Travel - Thurles Information

Male Pedestrian Dead, Struck By Vehicle In North Tipperary This Morning.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to come forward following a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian in North Co. Tipperary this morning, (Friday August 4th, 2023).

The pedestrian, a man believed to be in his 30s, has since died after he was struck by a motor vehicle on the Dublin Road in the Lisbunny area, near Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

The incident happened at around 10:30am this morning, with the pedestrian being pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.

Diversions remained in place this morning as a technical examination by Forensic Collision Investigators took place.

An Garda Síochána are now appealing for any road users who may have dash-cam footage and/or who were travelling in the areas of Tyone; the Thurles Road; Rathmartin, and the R445 (Old Dublin Road) at Lisbunny, between 9:30am and 10:45am to contact them.
Gardaí are also appealing to any road users who may have dash-cam footage and were travelling from Nenagh town in the direction of Toomevara via the R445 (Old Dublin Road) between 9:30am and 10:45am, to immediately contact them.

Persons with information are asked to contact Nenagh Garda station Tel: 067 50450, the Garda Confidential Line Tel: 1800 666 111, or indeed any Garda station.

Visa-Free Travel Further Suspended For People With Refugee Status.

Government extends temporary suspension of the operation of the European Agreement on the Abolition of Visas for Refugees (Council of Europe).
Visa-free travel arrangements for Ukrainian nationals fleeing the war unaffected.

The Government has decided to extend the temporary suspension on the operation of the Council of Europe Agreement on the Abolition of Visas for Refugees, to be reviewed in 12 months. The suspension, which in effect means that people with refugee status require a visa to travel to Ireland rather than travelling visa-free with their Convention Travel Document, was originally introduced in July 2022.

The decision to introduce visa requirements for those with refugee status was taken in light of evidence of people applying for asylum in Ireland, who had already received refugee status in another European country. The Government agreed last year to review the suspension in 12 months.

The visa-waiver arrangements for people fleeing the war in Ukraine remains unaffected.

Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Mr Micheál Martin TD, said “This decision has been taken by Government in the context of unprecedented pressures on our international protection system. It is not a decision taken lightly but it is the right one for Ireland at this time to ensure the integrity of our immigration system, to avoid any undue pressure on systems that are already under strain and to make sure that those who need protection in Ireland can get it and get it quickly.”

Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee said: “This is a carefully considered decision that we believe is necessary to protect the integrity of Ireland’s immigration system in the context of continued pressures on our international protection and accommodation systems. The visa waiver I introduced for people fleeing to Ireland from Ukraine remains unaffected. Ireland’s commitment to protecting and assisting those in need remains steadfast. We are committed to upholding our international and EU obligations towards international protection applicants and refugees.”

Ireland continues to see high levels of applications for international protection when compared to pre-pandemic levels. Before the suspension of visa free travel arrangements was introduced in July 2022, there was a 191% increase in applications by the end of June 2022 compared to the same period in 2019.

Notwithstanding the increase in applications, the International Protection Office has made significant progress in increasing the numbers of decisions made and significantly reducing processing times.

Minister McEntee also recently updated Cabinet on the modernisation programme and also on the accelerated procedure for applicants from safe countries of origin.

Last November, new accelerated procedures for those who arrive in Ireland from safe countries seeking International Protection were introduced.
The changes have ensured that a first instance decision is made within three months in such cases, a significant reduction from a norm of 17 to 24 months last year. The numbers arriving from these countries has significantly decreased.

Since last November, the numbers arriving from these countries have decreased from 210 applications in November to 64 in May this year – a drop of almost 70%. It should be emphasised that the continued imposition of a visa requirement will not prevent travel to Ireland by 1951 Convention document holders. Genuine travel plans will be facilitated through standard visa arrangements.

Since the introduction of the suspension, there have been 803 Convention Travel Document visa applications, of which 697 were granted and 105 refused.

Thurles Taxpayers Tolerate Tipperary Co. Council’s Continuous Waste Of Finances

The picture, hereunder, highlights once again the waste tolerated by Thurles, Co. Tipperary taxpayers.

Recently the narrow roadway stretching from Butler Avenue unto Innisfallen Avenue, had a number of Flexbrite Flexible Bollards (each costing we understand €49.50 ex VAT) installed on the footpath on the aforementioned stretch of Roadway in recent months.
The reason for their installation possibly was to highlight the edge of the footpath and to avoid traffic mounting an area where pedestrians are fully entitled to walk.

Already, two of these Flexible Bollards on Innisfallen Avenue have been adjusted by heavy traffic and one signpost close to the junction of Bowes Corner on Butler Avenue.

