Thurles Information

Farmers Market Meet Thurles Market Quarter Officer & Project Designer.

On July 2nd last, 2024, members of Thurles Farmers Market had their first meeting, regarding the soon to be erected Thurles Market Quarter, same due to commence in an area close to Thurles Town Park. Those in attendance at this meeting included the Project Officer and the Market Quarter project designer.

Surprisingly, the contract for this Market Quarter project had already been signed; with construction work, we are informed, scheduled to begin next month, on August 6th.
This new Town Park car park, which was only officially opened less than 8 years ago, is now again to undergo a major upheaval, with the new project expected to make this area unavailable for public use for the following 16 months, at a cost of €3.4 million in Rural Regeneration Funding, with little or no discussion or consultation with town residents or the business community.

Adding this project to the promised overdue upgrading of Liberty Square West and the overdue upgrading of Slievenamon Road, together with the traffic which will be generated by students returning to their various schools and the inability to find parking; businesses in the town square will surely trade with immense difficulty.
People are now asking, what if any influence does Thurles Chamber of Commerce, the representative body for the business community in Thurles, have, regarding this matter?

**New** **Thurles Town Park car park which was constructed, landscaped & opened **just** 8 years ago**.
*Pic: G. Willoughby.*

In 2020 the district Council had sought a letter of support for the project from Thurles Farmers Market which they confirm was provided. However, later in 2021 Thurles Farmers Market had sought further information in relation to the proposed trading area and had expected to meet with the designers, prior to sanction of this project, but this meeting had never materialised.

New Café.
Thurles Farmers Market, following their July 2nd meeting, have learned that the stone agricultural out building first erected in the great famine years, are to be refurbished and expanded by means of a glazed extension. When completed same is expected to accommodate an 83 seater café, for which an operator has yet to be located as a tenant.
The building had been sought for leasing from the Co. Council, by the Thurles Famine Museum, prior to the latters forced closure by the local C of I Community, however, the request was found unsuitable by Thurles Municipal District Council officials.
However, interesting to note that some 100 metres away yet another café style restaurant, run by the same Co. Council, remains closed, after several tenants vacated the space, same unable get a fair return on their initial investment.

The Market Quarter.
The ‘Market Quarter’ itself will see a canopy erected over a section of this car park area which will be modified to allow access to water and electricity at a number of service points for future market days. The restructured area is expected to lose 16 car parking spaces to struggling businesses in the immediate area.
The canopy, which will be cream in colour with no branding, cannot come lower than 4m from the ground due to the fact that cars are being parked under the canopy. The council says no trader or customer parking will be allowed under the canopy during Market events.

We learn Thurles Farmers Market are to be given some storage space, under the stairs, in this soon to be refurbished café, which again will be controlled by Tipperary Co. Council.

Now, with few spaces guaranteed available to park a motor vehicle, Thurles will surely be obliterated.

The ambiguity and inexactness start HERE. “The Town Centre First Plan will be driven by the local community and businesses.”
Could this €3.4 million Rural Regeneration Funding not have been more wisely spent, e.g. the purchase of the now derelict eyesore, that is the Munster Hotel, Cathedral Street, demolished to provide accommodation for 3rd level students, attending our two 3rd level collages.
One must ask; did any of our local councillors or their officials ever visit the Garden Centre, Restaurant & Farmer’s Market, known as Solas, situated on the Dublin Road, out of Portarlington, Co. Laois.

Note: No expensive giant umbrella here. These many trading stalls are made from attractive shipping containers where Traders can store their own produce etc, in each container when trading finishes. Imagine the air of contentment experienced here, when shopping, with free parking, (no €1.20 for limited parking here, that’s if you can find parking.).

Imagine the number of such containers you could purchase, using Rural Regeneration Funding of €3.4 million and the employment generated, not to mention the benefits gained through creating sustainable rural development and much needed countryside resurgence.

The waste of taxpayer funding by Tipperary Co. Council, assisted by the government, continues.

Amazon Prime Day 2024 Starts Midnight Tuesday July 16th.

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To View Amazon Prime – Popular movies and TV shows, link HERE.
To View Audible Audiobooks, link HERE.
To View Kindle Unlimited, link HERE.
To View Amazon Wedding List, link HERE.

Note: The site offers a 30-day return window on most purchases made during Prime Day.

