Thurles Information

Death Of Anne Cleary-Hautaniemi, Formerly Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with sadness that we learned of the death, on Friday 20th June 2025, of Mrs Anne Hautaniemi (née Cleary), formerly Thurles, Co. Tipperary and late of Mustasaari, Finland.

Pre-deceased by her parents Margaret and Denis and her younger brother Ailbe; the passing of Mrs Hautaniemi is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; loving daughter Karina, son Denis, adored grandchildren, Liam, Kara, Thom, Adam, Edvin, sister Marian, brothers Diarmaid, Seamus, Denis, Thomas, son-in-law, sister-in-law, nephews, nieces, extended relatives, neighbours and a wide circle of friends and colleagues.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

Rosary will be recited on Friday evening, July 25th, at 5:00pm, in No.3 Hazelwood, Lognafulla, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, (Eircode E41 R3N1).
Requiem Mass for Mrs Hautaniemi will be celebrated in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Cathedral Street, Thurles, (Eircode E41 E084) on Saturday morning, July 26th, at 11:00am, followed by interment of her ashes in St. Patrick’s cemetery, Moyne Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

The extended Hautaniemi and Cleary 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.

Jäi jälkeesi kaipuu, jäi sanaton suru.
(Translation: You left behind longing, unspeakable sadness.)

Ar dheis De go raibh a h-anam dilis.

National Development Plan Review Seen As Disappointing In Thurles.

The 49 page 2025 National Development Plan Review, which sets out departmental capital ceilings up to 2030 and overall capital investment to 2035 was published yesterday.

The National Development Plan can be read in full here.

Having briefly glanced through this document; to most people, I expect it will read like something a political party would publish having left office, in the hope of gaining re-election.

With Tipperary Co. Council unable to even fill a pothole in Thurles presently, residents of the town had, perhaps somewhat naively, expected some mention of funding for the long promised “Ring Road for Thurles”, but alas, once again the silence remains deafening.

One glimmer of hope perhaps, now stated in this National Development Plan review, states: “Over the coming months, individual Ministers will set out their priority programmes and projects within their capital allocations.
A clear focus will be on providing greater certainty on the projects and programmes that will advance and get delivered in the next five years, with realistic timelines and budgets. The development of project pipelines will assist the construction in planning and capacity over the coming years.”

Are we to take it that this long sought after “Ring Road” could be delivered within the next 20 years, given the present poor quality political representation currently available in the town?

Mandatory Registration Needed For Private Drinking Water.

Urgent need for mandatory registration of private drinking water supplies, says EPA

The total number of small private supplies remains unknown as there is no legal obligation to register. Unregistered supplies are not monitored by local authorities.
Water quality in private water supplies is not as good as public water supplies.
The number of private group schemes failing to meet the E. coli standard in 2024 was 24, up from 13 in 2022.
19 private group schemes failed to meet Trihalomethanes standards in 2024.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its Drinking Water Quality in Private Group Schemes and Small Private Supplies 2024 report.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its Drinking Water Quality in Private Group Schemes and Small Private Supplies 2024 report.

Currently, over 370 private group schemes supply drinking water to 193,000 people across rural communities in Ireland. In addition, many businesses and public facilities supply water from their own private wells. These are called small private supplies.

There are almost 1,700 small private supplies registered with local authorities. However, many more are not registered. A gap in current drinking water legislation means the regulations do not require private suppliers to register. As a result, the total number of small private supplies in the country remains unknown. These include supplies serving schools, nursing homes, sports clubs and self-catering accommodations. The quality of water in unregistered supplies is not monitored by local authorities.

Launching the report, Mr Micheál Lehane, EPA Director said: “The lack of a mandatory requirement to register a private supply serving water to the public is a serious legislative gap that must be addressed. Without registration and subsequent monitoring by local authorities, consumers are unaware of the potential health risk they may be exposed to. Everyone has the right to safe drinking water. We want to see mandatory registration, but in the interim we strongly encourage private suppliers to register with local authorities so that all proper safety checks can be carried out on their supply.”

E. coli Compliance.
Meeting E. coli standards is a minimum requirement in the provision of safe drinking water and failures indicate a lack of proper disinfection which must be addressed by water suppliers.

24 private group schemes failed to meet the E. coli standard in 2024, up from 13 in 2022. Six schemes had repeat failures over two consecutive years and five of these are on long-term boil water notices.

E. coli failures were recorded in 51 small private supplies that were monitored by local authorities, posing a risk to consumers that use these supplies.

