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“Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is a phrase commonly used to describe the persuasive power of numbers and in particular the use of statistics to bolster the spin of powerless government representatives; in their efforts to support even weaker arguments regarding local employment policies.
The CEO’s Tipperary Live Register series gives a monthly breakdown of the number of people claiming Job-seekers Benefit, Job-seekers Allowance and other Registrants as registered with the Department of Social Protection. Figures like those shown hereunder, are published from each local social welfare office in Tipperary. This same Live Register, for some unknown reason, however is not designed to measure true unemployment figures. It includes part-time workers (those who work up to three days a week), seasonal and casual workers entitled to Job-seekers Benefit. It also does not appear to include Registrant figures for those leaving the Unemployment Register to seek work overseas or Registrants leaving only to re register again at another Social Welfare office as part of their efforts to find employment in our major cities.
North Tipperary Unemployment – Both Sexes – All Ages = 6,271
Nenagh – Both Sexes – All Ages = 2,542, Roscrea – Both Sexes – All Ages = 1,193, Thurles – Both Sexes – All ages = 2,536.
South Tipperary Unemployment – Both Sexes – All Ages = 7,864
Cahir – Both Sexes – All Ages = 1,135, Carrick-On-Suir – Both Sexes – All Ages = 1,699, Cashel – Both Sexes – All Ages = 1,031, Clonmel – Both Sexes – All Ages = 2,478, Tipperary Town – Both Sexes – All Ages = 1,521.
Total Current Unemployed Persons in Co. Tipperary up to and including December 2014 = 14,135
For those of our readers who have been somewhat dubious as to the accuracy of unemployment figures posted here on Thurles.Info and our criticism of local newspapers and websites, who continuously insist on publishing TD’s inaccurate spin, please Click Here and browse the combinations and permutations for yourself.
In the words of award winning columnist Gene Kerrigan (Sunday Independent) “I’m not sure why the media co-operates in this charade – Why do for free, work for which ‘consultants’ are paid enormous amounts?” Journalistic comment in all its forms certainly hit a new low in 2014. Of course the use of the internet and the need to be “first with the news” to generate traffic, has led to a “copy / paste, check and update later” mentality within almost all media sectors.
Look at the recent ‘Press Releases’ posted out by elected North Tipperary TD’s, and published by local media and websites;
(1)“Fine Gael Tipperary TD, Noel Coonan, has congratulated the eight organisations across Tipperary which have been approved for National Lottery funding by the Fine Gael Minister for Children and Youth Affairs James Reilly under the 2014 funding programme.” All hail James Reilly.
(2)“Local TD and Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has welcomed the announcement by his colleague Kevin Humphreys of an allocation of €483,561 for five Tipperary projects.” All hail Kevin Humphreys.
National Lottery Funding of course comes from the everyday grocery store gambling habits of the tax payer. Proceeds are then collected and distributed at the whim of vote catching elected public representative, who in turn want you to believe this funding is their money, to approve and distribute in omnipotent fashion. Of course for some reason such doled out aid further attests to the belief that these same elected public representatives are the great “sustainers’ of your local universe.”
“We know you all, and will awhile uphold (Until Next Elections) the unyoked humour of your idleness.”
Apologies to William Shakespeare – (Henry IV [part 1])
 Five powerless elected public representatives. (Four from Tipperary). The above five senior politicians, Mr M. McGrath, Mr N. Coonan, Mr T. Hayes, Mr J. Deenan & Mr A. Kelly took a long self promotional weekend away from Dail Éireann on Friday April 25th 2014, to appear at the Horse & Jockey in Co Tipperary for the launch of the “Derrynaflan Trail Tourism Project,” but currently remain powerless to control National Museum policy, which could remove up to 300 people from our ever increasing Thurles & Tipperary Unemployment Registers.
Tourism Statistics
Figures released recently, via the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, indicate that overseas tourists spent just over €3.5 billion in Ireland this year and 7.3 million overseas visitors to Ireland in 2014 represented the highest number in the sector in the past six years. The Confederation also claim that tourism businesses employed in excess of 200,000 people, with 5,000 employees having been added in the past year, and the prospect for a further 8,000 jobs to be generated in our current starting year.
With Tipperary’s recent growing unemployment figures published by the CSO this month and the closure of several well known hotels in this county, it is quite obvious that Tipperary tourism businesses failed to contribute to aiding our counties unemployment during 2014; consequently we have failed as a county to attract and have lost control of our tourism industry due to our failure to demand our fair share of tourism funding.
