Tourism « Thurles Information

Update On Sarsfields International Hurling Festival

Photo courtesy J.O’Loughlin.

John Enright, Chairman of the Thurles Sarsfields Organising Committee reports:

The third Thurles Sarsfields International Hurling Festival, to be held on Munster hurling final week-end, July 12th and 13th, was officially launched by the Minister of State for Sport and Tourism, Alan Kelly TD at Sarsfields Social Centre, Thurles, on Friday night May 31st last.

Camogie Teams

Glamour has been added to the Tipperary International Hurling Festival with the addition of eight Camogie teams competing for the Helen O’Mara Cup donated by the Thurles Camogie Club in memory of Helen. Helen was a dedicated camogie player from Kilkenny who was club treasurer for many years and a long serving committee member. It is indeed fitting therefore, that our first ever camogie tournament is honoured by her name.
The competing teams are – Indianapolis USA, Na Piarsaig Cork, Kildangan and Roscrea Tipperary, Patrickswell Limerick, Lixnaw Kerry, Feakle/Broadford Clare, and Portlaw Waterford. All are very welcome.
The games will be played in the grounds of St Patrick’s Third level College of Education Thurles, by kind permission of Very Rev Tom Fogarty, College President.

The Cork Connection

There is nearly always a Cork presence in Thurles on Munster Final weekend. Combined with our festival there is great representation, hurling from Kilbrin, home of current Cork Senior star William Egan, and former Cork hurler Jack Field. It will be a Cork take over on Friday night with the road bowling. Saturday will see the biggest GAA club in the North city side, Na Piarsaig, playing Camogie, and as always expecting to win.

North Kerry Hurling

Hurling is endemic in North Kerry. We had Kilmoyley last year who were in hard luck not to take the title, this year we have Ballyduff and Causeway for the Tom Semple Cup and Lixnaw for the Camogie. A Kerry presence on Munster Final Weekend very much adds to the occasion.

Mayo In Force

Hurling Officer, Adrian Hessian, loves his hurling and is bringing two teams from Mayo, Tureen, current Carew Cup Holders, and Castlebar who are trained by Gerry Lane (Noel’s brother) who caused Tipp many headaches in the eighties. Westport are the Michael Cusack Cup Road Bowling holders. There is a strong Mayo presence in Thurles, John Moroney’s wife Maureen is a great Mayo woman and Ger O’Hagen is current Chairman of Thurles Sarsfields Ladies football. It was his home club that sold hurleys to Toureen in the fifties to start hurling in that parish.

The Dub’s Are Coming

Under Kevin Broderick, Raheeney Hurling Club are making history, they are coming to Thurles for the first time for our Munster Final weekend festival. They will join Setanta, the all Irish speaking team, for an assault on the Tom Semple Cup. They are both in serious training for the competition and both expect to win.

The Social Side

With twenty four hurling and Camogie teams from all over, the scene is set for a very pleasant weekend. We are also expecting Thurles people from home and abroad to gather in numbers to be part of the Thurles Sarsfields “Gathering weekend.” There will be a great mix of people from the four provinces, The USA, Great Brittan and our own Diaspora.
The Monks are playing in Sarsfield’s Social Centre on Friday night and Silver Dollar is centre stage on Saturday night. The Sarsfields pubs in town are putting on musical entertainment that will be appropriate for the occasion. A friendly mix of hurling, camogie, camán abú and road bowling will be on display. All are welcome to our Festival which promises great entertainment and above all a great sporting weekend.

So Camán Home for the Hurling.

Vendi, Vidi, Vote – I Came, I Saw, I Hoped

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” (Quote attributed to President Abraham Lincoln, but possibly first quoted by American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer Phineas Taylor Barnum.)

The old adage that ‘Paper does not refuse ink,’ was further emphasised, clarified, reinforced (call it what you will,) on page five, bottom right hand corner, of today’s local Tipperary Star newspaper. The latter adage retains a healthy scepticism with regard to what is written in everyday newspapers, however absurd, illusory or self promoting.

I am referring to the headline, “Thurles Visitor Figures Rise,” (No it has nothing to to do with over weight people,) purporting to come from the pen of Fine Gael town Councillor & outgoing Town Mayor Mr Michael Cleary.