The word “Flexible” [meaning capable of bending easily without breaking] appears to be false advertising by the manufactures, so let us get our money refunded

The word “Flexible” also meant absolutely nothing to the engineer or administrator who instructed same to be erected, at a cost of at least surely €I,000; including their installation.

Thankfully, no one was walking on the footpath when large vehicles traversing this area, collided with these bollards, in a bid to avoid a now choked Liberty Square town centre.

As for the bent road sign on Butler Avenue, near Bowes Corner, “Joe Soap Got It Right Again”, Read HERE.

Thurles – What Happened Was!

**The Leaning Pedestrian Crossing lighting standard, Brittas Road, Thurles**, **Co. Tipperary**
*Pic: George Willoughby*.

One of the Pedestrian Crossing lighting standards, situated on Brittas Road, Thurles, (N62) continues to stands, bowing in a northerly four-degree lean.
While some believe this phenomenon is designed as a tourist attraction, and as yet not advertised as part of the 10 things you need to know about Ireland’s Ancient East.
Sorry folks, this is not an attempt to emulate the leaning, yet free-standing bell tower of Pisa in Italy.

What Happened Was!

What happened was that an unsuspecting vehicle driver, obviously a fluent Irish speaker and possibly travelling south, noticed the blatant misspellings and grammar errors relating to two of our directional signposts*. Having briefly taken his/her eyes off the road, a devious Pedestrian Crossing lighting standard; taking advantage of this situation, and without any warning, jumped out in front of the oncoming vehicle, striking it before hopping back into its original place.
No, the qualified Tipperary Council engineers, who have recently taken it upon themselves to construct narrower streets, leaving signposts too close to the edge of pavements are not responsible, as some would secretly claim, latter harbouring such unspoken thoughts behind closed doors.

* Within five hundred yards of each other are two signs both displaying grammatical misspelling of our native language. The housing estate direction sign entitled ‘Cluain Glas‘, (English translation – “Green Field”). Correct spelling should read ‘Cluain Ghlas‘.
Just a few yards closer to Thurles town we find the housing estate direction sign ‘Gort na tSagaire‘, (English translation – “The field of the priest”). Here we find two mistakes. Correct spelling should read ‘Gort an tSagairt‘. Latter correct spelling can be found in the official book “Liostaí Logainmneacha Contae Thiobraid Árann (County Tipperary)” same published in 2004, by the place-names Branch of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

**Three neglected road signs situated on Mill Road, Thurles, all within 800 metres of each other.** **To avoid a choked Liberty Square; this is the same route now being used to avoid Thurles town centre altogether.** **For Gardaí anxious to get a few prosecutions under their belts, before the end of each month, this is the place to sit and point your Traffic Radar Gun.**
*Pic: George Willoughby.*

We have highlighted the problem of the “Moving Road Signs of Thurles” previously with Tipperary Co. Council, but due to the unavailability of a workforce, little or no correction has ever been undertaken.
Hopefully, with the grant of €30,000 in funding, to fill two road craters on the long neglected Cuchulain (Cuchulainn) Road Junction, joining this same Brittas Road, someone will have a spanner in their arse pocket, to turn a lurking STOP sign, to face in the right direction.

Signs in the neglected town of Thurles are not to be trusted. (See the picture above). These signs hide behind hedges, turn their faces in the opposite direction and even resort to camouflage, in an effort to fool and confuse unsuspecting, oncoming and unwary motorists.

State of St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Loughtagalla, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Two of societies golden rules remain as good today, as they have been in the past.

“What rules are they“, I hear you say.

* A person can check out the cleanliness of a hotel, by the state of its toilets.
* A person can check out a communities pride in its self, by the state of its local cemetery.

**State of St. Patrick’s Cemetery Loughtagalla, Moyne Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary**.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

While individual family graves in St. Patrick’s Cemetery Loughtagalla, Moyne Road Thurles are kept in pristine condition, maintenance under the control of Thurles Municipal District Council, leaves a lot to be desired.

[See image above of the area upon which people are being asked to walk in an effort to reach nearby family graves.]

It is also worthy of note that St. Patrick’s Cemetery, situated at Loughtagalla, Moyne Road, Thurles, is one of the very few graveyards in Tipperary which does not list those interred there on the internet, other than one very brief mention on the charity website Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

With people across the world anxious to trace their family histories, surely a website identifying graves in St. Patrick’s would greatly benefit in attracting tourists to an area where Tipperary Co. Council has deliberately and with great success, totally destroyed the town’s past existence.