Thurles Information

Covid-19 Cases Reach 6,866 On Irish Mainland In Past 24 Hours.

The Department of Health here in the Irish Republic has confirmed 5,883 new cases of Covid-19.
Same number shown above, includes 2,845 PCR-confirmed cases of the virus and 3,038 positive antigen tests, latter registered through the HSE portal.

This morning, there were 1,182 Covid-positive patients in hospitals this morning, of whom 58 were in ICUs around the country.

In Northern Ireland today their Department of Health confirmed 983 positive cases of the virus and sadly 5 further Covid-related deaths.

Unlawful Peat Extraction Ordered To Cease.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) welcomes the Order of the High Court today, which has required Harte Peat to cease the extraction of peat in the particular areas outlined in the judgment of Ms Justice Phelan – which was delivered recently.
The EPA notes that the Court imposed a limited, conditional stay on the taking effect of the Order, to allow Harte Peat to lodge an appeal of the judgment, which it must do before April 27th, 2022.

The judgment and resultant Order has upheld the EPA’s position that the extraction of peat from an area greater than 50 hectares requires an Integrated Pollution Control licence from the EPA. This must be in place before any extraction of peat and any associated works such as drainage can take place.

Commenting on the Judgment EPA Director of the Office of Environmental Enforcement, Dr Tom Ryan, noted, “This judgment emphasises the importance of compliance with existing environmental regulations for the protection of the environment and confirms that operators cannot continue to extract peat in an uncontrolled and environmentally damaging way.
The unlawful extraction of peat causes enormous damage to the environment by destroying unique habitats that support biodiversity and carbon sinks that can play an important role in the fight against climate change.”

Dr Ryan warned, “Peat operators need to take heed of the judgment, respect the rule of law and the importance of compliance with existing regulations and be aware that if they unlawfully extract peat the EPA will take similar enforcement actions against them.”

Death Of Martin McCormack, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great sadness that we learned of the death today, 8th April 2022, of Mr Martin McCormack, Swords, Co. Dublin and formerly of Kilcommon, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Mr McCormack passed away peacefully at his place of residence.

His passing is most deeply regretted by his loving wife Mary, immediate family members Rena, Martina, Gerard, David and Geoffrey, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grand-children, extended relatives neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr McCormack will be received into Church of St. Colmcille, Swords, Co. Dublin on Tuesday morning, April 12th, to repose for Requiem Mass at 10:00a.m., followed by funeral to Dardistown Crematorium, Collinstown, Dublin.

For the many persons who would have liked to have attended Requiem Mass for Mr McCormack, but are unable to do so, due to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic; same can be viewed online HERE.

[NB: Due to Public Health Guidelines, regarding C-19 virus restrictions; those attending Requiem Mass will continue to observe strict adherence to social distancing, face covering, with no hand shaking.]

The extended McCormack 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.

Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to St. Francis Hospice Dublin.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Death Of Mary Hanly, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great sadness that we learned of the death on Thursday 7th April 2022, of Mrs Mary Hanly (née Quinlan), Banquet Hill, Kilcommon, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, and late of Loughisle, Kilcommon, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Beloved wife of the late Dan, grandmother to the late Ollie (Quigley) and sister of the late Andy and Paddy; Mrs Hanly passed away peacefully following a short illness, while in the care of staff at University Hospital, Limerick.

Her passing is most deeply regretted by her loving children Mary (Quigley), Tommy and Phil, grandchildren TJ, Ned, Annemarie and Donal, great grandchildren Alexi and Leonie, son in law Tommy, brother Martin, nephews-in-law, nieces-in-law, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mrs Hanly will repose on tomorrow evening, Saturday, April 9th, at McCormack’s Funeral Home, Kilcommon, Thurles, from 6:00pm to 8:30pm.
Her body will be received into the Church of St. Patrick, Kilcommon, Thurles on Sunday morning, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 12:00 noon, followed by interment immediately afterwards in the nearby new cemetery.

For the many persons who would have liked to have attended Requiem Mass for Mrs Hanly, but are unable to do so, due to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic; same can be viewed online HERE.

The extended Hanly 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.

Suaimhneas síoraí dá h-anam dílis.

EPA Report Slow Level Of Green Criteria Used In Public Procurement By Government Depts.

Government Department reporting on 2020 procurement shows that there was a low level of inclusion of green criteria in Public Procurement.
This represents an opportunity to significantly increase the public spend on goods and services that include green criteria. The EPA will work with Government Departments to progress this work in 2022 and beyond.
Many Government Departments are currently working to address this by including green criteria in their procurement processes.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its first report on the use of Green Public Procurement by Government Departments. Under the Climate Action Plan, lead responsibility was assigned to the EPA to report on Government Department Green Public Procurement (GPP) activity annually, starting in 2020.

In response, the EPA has compiled the first report on GPP activity by Government Departments.

The report – which is for 2020 – shows that, of the total reported spend of over €322 million on contracts over €25,000, only 17% (approximately €53 million) included green criteria.

The reported spend is for Government Department contracts only, and excludes agencies affiliated to those Government Departments. The priority sectors for reporting by Government Departments were: Transport, Construction, Energy, Food and Catering Services, Cleaning Products and Services, Textiles IT Equipment and Paper.

Launching the report Ms Laura Burke, (EPA Director General), said:
“The purchasing power of Ireland’s government sector has significant potential to reduce emissions and protect our environment while saving money over the full lifecycle of goods and services.
Government commitment to green purchasing sends a powerful signal to the market that the Government requires goods, services and works that make the most positive contribution to our environment and can save money over their full lifecycle. It promotes innovation in the marketplace for goods and services with a reduced environmental impact.
The low level of implementation of Green Public Procurement reported by Government Departments is a missed opportunity to purchase more resource-efficient, less polluting goods, services and works within the marketplace.”

The report sets out recommendations for Government Departments to ensure that they will be able to meet the 2023 requirement in the Programme for Government ‘Our Shared Future’ that all procurement using public funds will need to include green criteria.

The report ‘Green Public Procurement: Monitoring and Reporting by Government Departments, 2020 Reference Year’ is now available on the EPA website and presents an overview of the monitoring and reporting requirements of GPP in Government Departments, the process used to collate data, a summary of the findings and recommendations.

The report shows some progress by Departments in actively working to include Green Public Procurement in their processes, as reported in their 2020 Annual Reports.
However, further work is needed to improve the use of and reporting of Green Public Procurement in 2022 and beyond. The EPA will work directly with Government Departments and other stakeholders, including the Office of Government Procurement, to share learnings and recommendations and to support training requirements to ensure the progression of this work. Both guidance and training for the public sector on Green Public Procurement are available from the EPA.
For Further Information Contact: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office, Tel: 053-9170770 (24 hours) or email media@epa.ie.