Video « Thurles Information

Tipperary Folk Legend Liam Clancy Passes On

Tipperary folk legend Liam Clancy died at about midday last Friday, aged 74, at the Bons Secours Hospital, in Co Cork, surrounded, as he would have wished, by his beloved wife Kim and daughters Siobhan and Fiona.

He had lost his long battle with pulmonary fibrosis, the same disease which his brother Bobby died of, on September 6th in 2002.

I first met Liam many years ago, when this country was a less greedy and a more saner place, near the harbour in Greystones, Co.Wicklow. If my sliding memory serves me correctly I had listened, spellbound, the previous night, as he recited some poetry, possibly in the Beach House which overlooked the grey harbour wall. As we passed he possibly recognised me from the small crowd the night before and we stopped to chat about poetry for a time, during which period he recited “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” written by Scottish-born singer and songwriter Eric Bogle in 1971.

This ballad is possibly one of the greatest songs ever written demonstrating the total futility of war. Now through this actor’s lips came the passionate, clear and stark retelling of the events of the battle of Suvla Bay, its aftermath and the passionate indictment of all war in general. Liam, in his telling, brought a tear to his own eye and indeed the eyes of those few of us lucky enough on that day to happen on this unscheduled meeting with him.

Liam Clancy, was just 21 when he left his native Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, for New York city. With him went his older brothers Tommy and Paddy and of course later they would be joined by Tommy Makem and Bobby Clancy.

The Clancy Brothers took up singing in local bars and other venues and soon became part of the then emerging Greenwich Village vagabond folk movement, which then existed. Greenwich Village would soon be identified as the bohemian capital and the birthplace of the Beat movement where musicians and artists would enjoy the company of like-minded people.
Continue reading Tipperary Folk Legend Liam Clancy Passes On

Thurles – The Fashion Capital

As already stated in a previous article when it comes to ladies and gents fashion, the choice available from the numerous clothing outlets in Thurles, seriously outshine all other towns in County Tipperary and surrounding areas.

This week we received numerous emails complaining about the non-availability of tickets to the 2009 Thurles Chamber Fashion Show. Thurles Chamber send their apologies to you lovely ladies who were disappointed, but space at the event was limited strictly to 300 seats.

To take the sting out of your disappointment here is just a small excerpt from that fabulous nights entertainment, courtesy of Thurles Chamber. So, sit back and enjoy the Fashion Show in High-Definition!

Thurles Fashion Show 2009 from Brian Corbett on Vimeo.

If you see something you like, (No I am not referring to the very beautiful and very professional models provided by the Holman Lee Agency, Limerick) just hop on the bike into Thurles.

Thurles town’s secret to finding exactly what you are looking for, be it something for a wedding, party, or just some trendy garment, guaranteed to attract attention at your favourite Nightclub, is the large number of clothing and footwear outlets available in close proximity within the town, plus the wide range of garments on offer to suit all age groups and all pockets.

Remember all of the clothing and footwear shown on this High Definition clip can be obtained from one of these stores;

Marie Therese Fashions (Slievenamon Rd)

United Colours of Benetton (Friar Street)

Moran’s (Friar Street)

Sable Outerwear Manufacturing Ltd (Industrial Estate, Stradavoher)

Dunnes Stores (Slievenamon Rd, Roundabout)

Joanne’s (Liberty Square)

En Paris (Liberty Square)

Airport (Friar Street)

McKeon’s Footwear (Friar Street)

Note: The professional ‘Make-Up’ and ‘Hair Styles’ for the evenings performance were provided by Natasha Doyle of “Boutique Salon” situated in Parnell Street, Thurles.

Finally a special thanks to A. Strapp (Chamber President) PJ. Shanahan, K. Moloney, A. Broderick and Natasha Doyle for making the evening such a pleasant one for all who attended.

Swine Flu Cases Up By Over 25%

At least 229 people have now been admitted to hospital with swine flu in the Republic of Ireland, according to the latest Health Service Executive (HSE) figures. This is an increase of 46 on last week’s numbers.

This news comes as the HSE continues preparations to vaccinate people around the country against the virus, possibly beginning on October 19th next starting with persons with underlying medical conditions. Healthy children will be next in line and and the final group will be vaccinated in special HSE operated clinics as yet to be set up around the country. The vaccination of the State’s “healthy” adult population will possibly not get under way until early next year.

