Warning: No, this is not one of Eir’s little jokes.
Find, hereunder, an email being genuinely circulated by the privatised Eircom Limited, trading as Eir. Note, Eir is currently majority owned by Xavier Niel’s Illiad SA and his Paris based NJJ Telecom Europe investment fund.
Their email reads as follows:
Dear Eircom.net user, Earlier this year we contacted you to inform you of the introduction of a €5.99 monthly subscription for the use of eircom.net webmail. This monthly subscription will commence from the 1st of July 2020 and will be rolled out to customers on a phased basis. This means you can only sign up once access to your account has been restricted, which will happen between 1st of July and the 15th of July 2020.
Once you sign up you will have access to your new webmail account and will be able to send and receive emails, it may take up to 2 hours for your old emails to migrate across to your new account.
Please note if you are using an email client such as outlook you will need to log in through the eir.ie/email page to sign up to the new service.
If you decide not to avail of the new eircom.net email service you can download your eircom.net email data to your personal storage before the 1st of July 2020, as you will no longer have access to the old service. You will have 60 days to sign up to the new service after the 1st of July 2020 before your email address, account and its data is permanently removed, this step is not reversible once complete.
For more information please visit eir.ie/support/webmail/webmail-frequently-asked-questions
This notice is on top of the 30 and 60 days notice provided earlier this year.
Regards The eir webmail team.
Initially the company had excused this new greedy charge as needed to invest in maintenance and improvement of their service, going forward.
Thurles was one of the towns who in 1997 touted to win the then £15m (Eircom) Information Age Town competition. Looking back, “Thank God we never won it”. Imagine the mess the winners are in today, who were Ennis Co. Clare, in their attempts to amend items like banking and other subscriptions for which they have used Eircom.net email addresses to communicate for some 23 years.
To now charge €71.88 (€5.99 per month) for something that is poor quality and bad value for money, and which in the past was totally free, must surely be the best example of current day big business greed. Most customers here in Co. Tipperary, at least, already pay between €40 and €80 for their internet access package to a company who now openly admit their system needs improvements to their service.
Perhaps this new scenario, justifies fully why the Irish government refused outright to deal with Eir, regarding the much-debated contract for Ireland’s National Broadband planned rollout.
GOOD NEWS But readers, before you rightly get all hot and bothered, do remember the good news is that there are plenty of superior free alternatives in the marketplace and switching to another free account is basically straight-forward. You will of course need to set up a new free email account, best choice currently being gmail. You will then have to get your data from your old eircom.net account and inform your contacts/friends that you have changed your email address.
In my own personal dealings with Eir personnel in recent months, I have found them to be possibly the most arrogant mobile and broadband telecommunications company operating in Ireland, with which to do honest business, especially staff in their so called ‘Customer Service Department’.
Eir had confirmed that it would not proceed with plans to charge customers for ‘eircom.net’ email addresses, in light of the current COVID-19 outbreak. It would now appear that the COVID-19 virus as far as Eir is concerned has vanished, and no one has informed residents of Co. Tipperary.
Where exists the Welcome Visitor Information in Thurles?
“A shade of sadness, a blush of shame, over the face of the leader came,” Extract from the poem “Barbara Frietchie”, by John Greenleaf Whittier .
As people will be fully aware, the Thurles.Info website has in the past; and indeed, is fully committed to the continuation of granting assistance to Thurles Municipal District Councillors; latter persons difficult to predict because of their perverse and self-glorifying comportment.
So, here our elected representatives, are a few thoughts worthy of sharing at the next County Council meeting. Keep in mind that same in turn will give the impression to the Thurles local electorate that councillors are fully awake, when, having reflected, they announce on their facebook accounts, “what they thought they ought to have stated”.
Thurles Tourism
As one of the great unwashed members of this community, I am not sure if the word ‘Tourism‘ ever appears on Co. Council monthly agendas, despite fully committed promises given every five years by Municipal Councillors prior to local elections.
Regardless, we are informed that a minimum of 250,000 visitors come to visit Holy Cross Abbey each year. The now welcome new motorway entry signs, erected last October, (of which Thurles.Info were first to highlight the need), stand clearly visible on the Dublin / Nenagh / Horse & Jockey and Templemore roads, entering into Thurles.
However the Holycross Road, which possibly points most of the few tourists to visit Thurles, in our direction, has been totally overlooked, in favour of signs “Welcome To Thurles Home of Erin Foods”, (Factory Closed some 12 years ago), and requesting that visitors take advantage of ‘Disc Parking’, latter no longer in vogue for many years and which was first introduced by greedy / grabbing Co. Council officials, leading to the total destruction of a prosperous Town Centre, that was Thurles town.
