Politics « Thurles Information

Tipperary Co. Co. Invite Public Consultation On Harmonised Parking Bye-Laws.

Tipperary County Council to invite public consultation on Harmonised Parking Bye-Laws 2026.

Tipperary County Council will commence a public consultation on January 12th 2026 regarding the proposed “Harmonised Parking Bye-Laws 2026”.
These bye-laws aim to deliver a fair, consistent and modern county-wide parking system, moving away from the nine separate systems, which currently exist in each of our towns where there is a charge for parking.

The key proposed changes are as follows:

Three-tier charging structure for the nine towns reflecting the diverse character of each town.
Tier 1: Clonmel.
Tier 2: Thurles, Nenagh.
Tier 3: Roscrea, Templemore, Tipperary Town, Cashel, Cahir, Carrick-on-Suir.

Formal 20-minute free parking period in short and medium-stay parking zones; (perfect for that person in flat shoes, who can complete a full town-centre errand, involving running at Olympic pace; to post a letter; collect a prescription; grab a loaf; que at a Supermarket check-out; then find the one shop you actually needed is closed, and be back at the car before the engine properly cools).
Standard parking location maps for all pay parking areas across all Tipperary towns.
Parking zones at different rates will still be decided by the Elected Members at District level, if they can avoid their full time teaching posts and other occupations, in order to attend.

The new county-wide bye-laws seek to:

Support our town centres by encouraging parking turnover and the associated footfall.
Provide equity county-wide with equal charges for similar parking services for the towns in each of the 3 tiers.
Introduce a formal 20-minute free parking period in short and medium-stay town centre zones.
Ensure that off-street car parking will be cheaper than on-street parking.
Provide clarity and consistency with standardised permit categories and charging times county-wide.
Provide clear and consistent mapping of the parking system across all nine towns for public display.

The proposed bye-laws will replace multiple existing regulations and bye-laws and, subject to adoption, are expected to come into effect on September 1st 2026.

In parallel to the new bye-laws a scheme is proposed to return a percentage of parking income to each of the nine towns where that income is generated: same to support and fund town centre projects, initiatives and developments, e.g. Straighten sign posts and replace bollards removed by high sided vehicles the week before, or correct errors previously designed by money wasting town engineers. On wonders where such funds generated were allocated previously.
However, focusing on Thurles; many will note a small mathematical complication: you can’t generate much parking income in a town centre where car parks remain unavailable and areas, like our town centre, where there are little to no spaces left to generate it from. It’s a bit like running a swimming pool fundraiser, after the water has been removed.

And while Thurles town centre may be short on parking, retail consumers point out it doesn’t seem short on enforcement, with two traffic wardens still in place, giving the impression that Thurles has perfected a rare civic innovation: a town centre where parking is scarce, but getting a ticket remains reliably available.

Tipperary County Council will have these draft Bye Laws available for inspection from January 12th 2026, for a period of one month, and will be inviting comments and submissions on these bye-law proposals for a further two weeks.

Members of the public are encouraged to participate, safe in the knowledge that their views, as is usual, will be carefully received, respectfully acknowledged, and then placed in the traditional local authority filing system marked as “Please Ignore”.

A True Blistering Display Of Hypocrisy Witnessed In Dáil Éireann.

Politicians who condemn the deaths of children in Gaza, voted to strip protections from children at home, demonstrating a blistering display of hypocrisy.

The vote in Dáil Éireann exposed a stark and shameful contradiction at the heart of Irish political life. Parties and politicians who repeatedly condemn the killing of children in Gaza, and who speak in sweeping moral language about the sanctity of human life, were prepared to back legislation that would remove key safeguards for unborn children in Ireland.

**Leinster House, the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland.**
*“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him”* – Proverbs 26:4.

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill, brought forward by People Before Profit, sought to abolish the three-day waiting period for abortion on request, permit access to abortion throughout pregnancy, and decriminalise abortion provision within the State.
The Bill was narrowly defeated by roll-call vote,73 votes to 71 votes. However, two senior female cabinet members Minister for Health Ms Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms Helen McEntee, together with Minister for Public Expenditure Mr Jack Chambers are understood to have voted in favour of the Bill.

Yet the vote revealed something the public cannot ignore: Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, alongside the above named senior government figures, were prepared to support a far-reaching removal of legal protections for the unborn, while continuing to posture as champions of children’s lives in other international conflicts.

This is not merely inconsistency. It is moral double-standards dressed up as compassion.
Time now to take a closer look at candidates before casting future votes.

When children die in Gaza, these parties demand outrage and action. But when asked to defend vulnerable life here at home, many of the same voices moved to weaken the last remaining vestiges of protections for unborn children and to expand abortion access in a way that opponents believe would normalise termination up to birth.

If the death of a child is a moral outrage in Gaza, then the destruction of a child’s life in Ireland cannot be treated as morally weightless simply because it happens quietly, clinically and behind a different set of political slogans.

Yes, time and space do matter in moments of crisis.

This is the core question Irish people deserve answered plainly:
How can politicians speak with absolute moral certainty about children’s lives overseas, while voting to diminish protections for children at home in Ireland?