Solitary Little Egret Returns To Feed In River Suir, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

‘Little Egret‘.
Extract from a poem by Johno Brett.
“Standing tall and proud at the water’s edge,
Plumage stark white against the salt marsh,
Jet black legs and yellow feet,
With a sharp stabbing beak,
Stands the Little Egret.”

**Little Egret** *(Egretta garzetta)* **Feeds In Thurles Town Centre.**
*Pic: G. Willoughby*

The little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron, white in colour with a slender black beak, long black legs and yellow feet. Every day this week, usually between the hours of 4:00pm and 7:00pm, one such bird can be observed fishing in the shallow water of the river Suir, close to Barry’s Bridge, in the centre of Thurles Town.

Research shows that the little egret was once very common in Ireland, but became extinct through a combination of over-hunting in the late medieval period.
In England the inclusion of some 1,000 egrets in a banquet to celebrate the enthronement of George Neville as Archbishop of York at Cawood Castle in 1465, indicates the presence of a sizeable population in northern England at that period in time.
They were also listed in the coronation feast of King Henry VI in 1429 and by the mid-16th century, they had become scarce and nearly extinct.

**Little Egret** **Clad In Black stockings & Yellow Shoes**.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*

From the 17th century onwards the plumes of the little egret and its close relatives were in demand for the decorating of hats and became a major craze in Victorian times with the number of egret skins passing through dealers hands reaching into the millions annually, reducing the population of the species to almost extinction and stimulating the establishment of Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 1889.

Sometime in the 1950s, conservation laws were introduced in southern Europe to protect the species and since then their numbers began to increase. By the beginning of the 21st century the breed began expand westward, breeding again in the UK back in the 1960s before arriving in Ireland in more recent years.

Little egrets stalk their prey in shallow water, often observed shuffling their feet in an effort to disturb small fish, or may stand still and simply wait to ambush other available prey which include frogs, crustaceans, molluscs, insects, spiders and worms.

Here in Ireland, the species bred for the first time in 1997 at a site in Co. Cork and the population has expanded rapidly since, aided by climate change, and is now breeding in other Irish counties, since 2010, despite the severe cold winter weather experienced during the years 2010 – 2012.

Warning To Pedestrians, Cyclists & Motorists In Thurles.

Thurles.Info’s eye in the sky highlights two issues requiring immediate attention in the Cathedral town today.

Immediately opposite the front gates of Thurles Golf Club (N62, on left side entering the town) there exists what appears to be a large drain, the lid of which has since disintegrated.

**Possibly A Collapsed Drain Cover** *(N62 Thurles)*.

Due to the grass and its proximity to the verge, this large drain; the mouth of which measures approximately 31cm (12ins) X 76cm (30ins) is of extreme danger, in particular to pedestrians walking at night and also faster moving cyclists and motorists, latter who may decide to stop their vehicle on the outer margin or verge, which allows for parking.

Our second picture shows water cascading down Emmett Street, from opposite premises owned by Pat The Barber and The Recovery Hub, situated at the junction of Barry’s Bridge and Emmett Street.

**Water Leakage From Water Metres on Emmett Street, Thurles**.

The picture above shows water flowing from what appears to be water metres which were placed too close to the roadway and possibly damaged by the constant moving of heavy trucks required to offload in this area.

FSAI Recall Batches Of Al’Fez Natural Tahini Smooth & Nutty Due To Salmonella.

Food Safety Authority recall additional batches of Al’Fez Natural Tahini Smooth and Nutty due to the possible presence of Salmonella.

Alert Summary Dated Friday, July 12 th 2024.

Category 1: For Action.
Alert Notification: 2024.29 (update 1).
Product Identification: Al’Fez Natural Tahini Smooth & Nutty; pack sizes: 160g and 270g.
Batch Code: All batches; all best before dates.
Country Of Origin: United Kingdom.

Message:
Further to FSAI food alert 2024.29, all batches of Al’Fez Natural Tahini Smooth & Nutty are being recalled due to the possible presence of Salmonella. Recall notices will be displayed at point-of-sale.

Nature Of Danger:
People infected with Salmonella typically develop symptoms between 12 and 36 hours after infection, but this can range between 6 and 72 hours. The most common symptom is diarrhoea, which can sometimes be bloody. Other symptoms may include fever, headache and abdominal cramps. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Diarrhoea can occasionally be severe enough to require hospital admission. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Action Required: Caterers & Retailers are requested to remove the implicated batches from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.

Consumers: Consumers are advised not to eat the affected batches.