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Thurles Rare Famine Relief Book 1847 On Public Display

The recently discovered ‘Gratuitous Relief Ration Record Book,’ (or the ‘Distribution Book,’ as it was also called,) for the electoral divisions of Holycross, Thurles and Ballycahill in 1847, has now been digitized, allowing an instant search facility for those anxious to trace their family roots.

This book contains the names of those who were classed as paupers in the hinterland / towns-lands of these aforementioned areas, during that most harrowing period of the Great Irish Famine, referred to as ‘Black ’47’.

This extremely rare ‘Rations Record Book,’ contains the names of the heads of each household and in many cases the names of all the adults in each household. It also contains the number of rations each householder was allowed. Details of how, where and when it was located will be discussed here on Thurles.Info later this month.

Just over 3 million Irish people were being supported by outdoor relief in July 1847. To those in the Thurles area it supported, (covering the electoral divisions of Holycross, Thurles and Ballycahill), providing records of food rations distributed during the period May – Sept. `47 and part of `48, it was a very humiliating and an insufficient system. Nevertheless it did keep starvation at bay for a very sizeable portion of Tipperary people at that crucial time in Black ’47.

Meanwhile four other ancient manuscripts, one found close to Thurles here in Co Tipperary are to undergo special preservation work and to be digitized and put on show beside the Book of Kells, in Trinity College, Dublin.

These priceless manuscripts, going back to the fifth and eighth century, will include the eighth century “Book of Dimma,” possibly written originally at St. Crónán‘s Monastery, Roscrea, Co Tipperary.

In 1789, the Book of Dimma was supposedly discovered in a small cave on “The Devils Bit” near Thurles. The little known Book of Dimma, was preserved by Thady O’Carroll, Prince of Ely, and later during possibly the mid-twelfth century was encased in a rich gilt case. The book is a copy of the four Gospels written in Old Latin and is representative of Irish ‘Pocket Gospel’ manuscripts.

The book, which had a blessing dedicated to the sick and dying added in the 10th or 11th century, can be viewed in Trinity College, Dublin, together with many other articles of Ireland’s rich historical treasures found in Tipperary, now bringing prosperity to our capital city’s economy at the expense of Tipperary and indeed mid rural Ireland.

M/s Susie Bioletti, head of conservation at Trinity, said that this funding for the project, obtained from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is the most generous grant the library has secured for works on early Irish manuscripts and will enable scholarship and public engagement with the manuscripts, sharing these national treasures with our Irish and visitors from abroad.

The funding obtained by Trinity College is part of Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s global art conservation project which has awarded grants to museums in 26 other countries for 71 conservation projects since 2010.

Premier Hall Thurles Packed For 50th Celebrations

For many decades now ‘The Premier Ballroom’ here in Thurles has provided Thurles and Tipperary people with the very best in dancing entertainment. It comes therefore as no surprise that last Sunday the “Thurles Club for dancing”‘ should take an opportunity to celebrate the hall’s 50th anniversary this year.

Maybe it was nostalgia, that chance to slip back in time and remember loves lost or won or maybe it was a chance to meet up again with old friends and renew acquaintances, which drew the crowds. Whatever each individual’s reason, past patrons flocked in their hundreds to the Premier Ballroom, to relive once again the era of the big band dancing scene, latter which has long since declined, being replaced by the cheaper musical sound influences of the discothèque.

Premier Hall Thurles Celebrating 50 Years Of Dancing from George Willoughby on Vimeo.

On Sunday night last top vocalist and accordion player Finbarr Dennehy got all dancers well warmed up during the first two hours of this event and he was quickly followed by the 2014 winner of the Sunday World’s ”Entertainer of the Year Award,” namely Country singer Mike Denver and His Band.

Of course the Thurles Club for Dancing, which hosted this major event, was first founded itself back in 1971, and still today hold regular dances in the Premier Ballroom, which boasts of having one of the finest dancing surfaces in Ireland. Dancing is held here every second Sunday night from 9.00 p.m. to 12.00 midnight with an average attendance any evening of 160 persons. Admission is a mere €8.00 per person.

Mind you, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see an increase in patron numbers, on future Sunday events, so successful was last Sunday’s celebratory dance experience.

Lessons in Social Dancing also take place in this large Ballroom twice a year (one session in Feb./March and again in Sept./Oct.) These two six-week courses costs a total of just €20 for each six-week course. This is the 20th year of such lessons. (For further information on these contact Tom Gleeson at 087-9732837.)

Death Of Daniel O’Donnell’s Mother Announced

It is with great sadness we report the death of Mrs Julia O’Donnell, mother of Daniel O’Donnell and mother-in-law of Thurles native Majella O’Donnell, latter both country singers and reality television stars.

