Thurles Information

Mammy’s Day – March 15th.

Today, Sunday 15th March 2026, is Mother’s Day in Ireland, and that feels especially fitting for a nod to the legendary “Irish Mammy” energy Brendan Grace made so memorable; the woman who could find your lost jumper, your manners, and your future all in one sentence.
So let us begin by honouring the queens of the side-eye, the guardians of “Were you raised in a barn?”, and the fearless women who could heal any illness with tea, toast and a threat.

**Late, Great, Commedian Brendan Grace** *(1951- 2019)*.

Mothers don’t just bring us into the world; they spend the rest of their lives asking why we went out without a coat and whether we’ve thanked them properly for the privilege.

The Irish Mother.

And as we close, let’s raise a cup of tea, hide the good biscuits, and salute the women who somehow managed to keep the whole show on the road, while making it look like we were the hard work.

Happy Mother’s Day to every mammy, mum, mother, and maternal legend, may your compliments be plentiful, your feet be up for at least ten minutes, and may nobody dare say “What’s for dinner?” unless they’re the one cooking it.

Walsh Park Wipeout – Waterford Collapse As Tipp’s Storming Revival Sends Déise Down.

Waterford’s Allianz Hurling League survival bid ended in bitter fashion at Azzurri Walsh Park, as they squandered a commanding half-time lead and crashed to relegation, with Tipperary roaring back, on a windy afternoon, to secure their own Division 1A status.

Tipperary won 2-24 to 1-23 after trailing by eight points before the break, with John McGrath starring on his first start of 2026 and Gearóid O’Connor grabbing a crucial second-half goal.

Waterford began with real intent and looked in complete control for long stretches of the opening half. Driven by a dominant display around the middle and sharp attacking movement, the Déise repeatedly found gaps in the Tipp defence. Dessie Hutchinson hit the ground running with a string of early points, while Shane Bennett was hugely influential, surging forward to clip over four superb scores.

By the 24th minute, Waterford had built a powerful platform. Seán Walsh’s goal, taken brilliantly after latching onto a huge delivery, injected even more life into the home crowd and pushed the margin wider. With Reuben Halloran, Darragh Lyons and Mark Fitzgerald all adding scores, Waterford appeared to be cruising as Tipp struggled to cope with their pace and intensity.

Yet the visitors found a lifeline before half-time. A couple of late scores trimmed the gap and offered a hint that all was not lost. That sliver of momentum became a tidal wave after the restart.

Backed by the strong wind, Tipperary returned with purpose and aggression. S. Tobin, impressive throughout, made a big contribution, while Conor Stakelum and Eoghan Connolly also helped swing the momentum. Waterford, so fluent before the break, suddenly found scores far harder to come by. Crucially, neither Hutchinson nor Bennett managed to add to their tallies in the second half.

The turning point arrived in the 58th minute. John McGrath flicked possession into the path of Jake Morris, who burst through the heart of the defence before teeing up Gearóid O’Connor to finish calmly to the net. In one sweeping move, Tipp had turned the contest on its head.

Although Halloran briefly kept Waterford alive with placed balls, Tipp finished the stronger side. Bryan O’Mara produced a vital intervention at the back, and late scores from Oisín O’Donoghue, Andrew Ormond and McGrath ensured the comeback was complete.

For Waterford, it was a collapse that will sting deeply. For Tipp, it was a rescue mission completed in style.

Tipperary: R. Shelly; R. Doyle, R Maher, M. Breen; O. O’Donoghue (0-01), B. O’Mara, E. Connolly (0-02) [1 x 65, 1 x f ]; C. Morgan, C. Stakelum (0-01); J. Caesar, K. McCarthy, J. Morris (0-02); J. McGrath (1-04 (7pts)), J. Forde (0-06), [5 x f ], S. Tobin (0-04).

Subs: A. Ormond for K. McCarthy, G. O’Connor for J. Caesar, D. Stakelum for C. Morgan, D. McCarthy for J. Forde, and S. Kenneally for S. Tobin.

Referee: T. Gleeson (Dublin).

Tipperary Home Energy Upgrades Still Worth It, Even If The Headlines Sound Confusing.

Homeowners across Co. Tipperary could be forgiven for feeling mixed messages about retrofitting right now.

A new ESRI review has sparked debate by highlighting that actual household energy use does not always match what BER ratings predict.
Put in simple terms, some highly efficient homes use more energy than expected, while many low-rated homes use less than the models suggest. The ESRI says this helps explain why average real-world consumption can look surprisingly similar across BER bands.

At first glance, that can make insulation, heating upgrades, or a heat pump seem like poor value. But that would be the wrong conclusion, especially in a county like Tipperary, where many homes are older, more rural, more exposed to weather, and more likely to depend on oil, solid fuel, or outdated heating systems. The same CSO data that raised eyebrows also shows that better-rated homes generally use less energy per square metre, which remains one of the fairest ways to compare homes of very different sizes. In 2023, A and B rated homes using electricity for heating consumed 39 kWh per square metre, compared with 66 for C-rated homes and 58 for F and G rated homes.

