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23 Children Killed Or Seriously Injured On Tipperary Roads In Last Five Years

Twenty-three children under the age of 16 were killed or seriously injured on roads in County Tipperary between 2021 and 2025, according to newly released Road Safety Authority figures.

Tipperary accounted for approximately 3% of the 658 child casualties recorded across Ireland during same five-year period. The county-level data provide a combined figure and do not specify separately how many of the 23 children died and how many suffered serious injuries.

Nationally, 38 children aged from birth to 15 were killed and another 620 were seriously injured. Children represented 5% of all road deaths and 8% of serious injuries recorded during that period.

The RSA Child Casualties Report 2021–2025 found that almost half of the children killed or seriously injured were pedestrians. Passengers accounted for 26% of casualties, cyclists for 17% and e-scooter users for 5%.
The research also highlighted the risks children face on roads with lower speed limits. Almost three-quarters of child casualties occurred on roads with limits of 60km/h or less, while 72% were injured between noon and 8:00pm.

Boys accounted for 61% of the children killed or seriously injured, compared with 39% for girls. Friday was the most dangerous day of the week, accounting for one in five child casualties.
One in eight casualties was travelling to or from school when the collision occurred.

The RSA released the figures as pupils across Tipperary and the rest of the country prepared to return to school. It is urging motorists to slow down, eliminate distractions and allow children sufficient time and space when walking or cycling.
Parents are also being asked to ensure children use appropriate restraints when travelling by car and to avoid parking on footpaths during school drop-off and collection times.

August 26th, 2026 | Category: Community News, Education, Roads, Transport, Travel | 4 comments | |

Government Weighs Early Dáil Recall As Fuel-Tax Deadline Approaches

Government leaders are considering whether to recall the Dáil ahead of schedule as renewed instability in the Middle East raises concerns about fuel prices.

Temporary excise reductions introduced in April are due to be withdrawn gradually from September. The relief amounts to 32 cent per litre of diesel and 27 cent per litre of petrol and formed part of a €750 million package of business supports and cost-of-living measures.

Enterprise Minister Mr Peter Burke indicated that the timetable is being actively reassessed. The international outlook has worsened since the withdrawal schedule was agreed, with developments around the Strait of Hormuz contributing to uncertainty in global energy markets.

The Dáil is currently scheduled to return on September 16th next,. however, an earlier sitting may be required if the Government decides that legislation is needed to postpone the planned excise increases.
Rising costs are already placing additional pressure on agriculture and the wider economy. The net price of marked gas oil, commonly known as green diesel, has increased from about 94 cent to €1.24 per litre, a rise of approximately 30%.
Any extension of the fuel-tax relief would also have budgetary implications. The Government is preparing an overall Budget 2027 package worth more than €8 billion, including €1.5 billion for income-tax measures and an anticipated spending increase of around 6%.

Ministers are also examining ways to lower grocery prices by reducing transport, production and distribution costs. Because fuel expenses affect farming, manufacturing and the movement of goods, further increases could feed through to prices paid by consumers.

No final decision has been made on either the excise timetable or an early Dáil recall. Both options remain under consideration as the Government monitors international developments and prices at Irish fuel pumps.

August 20th, 2026 | Category: Business, Community News, Environment, Finance, Food, Politics, Roads, Transport, Travel | Leave a comment | |

Road Alert – Temporary Traffic Controls On The R659 In Thurles

Motorists are advised that temporary traffic management measures will operate on the R659 through Stradavoher and Ballycarrane, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, from tomorrow, Thursday, 13th August, until Friday, 14th August 2026.

A Stop/Go traffic-control system will be in place for the duration of the works. Delays are expected, and road users should allow additional travel time when passing through the area.

Drivers are asked to approach with caution, follow all traffic-management signage and cooperate with personnel on site.

August 12th, 2026 | Category: Community News, Roads, Transport | Leave a comment | |

The Bike You Didn’t See – Drivers Urged to Look Again at Junctions

A brief pause at a junction could prevent a death on Ireland’s roads.

Above is the message behind a new Road Safety Authority campaign asking motorists to check twice for motorcycles before entering a road, particularly when pulling out from a T-junction.

Sixteen motorcyclists have already died on Irish roads this year, adding urgency to the campaign.
The danger often develops in an instant. A driver reaches a junction, checks both directions and begins to move. An approaching motorcycle, however, may have blended into the background or appeared farther away than it really was.

