|
|
The picturesque village of Clonoulty,Thurles, in Tipperary, is situated in the Golden Vale, latter the richest farm land in Europe. To the casual passing tourist it is just another Irish rural village, displaying very great civic pride, through its well kept appearance.
The village gains “National Prominence” each year when it, together with it’s sister village Rossmore, becomes host to the International Miss Macra Festival, latter which this year celebrates it’s 40th birthday. However tourists take note; there is more to the village of Clonoulty than meets the eye, as my tale will tell.
From a sporting perspective, this area has always been a hive of GAA activity and possibly therefore few are aware of its associations with past Rugby glory, its contribution to World leadership or even it’s British Royal Family connection.
Now with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II due to make her first State visit to Ireland, Thurles, her ancestral home and Clonoulty are both being focused on by Urban District Councillors and County Councillors, anxious to make a good impression and hoping to take full advantage of the much needed tourism that will be generated by Her Majesties visit. While we are aware of her Thurles connections, many may not be aware of the ‘Clonoulty Connection’.
The Clonoulty Connection
Detailed in the Census of 1911 the residents of Srahavarrella, now the home of Thomas Heffernan, in Clonoulty West, Tipperary are as follows:-
Pike William, (Church of Ireland Clergyman.) age 48, Husband and head of the family and a native of Co Mayo.
Harriett Florence Pike (Maiden Name, Surridge.) aged 34, Wife and a native of Dublin City.
Margaret Walker Pike, aged 8, a daughter, born in Co Kilkenny.
Andrew Hamilton Pike, aged 7, a son born in Co Kilkenny.
Theodore Ouseley Pike, aged 6, a son born in Co Tipperary.
Robert Bonsall Pike, aged 5, a Son, born in Co Tipperary.
Victor Joseph Pike, aged 3, a Son, born in Co Tipperary.
Charlotte Florence Pike, aged 2, a Daughter, born in Co Tipperary.
John Surridge Pike, aged 1, a Son, born in Co Tipperary.
From this information we can glean the villages Irish Rugby Football connection, a world leader and even a British Royal Family connection.
Victor Joseph Pike
Victor Joseph Pike, born July 1, 1907, Clonoulty, Thurles and died February 25, 1986, in Salisbury aged 78 years and 239 days.
Played Rugby for Ireland between 1931-1934, including in the Five Nations at Twickenham, where he made his Ireland Test debuts on the 14th February 1931, in the position of Hooker.
The Irish Team that day were as follows: – SH-Mark Sugden (Capt), FB – Major Egan, W- Edward Lightfoot, C– Eugene Davy, C – Laurence McMahon,W- Joxer Arigho, FH-Paul Murray, H-Victor Pike, N8-Hal Withers, L– Jimmy Farrell, N8– Jack Siggins, L– Jack Russell, F- Noel Murphy, N8– George Beamish, F- James Clinch. Match attendance on the day was 60,000
Victor Joseph Pike CBE CB, went on to become the Anglican Bishop of Sherborne,in the third quarter of the 20th century. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and ordained in 1930. His ministry began with a curacy at Dundrum, Dublin, after which he began a long spell as a Chaplain to the Forces, rising eventually to become Chaplain-General.
His Military précis reads:- The Reverend Canon Victor Joseph PIKE,C.B.E., Q.H.C., Chaplain-General to the Forces (53409), Royal Army Chaplains’ Department. REGULAR ARMY RESERVE OF OFFICERS: Ven. Archdeacon V. J. PIKE, C.B., C.B.E., D.D. (53409) Chapln. to the Forces 1st Cl. Having attained the age limit ceases to belong to the Res.of Offrs., 1st Jul. 1967, retaining the rank of Chapln. to the Forces 1st Cl.
After his death a trust was set up to assist in the education of sons and daughters of Protestant clergy.
Continue reading Clonoulty Tipperary: Rugby, Queen Elisabeth II & Miss Macra Festival
Bosses on the UK X Factor talent finding show have confirmed that no Irish auditions will take place this year.
The word on the street is that X Factor bosses won’t hold trials in Ireland this year, as British music executive, television producer and entrepreneur, Simon Philip Cowell thinks Ireland has no talent.
There’s outright outrage as Irish fans are being told Cardiff is only a stone’s throw away and we’re being told to audition over there.The audition application deadline has passed, but you can still audition at nationwide open days. Just make sure you turn up at 9am at the following times and venues:
- March 20th: Birmingham NEC
- March 26th: Manchester Old Trafford Stadium
(Metrolink has advised that there will be engineering works the weekend of the auditions, please make sure you look into alternative routes if you wish to come.)
- April 9th: Cardiff City Stadium.
Maybe this small summary clip taken by me of Phoenix Productions at work at their recent ‘American Tea Party’ fund raiser, will whet his appetite. The performers are all resident here in Thurles and can take on anything our Simon Cowell can put on show anytime.
Hello Simon Cowell, take off those sun glasses, accommodation and flights don’t come cheap and we don’t all enjoy the luxury and ownership of a private yacht!
We have a wonderful theatre over here in Thurles called The Source and we can let you have it for free for auditions if you have the stomach for it.
If the crowd gets too big, we can move up the road to Semple Stadium
Personally I believe Simon is afraid that the great talent that exists in Ireland, might affect his English acts and he is afraid when the Irish have a vote, same might just affect his little score sheets.
Take care Simon that we do not send some of out outstanding musical talent over to Cardiff City to prove how wrong you really are.
Probably not though, since the troupe will be in full rehearsals for their next production, which is Les Misérables. Such a pity really!
Then again, maybe RTE will rid us of that painful All Ireland Talent Show and replace it with a proper show, using a panel of judges who know something about music, instead of a panel of ‘self styled unqualified celebrities’ and one hit wonder merchants,’ who bore us to death every Sunday evening.