Chief Medical Officer Mr Tony Holohan said that the rate of influenza like illnesses being detected amongst young people were a cause of great concern. He further stated:-

“In some younger people we know that the rate is running at about 135 per week, which is an increase from about 50 on the previous week in children up to the age of four. In children between five and fourteen it runs at about 140 so you can see that it is quite a spread of infection among younger people.”

The HSE is still unsure about the level of supplies of vaccine it will receive over the coming months. Meanwhile what should you be doing to hault the spread of this virus? Have a look at the video below.

[wpyt_profile2]zT9fxhrjoQc[/wpyt_profile2]

Health Minister Mary Harney said funds were being provided to expand the intensive care capacity in hospitals and train staff to deal with the rise in numbers of people who will have to be admitted with the virus over the winter. A HSE spokesman said the there were currently 289 hospital critical care beds in hospitals and the aim was to the double the capacity.

Ireland – A Nation That Speaks With Their Ears

If you’re anything like me, when you see those distinctive white headphones in the distance you sometimes wonder about what those people are listening to on their iPods.

What’s that guy beside me on the bus listening to? How about that girl sitting across from me on the train, or how about the guy rhythmically nodding his head in the queue at the local post office? Well, chances are they are listening to the Kings of Leon.

That’s right, IRMA (Irish Recorded Music Industry) has confirmed that this year’s Oxegen headliners, the Kings of Leon, were indeed the biggest selling artists in Ireland last year, going five times platinum with their fourth album ‘Only by the Night’. Considering that the album was only released in September, that’s not bad going for the Nashville rockers. The album has so far spawned more than its fair share of hit singles, the anthemic ‘Sex on Fire’ and the touching ‘Use Somebody’ to name but a few, and sales of the album will no doubt continue for many months to come yet.

Top of the singles chart was The Galway Girl written by Steve Earle and recorded by Sharon Shannon and Mundy. Time for all you Bulmers Cider drinkers, latter manufactured in Co.Tipperary, to raise a glass in celebration of your adopted anthem. It was the highest selling single and also interestingly enough, in a musical era defined by downloads (both legal and illegal), The Galway Girl was the most downloaded song in 2008.

So who is in line for the 2009 crown? Well it’s probably too early to say, but it’s a brave man who will ignore the fact that a certain Dublin band called U2 recently released a new album this year.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see will the Irish nation again speak with their ears.

Susan Boyle – A Parable In a Modern Day World

The very emotional powerhouse performance by Scottish amateur singer Susan Boyle’s show stopping rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from the show Les Misérables is certainly a modern parable and a stiff rebuke to all of us with tendencies to judge others, based solely on visual physical appearance.

[wpyt_profile2]tfQu9OBfQVI[/wpyt_profile2]

Before Susan sang, both the audience, the judges, and I am sure most of us, the 10.3 million viewers of this third series of Britain’s Got Talent, expressed scepticism, based on what we saw as her unpolished appearance and obvious shy awkwardness.

Then she opened her mouth and viewers, judges and the live audience gasped, as a phoenix rose from the ashes of what we now know, previously for her, was a life of disappointment, sadness and heartbreak.

Susan Boyle lives alone in a row of houses with her cat Pebbles, a drab existence in one of Scotland’s poorest regions. She cared for her widowed mother for years, never married and sings in church and at karaoke nights at her local pub. Locals knew she could sing, but now through Twitter, YouTube, and countless other blog postings, so does everyone else.

Born the youngest of nine children in a devout Roman Catholic family, she grew up in one of Scotland’s most deprived areas, a district blighted by unemployment, crime and social problems. This area has suffered a great deal since the local British Leyland car plant shut down in the 1980s. Susan is a keen amateur singer, and performs in church choirs and school plays and is a regular on the karaoke circuit in Blackburn and the nearby town of Bathgate. She claims her mother, Bridget, had encouraged her to enter “Britain’s Got Talent” but it was not until after her death that she plucked up the courage to try her luck.

Susan’s millions of fans must now wait to see whether she makes it through the next rounds of this show, but bookmakers have made her the firm favorite to win, offering a Susan Boyle victory with 5-2 odds. However, whether she wins or not Susan has cemented her status as a singing star with an invitation to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the reported setting up of a contract by Simon Cowell with his Syco Music company label, which is a a subsidiary of Sony Music.

Susan Boyle’s story is most definitely a victory for talent and artistry in a modern day culture totally obsessed with physical attractiveness.