Thurles Information

Licence Fees, Million-Euro Bailouts & Executive Pay – RTÉ Faces Fresh Scrutiny.

RTÉ is once again at the centre of controversy after new figures revealed that more than 200 people at the broadcaster were earning over €100,000 a year by the end of 2025, including 18 individuals paid more than €200,000 annually.

This latest revelation lands after years of scandals involving hidden payments, secret commercial deals, undisclosed barter accounts, and repeated failures in transparency from Ireland’s national broadcaster.

The public was already furious after the 2023 payments scandal exposed how RTÉ had understated presenter earnings, while continuing to demand television licence payments from ordinary households struggling through a cost-of-living crisis. Trust in the organisation collapsed, senior executives resigned, and multiple government and committee investigations followed.

Yet despite the outrage, RTÉ has continued to rely heavily on taxpayer support.

In recent years, the broadcaster has effectively received two major state financial rescue packages funded by the public:
► A €725 million annual public funding model through licence fees and state support.
► An additional government-backed financial bailout package worth hundreds of millions aimed at stabilising RTÉ after the payments scandal and declining revenues.

At the same time, licence fee inspectors continued pursuing households across Ireland for non-payment, even as questions mounted over excessive salaries, waste, governance failures, and opaque contractor arrangements inside the organisation.

In Ireland, thousands of people have been prosecuted over non-payment of TV licences, but only a relatively small number have actually been jailed.

Historically; in 2012, there were about 11,500 prosecutions for TV licence non-payment. Of those convicted, 242 people were jailed, though most were imprisoned only for a few hours and six overnight.
In 2008, 49 people were jailed over licence-related fines.
Between 1973 and 1993, at least 15 people were imprisoned during a civil disobedience campaign linked to Irish-language broadcasting activism.
More recently, prosecutions and convictions have declined sharply after the RTÉ payments scandal damaged public trust:
Irish courts dealt with 7,263 prosecutions in 2022, falling to 6,555 in 2023.
Nearly 15,000 court summonses were issued in 2022 alone for non-payment.
Convictions for non-payment reportedly fell by around 30% over recent years amid the fallout from RTÉ controversies.

People are generally not jailed directly for “not having a licence” itself, but for failing to pay court-imposed fines after conviction. Fines can reach up to €1,000 for a first offence.

The newest figures also show nearly 1,300 people received between €50,000 and €100,000 from RTÉ in 2025, while thousands more contributors were classified as contractors.

Meanwhile, viewers and taxpayers are still asking the same unanswered question:
How can RTÉ continue demanding mandatory licence fee payments from the public while repeatedly failing basic standards of transparency and accountability with public money?

Rest In Peace, Dennis Locorriere.

The music world has lost yet another legendary voice. Dennis Locorriere, the longtime frontman and founding member of Dr. Hook, has passed away at the age of 76, following a battle with kidney disease.

Before the huge chart success and unforgettable singalong hits, Dennis Locorriere gave Dr. Hook one of their most heartfelt performances with ‘Only Sixteen‘; a tender remake of the classic Sam Cooke song that became a worldwide hit for the band in the mid-70s.
With Dennis’s unmistakable voice full of warmth, emotion, and honesty, the song captured the innocence and heartbreak of young love in a way only he could. Decades later, it remains one of the defining songs of Dr. Hook’s legacy and a reminder of the timeless talent Dennis brought to every performance.

Best known for other timeless hits including ‘When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman‘, ‘Sharing the Night Together‘, and ‘Sylvia’s Mother‘, Dennis helped define the sound of 1970s soft rock and country-pop, alongside bandmate the late Ray Sawyer.

According to his management, Mr Locorriere died peacefully yesterday May 16th 2026, surrounded by family and loved ones, after facing his illness with “strength, dignity, and resilience.”

Born in Union City, Mr Locorriere enjoyed a career that spanned almost six decades, recording more than 18 albums and continuing to perform long after Dr. Hook’s chart success. He had also made the UK his home for more than two decades.
Though his voice may now be silent, the songs he gave the world will continue to live on for many generations.

A Sharp Decline In Roads Policing Gardaí, Raises Safety Concerns.

New figures released by the Department of Justice and An Garda Síochána show that the number of Garda members assigned to Roads Policing Units has fallen by almost 40% since 2009. The total number of specialist personnel dropped from 1,046 to 645 by March this year; a reduction of 401 officers dedicated to policing Irish roads.

Dublin experienced some of the steepest declines, with roads policing numbers nearly halving over the period. One Dublin division recorded a 59% drop, leaving just 11 specialist Gardaí and two road policing vehicles covering the area.

