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Death Of Ann McGrath, Rossmore, Co. Tipperary

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday Monday 7th September 2026, of Mrs Ann McGrath (née Heffernan), Doorish, Rossmore, Cashel, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by her husband Jimmy, brothers Tom and Paddy; Mrs McGrath passed away peacefully while in the care of St Martha’s Nursing Home, Bansha, Tipperary, Co. Tipperary.

Her passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; loving son Seamus, daughters Elaine and Áine, brother Noel, sons-in-law Frank and Niall, daughter-in-law Noeleen, grandchildren Conor, Meabh, Eoghan, Aoife and Ciara, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and dear friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mrs McGrath will repose at Whites Funeral Home, Main Street, Cappawhite, Co. Tipperary (Eircode E34 WR83) on tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, September 9th, from 5:00pm with removal at 7:00pm to the Church of Jesus Christ Our Saviour, Rossmore, Cashel, same evening.
Requiem Mass for Mrs McGrath will be offered on Thursday morning, September 10th at 11:30am, followed by interment immediately afterwards in the adjoining graveyard.

For those persons who would wish to attend Requiem Mass for Mrs McGrath, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.

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

Note Please: House strictly private. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to South Tipperary Hospice Movement in Memory of Mrs Ann McGrath.

Death Of John Mahoney, Thurles, Co. Tipperary

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday Monday 7th September 2026, of Mr John Mahoney, Gortnahoe, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by his parents Edward and Kitty, brother Ritchie and his brothers-in-law Ken Coogan and Chris Brennan; Mr Mahoney passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully, while in the loving care of staff at Fennor Care Facility, Urlingford, Co. Kilkenny.

His passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family; loving sisters Anne and Eileen, nephews, niece, extended relatives, neighbours and a wide circle of friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Mahoney will repose at Doyle’s Funeral Home, Urlingford, Co. Kilkenny (Eircode E41 XO38) on tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, September 9th 2026, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm same evening.
His funeral cortège will be received into the Church of the Sacred Heart, Gortnahoe, Thurles, on Thursday morning, September 10th, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 11:30am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in Fennor Cemetery, Co. Tipperary.

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

Thurles – River Suir Neglect Must Be Addressed Without Further Delay.

Congratulations to Thurles Councillor Mr Jim Ryan, who once again used Tipp FM local radio, this morning, to highlight the deplorable condition of the River Suir, as it passes through Thurles town centre.

Concerns about this important local waterway have reportedly been raised repeatedly since approximately November 2013.
Yet, after almost 13 years, residents are still waiting for the sustained maintenance, environmental protection and accountability that the river urgently requires.

River Suir, for years, remains totally blocked by a fallen tree, reed and other vegetation.

Photographs and the short video hereunder, recorded yesterday, once again provide further evidence of the current situation. Shopping trolleys, bottles, discarded clothing and other litter, remain clearly visible, both in the riverbed and around affected sections of the river bank, totally devoid of litter bins.

Years of excessive vegetation, severely restricted water flow and apparently uncontrolled effluent entering the river, provide stark evidence of prolonged and inexcusable neglect.

Short video hereunder, taken yesterday showing conditions recorded along the River Suir, with no action having taken place whatsoever, since contacted by EPA.

Thurles.Info has forwarded communications about the river to Tipperary County Council. The Environmental Protection Agency has also requested a written response from the said Council, outlining any action already taken or planned. According to the latest published update, that response remains awaited.

Despite the EPA’s intervention and continuing public complaints, no visible attempt had been made, up to yesterday, to remove the abandoned trolleys, bottles, clothing or other accumulated waste shown in the accompanying footage.
This is not merely an appearance issue. The River Suir is an important natural habitat, public amenity and part of Thurles’s identity.
Local people are entitled to know who is responsible, what work will be undertaken and when it will begin.
Councillor Mr Jim Ryan deserves credit for continuing to raise the matter.

