotel, where it is hoped Dr. Hass will discuss his life and diplomat involvement in the presently stalled Northern Ireland peace talks, while accepting questions from the audience in attendance.
Previous recipients of the Tipperary International Peace award have included Sir Bob Geldof, South African President Nelson Mandela (Madiba), Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, the late US Senator Edward Kennedy and his sister, the former Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy-Smith, Dr Sima Samar, Irish President Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese and just last August, Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, latter who also collected her 2012 prize in person.
Music for this year’s events will be supplied by members of the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland.
Further detailed information on this welcome visit to Tipperary, by Dr. Richard Haass, can be obtained by Telephoning 062-33990.
In an email this afternoon to Thurles Information from Tipperary TD Noel Coonan, the elected representative has confirmed that he has been in contact with M/s Josephine Feehily, Chairperson of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and she in turn has confirmed that there are no plans in the offing to relocate staff from Thurles’s Revenue Office to Cashel.
 Deputy Coonan states in his communication that, quote “I hope this helps allay concerns for the staff and families concerned.”
The email received includes a forwarded copy of a further short email sent and signed by M/s Karen Martin, (Private Secretary, Revenue Commissioners, Chairman’s Office, Blocks 8 – 10, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, Ireland) which reads;
“Deputy Coonan,
As discussed, Revenue have no plans to relocate staff working in Thurles Revenue office to Cashel.”
However Thurles Information is already aware that no such approach had ever been formally made by the Revenue Commissioners to relocate their staff working in the Thurles Revenue office. The approach instead was made, as we stated, by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in response to instructions that the latter had received from government in an effort to facilitate the centralisation and expansion of social welfare services from this same offices in Stradavoher, Thurles, and the offer by the OPW of alternative accommodation for Revenue to be located in Cashel.
We now invite Deputy Coonan to flatly deny that any such approach was ever made by the Office of Public Works regarding such future relocation planned to be imposed on Thurles Revenue staff. We also invite the Deputy to confirm publicly that no such relocation of Thurles Revenue personnel will now take place.
Such a statement from Deputy Coonan and his current government would further “help allay concerns for the staff and families concerned.”
Thurles Information has now emailed Deputy Coonan to this effect and await his reply.
Revenue Commissioners The Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU) representing employees at the Revenue Commissioners office in Thurles say that no decision has been made, as yet, to move 80 plus workers out of Thurles to Cashel.
Grave concerns have been expressed in recent days over the suggestion that the Office of Public Works (OPW) now intend to move existing staff working in the Revenue Service and relocate same to new premises identified in Cashel some 16 miles from Thurles.
The Office of Public Works have suggested that the move is now necessary to facilitate a more centralised growth to present social welfare services operating out of the present Revenue offices situated at Stradavoher here in Thurles.
The CPSU state that they are aware of approaches already made by the OPW and have made contact with the Revenue Commissioners seeking further clarification regarding this OPW proposed decision.
Thurles Chamber President Mr John O’Shaughnessy stated this morning that any such effort to move Revenue personnel from Thurles would spell a further economic downturn for a town already dwelling under a severe economic black cloud, and would further increase unemployment in the area. Mr O’Shaughnessy stated that he fully accepted the putting in place of a more consolidated social welfare unit in Thurles, thus contributing to overall improved services, but said that the solution was to be found in the provision or expansion of badly needed permanent government office space within Thurles and not the dismantling and removing of established jobs, to the detriment of local business, as apparently currently being proposed by the OPW.
Around Thurles this morning abide whispered accusations that this proposed move is being prompted more by unwanted southern Tipperary political interference, rather than by any need to centralise social welfare services. Many are now calling for their elected political representatives to further clarify the government’s position regarding this matter.
Thurles ‘Unemployment Figures’ for May of this year show an increase of some 27 people being added to the live register, with some 1,037 commercial premises now lying unused in Co Tipperary according to GeoDirectory figures supplied for the first quarter of 2014.