Mr Julia O’Donnell passed away at 3.50am this morning at the ripe old age of 94. Country singers Daniel and his wife Majella announced the news on Daniel’s official website this morning.

Mrs O’Donnell died at Dungloe Community Hospital in Co Donegal, surrounded by her family. The Co Donegal native Daniel, aged 52, had rushed home from Scotland, where he had been performing on Monday night last, to be at his mother’s bedside.

Here in Thurles on Friday last, Daniel briefly sung at a Mass in the Cathedral of The Assumption, for his wife Majella’s father Mr Thomas Roache, latter who also regrettably passed from our midst, before rushing back to Donegal by helicopter to be at his mother’s side.

Mrs Julia O’Donnell had been predeceased by her husband Francie more than 40 years ago and had raised her five children, John, Margaret, Kathleen, James and Daniel single-handed. In more recent times, she had moved residence to live with her daughter Kathleen in Kincasslagh and had, as was her very gentle nature, spent a lot of her time knitting, producing gloves for both Queen Elizabeth II and woollen socks for His Holiness the Pope.

From the people of Thurles to Daniel and Majella, and their grieving families, go our sincere sympathies on both these very sad occasions.

Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam dílis.

Nine New Jobs Announced For Thurles & Templemore

“People with big appetites, should not expect to fill their bellies in someone else’s fridge.” Quote from Judge Judy.

Local Elections 2014 – A Quick Guide Before Polling Day

Voting Day: Voting will take place on Friday May 23rd next 2014.

June 1st Environment Minister Phil Hogan’s new Local Government Reform Bill will come into being and will represent a new, primary overhaul of our local political system, which to-date is some 116 years old.

Tipperary as a county has been divided up into five electoral areas as follows; Nenagh (9 seats), Templemore/Thurles (9 seats), Tipperary/Cashel (7 seats), Clonmel/Cahir (9 seats) and finally Carrick-on-Suir/Fethard (6 seats). In Co Tipperary therefore this present government will create 40 new jobs in total. As shown the Local Electoral Area of Templemore/Thurles, will offer nine new jobs/posts each with a five-year long contract.

Looking back down through the years, most historians will agree that the year 1898 was indeed a pioneering year in the shaping of Ireland’s democracy, through the introduction of this now soon to be defunct system of local government. That same system, which indeed from its very conception had many initial defects, some of which were improved with the passage of time, and same has stayed with us right through the founding of our new democratic Irish State in 1922, right up to present date.

One obvious new change of course now is the ending of the hugely powerful post of County Manager, latter added to our Irish system originally around the 1930’s, in an attempt to tackle that daily hated unit of language ‘corruption’. As we now know this addition failed in many respects nationally e.g.planning, however same post is now to be replaced into the future, by a Chief Executive officer.

What we can immediately perceive in this new Local Government Reform Bill, are two major changes; one being the reduction of elected Councillors nationally, reduced from currently some 1,627 or so individuals down to around 949; the other the reduction of course in the number of Town Council groupings being dumped on the WEEE heap; down from 114 to just 31 in total.

Townslands included in our Electoral Area of Templemore / Thurles 2014

Thurles will remain the capital of our ‘neck of the woods’ or Local Electoral Area of Templemore/Thurles, offering nine new jobs to cover the townslands of (in alphabetical order); Aghnameadle, Ballycahill, Ballymurreen, Borrisnafarney, Borrisnoe, Borrisoleigh, Bourney East, Bourney West, Buolick, Clogher, Drom, Fennor, Gaile, Glenkeen, Gortkelly, Holycross, Inch, Kilcooly, Killavinoge, Killea, Kilrush, Littleton, Longfordpass, Loughmore, Moyaliff, Moycarky, Moyne, Rahelty, Rathnaveoge, Roscrea, Templemore, Templetouhy, Thurles Rural, Thurles Urban, Timoney, Two-Mile-Borris and Upperchurch.

Templemore/Thurles 2014 Local Election Candidates

Fianna Fáil: Michael Smith, Seamus Hanafin, John Hogan, Jackie Cahill.
Fine Gael: Michael Cleary, Joe Bourke, Michael Madden, Maura Bourke, Liam Brereton.
Sinn Féin: Joan Delaney, David Doran.
Labour: John Kennedy, Shane Lee.
Independents: Evelyn Nevin, Michaél Lowry, Willie Kennedy, Eddie Moran, Jim Ryan.

