Thurles Information

Bank Highlights Six Leading Fraud & Scam Trends Seen In 2025.

Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated year on year, and scams are increasingly difficult to spot.
AIB is urging customers and the wider public to stay vigilant by knowing the warning signs and taking a moment to verify unexpected messages, calls and offers.

AIB’s Financial Crime Prevention team has outlined the six most common fraud and scam types observed during 2025, along with practical tips to help people protect themselves.

The six top fraud scams seen in 2025.
1) Smishing — text message fraud.
Fraudsters send convincing texts claiming to be from banks, delivery firms or government agencies, urging you to click a link, call a number, or share security codes.
Tip: Never click links or call numbers in unexpected texts. Contact the organisation directly using trusted contact details.

2) Safe account scams.
Scammers pose as bank staff and claim your account is compromised, pressuring you to move funds to a “safe” account that they control.
Tip: AIB will never ask you to move your money for security reasons. Hang up immediately.

3) Investment scams.
Fraudsters promise high returns to lure victims into fake schemes, often involving cryptocurrency, bonds or precious metals.
Tip: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Seek independent financial advice before investing.

4) Romance scams.
Scammers create fake online identities to build emotional relationships, then ask for money or personal information.
Tip: Never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person.

5) Money mule recruitment.
Criminals recruit people to move stolen funds through their accounts, often marketed as “easy money” jobs.
Tip: Never agree to transfer money for someone else or allow anyone to use your bank account — this is illegal.

6) Shopping scams.
Fraudsters create cloned websites or social media “shops” offering goods that don’t exist.
Tip: Stick to platforms you trust, check independent reviews, and ask: is the price too good to be true?

AIB help.
If you think you’ve been scammed, contact AIB immediately on the 24/7 fraud reporting line: 1800 24 22 27 (or +353 1 771 5639 from outside Ireland). You can also find further guidance and contact options in the AIB Security Centre.

Security reminder.
Unfortunately, some fraudsters send emails pretending to be from AIB.
Please remember:
AIB will never ask you to provide your Personal Access Code (PAC) by email or via links in an email.
AIB will never ask for Code Card or AIB Card Reader codes by email or via links in an email.
AIB will never ask you to provide debit or credit card details by email or via links in an email.

Treat unsolicited requests for money, codes or personal information as a red flag – Wait a Sec, Double Check.

FSAI Food Alert

Food Safety Authority of Ireland recall all foods from EB Food Essentials, due to production in, and/or sold from, an unregistered establishment.

Alert Summary dated Friday, December 12th 2025.

Category 1: For Action
Alert Notification: 2025.70
Product Identification: All food products produced by and/or sold by EB Food Essentials, Coolanagh, Ballickmoyler, Co. Laois. Please see table below for examples of some affected products, however, this is not an exhaustive list. All pack sizes are implicated.
Batch Code: All batch numbers and all expiry dates.

Message: All food products produced by and/or sold by EB Food Essentials, Coolanagh, Ballickmoyler, Co. Laois are subject to recall, as they were produced in and/or sold from an unregistered establishment, which is not subject to official controls.
Recall notices should be displayed at point-of-sale.

Examples of implicated foods:
Goat meat, Lamb meat (brisket, silverside flat etc), Snails, Catfish, Round Catfish, Dried Prawns, Naive bonga (dried fish), Ribo Fish, Ogbono, Melon egusi, Bitter leaf, Dried peppers/chillies, Locust bean, Uziza seed.

Nature Of Danger: The food was produced in and/or sold from an establishment that was not subject to official controls, and as such, it is not possible to confirm the food was manufactured in compliance with all relevant food safety legislation. Therefore, as a precaution, the implicated products are being recalled to ensure consumer safety.

Action Required: Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, caterers & retailers:
Retailers: Same are requested to remove the implicated products from sale and should display recall notices at point-of-sale.
Wholesalers/Distributors: are requested to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated products and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retailer customers.
Consumers: Consumers are advised not to eat any products from EB Food Essentials.

Tipperary To Consult On New Parking Regime – Thurles Calls Grow to Abolish Charges.

Tipperary parking shake-up to go to consultation in early 2026, with Thurles calls growing to scrap charges.

A countywide overhaul of parking charges and permits across Tipperary’s nine pay-parking towns is due to go to public consultation in early 2026, after councillors examined proposals at a series of workshops aimed at “harmonising” how parking is managed from town to town.

The characterisation of Thurles town centre as *“just a drive through area”* reflects ongoing public concerns about traffic congestion and the impact of traffic management schemes on the town’s future vitality.

The nine towns currently within the Council’s eParking/pay-parking system are Thurles, Cahir, Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel, Clonmel, Nenagh, Roscrea, Templemore and Tipperary Town.

What’s in the proposals (as currently outlined)?
Three-tier classification: the nine towns would be grouped into Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3, with a different pricing structure depending on classification.
First 20 minutes free: the plan would introduce a formal 20-minute free-parking period in each town when implemented (reported for September 2026).
Charging hours: parking charges are proposed to apply 8.30am–6.30pm, every day except Sunday.
Permit overhaul: reforms are proposed for the full range of permits, including categories such as residential and visitor permits, alongside other permit types.
Off-street incentives and local “return” of revenue: the outline includes lower charges for off-street parking and a new approach to how parking income is used locally (with towns retaining a share of additional revenue above an agreed baseline).
Submissions urged: the public are being encouraged to make submissions, seeking calls for one hour duration in free parking, rather than 20 minutes.