Thurles Town Centre
Talking about Thurles Town Centre and tourism; we note that the filthy dirty Victorian cast iron ‘Welcome Visitor Information’ signs (Irish: Failte Eolas Cuartaiochta) have now been hijacked by “The Source” Theatre, in Cathedral Street, controlled by Tipperary Co. Council.
The signs; one positioned outside of the Ulster Bank building and one more central on Liberty Square, were originally introduced to indicate tourism information, e.g. Lár Na Páirce GAA Museum; Angling; Numerous excellent Sporting facilities, Hotels; B&B’s etc. etc.. Yesterday, January 7th, 2020 same signs displayed ‘Theatre Posters’; programmes dating back to last year, 2019, and a poster by Thurles Chamber, dated prior to March 29th, 2019, latter calling for a Public Rally & Protest March to stop a business from moving their premises in Liberty Square, just 500 meters, to the more profitable area of Thurles Shopping Centre.
Many Thurles people have remarked on the divisions being driven between Liberty Square and Thurles Shopping Centre, latter demonstrated by the failure to provide public Christmas lighting, which should have joined both business communities for the benifit of all. After all, is Christmas not the time to display that kind of love which is devoid of hostility and ill will.
Management at ‘The Source’ Theatre; officials within Thurles Chamber and elected Municipal councillors, should and must now immediately remedy these issues, explaining the reason for their lethargic and lacklustre attitude currently being played out on the ratepaying business people of Thurles.
Here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, our St. Patrick’s graveyard gates have been returned, fully restored for Christmas 2019.
Gates Replaced, Superbly Restored.
Over the past number of days, the five entry gates to the cemetery have now been hung back on their respective pillars. Congratulations to those who undertook this physical work; demonstrating true ability and craftsmanship, through their skilled restoration.
Fifty-Eight Years Without A Coat Of Paint.
The issue of the state of these gates was first raised here on Thurles.Info on July 9th, 2018. [Click Here]. The matter was totally ignored for 12 months, despite Tipperary Politicians, Cabinet Ministers and Municipal District Councillors, of all political affiliations, passing through these graveyard portals, several times per week in some cases; in their efforts no doubt to ingratiate and influence their particular political groupings, with the family members of deceased persons being interred.
We realised in April 2019 that local elections were imminent and the double jobbing, Municipal District Councillors, would once again appear on radar, each applying for that attractive little extra bonus of €20,000 per annum, before vanishing yet again into the woodwork, emerging every Monday to spew the party line on TippFm radio.
So, on April 28th, 2019 (almost one year later) we again raised this graveyard gates issue, using the heading “Suitable Doorstep Discourse For Campaigning Thurles Councillors”. (Viewed by some 2,508 silent readers, the composed article also contained video, shown hereunder.)
This latter article [View Here] also laid bare the designated misnomer that Tipperary County Council; under the leadership of Mr Joe MacGrath (Chief Executive), and through its ‘Community and Economic Development Statement’, continued to maintain the widely held false belief that Tipp. Co. Council continually strives to provide a place where its people can enjoy a ‘great quality of life’, ‘Fairness’, ‘Co-Operation’, ‘Communication’, ‘Teamwork’, ‘Partnership’ and ‘Collaboration’.
Three months after the May 2019 local elections; in early August of 2019, the gates were removed for restoration, no doubt by order of red faced officials of Tipperary Co. Council, who charge €90.00 for planning permission to erect your own headstone.
Had even one of our double jobbing, €20,000 extra salaried, disinterested, Municipal District Councillors, or their officials, taken the slightest notice of this project back then last August; a power-hose would have been summoned within the last 4.5 months, to undertake the descaling of the grimy walls. [Watch the slideshow again and weep.]
But not so; this week the gates have now been hung on dirty pillars, attached to walls, solidly engrained by half a century of black mire and moss. A stagnant 10 years of dead moss and leaf mold, sheltered from the wind piles up on the ground outside the main entrance. Giant pot holes and muck; same demanding visitors to wear wellingtons, still exists; the holes permanently full of water. The continuous dumping of weeds, excess gravel, dead flowers and wreaths goes on, without any reduction in intensity; same clearly visible, particularly on the east side. The unsupported banks of clay remain to erode unto the pathway. The ivy, with an added two more seasons of growth, further hangs over the exterior graveyard wall, forcing pedestrians, unnecessarily, to walk out, unto a narrow, unlit and dangerous roadway. We won’t discuss the new carpark and the money wasted. To publically discuss how taxpayers money was spent afterall, outside of Co. Council meetings, could be seen as rather trivial and banal; and should not be overheard by the ears of the great unwashed or the less desireable RTE’s “Prime Time”.