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Ms Heather Humphreys has recently announced the provision of an extra €2m in Arts funding, to be expended on Museums in Dublin and in Castlebar, Co Mayo, (latter only six minutes normal drive time via the N84 from Derrywash, Islandeady, the renowned birth place of Taoiseach Enda Kenny). The purpose of this funding has little to do with supporting Arts or Culture, instead it was granted to support yet again the Dublin Tourism Sector.
Continue reading Tipperary Employment – Lies, Damn Lies And Statistics
 Late Actor Rod Taylor who visited Thurles in 1978. It is with a great personal sadness I learned of the death, last Wednesday (7th January 2014), of Australian born actor Mr Rodney Sturt “Rod” Taylor. Mr Taylor reportedly died aged 84, at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by loved ones, including his wife Carol Kikumura and his daughter Felicia.
Mr Taylor had appeared in over 50 films and TV series throughout his long career, but was most famous for his role as Mitch Brenner, the love interest of Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s famous film ‘The Birds’.
His first leading role in a feature film was in the 1960’s adaptation of H. G. Well’s novel ‘The Time Machine’ and much later he went on to star as Winston Churchill in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Basterds’, for which he won a ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ in 2010. In between he starred alongside Jane Fonda in ‘Sunday in New York,’ John Wayne in ‘The Train Robbers’ and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in ‘The V.I.P.s’. He was also the voice of ‘Pongo’ in Walt Disney’s animated ‘101 Dalmations’, as well as appearing on TV dramas such ‘The Oregan Trail’, ‘Falcon Crest’, ‘Murder, She Wrote’ and ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’.
Rod Taylor Visits Thurles
I first met Mr Taylor when I was cast as his “Stand-In” for the making of the Irish based film ‘Cry of the Innocent‘, whose cast also included Ms Joanna Pettet, Nigel Davenport, the late great Cyril Cusack, Walter Gotell, Alexander Knox and Dublin born Tony, Olivier and Jacob’s awards winner Jim Norton, latter who played the roles of ‘Bishop Brennan’ in the sitcom ‘Father Ted,’ and earlier as Chris Cawsey in ‘Straw Dogs’ with Dustin Hoffman, together with ‘Herr Lizst’ in the 2008 popular holocaust film ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’.
Filmed here in Ireland in counties Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin and Kerry, ‘Cry of the Innocent,’ (Originally entitled ‘An Eye for an Eye’) was written by Frederick Forsyth (Screenplay by Sidney Michaels) and was directed by the late Irish born Michael O’Herlihy, who also directed ‘Star Trek’ (1965), ‘Hawaii Five-O’ (1968), ‘M*A*S*H’ (1972) and ‘The A-Team’ (1983). Incidentally, Michael O’Herlihy once confirmed to me that his wife was a member of the Ryan family, which same family once were the owners of the Brewery Stores here in Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary.
In this film Rod Taylor played the character of an American insurance executive who finds himself on a grim mission to track down those responsible for the killing of his wife and two children, following a private plane which crashed and exploded into his holiday home. Also on board this plane was a scientist who was the initial target of the criminals who had engineered this accidental tragedy. The “maguffin” in this script is a secret formula worth untold millions, and aiding Mr Taylor (Playing the character of Steve Donegin) in bringing the murderers to eventual justice, is the investigative journalist Joanna Pettet, (Playing the character of Candia Leighton) who bears a close resemblance to Taylor’s ex-wife Cynthia Donegin; and no wonder, since Joanna Pettet plays both roles in the film. Produced by NBC Film, Tara Films & Tara Productions, this made-for-TV espionage saga premièred on June 19th, 1980.
Prior to the film’s launch Rod Taylor visited Thurles, where we met-up in Hayes Hotel. Mr Taylor’s visit to Thurles had been arranged by the now retired former Tipperary Fianna Fáil Senator Mr Des Hanafin. At this time Senator Hanafin was extremely conscious of the fact that Ireland badly needed to promote its national tourism industry and prospective visitors from abroad needed to be made more aware of Ireland’s picturesque natural landscapes in an era then devoid of today’s easy internet video access. He, then as chairperson of the Tara Production Team, latter which included RTE’s Morgan O’Sullivan, director Michael O’Herlihy and writer Frederick Forsyth, had invited Mr Taylor to visit Thurles; not just to promote Ireland through this new film, but also to attract attention in his support for a local Mentally Handicapped charity fund-raiser, to which the Senator was then offering a much needed supporting shoulder.
