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Free parking has been extended to Thurles town car parks in the run-up to Christmas, well that’s if you are prepared to leave your Christmas Shopping until the very last minute.
Same has been introduced in a bid to encourage consumers into the town centre and hopefully put funding into the cash registers of those businesses trading at a major disadvantage and situated in the area of Liberty Square and surrounding streets, latter forced to compete with free car parking permitted elsewhere on the Towns outskirts.
Obviously the Town Manager and Town Clerk were feeling in Festive Mood last night, allowing our Local Councillors apparently to run riot, thus making at least one real decision on their own, for this year.
Whatever, Thurles Town Council have now announced that free parking will be available in the local authority car parks in Thurles with effect from December 21st to December 24th inclusive.
I wonder was there any debate on the tender being sought for the planning, design and delivery of a proposed new car park on the ‘money side’ of Liberty Square, Thurles, last night? No matter this is possibly information that would only further confuse the average struggling businessman/woman in our town centre and better off not being discussed by the great unwashed.
I don’t often support Minister Phil Hogan, but thank God that as and from June 2014 local secret societies like Town Councils will be banned.
In the words of that minor character Timothy Cratchit, called “Tiny Tim”, is the 1843 novel ‘A Christmas Carol,’ by Charles Dickens, “God bless us, every one!”
“Fairytale of New York.”
“They’ve got cars, big as bars,
They’ve got rivers of gold,
But the wind goes right through you,
It’s no place for the old.”
(Lyrics written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan.)
Is North Tipperary native and ‘Fairytale of New York’ singer Shane MacGowan about to make a Christmas appearance on the much loved ‘soap,’ Coronation Street? Well according to his website last month he may well be.
A native of Puckhaun, in north Co Tipperary, Shane himself was born on Christmas Day in Kent, while his parents were over there visiting relatives. Shane obtained his massive talents from both parents; his mother being a great singer and traditional Irish dancer, while his father had a great interest in literature and writing.
Shane’s partner the very lovely Victoria Mary Clarke is understood to have posted pictures of the ‘Pogues,’ singer, enjoying a drink in the Rovers Return with actor Chris Gascoyne who plays Peter Barlow. Sources have confirmed the episode will air on December 20th. Photographs show the Rovers Return clearly adorned with Christmas decorations and it was thought that the 55-year-old musician was set to star in a once off episode this coming festive season, perhaps singing his seasonal classic Fairytale of New York.
However, a spokesperson for Coronation Street has stated that “He was here doing some filming but for a little surprise VT that is not part of the main show.” It now maybe the case that, rather than appearing as a new drop-in character in the long running TV series, the Irish songwriter will instead sing alongside cast members in a charity performance that will form a centrepiece of the ‘Text Santa,’ charity appeal television gala, latter presented by Ant and Dec, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby with Christine Bleakley and Paddy McGuinness. Text Santa raises funds for Age UK, Barnardo’s, BeatBullying, British Heart Foundation, CLIC Sargeant and Help the Hospices.
However it is not the first time Coronation Street has been visited by greats in the world of ‘Rock.’ Viewers will remember Les Battersby, played by Bruce Jones, persuaded ‘Status Quo’ to do a turn in the Rovers after their tour bus supposedly had broken down.
Regardless of what transpires, North Tipperary fans of ‘The Pogues,’ will be pleased to hear and view Shane, whose iconic song, above, is still a Christmas classic, some 26 years later and look forward to the Pogues nine-disc greatest hits collection, “Pogues 30,” due out possibly on December 2nd.
“Now the things I’ve come to know seem so confusin’
It’s gettin’ hard to tell what’s wrong from right
I can’t separate the winners from the losers anymore
And I’m thinking of just giving up the fight.“
“Good Christian Soldier,” Lyrics By Kris Kristofferson
An as yet unpublished report that will guide current Government policy on rural Ireland up until 2025, has discovered that the rural areas of Ireland have had twice the business failure rate as their larger urban counterparts, when it comes to a study of our economic downturn.
Despite 3.5 years of continuous cries of ‘Help,’ from rural dwellers, this report leaves sleepy Senior Civil Servants now considering whether perhaps a Government Department and a Minister of State should now be delegated, with responsibility for future Rural Development.
Other initiatives understood to have been identified by this Senior Civil Servants report include the re-energising of rural tourism.
I trust that the recent announcement by Cork County Manager Martin Riordan of three interpretive centres to be opened on Spike Island in lower Cork Harbour by the summer of 2015, at a cost of €40 million, will not be seen as the re-energising of rural tourism. It is also interesting to note that Bord Fáilte have confirmed it is reversing its initial decision not to grant aid for this project and will now release €2.5m for redevelopment of this island. Someone obviously had a word in someone’s “Shell Like,” (Nod, Nod, Wink and Wink.) Do tell us why this decision was reversed Mr Riordan or should we be asking Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, one James “Jimmy” Deenihan, the Irish Fine Gael Teachta Dála for the Kerry North–West Limerick constituency, how this decision came about.
