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Death of John Murphy, Formerly Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday, Monday 29th January 2024, of Mr John Murphy (JJ), Phibsborough, Dublin and formerly of Horse and Jockey, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Mr Murphy passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, while inthe care of staff at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles St, Dublin 7.

His passing is most deeply regretted and sadly missed by his loving family; wife and best friend Marguerite, daughters Michelle and Joanne, sons Kenneth and Andrew, son-in-law Ken, adored grandchildren Shauna, Aimee, Callum, Leo, Inaya and Khaira, sisters Mary, Hannah and Pauline, sisters-in-law Rosemary and Gabrielle, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Murphy, will repose at Massey Bros Funeral Home, No. 88a New Cabra Road, Dublin 7, [D07 ET92], on Friday afternoon, February 2nd, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm same evening, with recitation of prayers at 6:30pm.
Funeral cortège will be received into the Roman Catholic Church of Christ the King, Cabra Road, Cabra East, Dublin 7, on Saturday morning, February 3rd, at 9:50am to further repose for Requiem Mass at 10:00am, followed by cremation service at 12:00 noon, in Glasnevin Cemetery, Fingal Road, Glasnevin, Dublin, [D11 XA32].

For those persons who are unable to attend Requiem Mass for Mr Murphy, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.
For those persons who are unable to attend cremation service, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.

The extended Murphy family 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: House strictly private. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to the Mater Foundation.


Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Two Cart Wheels Stand.

Two Cart Wheels Stand.

Courtesy of Thurles Author & Poet Tom Ryan ©

Cart Wheels Heritage

Two Cart Wheels Stand.

Against the wall there now,
In a suburban garden,
Two cart-wheels stand,
Painted and varnished, white and black.
Once by a jennet drawn,
In a time and space,
Now long since gone.
But nurtured by the years of affection.
How utterly they seemed,
Out of time and space,
And yet and yet,
Adorned that place.

End

Tom Ryan, “Iona”, Rahealty, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Measures To Expedite International Protection Application Processing.

  • Botswana and Algeria added to Safe Country list – applicants from these countries will receive a decision in less than 10 weeks.
  • Expedited processing for applicants who already have refugee status also introduced.
  • International Protection Office now making 1,000 decisions per month.

As we stated earlier this morning, the Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee T.D. has this lunchtime updated her Cabinet colleagues on a range of measures which have and will continue to speed up international protection application processing times.

From tomorrow, Botswana and Algeria will be designated safe countries of origin for the purpose of making a claim for international protection in the state. The existing list of safe countries includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of), Montenegro, Serbia and South Africa.

Under an accelerated decision making process introduced by the Minister in November 2022, applications from safe countries are currently receiving decisions in less than 90 days.

While people from safe countries are still entitled to apply for international protection and have their application considered thoroughly, they will have to submit serious grounds that the country is not safe in terms of their personal circumstances.

On this point, Minister McEntee said: “My priority is that those who are in need of International protection receive it quickly, and those who are not entitled to it are removed from the system quickly too. This is the hallmark of a robust and rules based immigration system.
Given the difference the accelerated procedure I introduced in late 2022 has had already, I do expect the addition of Botswana and Algeria to have an immediate impact. Cases from those countries designated as safe are currently receiving a decision in less than 10 weeks and applications from people from those countries are down by 38%.
I must emphasise however that an application by a person from a safe country still receives a full consideration on its merit by the International Protection Office. We have seen that in the current list of safe countries, there are still grants in cases where people can show that their personal circumstances mean that their country is not safe for them.”

The Minister also noted new expedited processes for people who apply for international protection in Ireland having already been granted protection status in another EU state: “In July 2022, I introduced a visa requirement for those travelling here on convention travel documents to reduce the number of people claiming international protection when they already have it elsewhere.
To reinforce this, I have also informed Government today of the introduction of an expedited procedure for inadmissible applications by people who already have been granted protection in the EU”.

The Minister also updated the Government in relation to the modernisation process currently underway at the IPO and the subsequent progress on processing international protection applications.

Following significant investment in staff, reengineered processes and technology, the IPO almost doubled the decisions made in 2023, compared to 2022.

Over the course of the last year, the International Protection Office increased the number of monthly determinations to over 1,000 in November 2023, and plans to deliver at least 14,000 decisions in 2024, a further increase of 5,000 cases.

The Minister added: “The International Protection system currently undergoing a significant modernisation programme to ensure it is agile, robust and fully resourced to meet the unprecedented increase in applications in recent years.
Investments to date have significantly improved processing times. Most impressively, there has been a doubling of decisions made in 2023 from the year before.
Over the course of 2024 we aim to even further increase capacity and processing times.
This is all with the aim of ensuring that those who have a right to international protection are given that status as quickly as possible, whilst those who are found to not have that right are removed from the system as quickly as possible too.”

The Minister also today updated Government on the imminent adoption of the Immigration and Asylum Pact at EU level.

The Minister concluded: “The challenges presented by migration and asylum cannot be effectively addressed by any state acting alone in an increasingly globalised and interdependent world. The Pact seeks to establish a more coherent approach across the EU to migration, asylum, integration and border management, fit for the fast moving world of the 21st century.
The Pact aims to provide swift, sustainable and fair procedures for the management of migration and asylum in the EU. It provides for faster and more efficient processing of applications, new accelerated procedures, and a faster returns process.
I am undertaking intensive work to be in a position to advise Government on the implications of opting-in to the Pact. I will bring a recommendation to Government before the end of March”.

Review Of Safe Countries Of Origin To Be Announced Today.

Review Of Safe Countries Of Origin In Context Of International Protection To Be Announced Today.

The Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee TD is expected to announce the outcome of a review of Safe Countries of Origin in the context of international protection this afternoon at 1:00pm.

A safe country of origin is defined as a country where, on the basis of the legal situation; the application of the law within a democratic system: the general political circumstances, it can be shown that there is generally and consistently no persecution; [as defined in Directive 2011/95/EU (Recast Qualification Directive)], no torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; and no threat by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict.
The announcement of the outcome of review of safe countries of origin, will be made at the Courtyard, Government Buildings, Merrion St. Upper, Dublin 2, [D02 R583].

Take Care Of Cents & Euros Will Take Care Of Themselves.

The once quote of ‘Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves’, is usually attributed to William Lowndes (1652–1724) an English Whig politician during the reigns of King William, Queen Anne, and King George I. He would become British Secretary of the Treasury in 1695 and bore the nickname “Ways and Means Lowndes”.
Despite our move to euro coin denominations in 2002, the proverb still holds that if you concentrate on saving small amounts of money, you’ll soon amass a larger amount.

But enough ‘history waffling’ from me, let’s take a look at the cost and benefits of two brands of Potato Waffles.

Data hereunder is taken from the free Yuka application (App) available to download to your phone.

Harvest Basket WafflesProduct
Rated Good 63/100
Price €1.39Birds Eye WafflesProduct
Rated Good 54/100
Price €2.99
Protein2.7gProtein2.5g
Fibre 2.3gProtein1.7g
Saturates 1gSaturates 0.6g
Sugar0.4gSugar0.7g
Salt0.35gSalt0.75g
Energy207kcalEnergy180kcal
Additives1Additives1

Having digested the above data our readers will note that not only is the Harvest Basket Waffles rated better by the app (63/100), but the packet is larger, containing two more waffles, while the price is €1.60 cheaper than its named rival, so do keep this knowledge in mind when next you visit your local supermarket.

No I am not a paid representative for Harvest Basket Waffles. Maybe I should be!