Thurles town can now boasts that it has a venue to support just about every conceivable activity and entertainment, both outdoor and indoor, known to mankind. But lets be honest Thurles Shopping Centre have added the crowning glory this Christmas season, with their creation of a 250 square metre indoor Ice Rink Arena.
Thurles Ice Arena at Slievenamon Rd, Thurles, Co.Tipperary.
This Ice Arena presents a spectacular vision of a “Winter Wonderland” scene, magically created next door to where Santa Claus and his many Elves will be resident during the weeks prior to Christmas eve.
Santa’s residence is a log cabin standing nicely secluded in a magical forest of real 14 ft Christmas trees, so young and old can come visit him in the privacy of his new home and whisper maybe just a hint of what they would prefer in their stocking this Christmas.
Santa has already visited the Thurles Shopping Centre in the past week, so you had better watch out as he was possibly checking who was naughty and who was nice, as he finalises his annual visit to homes in Thurles this Christmas Eve.
The new Ice Arena, purposely built by an experienced ice installation company, can cater for approximately 80 people each hour. The arena offers special family and group rates and a very special price for school groups, but remember bookings are on a first come first served basis so make sure that you are not disappointed.
Note also: Experienced skaters Chleo Woodlock and Sioban Cahill will be on hand to supervise and help the inexperienced skater to get started.
Don’t miss your chance to skate on this fabulous Ice Skating Arena and remember there is free car parking for 600 vehicles and over 25 superb retail outlets for shoppers to browse through at their ease.
To experience the sheer thrill of skating, visitors can make their booking by dialing a dedicated Ice Line at Telephone Number 0504-24655.
An Bord Pleanála have rejected plans to build a major shopping centre on the site of the old Erin Foods factory here in Thurles.
The original decision to close the Erin Foods Factory came about after a group-wide review by the then parent company, Premier Foods, in November 2007, to consolidate the manufacturing of a number of its key brands. The plant closed the following June with the loss of 95 jobs.
Thurles Town Council had granted initial permission for the planned development on September 13th last year, subject to 19 conditions to the original plans submitted, which related mainly to the size of the property and the required modifications to various road and access routes.
Baycross Developments Limited had put forward the plans for the demolition of the old Erin Foods factory, replacing it with a retail development which had included a Fast Food drive-through outlet, a Supermarket, Restaurant, two ESB Substations, Vehicular and Pedestrian access, a Cycle Track, the provision of two Roundabouts and other associated development works on the Slievenamon Road, Clongour, Thurles Town Parks area of the town.
The initial plans had attracted considerable local opposition from the Thurles’ business community, with concerns that such a large-scale complex proposed, would delete footfall from Liberty Sq, Thurles, with many understandably fearing that this new complex would now destroy the character and commercial activity, once so vibrant in the town centre.
Over a period spanning some 15 years to date, Thurles has lost some 1,700 jobs due to factory and other business closures, with none of these jobs having been replaced to-date .
Two communications sent recently by the tourism group Hidden Tipperary, to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton, in the hope of generating serious debate on the current jobless plight of Thurles, have as yet only received standard token acknowledgements.
Acknowledgement received: Dear Mr Willoughby,
I wish to acknowledge receipt of your email to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton TD. I will bring your correspondence to the Minister’s attention at the earliest opportunity.
Yours sincerely Helen Pyke. Minister Bruton’s Office.
Derrynaflan Hoard
Meanwhile the decision required to seek the repatriation of the Derrynaflan Hoard back to its home here in Thurles Co.Tipperary, now remains shrouded in secrecy. No information to-date has been made available to the public confirming an earlier communications from Noel Coonan TD, (Dated April 15th. last ) which stated that the matter would be decided by North Tipperary Co Council and Thurles Town Council, following the disclosure of ‘imaginary meetings,’ some two weeks previous.
It would appear, confirmed by local press reports, that our current Tipperary elected representatives are only interested in individual political point scoring, continuous waffling and the further enhancement of a political culture that in no way helps to expand mature public interest amongst their voting public.
This supercilious self-importance must immediately be haulted and remember you the voting public can immobilize this unashamed arrogance, beginning at the next local elections.
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Meanwhile back to today’s business.
This morning I received an interesting letter from Joan Pollard Carew, who because of her positive community action in Thurles and it’s environs, down through the years, and particularly her association and promotion of the Arts, hardly needs an introduction from me.
However, may I also state that the sentiments expressed in Joan’s letter, which I for one fully support, must also reflect the thoughts and views of many business people experiencing trading difficulties in Thurles at this time. Please read on.
