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 Passport Scandal Figures released show that there are 57,516 passport applications waiting to be processed in Dublin and Cork passport offices, but a new service has been introduced to prioritise applications for people with immediate travel plans within three days. The cost of this new service to the taxpayer however has not been disclosed.
North Tipperary Fine Gael TD, Deputy Noel Coonan stated:
“Passport applications with ‘absolute proof of travel’ are now guaranteed to be processed within three working days. Applicants should make contact with the passport service and provide proof where applicable. While the backlog is still hugely excessive at 57,516 as of July 6th, and the Government is still struggling to alleviate the problem, at least a new fast turnaround time has been introduced. Additional temporary staff have commenced work in the passport service in the last few weeks to clear the backlog and while this is welcome news, I’m disappointed that the Government did not appoint extra staff before an enormous backlog had formed and the problem had already snowballed. Until now, the fastest turnaround time was open only to applicants who needed to travel for urgent humanitarian reasons but this new service will prioritise applications for people with immediate travel plans.”
Information released by the Foreign Affairs Minister also revealed that it is taking eight weeks to process applications received through the ordinary post channels. Passport demand is now running at 14% higher than this time in 2009. Unfortunately, the Minister was unable to confirm how many North Tipperary people are waiting for their passports to be processed.
Of the 57,516 applications waiting to be processed, 12,400 of these were received by the Passport Office in Cork. Applications submitted via the Passport Express service (Swiftpost in the Republic and NIPX in the North), available through local post offices, are being processed within 20 working days. This 20 working day guarantee is kept under review. There appears to be no difference in waiting times for a Passport Renewal or First Time Applications.
But wait for it – Yes, you have guessed correctly, an additional fee to those seeking passports, may apply in respect of such new prioritised applications.
 Clonoulty/Rossmore Macra na Feirme is once again proud to announce details of it’s 2010 International Miss Macra Festival, to be held this year from Thursday 29th July to Monday 2nd August.
Now in it’s 39th year, this popular festival has continued to go from strength to strength. This years festival will see girls coming from all across Ireland to compete for the honour of becoming Miss Macra 2010 and taking over from the 2009 winner Edel Ronan from the Carbery region in Co Cork.
The festival committee have once again chosen the luxurious Dundrum House Hotel, which boasts a top quality golf course and leisure centre, as its venue. This oasis in the Golden Vale provides the perfect escape for those of you seeking relaxation and fun during this forthcoming August bank holiday weekend.
The committee send a huge ‘Thanks You‘ to all their sponsors, host families, local businesses and especially to Dundrum House Hotel, Michael’s Jewellers Thurles, The Nu Du Lounge, Clonoulty, and to Tipp Co-Op in Tipperary Town, to name but a few.
The festival will return to the heart of the community on Thursday 29th July with the annual traditional Ceilli and welcoming session, for the contestants in Clonoulty Community Hall. Here the contestants will meet with their host families, latter who accept them into the bosom of their families for the duration of the weekend festival. Host families are a very central part of this strong community based festival and and are made up solely of families who have long standing connections with the festival, assuring each contestant a warm welcome.
Continue reading International Miss Macra Festival 2010 In Tipperary
 The Swiss Cottage Cahir As part of the 200-year anniversary of the iconic Swiss cottage situated in Cahir, Co Tipperary, a family day will be held tomorrow.
The Swiss cottage was built around 1810 at Kilcommon, Cahir, County Tipperary. The building is a very fine example of cottage ornée, or ornamental cottage. It was originally part of the estate of Lord and Lady Cahir, and used mainly as a hunting and fishing lodge and for entertaining guests. The cottage was probably designed by Anglo-Welsh architect John Nash 1752-1835, famous for his designing of much of Regency London.
John Nash came to work in Ireland as an architect after 1793 and also designed St Paul’s Church of Ireland church in Cahir, which was built in 1818 and one of only two known Nash designed churches to survive.
Cahir, may have been built by Richard Butler, 12th Baron Caher, 1st Earl of Glengall (1775-1819), who married in 1793, Emily Jeffereys, daughter of James St John Jeffereys of Blarney Castle, Co.Cork. Milady Cahir is referred to by Napoleon Bonaparte’s Josephine ( Joséphine de Beauharnais) in connection with the Château de Malmaison, latter formerly her residence and was from 1800 to 1802 the headquarters of the French government.