Unlike a car or van, a motorcycle occupies very little of a driver’s field of vision. This can make both its presence and its approaching speed difficult to judge during a quick check.
The RSA wants motorists to break that routine by pausing and looking once more before proceeding.

Evidence gathered between 2021 and 2025 shows why that extra check matters. During those five years, 954 motorcyclists suffered serious injuries, while 117 lost their lives. Around two-thirds of the riders seriously injured were involved in crashes with another vehicle.
Road Safety Authority confirm that failure to observe was the action most frequently identified in those multi-vehicle incidents. Junctions were also the scene of 38% of serious motorcyclist injuries.

The campaign arrives during a period when greater numbers of motorcycles are likely to be on the road. Drivers are being asked to approach junctions slowly, remove distractions and allow themselves enough time to make a proper assessment.
Motorcyclists may be smaller and less visible than other vehicles, but they have the same right to be seen and protected.

Before pulling out, pause and check again. The bike missed on the first look could be visible on the second.

August 10th, 2026 | Category: Community News, Education, Roads, Transport | One comment | |

Remove The Parking – Then Charge People To Park?

The removal of parking spaces is now harming town-centre businesses in both Cashel and Thurles.

Cllr Roger Kennedy recently raised the alarm at a meeting of the Tipperary – Cahir – Cashel Municipal District. He said road-realignment works in Cashel had removed 12 parking spaces, leaving fewer places for passing customers and discouraging people from stopping in to shop locally.

Thurles traders know this story only too well.
Successive traffic and public-realm changes have reduced town-centre parking, while the approved second phase of the Liberty Square scheme will remove further spaces.
Traders strongly opposed that plan, warning that it could damage businesses and put further jobs at risk. Nevertheless, it was proposed by Cllr Ms Peggy Ryan, seconded by Cllr Mr Seán Ryan and approved by the municipal-district members.
Against this background, Tipperary County Council is pressing ahead with countywide “harmonised” parking charges.

So who came up with that idea?
The review began following calls from Clonmel councillors. Former Director of Services, Mr Marcus O’Connor, promised the review, after which the council’s Infrastructure Strategic Policy Committee and officials developed the tiered charging system. The final Parking Bye-Laws 2026 were approved by the full County Council on 13th July 2026.

Background to the parking review.
Thurles already had paid parking, it dates back at least to the former Thurles Town Council’s 2005 bye-laws. In April 2025, the elected members of Thurles Municipal District adopted replacement bye-laws retaining paid parking in Thurles. The 2026 countywide scheme now places Thurles in Tier 2 and is intended to standardise parking charges across the county.

The council says parking charges encourage turnover and help make spaces available to shoppers. But that argument becomes increasingly difficult to accept when the council is simultaneously approving schemes that remove the very spaces shoppers need.

  • You cannot improve parking turnover in spaces that no longer exist.
  • You cannot encourage people to shop locally while making it progressively more difficult—and more expensive—for them to stop.
  • You cannot speak about revitalising town centres while ignoring traders who depend on passing customers and convenient short-stay parking.

The issue is not simply parking charges, nor is it simply the removal of spaces. It is the combined effect:

  • Fewer town-centre parking spaces.
  • Charges on much of what remains.
  • Increased competition from out-of-town retailers offering free parking.
  • Less convenience for older people and those with limited mobility.
  • Reduced passing trade for independent businesses.
  • Decisions proceeding despite strong concerns from local traders.

There was significant resistance even among councillors themselves. An amendment allowing municipal districts to provide a one-hour-free-parking option passed by only 19 votes to 17. That close vote shows how divided elected representatives were over the council executive’s original 20-minutes-free proposal.

Cashel and Thurles need a joined-up parking policy based on the actual number of spaces available, business needs, accessibility and independently measured town-centre footfall, not a one-size-fits-all charging exercise.

Before further spaces are removed or new charges take effect, Tipperary County Council should publish:

  1. The total number of spaces removed in each town during the past five years.
  2. The number due to be removed under approved schemes.
  3. The expected effect on footfall and local businesses.
  4. Current occupancy and turnover figures.
  5. A clear plan for replacement parking.
  6. The names and recorded votes of councillors who approved the relevant schemes and bye-laws.

Local businesses are being asked to survive with fewer customers, fewer convenient spaces and additional parking costs.
That is not town-centre regeneration, but rather an obstacle to it.

August 7th, 2026 | Category: Community News, Environment, Finance, Planning, Politics, Roads, Transport, Travel | One comment | |
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