That matters in Tipperary because house size and dwelling type play a big role in energy demand. Detached houses use far more energy overall than mid-terrace homes simply because there is more space to heat. The CSO found detached homes had the highest mean electricity consumption in 2023, at 7,388 kWh, 77% higher than mid-terrace houses. For a county with a large stock of detached and one-off rural homes, that makes efficiency upgrades especially relevant.

There is another reason this matters locally. CSO figures published in 2025 showed that Tipperary had one of the highest proportions of G-rated homes in the country, at 10%. That suggests a significant number of households in the county are living in homes that are harder and more expensive to keep comfortable. In practice, many families in lower-rated homes are not “saving” energy in a meaningful sense. They may simply be under-heating rooms, avoiding turning the heat on, or living with draughts and cold spots, because the cost of comfort is too high. That is very different from saying an upgrade has no value.

This is the key point often lost in the national argument: retrofitting is not only about cutting a bill on paper. It is also about comfort, health, resilience, and future-proofing. A warmer, drier home is easier to live in. It is healthier for children and older people. It is less exposed to fossil fuel price shocks. And it is more attractive in the property market. The BER is not a perfect measure of human behaviour, but it is still a useful measure of the building itself: its insulation, airtightness, and heating potential.

For Tipperary homeowners, the smarter question is not “Are upgrades worth it at all?” but “Which upgrades make sense for my house, my budget, and my timeline?” A full deep retrofit may not be realistic for every household. Nationally, the government supported 53,984 home energy upgrades in 2024, and more than €1.2 billion has been invested in 186,000 homes since 2019. Low-cost retrofit loans are also now available to help with upfront funding. That means households can often take a phased approach: attic insulation first, then wall insulation, then heating controls, solar PV, or eventually a heat pump.

And heat pumps should not be dismissed. SEAI says they use less than a third of the energy of an oil or gas boiler and work well in cold climates, which is why they are so common in countries like Sweden and Norway. In Tipperary Town, the local Sustainable Energy Community is already backing projects involving solar upgrades, public housing retrofit, and an air-to-water heat pump for a sports centre redevelopment.

So yes, the headlines deserve scrutiny. BER ratings do not tell the whole story. But for many homeowners in Co. Tipperary, energy upgrades are still a sound investment. Not because every retrofit instantly transforms the numbers, but because a better home is about more than a spreadsheet. It is about comfort, control, and making older Tipperary houses fit for the future.

Sam Stone.

Lyrics and Vocals: American country folk singer/songwriter and guitarist, the late John Prine (1946 – 2020).

The late John Prine.

“Sam Stone” is ultimately about the hidden cost of war; not glory, not victory. A soldier comes home alive, but not whole, and his pain turns into addiction, family suffering, and finally death. The author, the late John Prine, uses Sam’s story to show how veterans can be praised for their service, yet still be left alone to deal with trauma and dependence, once they return home, making the song both a personal tragedy and a quiet anti-war statement.
The line about Jesus Christ, expresses Sam’s feeling that sacrifice, patriotism, religion, and public ideals have failed to save him.

Sam Stone.

Sam Stone.

Sam Stone came home,
To his wife and family,
After serving in the conflict overseas.
And the time that he served,
Had shattered all his nerves,
And left a little shrapnel in his knees.
But the morphine eased the pain,
And the grass grew round his brain,
And gave him all the confidence he lacked.
With a purple heart and a monkey on his back,
There’s a hole in Daddy’s arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I suppose.
Little pitchers have big ears,
Don’t stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios, (mmhmm).
Sam Stone’s welcome home,
Didn’t last too long.
He went to work when he’d spent his last dime,
And Sammy took to stealing,
When he got that empty feeling,
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime.
And the gold rolled through his veins,
Like a thousand railroad trains,
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose,
While the kids ran around wearin’ other peoples’ clothes.
There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I suppose.
Little pitchers have big ears,
Don’t stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios, (mmhmm).
Sam Stone was alone,
When he popped his last balloon,
Climbing walls while sitting in a chair.
Well, he played his last request,
While the room smelled just like death.
With an overdose hovering in the air.
But life had lost its fun,
There was nothing to be done,
But trade his house that he bought on the GI bill,
For a flag-draped casket on a local hero’s hill.
There’s a hole in Daddy’s arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I suppose.
Little pitchers have big ears,
Don’t stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios, (mmhmm).

END.

HSA Investigation Underway Following Workplace Death In Co. Tipperary.

The Health and Safety Authority has launched an investigation following the death of a man in his 40s at a meat processing facility in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.

Mr Patrick Gleeson, who was from Youghal, Co. Cork, was pronounced dead after an incident at the Roscrea factory at approximately 3:00pm on Monday last, March 9th 2026. Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene, and the local coroner was notified.

Mr Gleeson, a father of one, was laid to rest following his funeral Mass. His family said they have been left devastated and are trying to understand the circumstances surrounding his death. Gardaí confirmed that the Health and Safety Authority was notified and is carrying out its own investigation into the incident.

No further details on the circumstances of the death have been made public at this stage.

According to provisional figures published by the Health and Safety Authority, 58 people died in work-related incidents in Ireland during 2025, up from 36 in 2024.