Video « Thurles Information

Ireland Should Move Towards Achieving Health-Based WHO Air Quality Guidelines.

Air quality in Ireland is generally good, however, there are concerning localised issues that are impacting negatively on the air we breathe.
Ireland met all of its EU legal requirements in 2021, but it did not meet the new health-based WHO guidelines.
Ireland and Europe should move towards achieving the health-based WHO air quality guidelines.
It is estimated that there are approximately 1,300 premature deaths annually in Ireland due to poor air quality from fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
The choices we make in how we heat our homes and how we travel directly impacts the quality of the air we breathe.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched its annual air quality report ‘Air Quality in Ireland 2021’.

The report shows that, while air quality in Ireland is generally good and compares favourably with many of our European neighbours, there are concerning localised issues, which lead to poor air quality.

While Ireland met EU legal air quality limits in 2021, it did not meet the health-based World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines for a number of pollutants including: particulate matter (PM), nitrogen Dioxide (N02), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3), due to the burning of solid fuel in our towns and villages and traffic in our cities.

Poor air quality has a negative impact on people’s health and there are an estimated 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland per year due to particulate matter in our air. Air monitoring results in 2021 from EPA stations across Ireland show that fine particulate matter (PM2.5), mainly from burning solid fuel in our homes, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) mainly from road traffic, remain the main threats to good air quality.

Launching the report, Air Quality in Ireland 2021, Dr Micheál Lehane, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection & Environmental Monitoring, said, “The EPA’s air quality monitoring carried out in 2021 has shown that Ireland met all of its EU legal requirements in 2021. However, we would not have met the new WHO air quality guidelines for health. Meeting the new WHO guidelines for air quality will be a major challenge for the country, however the report identifies a number of solutions to move towards these guideline levels”.

In the report the EPA states that:

Ireland and Europe should move towards achieving the health-based WHO air quality guidelines.
The planned National Clean Air Strategy for Ireland needs to be published and fully implemented.
Local Authorities must provide more resources to increase air enforcement activities.
National investment in clean public transport is needed across the country.

Mr Pat Byrne, EPA Programme Manager, said, “Air quality in Ireland is generally good, however, there are localised issues that are impacting negatively on air quality and our health. In our towns and villages monitoring identifies high levels of particulate matter associated with burning solid fuels and in our larger cities high levels of nitrogen dioxide is associated with road traffic. There are options and solutions to help improve the air we breathe. Changes we make to how we heat our homes and finding alternative ways to travel can immediately impact our local air quality”.

The EPA’s Air Quality in Ireland 2021 report is now available HERE on the EPA website.

The EPA continually monitors air quality across Ireland and provides the air quality index for health and real-time results online HERE.
Results are updated hourly on the website, and people can log on at any time to check whether the current air quality is good, fair or poor.
You can also find out how to improve air quality from the EPA’s “How we can improve the air we breathe infographic” or check out the ‘ABC for Cleaner Air’ campaign from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, which highlights some simple steps we can all make and help reduce pollution from solid fuels.

Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office: Tel: 053-91 70770 (24 hours) and media@epa.ie

History Of Nursery Rhyme “Goosey Goosey Gander”.

“Goosey goosey gander, whither shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs and in my lady’s chamber.
There I met an old man who wouldn’t say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg and threw him down the stairs.
The stairs went crack; he nearly broke his back.
And all the little ducks went, quack, quack, quack.”

The rhyme, in its original form, is rarely, if ever, taught nowadays to young children, given its rather violent and therefore unsuitable content.

It is believed that this rhyme refers to Priest Holes. Strong anti-Catholic sentiment in England had forced practising Catholic families to hide their wayfaring Catholic priests, thus avoiding having them persecuted under the reigns of King Henry VIII; his descendent Edward VI; Queen Elizabeth I, and later under Oliver Cromwell; the latter a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and thereafter a politician.
Once discovered these wandering priests would be forcibly removed from their place of refuge and in many cases thrown down the stairs, before being further badly treated; hence “all the little ducks went, quack, quack, quack.”

