Sport « Thurles Information

Thurles Co. Tipperary – Race Meeting Abandoned.

This afternoon, racing here at Thurles, Co. Tipperary was abandoned following an injury sustained by jockey Mr Michael O’Sullivan in a fall at the final fence.

Mr O’Sullivan was riding ‘Wee Charlie’ for Mr Gerard O’Leary in the second race on the card.
He was one of three fallers at the last fence in the two mile ‘Racing Again February 20th Handicap Chase’. Two other horses were badly hampered, having unseated their riders.

Mr O’Sullivan was treated on the track before being stabilised and brought to Cork Reginal Hospital by air ambulance.

Initially racing was deferred, before eventually being abandoned at around 3:30pm, by race day stewards, due to the prevailing medical situation.
Mr O’Sullivan shot to prominence back in 2023, having won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham aboard ‘Marine Nationale’.
His second winner at Cheltenham that year, making it an opening-day double came with his win on ‘Jazzy Matty’; riding for Gordon Elliott.

Thurles Special Olympics Basketball Club

Wishing all athletes and their families a very Happy Christmas and a healthy 2025.

Basketball training has been moving forward satisfactorily this season so far, with our new athlete members settling in very nicely.
Thanks to all the volunteers and Mr Martin Hehir, at the Presentation Sports Hall, for their support.

We held our annual Christmas party in Meitheal on Wednesday, December 11th, and a great night was had by all present.

A big thank you to the Meitheal Staff; together with Mr Paul Scully from Photo Station, who looked after the photographs; Ms Rosalie Butler for the music and dance and all the athletes who sang on the night.

Training resumes on Wed 8th January and in the meantime, everyone associated with Thurles Special Olympics Basketball Club, do have a Very Happy Christmas.

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Celebrates Its 140th Birthday Today.

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) will mark its 140th birthday in Thurles today, Friday, 1st November, 2024.

The GAA was founded on November 1st 1884 at a meeting in Hayes Hotel, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, by a group of spirited Irishmen, latter who had the foresight to realise the importance of establishing a national organisation to make athletics more accessible to the masses and to revive and nurture traditional, indigenous sports and pastimes.

**Michael Cusack 1847- 1906.** *[GAA’s first President elect.]*

Irish teacher and founder Michael Cusack, latter born in 1847, (during the Great Irish Famine 1846-1849), a native of the parish of Carron on the eastern fringe of the Burren, in Co. Clare, would become its first President.

(Sad that our councillors and Tipperary Co. Council officials set about destroying our Great Famine Double Ditch, 10 2022, thus removing a great tourist attraction which linked both the GAA and Michael Cusack).

To mark today’s birthday, the GAA’s History Committee will attend at Hayes’ Hotel for a meeting at 12:00 noon, to make a presentation to the hotel. They are expected to be joined by Munster GAA President and GAA Vice President Mr Ger Ryan (Tipperary), as well as other Tipp GAA officials including Mr Patrick McKay, great grandson of John McKay, the former who was elected first secretary in 1884. To mark the event a meeting will be held in the same room where the Association was initially founded.

All are welcome to attend this event in Hayes Hotel.

Candidates Sought For Positions In GRAI.

Candidates today are being urged to come forward to fill the roles of Chairperson and the six Ordinary Members positions, at the newly established Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann [the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI)].

The GRAI is a new statutory body that will be responsible for the licensing and regulation of gambling in Ireland. Once established, it will focus on public safety and well-being – covering gambling online and in-person – and will have the power to regulate advertising, gambling websites and other applications (apps).

Historic legislation setting out the framework and legislative basis for the establishment of the GRAI passed both Houses of the Oireachtas earlier this month and has already been signed into law by President M.D.Higgins.

Closing date for applications is 3:00pm on Friday November 15th, 2024.
Applications for the roles can be found here at Public Jobs.ie.

Clash Of Ash – Poem By Tom Ryan

Clash Of Ash.

Clash Of Ash. ©

The under twelve camogie girls,
Little and lithe and lovely,
Under warrior helmets, visors and all,
Screamed at the winter sky,
In the field where leather meets ash.
Pull and crack,
What craic!
Little Josie, hurley high, screams to heaven,
At Thurles Sarsfields’ Bill,
Who had showed them how to bend and strike,
And first time pull for goal.
Like Bill himself in glorious days,
On summer sun-soaked hurling fields,
Times distant and delightful to recall,
“Bill, Bill,” she shouts, time and time once more,
“Oh,Bill I want to play with her”.
A plea to waiting mums familiar,
When all those mums were girls,
When Bill and I were boys.

END