Mr James “Jimmy” Deenihan and Mr Noel Coonan were two of the people who failed to ensure that the Derrynaflan Hoard, latter stolen from Tipperary, was not returned for “The Gathering,” this year thus reducing tourism numbers to Co Tipperary, by some 25%, as my email records and other unanswered communications will attest.
In the past few days the Dáil have passed the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill after 77 TDs voted in favour of these cuts and new changes announced, and with only 46 opposing the most controversial parts of our recent Budget. These changes included the scrapping of the bereavement grant (77 votes to 43), cuts to maternity benefit, and a reduction in dole for new Social Welfare claimants who are aged under 26.
Just as a matter of interest did any of our readers see even one of our North Tipperary Government representatives in the Dáil, contributing to this debate? I ask this question as my eyesight isn’t what it used to be and these people may have taken up a space at the back of the class. Fobs need to be checked on more than Friday’s here Enda.
Scrapping Of The Bereavement Grant
We the elderly do not have to worry really about this, simply just leave our bodies to Medical Science and the State via one of the 5 medical colleges /universities, latter who in gratitude will provide an embellished coffin. They will cover the expense of (1) bringing the remains to Glasnevin Crematorium, (2) your cremation and (3) your ashes will be buried in the medical school’s private plot within two years of your death. So no problem for relatives here, unless of course you object to medical students standing around your stiffened freezing torso with a smile on their faces when they observe your hidden tattoos.
Continue reading Senior Civil Servants Have Discovered Rural Ireland
Carraig Donn, latter one of Ireland’s well known and premier retailers of Gift-ware, Knitwear, Ladies fashion, Jewellery etc has plans to establish a new branch store at the Thurles Shopping Centre later next month (November 2013). This move could create up to 15 jobs over the coming Christmas period the company reports.
They Are Hiring
Carraig Donn will now hold a recruitment day seeking new employees for this new Thurles store at the Horse and Jockey Hotel, on Thursday October 31st next, between the hours of 10:00am – 3:00pm, inc. and all prospective new employees are asked to call and bring along their CV and expressions of expertises. Carraig Donn are always searching for talented, passionate people who may have previous retail experience and thrive on working in a fast paced environment for our network of retail stores or their Head Office.
Carraig Donn is a truly unique Irish brand and has prospered since its conception as a craft industry retailer back in1965, growing into one of Ireland’s largest retailing outlets.
Carraig Donn still remain today a family owned and managed business concern and through its knitwear manufacturing plant in Westport, Co Mayo and retail outlets, now employ some 400 people nationwide.
When established this new Thurles branch will increase the Carraig Donn nationwide chain to some 33 premises in total and is seen as suggestive of the company’s strong continued growing strength in the retail market over recent years.
Commenting on the store opening in Thurles, the companies Managing Director Mr Pat Hughes has stated; “We are delighted to announce the opening of our Thurles store, and the creation of 15 jobs in the local area. We are in no doubt that there is a strong affinity and loyalty to our brand in the area, with Tipperary customer’s visiting our stores in Carlow, Kilkenny and beyond. We hope to bring our own unique offering to the shopping scene here in Thurles, through our fashion, jewellery and gift-ware departments.”
The county of Tipperary must welcome today’s announcement by Ryanair of its plans to increase the number of services it provides both to and from Shannon International Airport.
Ryanair have stated that as from April 2014 it will begin operating services to Berlin, Faro, Fuerteventura, Krakow, Munich, Nice, Paris and Warsaw, delivering an additional 300,000 passengers per annum to the airport.
If this latest announcement of new routes and the airline’s decision to increase and pursue significantly its Shannon Airport passenger numbers is successful, it will put the newly independent west of Ireland airport on a much more firmer footing with regard to possible future prospects for tourism growth in the Tipperary region.
As a result of today’s announcement a thriving Shannon Airport can be seen as ‘manna from heaven’ for the Tipperary economy as well as obviously being a significant moment for the entire West of Ireland Region, but only provided our heartland of Mid Tipperary now takes full advantage.
We must now introduce a stronger embryonic tourism cord from this western area, using the natural and other newer significant Tourism developments which have been put in place over the past number of years, thus linking to the smaller towns and villages creating the “Spokes of a Wheel,” to which I referred in the past. These “Spokes” will lead eventually here to Thurles and its Co Tipperary environs. The routes announced by Ryanair will then open up a number of new markets not just for Irish holidaymakers going outwards, but should also greatly contribute to the already growing number of Continental tourists currently visiting the West of Ireland and if encouraged the now neglected heartland of Ireland.
Here is an ideal opportunity to create real jobs in Co Tipperary.
To this end the tourism group Hidden Tipperary will shortly call on all Tourism Service Providers in Co Tipperary to a meeting to discuss tourism marketing issues in the coming weeks. While this event will take place in Thurles, an actual date and venue has yet to be decided.
Watch this space for further details to be announced in the coming week ahead.
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