Thurles Information

University Hospital Limerick Most overcrowded In Country This Year.

University Hospital Limerick (UHL), serving the medical needs of North Co. Tipperary, has continued to be the most overcrowded hospital in the country, so far this year, in what the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has described as the “worst year on record for hospital overcrowding”.

According to the group’s trolley watch figures, over 121,526 patients nationally have gone without a hospital bed in the year 2023 to date; the highest portion of which, 21,141, were in University Hospital, Limerick.

Across the country some 3,450 children have also been on trolleys so far this year, representing an increase of 24% on the previous year.

This morning, Tuesday December 19th, there were 517 people waiting for beds; again forced to remain on trolleys in hospitals across the country.

The five most overcrowded hospitals in 2023, in Ireland to date were:

University Hospital Limerick with 21,141 patients,
Cork University Hospital with 12,487 patients,
University Hospital Galway with 8,914 patients,
Sligo University Hospital with 8,094 patients,
St. Vincent’s University Hospital with 6,555 patients.

This overcrowding comes at a time when the HSE have decided to implement a staffing recruitment freeze, which will further demoralise an already exhausted workforce.
The HSE themselves have acknowledged that wait times are far too high for those on trolleys in emergency departments.

Compared to the HSE figures which only count patients who are physically in the emergency department, the INMO figures published on their website weekly, from Monday to Friday, give a more accurate depiction of how many people are on trolleys and chairs right throughout our public hospitals.

The highest level of overcrowding recorded by the INMO was 760 patients record on January 6th 2020.

Death Of Michael Carney, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday Monday 18th December 2023, of Mr Michael Carney, No. 5, St. Kevin’s Park, Littleton, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, and formerly of Harrow, London UK.

Pre-deceased by his brothers Ralph, Peter and Brian, his sister Doreen; Mr Carney passed away peacefully after a long illness, while under the care of staff of St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny City, Co. Kilkenny.

His passing is most deeply regretted and sadly missed by his loving family; wife Jennie (Janie, née Croke, Ballytarsna, Cashel), daughter Jayne, grandchildren Shay, Hannah and Ciara, brother Roy, sisters Pam, Yvonne and Jill, nephews, nieces, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, cousins, former colleagues in Kodak Rugby Club Harrow, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The remains of Mr Carney will repose at his place of residence (E41 WF74) on Thursday afternoon, December 21st, from 4:00pm until 7:00pm.
A Cremation Service will be held on Friday morning, December 22nd, at 11:00am, in Shannon Crematorium, Illaunmanagh, Shannon, Co. Clare, (V14 PV30).

For those persons who are unable to attend the Cremation Service for Mr Carney, same can be viewed streamed live online HERE, 10 minutes before the scheduled service takes place.

The extended Carney 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.

In ár gcroíthe go deo.

EU Commission Proposals Regarding Refresher Courses For Elderly Drivers Shelved.

New proposals suggested by the European Commission that, if implemented, could result in drivers over 70 years of age having to undergo driving refresher courses, will not be implemented here in Ireland.

**Just one small section of unravelled** **roadway on Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary ignored by local elected councillors and Thurles Municipal District officials.**

It has been confirmed that there are no plans by the Irish government to change the current age from over 75 years old to 70 years. Thus drivers under 75 years will not have to supply a medical report confirming their fitness to drive, unless they are specifically identified as someone who has a specific illness and therefore required to do so by law.

The European Commission’s proposals were centred around some motorists having to undergo regular medical tests and refresher courses in order to renew their driving licence. These proposals also suggest mandatory training for professional van drivers, as well as allowing children, as young as 16 years, to drive cars that have been fitted with a governor, thus limiting the top speed of their vehicles.

The new EU proposed directives, which are seen by some as being ageist, unfair, ineffective and harmful, will not be made mandatory for individual member states. While intended to improve road safety, same would be seen as being unjust to those drivers residing in rural areas, that have limited access to other alternative forms of public transport.

According to a European Transport Safety Council report, over 5,400 people aged over 65 years were killed on EU roads in 2021; a third of which were pedestrians.

Here in rural Co. Tipperary, an effort to provide and invest in local road improvements, would be identified as being much more beneficial to the elderly driver, than undergoing driving refresher courses, as anyone who has driven around the streets of Thurles town will most surely confirm.

Death Of Angela Rockley, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, on Friday last, 15th December 2023, of Mrs Angela Rockley (née Moloney), No: 37 Hazelwood, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and formerly of No: 1 Butler Avenue, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by her loving husband John, her sisters Maura, Anna and Teresa, her brothers Lowry, Billy, Larry, Judge, Joe and Noel; the passing of Mrs Rockley is most deeply regretted and sadly missed by her children John, Lesley, Sean and Emily, cherished sister Kathlyn Feehan, daughter-in-law Donna, grandchildren Rita, Joseph, James, John, Matt, Callum, Ethan and Alice, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The remains of Mrs Rockley will repose at Dan Kennedy’s Funeral Home, Upper Kickham Street, Dublin Road, Thurles, on Wednesday afternoon December 20th, from 5:00pm until 6:30pm same evening.
A Cremation Service will take place on Thursday morning, December 21st, at 11:00am in Shannon Crematorium, Illaunmanagh, Shannon, Co. Clare, [V14 PV30].

The extended Rockley 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.

In ár gcroíthe go deo.

Getting Up Close & Personal With Archbishop Leahy Statue In Thurles.

Yesterday, December 17th, 2023, the once wilfully decapitated and now restored statue of Archbishop Patrick Leahy D.D., latter Archbishop of Cashel from 1857-1875, was officially blessed by Archbishop Kieran O Reilly.

Close up pictures hereunder, show the remarkable likeness to the original head first executed at Carrara, in Italy by Professor Pietro Lazzerini. The material then used was Sicilian or bastard statuary marble, but was of such excellent quality that, on first sight, one would imagine it was real statuary marble.

It is also interesting to note that the statue appears to have been adjusted on a previous occasion, since it was first erected in 1911. In a photograph of the statue, taken sometime between 1911 and 1912, by Webster, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary and shown hereunder, the image displays a different pectoral cross*. Today, within the Church, pectoral crosses remain restricted to popes, cardinals, bishops and abbots.
[*The word pectoral comes from the Latin ‘pectoralis’, meaning ‘of the chest’, (‘pecs’)]

This Cross appears to have been adjusted at a later date to represent a cross with two arms signifying a cross belonging to an Archbishop, with the cross held by a cord displaying one Solomon’s knot. The cross matches the gilt cross with two arms currently positioned on the summit of the Thurles Cathedral Baptistery, thus signifying that Thurles Cathedral belongs to an Archbishop.

The Archbishop of Cashel acting as Apostolic Administrator of Emly, until they were united on January 26th 2015, to form the new metropolitan see of Cashel and Emly.

If anyone has any further information regarding this matter, we would love to hear from you.