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In the words of Captain Blackadder: “We (Thurles Town that is,) are in the stickiest situation since Sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun,” and I prophesise we are about to experience the worst piece of planning since “Olaf the Hairy, High Chief of the Viking Nation, accidentally ordered 80,000 battle helmets, with the horns positioned pointing outwards on the inside.”
 Barry’s Bridge, Thurles No, I am not referring to past Government Ministers overseeing the spending €40m in planning and designing a Dublin underground railway line that never was built and never had planning permission in the first place. I am not even referring to the hailed Dublin Metro North which incurred costs of €135m or indeed the recent bailout resulting in other Capital Spending having to be deferred, with CIE non-core assets to be sold, just to fund a new €36m Government bailout, which will only benefit CIE’s Dublin transport system. I have even chosen to forget the recent Leap Card made available to all commuters in Dublin and the €55m spent to roll it out, while Iarnród Éireann raised their on line train ticket prices from Thurles to Monasterevin by over 100%, to subsidise these same Dublin commuters.
What I am of course talking about is Thurles Bridge (Barry’s Bridge), latter obviously not part of any previous “Lowry Secret Support Deal,” where work is now set to commence, (God willing,) on Tuesday August 7th. The bridge is to be reduced to one-lane traffic during the day and occasionally to close entirely during the night, over an expected 3 month period, well that is if water levels remain low.
Barry’s bridge and Turtulla bridge, both the only direct routes into the market town of Thurles from the east, began visibly disintegrating at least 3 years ago, with engineers threatening weight restrictions and single lane restrictions, way back as far as 2009.
A promised 8-kilometre by-pass which could have greatly alleviated the total chaos expected to kill off the centre of Thurles over the next 3 months, was eventually chosen after 10 years of planning, but alas, those of us who had hoped never again to witness the daily chaos caused by HGVs manoeuvring around Liberty Square from the town’s narrow side streets, were quickly to learn, that Thurles was between nowhere and less in Ireland’s grand scheme of National Road’s Authority planning.
This rehabilitation of our disintegrating bridges, is being carried out by a contractor working for the National Roads Authority & work will continue each week from Monday – Saturday, water levels permitting. Remedial works will also be carried out on the Archerstown and Drish bridges which will include waterproofing, repair of parapets and resurfacing.
With the Standardised Unemployment Rate (SUR) in June 2012 up nationally from 14.7% in May 2012 to 14.9% in June, and unemployment rising in the Mid-West region (Clare, Limerick City, Limerick County, North Tipperary), from 37,406 in May 2012 to 38,849 in June 2012, (an increase of 1,443,) God save Thurles Town centre businesses & their staff from our current useless elected greedy government representatives.
Let us have your comments please.
 Liberty Square Thurles A little good news for the future of Thurles today, with the town to be listed for a Primary Care Centre, in the Government’s new €2.25bn National Infrastructure Stimulus Package, which is expected to be announced this afternoon. Nationally in the health sector, in total 20 primary care centres will be built, with procurement beginning before the end of next year and construction starting in 2014. (Well that is if we all have’nt emigrated by then.)
This Infrastructure Stimulus Package, is expected to be announced nationally later today by An Taoiseach, An Tánaiste and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, and is expected to includes details of significant national investment in schools, primary care centres and roads.
It is hoped in the longer term that this package will assist in stimulating job creation and restore confidence. This primary care centre in Thurles is expected to provide at least some extra work in the construction sector.
This Infrastructure Stimulus Package is expected to see the delivery of the N17/N18 Gort to Tuam road, the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy and the N25 New Ross bypass. (Nice one Brendan Howlin, your Labour seat is safe.) Twelve years on, the badly needed Thurles bypass is not expected to feature, yet again.
IBEC have said that any announcement by Government of funding for infrastructure projects would be an important first step in helping to restore domestic demand in the Irish economy. The group also said that the importance of Public Private Partnership in this package also highlights the significant improvement in how international investors see Ireland’s growth prospects.