Other regions also saw significant reductions, including Sligo/Leitrim, where staffing levels fell from 34 officers to 14. Limerick was the only area to record a slight increase in personnel since 2009.

Road safety advocacy groups described the falling numbers as deeply concerning, warning that reduced enforcement capacity impacts road safety efforts nationwide. Campaigners said roads policing units are struggling due to limited resources and staffing pressures, and believe enforcement on Irish roads has been weakened at a time when offences are increasing. Recent figures show that more than 211,000 vehicles on Irish roads were uninsured or unregistered last year, roughly one in every 15 vehicles nationwide.
Despite Gardaí carrying out over one million vehicle checks during the first three months of 2026, more than 5,000 vehicles were still seized for having no insurance during that short period alone. Thousands of additional summonses were also issued.

In response, An Garda Síochána stated that all Garda members contribute to road traffic enforcement, including those outside dedicated Roads Policing Units. According to the organisation, non-specialist personnel accounted for a majority of DUI detections, vehicle detentions, and checkpoints carried out last year.

The force also said there is no policy aimed at reducing roads policing numbers and noted that more than 80 new members have been assigned to roads policing duties over the past 18 months. However, Garda management acknowledged that staffing increases have not yet delivered the “significant uplift” desired in roads policing capacity

Banner Roar Back as Clare Crush Tipp In Thurles Showdown.

Brian Lohan’s men took control before half-time, opening up a huge lead through scores from Ian Galvin and Sean Rynne, before Galvin struck the game’s only goal just after the restart to leave Tipp reeling.

Clare delivered a massive statement in the Munster SHC last night with a commanding 1-25, (28pts) to 0-17 (17 pts) victory over Tipperary at Semple Stadium.

Things went from bad to worse for the All-Ireland champions when Willie Connors was sent off, and Clare ruthlessly stretched their advantage with points from Tony Kelly, Peter Duggan and Diarmuid Stritch.

The defeat leaves Tipperary staring at a shock championship exit, with their hopes now depending on Waterford getting a result against Limerick today.

A Warning To Late Travellers On The Cashel Road.

If the Roads Around Cashel Fall Silent, Best Turn for Home.

If you find yourself out late around the town of Cashel, Co. Tipperary, take a bit of advice from the old people; go home before the road goes quiet.

Tourists especially beware, because according to the folklore of the Galtee country, there are worse things abroad at night than a Garda checkpoint or a missed Fish & Chipper.

Long before horror films discovered the headless horseman, Ireland already had the Dullahan, latter a charming individual who travelled the roads carrying his own head under his arm and announcing death wherever he stopped. No door lock kept him out. No gate latch held him back. The only known deterrent was gold, which feels very Irish altogether. Even supernatural evil respects inflation.

The most entertaining version of the tale comes from an old story called “The Good Woman”, collected by Thomas Crofton Croker in the nineteenth century. The story is set around the Galtee Mountains and Cashel, where a horse dealer named Larry Dodd makes the sort of decision that proves Irish folklore exists mainly to warn men against acting the maggot after dark.

Larry is riding home from Cashel one June evening after buying a horse. He’s feeling pleased with himself, no doubt after “just the one pint” that became several. Along the road he meets a mysterious cloaked woman walking alone at twilight.

Now, any sensible person in rural Ireland knows there are only three explanations for a woman silently appearing on a lonely road after sunset; a banshee, a fairy, trouble.
Larry, unfortunately, ignores centuries of accumulated wisdom and offers her a lift.
She says nothing. Climbs up behind him. Still says nothing, which, to be fair, should have been the first warning sign to any member of the male species.

Eventually the horse stops near the ruins of an old church. The woman slips down soundlessly and glides away across the graveyard. Larry, displaying the sort of judgement that has doomed Irish men since mythology began, chases after her looking for a kiss and catches her, only to discover she has no head.

At this point the story becomes considerably less romantic. Larry faints dead away and wakes among a gathering of Dullahans; headless ladies and gentlemen, soldiers, priests, musicians and skeletons tossing skulls around like hurling balls. Naturally enough, someone offers him a drink. Well this is still Ireland after all.

Things go poorly from there but eventually he escapes with his life, though not with his dignity, and his horse disappears entirely which may be the most authentically Irish ending imaginable. Survive supernatural terror if you like, but someone is still stealing the livestock.

So if you’re around Cashel late at night and happen to see a silent figure on the roadside, perhaps keep driving. Do not offer lifts. Do not flirt. And, absolutely do not follow mysterious women into ruined churches.

The old stories survive for a reason, and mainly because somebody ignored obvious warning signs and succeeded to live just long enough to warn the rest of us.