On arrival to Thurles we met privately in the Commercial Room of Hayes Hotel. It was here I was to discover that for several days Mr Taylor had been suffering from a severe and persistent toothache. Despite it being Sunday, I made a quick phone call to the home of then Thurles Dentist, the late Mr Noel Treacy. Some minutes later Mr Treacy arrived and twenty minutes later Mr Taylor’s tooth problem was solved with Mr Treacy refusing to accept any payment for his work. Mr Taylor later confirmed to me that he had spent several thousand dollars with an American dentist, prior to his trip to Ireland. He was later to leave Thurles admitting he was embarrassed that Noel had refused point blank to accept any payment for what the actor regarded as ‘magnificent dental surgery.‘
In both professional and social settings, Mr Taylor was always a most charming and humorous individual, displaying a truly rare and amazing acting ability.
Mr Taylor is survived by his wife Carol Kikumura and his daughter Felicia Taylor, latter a former CNN correspondent and only child of the actor.
From the many people of Thurles who chatted with him, in I believe 1978, go sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam dílis.
 M/s Chrissie O’Meara, Thurles, Co Tipperary together with her great-grandson, Master Josh Hackett, Upperchurch, Thurles, Co Tipperary have become the first known great-grandmother/great-grandson team to climb Mount Brandon (Irish: Cnoc Bréanainn, meaning “Brendan’s hill”), latter a 952 m (3123 ft) high mountain on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry.
Photograph on left shows Chrissie O’Meara, Thurles with her great-grandson, Josh Hackett, Upperchurch, Thurles taken when accompanied to the summit by Ray Creaney and John G. O’Dwyer of Mid-Tipp Hill Walkers. (Click on image left for greater image magnification.)
In achieving this goal; they also raised €2,700 for the cancer charity “Suir Haven,” here in Thurles.
Latter are now preparing to climb Carrauntoohil together, in a bid to raise financial aid for visually impaired individuals and other charities, as part of the 19th Annual Kerry Challenge in Killarney, beginning March 27th to March 29th 2015.
This latter event, which is open to all comers, is based in the wonderfully scenic Castlerosse Hotel. On offer for this weekend is a choice of fully guided walks including: an ascent of Carrauntoohil for those climbing the mountain for the first time, a circuit of the Gap of Dungloe, an extremely scenic section of the Kerry Way and an easy nature walk in Killarney National Park, with environmental and heritage expert, Mr Jimmy Duggan.
The cost of attending this weekend event is €169.00 per person sharing and includes accommodation and breakfast on Friday and Saturday with gala dinner and entertainment on Saturday evening. The number of places available is limited, but an immediate deposit of €60 will secure your place. You may then raise your subscription through sponsorship, or by personal donation.
Further information is available from Mr Michael Sutton, 17 Willowmere Drive, Thurles, Co Tipperary, Tel: 086 4009989 or by Email: michaelsutton1949@gmail.com.
Details of the full programme of walks is now available & can be found at www.midtipphillwalkers.ie
 One of Tipperary’s leading hotels, the Cashel Palace, situated at Main Street, Cashel on some 28 acres of ground, has closed its doors with the loss of some 30 permanent jobs.
The four star family owned and managed late Queen Anne style hotel, first opened its doors in 1962. Its award-winning restaurant, “The Bishop’s Buttery,” was awarded a Michelin star in 1982 and 1983 and an Egon Ronay star in 1982.
All staff were called to a meeting with their management this morning and were informed that reluctantly the facility would cease trading with immediate effect.
It is believed that from here Guinness porter was first accidentally conceived in the early to mid 1700’s at this same facility. The story goes that the estate manager, Arthur Guinness’s father Richard Guinness was in charge of supervising the brewing of beer for the estates employees of the then resident protestant Archbishop Arthur Price. A servant had been dispatched from the estate to purchase and convey the necessary beer making materials from a brewery stores here in Main Street, Thurles. Somewhere later in the brewing process, back in Cashel, some of these ingredients, possibly barley, was accidentally over roasted, thus providing that unique burnt flavour known to us today as porters ale or Guinness porter and described by the then Archbishop to guests as being “a brew of a very palatable nature.”
This latest closure further highlights the continuous failure by government and Fáilte Ireland to make any real worthwhile tourism investment in mid Tipperary, with hotel after hotel either closing down or entering into receivership.