Why Thurles is central to the debate.

Despite Tipperary County Council initiatives framed as boosting Thurles town-centre trade and footfall (including measures such as time-limited free parking promotions), local retailers have long argued the centre cannot compete with shopping centres offering easier/free parking.
They say that, following recent town-centre parking changes and the loss/uncertainty around key capacity, shopper activity has increasingly gravitated towards Thurles Shopping Centre and LIDL on Slievenamon Road, to the detriment of town-centre shops, because sufficient convenient parking has not been maintained with recent upgrading.

In Thurles, the conversation is being shaped by a series of recent town-centre parking and traffic changes, including:

A push to increase short-stay turnover in central areas, following concerns that all-day parking by workers was squeezing out shoppers.
Ongoing controversy around plans linked to Liberty Square, where parking spaces have been a recurring flashpoint.
The introduction of updated local rules under Thurles Municipal District Parking Bye-Laws 2025, adopted by elected members and brought into effect in April 2025.
Pressure on supply from the loss/closure of key town-centre parking, including the Munster Hotel car park closure, Market Area and The Source closures, alongside other long-term reductions referenced locally (reported as over 100 spaces).

“Abolish charges altogether” – the emerging Thurles position.
Against that backdrop, the argument being made by some in Thurles is straightforward: because the town centre has already absorbed significant disruption and a tightening of parking availability, parking charges should be abolished altogether rather than “rebalanced.”
There is precedent for this stance in the Liberty Square context, with calls previously made for parking charges to be suspended in Thurles during major works to help protect footfall.

What happens next ?
The Council is expected to publish consultation details in early 2026, allowing residents, traders and commuters to lodge submissions on:

the tiering model,
the free-parking period,
charging hours and enforcement,
permit eligibility and pricing,
how parking income should be reinvested locally.

Tipperary County Council already uses its online portal to run formal public consultations on matters of upgrading and parking bye-law proposals, however, the petty exercise of same authority, by minor officials is perceived only as a “tick box” exercise, rather than a meaningful tool for future public consultative policy development.

Death Of Marie Ryan, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, today Friday 12th December 2025 of Mrs Marie Ryan (née Quinn), Rahealty, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by her beloved husband Mick, parents Martin and Alice, brothers Dick and Billy, brothers-in-law Conor, Bishop Laurence, Pat, Jim and John, sister-in-law Maggie; Mrs Ryan passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family.

Her passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; loving sons Kevin, Joe, Colm and Aidan, daughter Alison (Laffan), daughters-in-law Suzanne, Deirdre, Breda and Kerrie, son-in-law Eddie, sisters Ailish (Ryan) and Pauline (Jennings), brother Michael, her 13 cherished grandchildren and great-grandson, brother-in-law Matty, sisters-in-law Kitty, Mary, Mae and Birdie, nephews, nieces, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mrs Ryan will repose at Hugh Ryan’s Funeral Home, Slievenamon Road, Thurles, (Eircode E41 CP59), on Saturday afternoon, December 13th, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm same evening.
Her remains will be received into the Cathedral of the Assumption, Cathedral Street, Thurles, on Sunday morning, December 14th, at 10:30am, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 11:00am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in St Patrick’s Cemetery, Moyne Road, Lognafulla, Thurles Co. Tipperary.

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

The extended Ryan and Quinn 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: Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to Irish Kidney Association in memory of Mrs Marie Ryan (née Quinn)

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis.

Government To Publish Bill Allowing Garda Use Of Biometric Technology.

The Government is to publish new legislation that will allow An Garda Síochána to use biometric recognition technologies, including facial image analysis, in the investigation of serious crime; matters relating to State security and missing persons cases.

The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill 2025 will provide a clear legal basis for the retrospective analysis of images and footage already in Garda possession, such as CCTV and mobile phone recordings. The technology will allow Gardaí to sort, filter and compare relevant images far more quickly than is currently possible.

This move will save Gardaí thousands of work hours and speed up complex investigations where officers can currently spend months manually reviewing large volumes of footage. It is also expected to reduce the exposure of Garda members to distressing material, particularly in cases involving child sexual abuse and human trafficking.

The use of biometric analysis will be tightly controlled and operate only as an investigative tool, with no automated decision-making. All results will be reviewed by a trained Garda member, and use of the technology must be necessary and proportionate in each case.

The Bill also provides for a statutory Code of Practice, to be drafted by An Garda Síochána in consultation with stakeholders and approved by the Oireachtas. The Code will set out detailed safeguards, including strict data protection and human rights standards, and will be published to ensure transparency.

The Government has separately approved the drafting of a General Scheme to provide for retrospective and live biometric identification, in line with the EU AI Act, including for use in missing persons investigations and in protecting the security of the State and protecting those at risk.