We have listened to councillors “calling” for a Sensory Garden for Thurles in recent months. Thurles already has two Sensory Gardens, [See Here and also Here], we also have a graveyard that is ignored and is a public disgrace, demonstrating utter disrespect to those currently interred.
But worst of all, our community residents have now given up on the idea that they can in some way influence change; hence, for now at least, their continued deep and deathly silence remains deafening.
“Too Many Pigs, Not Enough Tits to Nurse Them” – Former US President Abraham Lincoln once commented, referring to those who sought highly paid political appointments.
This morning we learned that pay rises, sought by powerless city and county councillors, many of whom ‘double job’, are expected to be recommended to be in the region of an €8,000 increase. However, they will only be allowed if they are backed by wider public sector pay talks in the coming year.
This comes from a background today, where a press poll indicates that only one in five of our elected TD’s know the true value of the current basic minimum wage.
We heard, with some hilarity, councillor representation claiming, in recent months on TippFM radio, that council work involved 24 / 7 dedication.
Mr John Paul Phelan (Minister of State for Local Government) is expected to inform TDs, at an Oireachtas committee meeting this morning, that any future councillor’s pay increases will have to compete with rival public sector demands.
An 18-month Government-commissioned report due to be unveiled next month, is expected to recommend a potential €8,000 increase to councillor’s salaries, latter who receive €17,060 per year, in addition to unvouched expenses of between €2,286 and €2,667, and vouched expenses of up €5,000.
There are currently 949 councillors elected here in Ireland, thus a predicted €8,000 pay increase could cost the taxpayer in excess of €7.5m.
One wonders if one of our Municipal District councillors could arrange to have fixed the two sets of traffic lights currently (and for some weeks), a health and safety issue, at (1) Cathedral Street Thurles and (2) the area close to Semple Stadium.
Regularly we highlight the waste by our own Tipperary Co. Council and its senior officialdom, latter devoid of an actual workforce, with regard to wasting taxpayer’s money. The list includes; unnecessary expensive High Court actions; failures with regards to ever recurring Health & Safety issues; overall neglect of our town of Thurles, and double jobbing, overpaid, powerless councillors etc.; we will spare you the details, since we have already shared same in the past.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who shall keep the keepers themselves?
One would assume that our present minority Fine Gael Government would have devised a proper system of cheques and balances to protect the taxpayer. However, governments down the years have successfully persuaded taxpayers that day to day spending comes gifted by that same government of the day and in no way should be associated with funding gifted by overburdened taxpayer.
How many people have read the report, today, by Irish Times newspaper journalist Mr Craig Hughes and were shocked by his revelations?
First rule of carpentry: Measure Twice – Cut once
Warning: Please be sure you are sitting down before you read further and Please Note: This is not a Joke.
According to Mr Hughes, the Houses of the Oireahteas (better known as the Irish Tax-Payer), spent €808.000 for a printer, before paying in excess of a further €236,000 to have it installed, because the original measurements forwarded to allow it to gain entry, were incorrect.
Because of these incorrectly measured dimensions, the Komori Corporation manufactured printer, (which has now been fitted), was unable to be installed for some 10 months, because the original measurements supplied failed to ensure that the machine had the necessary 3.1m(10.17ft) clearance required.
And no, the story doesn’t end there – There’s more! Not surprisingly public servants are now refusing to be trained to operate this state-of-the-art equipment, until they receive a pay rise.
Stay seated, there’s more! Due to the installation problems the printer was stored for free, initially, by Komori’s Irish agent, Portman Graphics, but eventually storage fees of €2,000 per month were charged. The printer could not be returned, because the purchase contract had already been signed.
The Houses of the Oireahteas, in May of last year, decided that the temporary removal of a door frame in Kildare House, should solve the issue, however the Office of Public Works informed them that a more substantial project was required in order to complete the installation.
Of course, we can’t truly blame our TD’s for this financial waste, same focus must now rest with the line management of public servants. In the private sector heads would roll, but in the public sector, tape-measure wielding employees are protected forever.
Well of course you could always accuse out elected representatives of being silent on the matter (Known in the Dáil as a ‘cover your arse exercise’).
One wonders will the Public Accounts Committee now become involved, embroiled even, in this inky mess and will this be followed by 50 Fine Gaelapologies.
Surprisingly none of the government’s opposition TD’s were aware of this problem, obviously they hadn’t used their fobs to sign-in on that particular day.
Never mind, taxpayers are looking forward to getting an improved swanky calendar this year, after all they will have paid for it.
Now you also can understand why Thurles will not get its long promised ring-road before 2040 at the earliest.
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