Take a look at the Fáilte Ireland website this evening;
” Tourism brings much-needed foreign exchange, creates jobs and contributes to a better quality of life for Dubliners. The Grow Dublin Taskforce was established by Fáilte Ireland in late 2012 with the aim of reversing the downward trend in tourism to Dublin, which had begun in 2007, and driving growth to Dublin City and Region in the period to 2020.”
No ‘Grow Tipperary Taskforce,’ only the continuous trend of raiding Tipperary’s heritage for the benefit of an over priced Dublin tourism economy, e.g. Faddan More Psalter, Derrynaflan Hoard, Book of Dimma, Two Mile Borris Viking Silver Coin Hoard, Carrick-on-Suir 17th Century Gold Coin Hoard etc.
The picturesque mountainous village of Upperchurch [Map Ref] will host its 9th Annual Walking Festival this coming weekend. Since its inception in 2006 this event continues to grow from strength to strength making it now one of the main walking festival gatherings of its type in the country.
This year’s program once again offers over a dozen different walks as well as cycling and indoor rock climbing activities. Set dancing and traditional music enthusiasts will also have a good time. For beginners and the less mobile, the new 1 km bog walk is short, level and suitable for wheelchairs and buggies.
The fun will begin on Friday night (Nov 7th) with a choice of two torch lit road walks; the 10 km Glown-Garnakilka walk is for those who like a fast pace while the 7 km Moher-Gortkelly walk will cater for those who enjoy a more leisurely speed.
The really serious hill walkers will get going on Saturday morning, taking to the gruelling 18 km Hills of Upperchurch walk. This walk is entirely for the very fit, while later in the day there will be shorter and easier walks leaving Upperchurch village.
Next Sunday will see no less than six walks and three cycle events taking place simultaneously. There are two new routes this year; the 18 km Hollyford-Red Hill walk takes place in the Hollyford-Cappawhite area and will include an option of visiting a cave where the outlaw Ned O’ the Hill (“Éamonn an Chnoic,” Edmund O’Ryan 1670–1724) is understood to have taken refuge in bygone days.
The 14 km Farney Castle-Upperchurch walk is the only linear walk of the weekend. There will be an opportunity to take in a guided tour of the Castle before this walk for a small additional fee so arrive early. The 8 km walk on the Birchill Nature Trail starts at Rosmult and there will be two further walks in Upperchurch also.
Cyclists will have a choice of three different routes over 25 km, 50 km and 75 km all starting from Upperchurch at 12 noon on Sunday.
The Upper Limits Indoor Climbing Wall will be open after all walks and will offer short introductory climbs. (Note: Clean footwear please.)
All events start at Upperchurch Community Centre, except for the Hollyford-Red Hill Walk, the Farney Castle-Upperchurch Walk and the Birchill Nature Trail Walk, latter all on Sunday.
The organisers wish to thank all the landowners in the area involved for their cooperation.
Registration before all events. Friday night walks: €5. Other walks and cycles: Adults €10, post primary students €5, primary school students free. Farney Castle tour €5. Complimentary refreshments after all walks.
For further details visit www.upperchurch.ie or Telephone 086 0518934.
Programme of Events:
Fri. Nov 7th: Glown-Garnakilka Road Walk 10 km 7.30 p.m. Moher-Gortkelly Road walk 7 km 7.45 p.m. Reception and official opening in Upperchurch Hall at 9.00 p.m. followed by Seisiún Mór in Kinane’s.
Sat. Nov. 8th: Hills of Upperchurch Walk 18 km 10.00 a.m. Knockalough-Red Hugh Walk 8 km or 10 km 12.15 p.m. Eamon an Chnoic Loop Walk 8 km 12.30 p.m. Set Dancing lessons in Ryan’s 4.00 p.m. Traditional music in Jim O’ the Mills 10.00 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 9th: Farney Castle-Upperchurch Walk 14 km 11.00 a.m. Start Farney Castle on Holycross-Ballycahill Road. Guided tours of Castle at 10.00 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. Hollyford-Red Hill Walk 14 km or 18 km 11.00 a.m. Start Hollyford Village. Cycles over 25 km, 50 km and 75 km all start at 12.00 noon. Knockalough-Red Hugh Walk 8 km or 10 km Start 12.15 p.m. Eamon an Chnoic Loop 8 km Start 12.30 p.m. Birchill Nature Trail Walk 8 km Start 12.30 p.m. P.J.Ryan’s Pub Rosmult on Thurles-Upperchurch Road.
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