Thurles Information

Death Of Graham Learoyd, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great sadness that we learned of the death on Thursday last 19th May 2022, of Mr Graham Learoyd, Finnahy, Upperchurch, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

His passing is most deeply regretted by his loving wife Janet, son Joseph, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

Interment will take place on Wednesday afternoon, May 25th at 1:00pm in Templebeg Cemetery, Rosmult, Templebeg, Upperchurch, Co. Tipperary.

[NB: Due to C-19 virus fears; those attending will continue to observe strict adherence to social distancing, face covering, with no hand shaking.]

The extended Learoyd family wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time and have made arrangements for those wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.

In ár gcroíthe go deo.

Trachycarpus fortunei – Another Reason To Look Skyward In Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

We regularly recommend the people of Thurles and their temporary elected public servants to focus their gaze more upwards these days, away from their mobile phones screens.
Reason being that the public can more readily view how taxes from hard earned income is being wasted, e.g. 29 street lights burning 24 hours each day, 24 of them for over 3 months.

For all you flower lovers out there, I am happy to relate that there is now another reason to stand and stare skyward. Yes, the “Trachycarpus fortunei” or “Chinese windmill palm“, has burst into bloom here in Thurles.

**“*Trachycarpus fortunei*” or “*Chinese windmill palm*“** **Mill Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary**.

Also known as “Chusan palm“, this solitary 45 year old, 25ft hardy evergreen palm tree, in the family Arecaceae and native to parts of China, Japan, Myanmar and India, can be viewed in all its glory in O’Driscoll’s Garden Centre, latter situated on the Mill Road, east of the town centre and well know, throughout Ireland, as the home of rare plants.

The tree is a single-stemmed fan palm which can grow between 12–20 m (39–66 ft) high with a trunk diameter of 15–30 cm (6–12 in). Each leaf is 140–190 cm (4 ft 7 in – 6 ft 3 in) long, with the stalk that connects the blade with the leaf base (petiole) some 60–100 cm (2 ft 0 in – 3 ft 3 in) long, and the leaflets up to 90 cm (2 ft 11 in) long.

The flowers, as the picture shows are yellow (male) and greenish (female), measuring about 2–4 mm (3⁄32–5⁄32 in) across, borne in large branched panicles up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long in spring; with male and female flowers produced on separate trees (dioecious). The fleshy fruit is of a yellow to blue-black, kidney-shape, with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed 10–12 mm (13⁄32–15⁄32 in) in length , which ripens in mid-autumn.

One of the hardiest of palms, “Chinese windmill palm” has been cultivated in China and Japan, for thousands of years for its coarse but very strong leaf sheath fibre, used in the making of rope, sacks, and other coarse cloth where great strength is important.

The species was first brought from Japan (Dejima) to Europe by the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold * in 1830. Its more common name, “Chusan palm” refers to Chusan Island (now Zhoushan Island), where Robert Fortune first saw cultivated specimens.

* Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (1796 – 1866) was a German physician, botanist and traveler. He achieved prominence by his studies of Japanese flora and fauna and the introduction of Western medicine in Japan. He was the father of the first female Japanese doctor educated in Western medicine.

In 1849, Robert Fortune * smuggled plants from China to the Kew Horticultural Gardens, London and the Royal garden of Prince Albert, East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, hence the later name Trachycarpus fortunei, after Robert Fortune.

* The Scottish botanist Robert Fortune was also commissioned by the East India Company to steal tea from China; one of the greatest heists and pieces of corporate espionage carried out in human history, that resulted in dislodging one monopoly and establishing the British East India Trade company, as the largest producer of tea.

Thurles Municipal District Council Continue To Promote Unsightly Littering.

The litter scattered about Liberty Square, in Thurles this evening is, to say the very least, nothing short of being despicable and execrable, all due solely to both the quality and quantity of the litter bins provided, not to mention poor administration.

Contrary to a statement made by Thurles Municipal District Councillors (TMDC) Mr Seamus Hanafin (Cathaoirleach) and Mr Jim Ryan; latter who last weekend falsely accused their electorate of littering Liberty Square in Thurles; this weekend this same area once again remains a litter disaster area, with no effort made to correct the issue, despite knowing 26,000 hurling fans would be visiting Semple Stadium.

Yes, we noted the extra solitary blue domestic litter bin chained to a parking sign. (Not sure who made this latter effort, but we suspect it wasn’t TMDC).

When, staff are out and about tomorrow with their €15 “Grip & Grab Litter Pickers”, maybe someone might bring a spanner in their arse pocket, to correct the direction of three parking signs in the square; all of which point in the wrong direction and two of which relate to now invisible disabled spaces, outside the Ursuline Primary school building.

Perhaps someone might also remind our district administrator that over this weekend two further street lights have begun burning day & night, courtesy of Airtricity. This brings the number of 24 hour burning street lights, in Thurles town centre, to 29 in total, with 25 of these burning for well over three months.

Once again, remind me, “Why are we paying Property Tax?

Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Available Free To Those Under 25 Years.

The Minister for Health, Mr Stephen Donnelly, has confirmed that the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) * vaccine is to be made available free to all women under the age of 25; in an effort to reduce cervical cancer rates.

Mr Donnelly has now communicated with the HSE, informing them to outline a vaccination programme for women and a catch-up programme for girls and boys in secondary schools, latter who may have missed out during the Covid-19 pandemic or initially refused to accept the vaccine.

The advice received from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) seeks to prioritise women under 25 and current second-level students for the vaccine. This advice from NIAC also recommends catch-up vaccination for unvaccinated people under 25 years of age.

The HPV vaccine, which is expensive to obtain privately, will also be offered to those young women who refused or were advised to not take it at the time of offering. Thus the HSE school vaccination teams have already been working with schools to ensure anyone who missed their initial shot, while in first year, are now offered second opportunity to participate.

Some 400 women and men are diagnosed with HPV-caused cancers every year, here in the Irish Republic. It is therefore essential that nobody misses out on the protection against cancer which this HPV vaccine guarantees, thus eliminating HPV cancers.

The Irish Cancer Society urges every eligible person to get the vaccine once the expected new programme is put in place.

* Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a family of very common viruses that are passed on during skin-to-skin contact, particularly sexual activity, including oral sex.
There are over 170 types of HPV and most do not cause any problems. However, certain types are considered high risk and increase the risk of cancer. Nearly all cervical cancer is due to HPV and two strains; HPV16 and HPV18, account for 70% of all cases.

Tipperary Motorway Victim, Pronounced Dead, Named.

The elderly man, sadly, pronounced dead at the scene of a motorway crash on Thursday afternoon last, has been named as Mr Liam Finn with an address at Coolnanave, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork.

Our readers will remember that shortly after 3:00pm on Thursday, May 19th, Gardai and emergency services were alerted to a serious collision involving an articulated lorry and a pedestrian, latter aged in his 60s, on the M8 motorway near Burncourt, Cahir on the Tipperary, close to the Limerick border.

Gardai at Cahir, Co. Tipperary, are continuing to appeal for witnesses. Those who may hold camera footage covering the area of the M8 between J11 Cahir south and J12 Mitchelstown north, at the time of the collision; are being asked to make same available to investigating Gardaí.

Those with possible information are asked to contact Cahir Garda Station on Tel. No.: 052-7445630, the Garda Confidential Line Tel. No.: 1800 666 111, or indeed any Garda Station.