This year’s International Miss Macra Festival will be held from Thursday July 28th to Monday 1st August 2011. The festival is organised annually by Clonoulty Rossmore Macra, and will once again be held in the magnificent surroundings of the Dundrum House Hotel and Golf Resort here in Co. Tipperary.
Irish Beauty Festivals or pageants, as tourist attraction or festival themes, have for the most part died the death throughout this country, but two such events continue to stand the test of time and continue to flourish, namely The Rose of Tralee and the International Miss Macra Festival.
The main reasons for the mammoth and continued success of these festivals, possibly lies in the fact that the emphasis is not just on physical beauty alone, latter which I hasten to add, is very prominent in both, but judging in the afore mentioned festivals places an accent more on internal beauty and true qualification, which always demands a closer examination of those ‘lovelies’ who choose to enter the competition.
For International Miss Macra, this year is a very special one, as the festival make plans to celebrate it’s 40th birthday. It has been 40 years of learning, 40 years of mixed financial fortunes and 40 years of dedicated voluntary hard work, undertaken by an enthusiastic and dedicated Macra membership.
As part of their 40 Years Celebration this year, Clonoulty Rossmore Macra are poised to send invitations to all past winners of the festival. They look forward to welcoming previous contestants and their supporters back to Tipperary, to relive what was surely a memorable weekend in their lives during those past 40 years.
With selection processes underway for this year’s representatives, the club intend to have contestants once again from the four corners of Ireland as well as from overseas.
Promises to be an exciting weekend.
On March 3rd next, Shannon Development, in conjunction with Failte Ireland will, once again, hold their annual Shannon Region tourism briefing. This briefing will take place in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ennis Rd, Limerick with registration at 10.30am (starting time 11am).
The Shannon Development team will be joined by executives from Failte Ireland as well as Tourism Ireland to present our plans for 2011.
Shannon Development hope that those involved in the tourism industry will be in a position to join them on the day and they look forward to meeting with as many members of the industry as possible, because your input is vital to their work.
This event is also a useful opportunity to network with peers in the tourism sector and to exchange ideas.
RSVP: If you are planning to attend, please rsvp to Bernadette Kelly, Tel: 061 710433. Email: kellyb@shannondevelopment.ie
Shannon Development also launched a new school tours brochure on Wednesday last in an effort to capitalise on the potential of the school tours business for Tipperary.
St.Mary’s Famine Museum, here in Thurles has been attracting school tours for the past 10 years, not only from County Tipperary, but also from surrounding counties, particularly from Limerick, Cork, Offaly and Kilkenny. The Museum offers lecture facilities to all visitors and students and the opportunity to examine at first hand primary sources from the Great Famine period 1845 to 1849 in accordance with the Irish Department of Education history guidelines.
The Museum which is open to the public from May1st to September 31st, each year is also available to tour groups all year round by appointment.
Contact: Telephone: 0504-21133 or Email: george.willo@gmail.com
Amongst its many attractions are the only surviving records of a Famine Food Committee, a detailed record of relief given by local Soup Kitchen’s in 1846/47, plus a model of the town of Thurles 16ft x 8ft, as it was in 1846, recorded by a then civil servant, Thomas Hegarty.
Starting this month, a copy of the “School Tours 2011 in Ireland’s Shannon Region” will be distributed to every secondary school in the country and to all primary schools in the region and surrounding counties.
A major marketing blitz is also planned for the U.K. market.
Councillor John Hogan (Moyne) has stated that the community of Moyne/Templetuohy are very concerned over the future of the Lisheen Mines and of the environment in the locality.
Mr Hogan stated: “I wrote to the C.E.O. of Anglo American, Ms. Cynthia Carroll, expressing the communities concerns over the terrible reputation that Vedanta Resources have in India. Amnesty International has written an in depth report on human rights and serious environment violations carried out by Vedanta Resources. The company also had the Tuticorin Smelter in India closed by the Indian courts. According to the Indian Judges Vedanta Resources violated the company’s operation permissions from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. In their verdict, Judges said the smelter was emitting noxious air pollution, that the plant’s effluents were hazardous and caused high levels of heavy metals, arsenic and fluorides in the groundwater and that the entire plant site was now “severely polluted”.
Another example of our fears in June 2009 a prestigious World Environmental award the “Golden Peacock” was withdrawn at the last minute after
demonstrators protested about the company’s highly polluting alumina refinery on the land of Kondh tribes in Orissa, India. Government pollution inspectors have commented on the ‘alarming’ and ‘continuous’ seepage of toxic waste from the refinery. Kondh people living near the refinery have told Survival International that they have suffered skin problems after bathing in polluted water, that their crops are choked by dust from the refinery and that cattle have died after drinking from polluted streams.”
Councillor Hogan added: “So far I have received a reply from Mr. Hennie Faul, Chief Executive Officer Zinc with Anglo American. Mr. Faul chose not to answer any of the allegations in connection with Verdanta Resources and instead stated that the costs associated with the Mine closure and rehabilitation plan, as well as the perpetual aftercare of Lisheen Mine are fully secured. This reply from Anglo American has added to the community fears, firstly because they sold us out to a company with issues that Anglo American are not willing to comment on. Also Anglo American are disingenuous in claiming that perpetual aftercare costs of Lisheen are secure when as a stake holder our community has not even entered discussions on the perpetual aftercare.”
Moyne/Templetuohy Community Parish Forum are meeting next Monday night to discuss and decide a future plan of action in relation to these issues.
|
Support Us Help keep Thurles.info online by donating below. Thank you.
Total Donated 2026: €40.00
Thank You!
Daily Thurles Mass Livestream
|
Recent Comments