Thurles Information

Thurles Road Signs & Road Safety Failures Highlight Council Waste.

We have been watching it, and yes, yet another road sign on Liberty Square, in Thurles, has met its “Waterloo”, demolished by traffic attempting to turn west on a narrow street scape that has become a hazard since its so-called upgrade.

**Sign on Liberty Square, central, left prostrate for 6 days**.

As with the nearby ESB cabinet highlighted on September 7th last, the sign was positioned far too low to be visible to drivers. This latest casualty has lain in the middle of Liberty Square for six full days before being retrieved today, a symbol of official neglect.

This pattern has become all too familiar. In the past three years alone, railings at the Slievenamon Road junction have been flattened three times by heavy vehicles. Five signposts, installed perilously close to narrow traffic lanes, have been damaged. Two remain not replaced. Add these collisions to continuously adjusted pedestrian crossing lights, to a set of traffic lights, not to mention street bicycle racks and everyone can see why Thurles needs a bypass.

**Six damaged traffic signs on a 4.7 km *(2.9 miles)* stretch of roadway near Thurles, Co. Tipperary**.

The problem is not just confined to Thurles. On the short 4.7 km (2.9 miles) stretch of road, between the villages of Littleton and Horse & Jockey; same a six-minute drive, I observed six damaged signs just today. (See above picture). Two remain lying flattened at the scene; four have been removed altogether.
In at least two years, Tipperary County Council has made no effort to replace any of them. Which begs the obvious question, if these signs were dispensable for two years, why were they installed in the first place? The answer points to waste; waste of taxpayers’ money and a lack of responsibility in both planning and maintenance.

While motorists and pedestrians deal daily with poor visibility and dangerous road layouts, Tipperary County Council continues to spend without accountability, leaving the public to pay the price in both safety and wasted resources.

The evidence shown above speaks for itself. The waste of taxpayers’ money by Tipperary County Council still continues, unchecked.

Sophie’s Swaps – Shop smarter, Cook Better, Unprocess Your Plate.

Sophie’s Swaps: Simple supermarket swaps and ultra-processed food free recipes to transform your shopping and unprocess your plate by authoress Sophie Morris.

Ms Sophie Morris – health food advocate, food entrepreneur and bestselling cookbook author – has become one of Ireland’s most trusted voices in nutrition. Her straight-talking advice and practical tips have earned the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of followers, as well as the attention of leading retailers. But Sophie has chosen to remain independent, determined to drive real change in the food industry on her own terms.

Something happened to our food in the mid-70s to make it irresistible to people. Why are ultra-processed foods so irresistible, and how they have come to dominate food culture?

We all want to make better food choices. We’ve heard about ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and the risks they pose to our health – but how much do we really know about what’s in our shopping trolley? Between limited time and misleading marketing, it’s easy to fill our kitchens with UPFs without even realising it.

That’s where Sophie comes in. Through her hugely popular supermarket swap posts, she has helped shoppers across Ireland make simple changes that cut down on UPFs without compromising on taste, convenience, or cost.

From ketchup to burgers, granola to curry sauce, Sophie shows you which brands offer healthier, less processed – and often cheaper – options. You’ll be surprised by what you discover.

And for those days when you want to cook from scratch, Sophie shares 50 quick, family-friendly recipes that prove healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated.

With ‘Sophie’s Swaps‘, you’ll learn how to shop smarter, cook better, and unprocess your plate – one simple swap at a time.

Compensation Package for Shannon-to-Dublin Water Pipeline.

Uisce Éireann agrees compensation package for Shannon-to-Dublin water pipeline.

**Part of Tipperary’s Lough Derg shore line.**

Uisce Éireann has reached agreement with the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) on a voluntary compensation package for farmers and landowners along the route of its proposed Shannon-to-Dublin water pipeline.

The deal, which follows months of negotiation, marks a key milestone in the Water Supply Project. It includes upfront compensation payments for landowners affected by the pipeline’s construction and operation.

The public utility said the package reflects the project’s national importance while helping to mitigate its impact on farmland. It is now engaging directly with more than 500 landowners who were issued way-leave offers in July. If accepted, the agreements will give Uisce Éireann the rights to lay, operate, and maintain the underground pipeline in advance of a formal planning application.

The deadline for returning consent forms has been extended from September 23rd to October 7th to give farmers more time to consider the offer and seek advice.

A Strategic Infrastructure Development application will be submitted later this year.

Uisce Éireann argues the project is vital to secure future water supplies, citing the greater Dublin Area’s heavy dependence on the River Liffey, which serves 1.7 million people.

Programme Director Mike Healy said demand in the region is forecast to rise by 34% by 2044:
“This combination of a growing supply deficit and lack of resilience is simply not sustainable. This agreement is a major step towards delivery of this essential infrastructure, and we will continue to engage with landowners and communities along the route.”

Thurles Planning Alert From Tipperary County Council.

Application Ref: 2560354
Applicant: Rory O’Regan.
Development Address: Knockroe, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Development Description: construction of a new milk truck access road and for construction of a milking parlour, dairy and ancillary rooms, drafting and handling facilities, waiting yard, meal bin, water storage tank and underground slatted soiled water storage tank.
Status: Conditional.
Application Received: 24/04/2025.
Decision Date: 03/09/2025.
Further Details: http://www.eplanning.ie/TipperaryCC/AppFileRefDetails/2560354/0

Rodent Droppings Lead To Closure of McDonald’s Storage Unit.

Rodent Droppings Lead to Closure of McDonald’s Storage Unit in Drogheda.

A storage unit at McDonald’s in Drogheda, Co Louth, has been served with a closure order by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) after rodent droppings were discovered on shelving and food equipment.

An FSAI inspector’s report found that cleaning agents and disinfectants intended for use on food equipment were also stored in the same area, leaving them vulnerable to contamination.
The unit was also described as inadequately pest-proofed.

The closure order applied specifically to the storage unit at the side of the McDonald’s premises on The Waterfront, Rathmullen Road, Drogheda, Co. Louth.

Separately, here in Thurles, Co Tipperary, An Coimisiún Pleanála has upheld planning permission for a new McDonald’s Burger outlet. The restaurant is expected to be erected on the south side of Lidl Supermarket, along the Clongour Road leading out of Thurles town.

In all the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) served eight Closure Orders and one Prohibition Order on food businesses during the month of August for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.