During the reign of Edward VI, “Can’t say his prayers” possibly referred to the banning of prayers in Latin and the insistence on the use of the Church of England’s “Book of Common Prayer”, preached in the English language; sanctioned in the reign of Henry VIII.

Later on, “left leg” became a slang term for members of the Catholic Church during the reign of Edward VI.
Readers in Ireland will be familiar with the term, he/she “kicks with the right foot/leg”, latter referring to members of the Protestant community.

Smart Ways to Manage Your Child’s Smartphone.

With all pupils now firmly back to school, parents may feel the need to reduce screen time on phones and other devices.

Too much screen time can be linked with disrupted sleep; and unlimited streaming services and social media can distract from study, sport and result in very late bedtimes.

As smart phones have evolved, some very smart and simple ways of controlling screen time have also emerged. The old fashioned way of reducing screen time was to take away phones and devices, with the inevitable “please just a few more minutes” plea dominating bedtime.

Now parents can remotely control screen time, as well as limiting what children can access on their phones and tablets, all from the comfort of their own devices.

If you and your family use iPhones and other Apple devices, watch the video hereunder.

If you and your family use Android devices, check out the video below.

If you are looking for more information on reducing screen time or online, app and smartphone safety, excellent up to date information is available HERE

Renowned Irish Singer To Celebrates Culture Night At Cashel Library.

Tipperary Librarian Ms Maura Barrett Reports: –

Cashel Library [situated at Friar Street, St. Francisabbey, Cashel, Co. Tipperary] invite you to celebrate ‘Culture Night’ on Friday next, September 23rd, at 7:00pm, with the internationally renowned Irish Singer, Song-writer Mr Mick Hanly.

Also featuring on the night will be Ukranian Folk Artist & Choreographer, Ms Yuliya Shilnikova.

**Mick Hanly & Yuliya Shilnikova entertain at Cashel Library, September 23rd next**.

American country music singer and songwriter, Garth Brooks currently touring Ireland presently, said of Mick Hanly, “His songs are real, they mean something. He is one of the best songwriters around at the moment”.

The above song, “Past The Point of Rescue”, (as performed by rising Nashville country star, Hal Ketchum), stormed the U.S. country singles and album charts, earning the coveted Gold Disc for both Hal Ketchum (the performer), and Mick Hanly (the song writer).

Note: It is essential that those intent on attending this event, should répondez s’il vous plaît (RSVP) this open invitation, to Cashel Library Tel: 062 63825.

Installation Of Smart Meters Underway In Co. Tipperary.

The ESB Networks, or individuals working on their behalf, are currently replacing all electricity meters across Ireland to Smart meters.

The programme initially began in 2019, which means many meters have already been replaced. ESB Networks will let you know when they are coming to your area to replace your meter.

The installation of Smart meters, in Co. Tipperary, is currently underway. Same Smart meters are an upgrade to the previous analogue meters found in people’s homes and use the latest digital technology to give up-to-date details on a household’s electricity usage.
Smart meters mean that there will be no need for a visit from your friendly meter reader, latter calling every 4 months or indeed your grossly exaggerated estimated electricity bill.
Your Smart meter now can be read remotely, and you will then be supposedly able to access new smart services offered by electricity suppliers.
Once installed it takes 30 days for your smart meter to establish its connection to the ESB Network secure communications network.

Some one million Smart meters have already been installed in homes across Ireland to date, and NO, if you want electricity, you must have a Smart Meter installed. It is expected that all two million households in Ireland will have a smart meter in their home by 2024 or early in 2025.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), Ireland’s independent energy and water regulator, are advising households, who have had a smart meter installed in their home, to contact their electricity supplier regarding the smart services they offer.
According to the CRU, all suppliers of electricity must offer Smart Price Plans to customers with a Smart Meter installed.

Smart services are supposed to give electricity users more choice, allowing them to move their electricity use to certain times of the day, thus allowing customers to choose price plans to suit their particular lifestyle.