Clonmel and Carrick on Suir Co Tipperary are also expected to benefit, with Carrick on Suir to benefit from a new building for Comeragh College.
 Scene of last night's serious accident. Kickham Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary was the scene of a serious single vehicle traffic accident at around 11.45 pm last evening. It is understood that a vehicle carrying 3 teenage passengers, went out of control on the narrow street, opposite Ely’s Centra Food Store.
(Click on Image for larger picture.)
The vehicle crossed the street’s roadway colliding with a parked car, latter which was completely destroyed, before becoming stationary against a garden wall, protecting a line of terraced residential houses in the area.
Three ambulances together with local police and three units of the fire brigade were quickly on the scene. Passengers sustained quite serious injuries and had to be removed from the vehicle by firemen, using cutting apparatus. The seriousness of injuries sustained are not yet known, but are not considered life threatening.
While the cause of the accident is not known, preliminary investigations indicate the possible blowout of a tyre or this light vehicle coming into sudden contact with a dangerous six inch high, barely visible ‘footpath kerb,’ on the Ely’s Centra Food Store side of the street.
Large trucks passing on this street are daily forced to stop and adjust their cab mirrors in order to pass each other on this street, while emergency services are greatly delayed attempting to conduct their daily business. A planned ‘Ring Road,’ sought for Thurles, which would greatly reduce the traffic flow in this area, has been delayed for over 12 years and now remains in ‘limbo,’ cancelled because of budgetary constraints.
Local residents on Kickham Street had previously complained to their public representatives and to North Tipperary County Council regarding the then erection of this dangerous high kerbing, which presently greatly restricts car parking in the area and forces car owners to now park their vehicles openly on the footpath. Residents concerns, however, fell upon ‘deaf ears,’ despite the fact that this dangerous stretch of roadway also serves to deliver main arterial traffic flow from the Dublin/ Cork motorway, towards the centre of Thurles town.
The entrance to this street, some 300 metres closer to the town centre, was the scene of a serious accident involving a school bus and a motor cyclist, resulting in one death on May 22nd last.
 An investigation is under way after an Air Corps Ambulance Helicopter was forced to make a “heavy but controlled landing,” in a field a few kilometres outside the village of Borrisoleigh, on the main Nenagh road, in Co Tipperary, shortly after 2.00pm today.
It is understood the helicopter may have clipped an overhead power line.
The Air Corps helicopter, which had three passenger on board, was attempting to answer an emergency call & pick up a patient in Borrisoleigh at the time of the incident.
The patient was subsequently transferred by road ambulance from Borrisoleigh, to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.
It is also understood that three passengers on board the helicopter, sustained no injuries, while the extent of damage to the helicopter itself has yet to be determined. The Athlone based Air Corps Ambulance had only begun operations fifteen days previously.
The Air Accident Investigation Unit in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has been informed about the incident & contingency plans are underway to resume Emergency Aero-Medical Services as soon as possible.
 Fire At Thurles Bus Depot - Photo: Brian Corbett A large bus was seemingly set ablaze at the Thurles Bus Depot today at approximately mid-day, Saturday 9th June 2012. Thick black smoke could be seen from a long distance away as the the bus was consumed by fire. Three Fire Brigades and one tanker were called to the scene to contain the fire and the North Tipperary Fire & Rescue Service quickly brought the blaze and smoke under control. Gardaí were also quickly on the scene to handle traffic on the road outside of the depot and any investigation that may be required. A small crowd had gathered outside the gates of the Bus Depot but quickly dispersed as the fire was brought under control.
The cause of the fire is as yet unknown at the moment but local people have told me that they had long complained about individuals using the buses for drinking purposes. It is unclear as to whether the bus fire was deliberate or accidental at the moment, but CCTV footage should be available to the Gardaí to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.
Anyone with information can contact gardaí in Thurles at Tel: 0504 25100.
UPDATE: The following picture shows the aftermath of the bus fire earlier today. This picture was taken later this evening and shows five vehicles damaged in the blaze.
 Aftermath Of Bus Fire - Photo: Brian Corbett
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