Fine Gael Councillor Michael Cleary reports an increase in visitor numbers to Thurles & surrounding areas according to this printed report. While every business in Thurles is reporting information to the contrary, one cannot help wonder from whence came Councillor Cleary extracting, surprising & amazing insight on these tourist numbers.

One is immediately also drawn to the website of Fine Gael Councillor Neale Richmond and his Blog posted on May 29th 2013, entitled “Tourism numbers on the rise as Gathering picks up pace.”

Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear, one of these Councillors, dare I say both being “Pretenders to the Throne,” must stand accused of “Plagiarism,” latter word being defined as academic dishonesty. Will one of these Councillors now be subject to severe sanctions, like expulsion from the Fine Gael party, if found guilty by a jury of their peers?

So what did they both publish? Spot the difference.

Continue reading Vendi, Vidi, Vote – I Came, I Saw, I Hoped

Fingers Crossed For Glen of Aherlow Tipperary

The Glen of Aherlow (Irish: Gleann Eatharlaí,) is a picturesque valley nestling between Slievenamuck and the Galtee Mountains in the western part of South Tipperary in Ireland. The principal village, in this most beautiful of visual landscapes, is Lisvernane. Other adjacent centres of population are the villages of Galbally (on its western side), Kilross (on its north west front) and Bansha (commanding its eastern approach).

For Tipperary dwellers not surprisingly, this year (2013 ), judges from The Irish Times Best Place to Holiday in Ireland competition have chosen the Glen of Aherlow, Co Tipperary, from more than 1,400 entries from every county in Ireland and have placed it on their list as being one of the top five national places to visit and holiday this Summer.

Judges, demonstrating a strong preference for remote, unknown yet strikingly beautiful hidden locations, such as the Glen of Aherlow, reflect preferences which also recognise the wonderful work undertaken by local people in making the best of their natural and unspoilt resources.

A final result for this ongoing competition is expected this week.

(Music and Video comes courtesy of Trudi Lalor, with Lyrics written by Billy Morrissey.)

Another Tipperary Hotel Goes Into Receivership

Clonmel Park Hotel

A receiver has been appointed to the South Tipperary Clonmel Park Hotel, latter owned by the Brennan Group situated at the Poppyfield Retail Park in Clonmel town. The Hotel is one of four hotels in the group, with the Arklow Bay in Wicklow, and the Springhill Court Hotel situated in Kilkenny also in receivership.

The fourth hotel in the group, the Green Isle in Dublin, is not affected and continues to trade as normal.

Hotel Asset Management Services (HAMS), a company formally set up to manage hotels which get into trading difficulties, has confirmed that it had been appointed to manage the three affected hotels.

This news follows the appointment earlier this week of a provisional liquidator to the Ballykisteen Hotel near Limerick Junction, Tipperary town & last month both the Hayes Hotel and Anner Hotel in Thurles, Co Tipperary.

All the hotels above named continue to trade, for the moment, with all staff remaining employed, however this news further highlights the neglect of Tipperary by this present government, with regard to the promotion of tourism in the county.

Trains & Boats & Planes Are Passing By Tipperary

“Trains and boats and planes are passing by, They mean a trip to Paris or Rome,
To someone else, but not for me, The trains and boats and planes,

(Lyrics by Hal David 1966.)

The Industrial Development Authority (IDA), smugly and at every possible media opportunity, boasts of its success in achieving strong net job performance, with 11,766 jobs created in client companies, mainly through foreign direct investment.

In first place, with some 54%, or 6,389 jobs created, was Co Dublin, while in second place was Co Cork, achieving some 1,979 similar job replacements during the same twelve month period.

Here in the County of Tipperary, the South of the county saw a mere ten jobs put in place, ( Fifth from bottom of the overall list, ) while in North Tipp (Bottom of this list, ) saw not even one single job created, during this same period.

These figures have not been concocted by me, but were provided courtesy of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton, supplied in a written reply to Donegal Fine Gael Deputy Joe McHugh.

Continue reading Trains & Boats & Planes Are Passing By Tipperary