The public are not completely stupid. Voters can see the selective empathy and the convenient moralising. If these parties truly believe every child matters, then that principle must apply consistently, not only when it is politically fashionable, safely distant, or useful for social media outrage.

We call on Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and some government ministers to explain their position honestly, without spin:

Do they believe there should be any legal protection for unborn children?
Do they accept any limit at all on abortion access.
Do they recognise any moral weight in the life of the unborn child?

Until they answer clearly, their condemnations of the deaths of children in Gaza will ring hollow to many Irish people, not because Gaza does not matter, but because their proclaimed moral principles are being applied selectively without using rational, thus making them unfit to run this country.

Sinn Féin Activist Among Three Held Following €4m Cocaine Seizure.

A Sinn Féin activist is reported to be among three people arrested following the seizure of an estimated €4 million worth of suspected cocaine during searches in the south east of the country.

Gardaí said the operation, involving the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Revenue Customs, took place on Wednesday, December 17th, as part of Operation Tara targeting organised crime groups.
A business premises in Co. Kildare and a residential address in Co. Wexford were both searched, with officers seizing 58kg of suspected cocaine valued at approximately €4.06 million (subject to analysis).

Two men aged in their 30s and 40s and a woman in her 40s were arrested. Gardaí said they were detained under provisions of the Criminal Justice Acts in connection with alleged facilitation of drug trafficking for an organised crime group.

The suspected drugs are to be sent to Forensic Science Ireland, and investigations are continuing.

Government Nominates Appointments To The High Court.

The Irish Government has agreed to nominate Mr. Mark Dunne, SC and Mr. Micheál O’Connell, SC as Ordinary Judges of the High Court.

Biographical Details of nominees:
Mr. Mark Dunne, SC
Educated at University College Dublin and the Honourable Society of King’s Inns.
Called to the Bar in 1998. Called to the Inner Bar in 2019.
Legal practice mostly included Administrative Law, Commercial/Chancery, Dispute Resolution, General Common Law, Judicial Review and Tort & Personal Injury Law.

Mr. Micheál O’Connell, SC
Educated at Trinity College Dublin and the Honourable Society of King’s Inns.
Called to the Bar in 1999.
Called to the Inner Bar in 2018.
Legal practice mostly included Commercial/Chancery, General Practice, Conveyancing & Property Law.

One nomination will fill a current vacancy and the second nomination is contingent upon a vacancy arising on 27th day of December 2025.

The current vacancy arises due to the elevation of the Hon. Mr. Justice Alexander Owens to the Court of Appeal, on the 29th day of September 2025.
The reasonably anticipated second vacancy arises due to the scheduled retirement of Judge Ms Mary Ellen Ring on the 27th day of December 2025.

Work Of Mid-West Health Campaigners Pays Off.

Clare Fine Gael TD Mr Joe Cooney has welcomed Health Minister Mrs Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill’s confirmation that the Government will proceed with all three HIQA options to expand hospital capacity in the Mid-West, while paying tribute to hospital and health service campaign groups across the wider Mid-West region for their sustained advocacy.

Deputy Cooney said the Minister’s decision represents a significant milestone that would not have been reached without the persistence and commitment of local campaigners.

“I want to acknowledge and pay tribute to the hospital and health service campaign groups in Clare and right across the Mid-West who have worked tirelessly over many years to keep the pressure on and to ensure the voices of patients, families and frontline staff were heard,” he said.
“In my year since becoming a member of Dáil Éireann, and previously during my time as a member of Clare County Council, I have witnessed at first hand the relentless, science-driven and people-centred approach adopted by these campaign groups. Their advocacy has always been grounded in evidence, focused on patient outcomes and carried out with dignity and determination.”

Deputy Cooney said the Minister’s statement also reflects the collaborative political effort undertaken in recent weeks across the Mid-West.

“Over recent weeks, I initiated a grouping of TDs and Senators from across Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick to build political consensus on the options for delivering healthcare services in the Mid-West, as outlined in the HIQA review of urgent and emergency care services,” he said.

“The group met on three occasions, including a detailed engagement with the HSE Mid-West management team, a meeting with the Mid-West Patient and Service Users Council, and a final meeting with the Minister and her officials,” he explained. “There was unanimous agreement among the 14 Oireachtas members that all three HIQA options must be progressed in parallel to relieve the ongoing and unacceptable pressure at University Hospital Limerick.”

In its presentation to the Health Minister and her officials last month, the group fully endorsed a three-tier approach to expanding hospital capacity across the region, which is what has been announced this week. The group held a further meeting with the Minister following her announcement.

Deputy Cooney added that while immediate and medium-term delivery is essential, planning for the long-term solution must now begin in earnest.
“With the Government decision now taken to progress all three HIQA options, it is vital that Department of Health officials immediately commence structured engagement with the HSE and with clinical experts to identify a clear and credible timeline for the delivery of Option C and a new Model 3 or Model 4 hospital for the Mid-West,” he said.

“Population growth, patient demand and clinical need all point to the necessity of an additional hospital in the region. Early and transparent planning will be critical to ensuring that this project moves from concept to reality and that the Mid-West finally has the hospital infrastructure required to meet the needs of current and future generations,” he concluded.