Let there be no wailing, periods of mourning or even gnashing of teeth for those who will lose their seats under Hogan’s new Local Government Reform Bill. Despite their claims of having ‘strong voices,’ most have been double jobbing, so none will be forced immediately to emigrate in search of work in Australia or Canada. Instead these same so-called strong voiced representatives, many in the past demonstrating limited ability, will now share a €20.9 million kick-back when town and Borough Councils are abolished at the end of this month. At least we know that these individuals,despite being made redundant, will be able to pay the first round of Fine Gael’s non-metered water tax imposition on time come January 2015, while many of the rest of us will be reduced to “the trickle.”

Politician. (Definition): A person who shakes your hand before elections and once elected, your confidence later on.

After this election, Councillors chosen will discover that they will have very limited power or even that four lettered word ‘work’ to actually undertake. Local democracy as such has been eroding slowly since the vote catching ‘Rates Abolition’ of 1977. These newly elected officers, that you the people will soon choose, will no longer have any control over; Roads, Water Quality, Health, Local Housing, Education, Transport or even Community Development projects, into the foreseeable future. So my next and obvious question; what exactly will these new Councillors be doing for the next five years?

Motor expenses will most certainly increase due to the mileage distance factor, as they alternate between Nenagh and Clonmel. I still cannot understand why Thurles, the halfway house, wasn’t chosen as our Councils new political headquarters.

As our daily readers are aware dictator Phil Hogan is not numbered amongst my friends on Facebook and I make no claim to being a clairvoyant, but from the current financial perspective of our nation, latter “up to its eyeballs in debt,” all this change just may be positive; including the decision to have single unit administrations introduced here to Co. Tipperary for the first time. But again I ask the question what will our newly elected representatives be actually doing and will local democracy in future, be down to the ordinary people on the street violently protesting, as is the case with Irish Water and their metering ?

In the words of President M.D.Higgins, while on his recent British State junket, I also would like to comment on behalf of “the ordinary people of Ireland, and the generations yet to come.” So to this end would each of the above named candidates now seeking election (If I have left anyone off my above list, God forbid, do let me know), like to tell our readers what they have actually achieved on behalf of the Templemore/Thurles electoral area, during their previous term in office.

Remember, I seek information on what each of you achieved, realized, attained, brought to fruition, pulled off, actually accomplished or fully completed, on behalf of ‘the ordinary people’ who placed you in high office.

We ‘the ordinary people of Ireland,’ do not want to hear, I repeat; “We do not want to hear” what you discussed with “strong voices,” or about the work achieved by your political party colleagues in government, which you “welcomed.”

Like any large employer seeking good quality employees, we the ordinary people in this case the ‘Hirers and Firers’ would like to see your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and your References from your last places of employment.

All this information is important to us when we go to decide on whom we should employ on May 23rd, thus ensuring that we can return to office, only those with real proven ability. Forget from which Political Party you hail, Local Elections this time out should be about real ability and keep in mind National Elections are only months away and based on the performance of our current North Tipperary National Elected Representatives, there will definitely be promotions in the offing.

No,no, please, we don’t want to hear about potholes filled, charity fund-raising, car parking charges, assistance given to persons in search of false teeth, glasses or indeed the public funds siphoned off to sports clubs and residents associations to gain local votes prior to this election.

No we want to hear about your efforts in stimulating job creation, tourism, that sort of thing, stuff about supporting local business and inspiring entrepreneurial efforts, where no kick-backs were sought or indeed offered.

Looking forward to hearing from you all very soon.

Financial Rewards Offered For Job Creation In Tipperary

Tipperary County Council is inviting community organisations to attend an information evening in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, tomorrow Wednesday May 7th. Its purpose, to announce opportunities for local Tipperary communities to engage with ConnectIreland.

But who are ConnectIreland I hear you ask? Please view self explanatory video hereunder.

NOTE; This information event will be held in Brú Ború, Cashel at 7.00pm sharp, tomorrow May 7th.

ConnectIreland is, as shown, delivering a programme whereby the Irish government will financially reward any ‘Connectors’ who are in a position to introduce an internationally expanding company to Ireland. As shown if that company goes on to establish part of its operations in Ireland and employs people, a financial reward of €1,500 for each job (minimum of 3 jobs) up to a maximum of €150,000 which will be payable to the ‘Connector.’

The reason for this information meeting is to inform local people about the opportunities existing to assist in creating jobs in our much neglected county or indeed anywhere else in Tipperary / Thurles / Ireland. As you have observed, large financial rewards will accrue to any individual / community group etc. that can engage and attract any manufacturing investors from abroad.

Those addressing the meeting tomorrow evening will include North Tipperary Co Manager Mr Joe MacGrath and Mr John Delaney, CEO of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).

Details of the opportunities accruing from this programme will be fully outlined and information will be provided on all prospects for local community groups or other organisations becoming involved in Tipperary, as to future financial reward.

Refreshments will be served to all attendees on arrival.