Click HERE to view new update
 Tipperary community groups and voluntary organisations with an involvement in the provision of Children’s and Youth Services were invited recently to apply under the National Lottery Discretionary Fund for once-off grants. We here in forgotten Tipperary were informed that a fund had been puts in place in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to this end.
The scope of the scheme was for the provision of services to children and young people, for once-off projects across a wide variety of areas such as the provision of equipment for youth clubs, youth cafes, scouts, summer camps, day trips for youth clubs/summer camps, play equipment for play schools / crèches and other once-off programs. In addition for 2014 the Department would also consider projects that focus on Children’s and Youth Health issues. Nice one!
Priority was be given to projects and activities that involve culture, play and recreation, healthy lifestyles for children and young people including innovative new projects aimed at emerging issues for children, and to provide marginalised groups with access to extra-curricular activity based projects. Nice one!
Completed applications were to be returned by post to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs no later than 12:30pm on Friday, 6th June, 2014. All sounded great, however applications for this National Lottery funding would have to be made using a standard application form available / downloaded from the link shown HERE, and entitled National Lottery APP Form 2014 Final.doc.
Every effort by Tipperary community groups and voluntary organisations to download this application form since this announcement of funding however has failed, due to the incompetence of IT administrators at the Department of Children And Youth Affairs.
We at Thurles.Info realising the difficulty being experienced by community groups and voluntary organisations in downloading this ‘Application Form,’ advised the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on the morning of 29th May last as to their oversight. The following day, finding no IT correction to the download link, we emailed the responsible Minister, Mr Charles Flanagan TD about this on line basic “Error 404.0″ and while the minister promptly both telephoned on same day (30th May) and also emailed us (also on 30th May) promising immediate action, nothing has happened since.
I quote the Minister’s email “I have spoken directly with the Dept Secretary General. I expect matters will be rectified shortly. Thank you for bringing the matter to my attention.” signed Charlie Flanagan TD, Fine Gael Parliamentary Party Chairman, Laois/Offaly Constituency, Lismard Court, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
It would now appear that the Dept Secretary General referred to in this email is experiencing difficulty with his ‘Line Management’ or perhaps all this funding has been already distributed, “nod, nod, wink, wink,” as has so often has been the case particularly in recent Tipperary Tourism Funding.
Note: As stated completed applications were to be returned by post to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs no later than 12:30pm on Friday, 6th June, 2014. Same now allows only 2.5 working days for those wishing to make an application for such funding.
Those still interested, at this late stage, in receiving an ‘Application Form‘ can obtain same by emailing direct dcyalotterygrants@dcya.gov.ie
Note: Also, as at time of going to press tonight, the site link inviting the ‘Application Form‘ download still remains showing a “HTTP Error 404.0 – Not Found” message. But then again this is a government administered website and government websites are by nature not supposed to work properly – or are they?
Maybe one of those persons who seek and exploit weaknesses in computer systems, could nip in and assist in correcting it for us.
 Tipperary’s Labour Party Minister of State, Mr Allan Kelly, has now confirmed his intention to run for the post of Deputy Leader of the Irish Labour Party and not Leader as previously indicated.
Mr Kelly was proposed and seconded by TDs Mr Willie Penrose and Mr Robert Dowds and joined in his public announcement outside the Dail by Ann Phelan, Ged Nash, Senators John Kelly, John Whelan and his proposers Penrose and Dowds.
The current Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton yesterday announced that it was her intention to run for the position of leadership within the Party.
The nominations for Party Leader and Deputy Party Leader will remain open to members until Tuesday next.
Four other party members are also expected to declare their interest in leading the Party in the coming days; namely Labour’s Michael McCarthy, TD Mr Arthur Spring, Dominic Hannigan and Minister of State at the Department of Health Mr Alex White, who have all indicated that they may consider putting their names forward for one or other of the current positions now on offer, in the coming days.
Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin has to date ruled himself out of the upcoming contest.
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore announced on Monday last that he was standing down as Party Leader, following the huge losses incurred by the Labour Party recently, in both the European and Local Elections.
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