[To Thurles.Info: I would be happy for you to publish this on your website – Joan Pollard Carew.]
“The Tipperary Star newspaper, dated Thursday 8th September, ran a featured article on its front page, advising readers that yet another shopping centre was being proposed for Thurles. Development of our town is close to my heart but not at the expense of our town centre.
This new facility will have 397 car parking spaces, no doubt free for customers to this centre. Surely this begs the question of our shoppers, “Why would we shop in the town centre and pay for limited parking, when we can do so for free?” Traders in the town centre need to immediately form a “Traders Association,” to have a representative body arrange an urgent meeting with Thurles Town Council.
As a trader and rate payer in the town centre, it is imperative that we lobby for free parking for our customers. This would enable us to compete on a level playing field and give shoppers a fairer choice.
When parking charges was introduced we were told that the money earned was to be utilised for traffic management. I wish someone could point out that project to me. Apart from unnecessary traffic lights, there is no visible traffic management that I can see.
Most retail businesses in our town centre are family run and employ local people. Most of these shops are in business for decades and in some cases are being operated by second and third generation family members. It would be a very sad day to witness the demise of these family run businesses, at a time when we should be encouraging people to cherish the old Thurles.
Regarding local employment for this new shopping centre, I would like to believe that locals would be employed, but anyone with any knowledge of such undertakings in Thurles, can contest that statement.
Will our town centre be like the historic market house that once existed on Liberty Square, removed because someone in Thurles planning thought it was an eyesore?
Yes folks history is often repeated but sadly no lessons are learned.” Letter Ends.
With the recent resignation of the Thurles Marketing Group and the inactivity of other elected representative groups within the town, do you have any thoughts on this matter? Why not contact us with your views?
Your future livelihood appears to be about to be decided by others, whose ability is far from proven.
Thurles Rotary Club have launched their 2023 Hospice Christmas Tree Fundraiser, today Sunday 17th December, in the Thurles Shopping Centre and same will run every day from 10:30am in the morning all day.
This is the project’s 16th year and the Rotary table is now a familiar sight outside Boots.
The name of a deceased person or a friend or relation can be remembered on a card which is placed in a special container, underneath the Christmas Tree, outside of Thurles Cathedral. All the cards are blessed after evening Mass on 6th January (Little Christmas). Donations are voluntary and all proceeds are in aid of North Tipperary Hospice / Suir Haven.
Many people find it is a wonderful way to acknowledge the great service that North Tipperary Hospice/Suir Haven provides.
Readers will be aware and will forgive my rhetorical figure of speech when I state that “Checkpoint Charlie”, also known as the entrance to the Slievenamon Road Car Park in Thurles, has been eradicated some weeks ago, with the whole “Lock, stock, and broken barriers” now vanished into history.
Who destroyed the 2 year old badly pointed limestone wall close by, [See top middle of Picture 1 below and also the picture inset], remains yet another mystery.
We had forecast the demise of “Checkpoint Charlie”, (Same an effort to save the wage of one Traffic Warden), if you remember, in early October last 2022, [View HERE]. The overall costings involved in the installation of “Checkpoint Charlie” was initially, we understand €95,000 plus. What it cost to remove less than 6 months after its was put into operation, and its current ‘scrap value’, now remains a closely guarded secret; known only to those we elected.
Picture No.1. “Checkpoint Charlie”, with demolished wall inset. Pic: George Willoughby.
However, there may be just one overall small saving grace in all of this waste of taxpayer’s money; which is unlikely to save the blushing faces of local councillors, their officials and Tipperary Co. Council.
See picture No.2. hereunder, note that I am referring to the two, now vacant, Plexiglas Perspex Acrylic coated parking ticket shelters.
Picture No.2. Shown here, one of two Perspex coated ticket shelters now vacant. Pic: George Willoughby
Here is a chance to create a ‘TFI Local Link’ bus stop between Thurles Shopping Centre and Lidl Supermarket, latter which is now, thanks to the total incompetence of Tipperary Co. Council officials, the newly created centre of Thurles town. These two vacant Perspex coated ticket shelters would make for an excellent ready-made bus stop shelter for the loading and offloading of bus passengers, were a bus stop area to be carved into the existing grass coated island, southeast of the town.
Here earthen sods would be easily available to ‘turn’ by either Mr M. Lowry TD or Mr J. Cahill TD, enabling them to officially open the bus shelter on its completion; giving the false impression that either or both were helping to bring prosperity to their native town of Thurles.
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