What Thurles now needs is a prompt, transparent and effective response from the responsible authorities.

Death Of Eamonn Griffin, Formerly Of Thurles Co. Tipperary

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, Friday 4th September 2026, of Mr Eamonn Griffin, Malahide, Co. Dublin and formerly of Templetouhy, Thurles Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by his parents, Gerald and Mary (née Ryan), brothers John, Gerald and Michael (Mick), sisters Geraldine, Resa, Marie, Nora and Ann; Mr Griffin passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, while in the care of staff at Beaumont Hospital.

His passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family; loving wife Kathleen, sons Rory and Eoin, daughters Katie and Laura, grandchildren Aidan, Nora, Leo, George, Lucia, Oscar and Jason, sons-in-law Ben and Brian, daughters-in-law Heidy and Francesca, brother Joe and sisters-in-law Liz and Kate, nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and neighbours.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Griffin will repose at Staffords Funeral Home, Portmarnock, Co. Dublin on Friday afternoon, September 11th, between 3:00pm and 5:00pm.
His funeral cortège will be received into the Church of the Sacred Heart, Seabury Avenue, Yellow Walls, Malahide, Co. Dublin, (Eircode K36 HC99), on Saturday morning, September 12th, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 11:00am, followed by a service of cremation at Dardistown Cemetery and Crematorium, Collinstown Cross, Old Airport Rd, Dardistown, Dublin, (Eircode K67 HP26) at 1:00pm.

For those persons who would wish to attend Requiem Mass for Mr Griffin, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.
For those persons who would wish to attend the Service of Cremation, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.

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

Note Please: House strictly private, Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to St Francis Hospice, Raheny, Dublin. in Memory of Mr Eamonn Griffin.

Update -Alcohol Containers Fast Becoming New Litter Menace In Thurles & Tipperary.

When Plastic And Aluminium Become One Recycling Problem.

I want to sincerely thank Minister of State Mr Alan Dillon TD (through his Private Secretary Ms Michaela Sullivan), for taking the time to provide such a detailed and informative response. Unfortunately, many TDs these days fail to reply to constituents’ questions at all, so a meaningful response deserves to be publicly acknowledged.

We recently wrote to Mr Dillon TD regarding the fact that certain containers are fast becoming the new litter menace in Thurles and around the Irish countryside; increasingly found discarded on streets, roadsides and in other public spaces.

Although Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme covers PET* bottles and aluminium or steel cans from 150ml to 3 litres, the Department has confirmed that this container is excluded because it is considered hybrid packaging, owing to its high aluminium-to-PET ratio.

The photograph below shows a 200ml BuzzBallz container made from a combination of plastic and aluminium.

Ireland’s new litter menace – same rejected by Reverse Vending Machines, since no Re-turn logo.

* PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a widely used plastic. It is a lightweight, durable plastic commonly used to make drinks bottles and is normally identified by the number 1 recycling symbol.

That creates a serious problem; the container may contaminate the aluminium recycling stream, while its metal content could also damage equipment used to process plastic. In other words, it is designed in a way that makes effective recycling extremely difficult.

The new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is intended to address packaging like this. It requires packaging placed on the EU market to be recyclable, with reconcilability requirements beginning in 2030. Hopefully, this will bring an end to poorly designed hybrid containers that fall outside the deposit scheme and are too easily discarded on our streets and in our countryside.

The Minister’s office also explained that Re-turn works with local authorities, the LGMA and the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities to identify and investigate breaches of the Deposit Return Scheme rules. According to the Department, hundreds of inspections have taken place since the transition period ended, and 80% of the non-compliant stakeholders identified are now compliant or working towards compliance. Reports from members of the public remain an important part of that enforcement effort.

However, the wider question remains; why should any drinks container be allowed onto the Irish market, if it cannot be efficiently collected and recycled?

Packaging should be designed for a circular economy from the beginning, not become someone else’s environmental problem at the end.