Mr Noel Byrne, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring said: “E. coli contamination of a drinking water supply can cause serious public health impacts. E. coli compliance has declined with almost double the number of private supplies failing in 2024 compared to 2022. This needs to be addressed as every community deserves access to safe, clean drinking water. Suppliers must take action to upgrade their systems and meet standards. Local authorities, as the regulator of private group schemes, need to take the necessary enforcement action to ensure public health is protected.”

Trihalomethanes (THM).
Trihalomethanes (THMs) can form when natural material like leaves or other organic matter in the water source, react with chlorine used to disinfect the drinking water. While disinfection is essential, THM levels should be kept as low as possible and in compliance with the drinking water standards.

In 2024, 19 private group schemes supplying 21,800 people failed the standard for Trihalomethanes (THMs). This shows little change from 2023 when 21 schemes supplying 22,000 people, failed the standard.
Greater effort is needed by these private group schemes to improve treatment systems and minimise exposure to THMs. Small private supplies do not have elevated THMs, as the vast majority of their water is sourced from groundwater wells, which lack the levels of organic matter required to form THMs.

The EPA report on Drinking Water Quality in Private Group Schemes and Small Private Supplies – 2024 is available on the EPA website.

Home Are The Heroes – Part 1.

Excitement, broad smiles, overall good spirits and women with nails painted blue were the order of the afternoon yesterday, July 21st 2025, with at times cheering to be heard in Wales, when players and management eventually mounted the staged area in the Thurles “Field of Dreams”, as those assembled, welcomed home their heroes, the newly-crowned Tipperary All-Ireland hurling champions.

Following Sunday’s ardent and assertive destruction of Cork, both the players and management returned home to Thurles with the Liam MacCarthy Cup after an absence of 5 years. Waiting patiently were an estimated crowd of over 45,000 people, each determined to meet and greet their hero’s on the turf of Semple’s Field, (Semple Stadium).

Continuous rain shower gave those assembled some idea of what their heroes had experienced last winter as they trained.

On arrival Tipperary’s successful manager, Mr Liam Cahill, applauded the awaiting incredible scenes, rightly lauding their presence as “the stuff of dreams”.

On a sadder and subdued note, Mr Cahill paid tribute to the late Dillon Quirke, (who previously had played for Tipperary Senior Championship club Clonoulty–Rossmore), latter a most promising player who sadly passed away three years ago, on August 5th 2022, while playing a Tipperary SHC match for his home club, against Kilruane MacDonagh’s; in this same Semple Stadium venue.
In his tribute Mr Cahill added “It’s so fitting to his memory, that we bring Liam MacCarthy out into Semple Stadium as he remains always with us and ever on our shoulders everywhere we go.”

Festivities which ran from 4:30pm on into the early hours, featured home-grown entertainment from Seskin Lane, Callini Lua, Acquiesce, with Una Healy (Former member of the five-piece girl group The Saturdays) and The 2 Johnnies topping the bill.

Master of ceremonies for the 5 hour event was Radio Tipp FM’s Mr Fran Curry.

As every Tipperary person is aware the Premier County beat Cork 3-27 to 1-18 in Croke Park on Sunday afternoon last, to rightly claim their 29th All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

Sadly, it was a different story in Cork city, where no homecoming event took place for either players or supporters, with their skilled hurlers returning quietly by train into Kent Station.

FSAI Recall Extensive List Of Meals Produced By Ballymaguire Foods.

Food Safety Authority of Ireland order recall of numerous branded prepared meals and side dishes, produced by Ballymaguire Foods, due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes

Alert Summary Dated Tuesday, July 22nd 2025

Category 1: For Action
Alert Notification: 2025.34
Product Identification: Please see extensive list of implicated products HERE. All pack sizes are implicated. Establishment approval number is IE 4008 EC.
Batch Code: All batches and all best before dates.
Country Of Origin: Ireland

Message: The prepared meals and side dishes listed are being recalled due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Recall notices will be displayed at point-of-sale.

Nature Of Danger: Symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection can include mild flu-like symptoms, or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications. Some people are more vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes infections, including pregnant women, babies, and people with weakened immune systems, including the elderly. The incubation period (time between initial infection and first symptoms appearing) is on average 3 weeks but can range between 3 and 70 days.

Action Required: Manufacturers, Wholesalers, Distributors, Caterers and Retailers:

Retailers: Same are requested to remove the implicated products from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.
Wholesalers/Distributors: Same are requested to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated products and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retailer customers.

Caterers: Same should not use the implicated products.

Consumers: Same are advised not to eat the implicated products and are advised to check their freezers for any implicated products indicate above and immediately dispose of them.