The Swiss Cottage, after many years of shameful neglect, was fully and painstakingly restored by the OPW starting in 1985 and was opened to the public again in 1989.
The family day will include an angling demonstration, guided woodland walks and demonstrations of traditional crafts such as thatching and stone carving. Admission for the day is free and programme of events start at 12.00 noon tomorrow until 5.00pm. If you are out and about for a leisurely drive this weekend, this event is well worth a visit.
Our local water ways, namely the river Suir, which flows through the town of Thurles and the Cabragh Wetlands on the outskirts of the town, are particularly attractive at this time of year.
The native White Water Lily (Nymphaea alba) and the invasive Yellow flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) are in full bloom in Cabragh Wetlands, while on the river Suir our year round resident Mute Swans (Dan and Doris) have finally introduced their surviving three cygnets, hatched in mid May, to the local residents.
The male (called a Cob), and the female (called a Pen) birds, usually attempt to mate for life, although it is not true to say that if one of the birds were to die, that the other would necessarily pine away. It is very possible for an adult bird to find an alternative mate.
Their nest is a huge mound of mixed material, normally assorted vegetation, consisting of sticks dried grasses and rushes, are constructed at the water’s edge. The nest is built by the female, while the male supplies the materials.
The female lays up to seven eggs between late April and early May. Both sexes incubate the eggs, which hatch within 35-41 days. The young birds (called cygnets) sometimes ride playfully on their parents’ backs as seen in this video clip.
The youngsters remain with the adult birds for four or five months before being driven from the breeding ground in mid Autumn.
Swans normally find enough food in the wild without supplementary feeding. It is only in freezing weather that extra food can be helpful. Many people like feeding bread to swans and while this is unlikely to do them any real harm in the long term, it is no substitute for the proper diet that the birds themselves will seek out. Grain, such as wheat, and vegetable matter, especially lettuce and potatoes, can be fed to swans.
Food should be thrown into the water to avoid encouraging the young birds onto the bank, thus putting their lives in danger.
A visit to Cabragh Wetlands is such a peaceful experience and for those who enjoy a closeness with nature, it is well worth a visit, particularly in the evening time.
Music used in the video clip is by Johannes Brahms, entitled “The Cradle Song”.
A new €3.6 million building was opened this week in the Tipperary Technology Park in Thurles.
This Park is owned and managed by Shannon Development and is promoted in co-operation with IDA Ireland, Thurles Chamber, Thurles Town Council, Tipperary North County Council, Thurles Marketing Group and the private sector.
The new building, ‘Innovation Works 3’, is now the third building in this Technology Park and brings the total investment by Shannon Development in this parkland venture to €7.4 million.
This new building comprises a 21,500 sq/ft two-storey office building and associated site works including an increase to the existing car parking area, bringing a total industrial space in the Park to now over 45,000sq/ft.
Shannon Development has now 57 Business Technology Parks and Industrial Estates right across the Shannon Region which includes counties Clare, North Kerry, Limerick, South Offaly and North Tipperary. These parks feature turn key state of the art Office Accommodation, Distribution Warehousing and Incubation Spaces, to meet the demands of small or large scale businesses with either local or international interests.
Tipperary Technology Park is home to a number of investment projects and it has a core facility for incubating and growing new Irish technology companies. Present clients range from those operating in the cutting edge sphere of nano-biomaterials, to clients in digital cinema, to the international services sector and highlight Thurles as a superb location for entrepreneurship, in both tourism and business.
Businesses requiring further information on Tipperary Technology Park should contact Mr Brian Keating, Development Manager, at Shannon Development Tipperary Technology Park, Thurles, Tel: 086-2843803 or 0504-29300, or email: keatingb@shannondevelopment.ie
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Mr Batt O’Keeffe TD, officially opened the building, against a backdrop of over 7,125 people currently unemployed in North Tipperary and with 196 further persons having just joined the dole queue in May of this year.
The Irish national overall unemployment figures now stand at over 13.7%, registering the highest number of unemployed people ever, in the history of the Irish State, with 439,100 now in receipt of support.
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