Thurles Information

Skin (Sarabeth)

Skin

Lyrics: Written by Doug Johnson and Joe Henry.

Vocals: Performed by American country music group ‘Rascal Flatts‘.

“Skin”

Sarah Beth is scared to death,
To hear what the doctor will say.
She hasn’t been well,
Since the day that she fell,
And the bruise, it just won’t go away.
So she sits and she waits, with her mother and dad,
And flips through an old magazine,
‘Til the nurse with a smile,
Stands at the door,
And says, ‘Will you please come with me?’
Sarah Beth is scared to death,
‘Cause the doctor just told her the news.
Between the red cells and white,
Something’s not right,
But we’re gonna take care of you.
Six chances in ten, it won’t come back again,
With the therapy we’re gonna try.
It’s just been approved,
It’s the strongest there is,
And I think we caught it in time.
Sarah Beth closes her eyes.
She dreams she’s dancing,
Around and around, without any care,
And her very first love is holding her close,
And the soft wind is blowing her hair.
Sarah Beth is scared to death,
As she sits, holding her mom.
It would be a mistake,
For someone to take,
A girl with no hair to the prom.
For just this morning, right there on her pillow,
Was the cruelest of any surprise,
And she cried when she gathered it all in her hands,
The proof that she couldn’t deny.
Sarah Beth closes her eyes.
And she dreams she’s dancing,
Around and around, without any care,
And her very first love was holding her close,
And the soft wind is blowing her hair.
It’s quarter on seven, that boy is at the door,
Her Daddy ushers him in.
When he takes off his cap, they all start to cry.
‘Cause this morning where his hair had been,
Softly, she touches just skin.
They go dancing,
Around and around, without any care,
And her very first true love is holding her close,
And for a moment, she isn’t scared.

END

Death Of Maureen Kerrigan, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, today Friday 25th August 2023, of Mrs Maureen Kerrigan, Abbey Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and formerly of Straleel, Carrick, Co. Donegal.

Pre-deceased by her brother Brian and daughter-in-law Mary; Mrs Kerrigan passed away peacefully at her place of residence.

Her passing is most deeply regretted and sadly missed by her loving husband Tim, daughters Edel (Cobh), Eileen (Nugent,-Trim, Co. Meath) and Carmel (O’Brien, Lisnagry, Co. Limerick), sons Joe and Ger, daughter-in-law Avril and sons-in-law John and Joe, sisters Cáit and Gabrielle, brother Laurence and adored grandchildren Ross, Nicole, Gary, Glenn, Rachael, Shane, Mark, Sinéad, Jennifer, Harry and John, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mrs Kerrigan will repose at Hugh Ryan’s Funeral Home, Slievenamon Road, Thurles on Saturday afternoon, August 26th, from 4:30pm until 7:00pm same evening.
Her remains will be received into the Church of St. Joseph and St. Brigid, Bothar-na-Naomh, Thurles, on Sunday morning, August 27th, at 9:30am to further repose for Requiem Mass at 10:00am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Moyne Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

The extended Kerrigan 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: Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to Irish Cancer Society and Milford Hospice.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis.

Recruitment Campaign For Irish Prison Officers Due To Commence.

The Irish Prison Service are inviting applications from suitably qualified persons, who wish to be considered for inclusion on a panel from which vacancies for Recruit Prison Officer may be filled.

The Irish Prison Service is responsible for the provision of safe, secure and humane custody for those people committed to prison by the Courts.

The Public Appointments Service, on behalf of the Irish Prison Service, intends to recruit up to 250 Prison Officers in 2023, with an additional 300 in 2024.

The last recruitment competition was held in 2022 and was very successful with over 2,000 persons making applications.

Note: The 2023 ‘Recruit Prison Officer Competition’ closes at 3:00pm, on Thursday 28th September 2023.

Information can be found on the Public Service Appointments website HERE.

St. Bartholomew’s Tradition Remains True to Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Today, as some readers will be aware, is the feast day of St. Bartholomew, the Apostle of Jesus Christ (August 24th), and true to a popular traditional story, it has failed to rain here in Thurles today. This traditional story states “Of all the tears that St. Swithin can cry, St. Bartholomew’s Day will wipe them dry”.

To remind you: Readers will be aware of the St. Swithun’s day traditional story:

“St. Swithun’s day if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain.
St. Swithun’s day if thou be fair,
For forty days ’twill rain nae mare.* [*no more]
If on St. Swithun’s day it really pours,
You’re better off to stay indoors.”

So who was this St. Bartholomew.

St. Bartholomew, today, remains the patron saint of farmers, butchers, plasterers, housepainters, tanners, tailors, leatherworkers, bookbinders, and glove makers.

**Depicted the Flaying of St. Bartholomew**.

Legend describes St. Bartholomew as having black hair, a shaggy head, a fair skin, large eyes, beautiful nostrils, his ears hidden by the shaggy hair of his head, with a yellow beard, a few grey hairs, of middle height, and neither tall nor stunted, but middling, clothed with a white under cloak bordered with purple, and upon his shoulders a very white cloak, his clothes having been worn for twenty-six years, but neither are they dirty, nor have they become ragged.

In the New Testament St. Bartholomew’s name appears in the lists of apostles at Matthew 10:2-4, – Mark 3:17-19, – Luke 6:13-16, and Acts of the Apostles 1:13.

According to legend, after the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, St. Bartholomew preached the Gospel in India and Armenia, latter in the mountainous Caucasus region between Asia and Europe.
In one Indian city, which worshipped the vicious demon god Astaruth, his arrival is said to have held fast by ‘chains of fire’ this god called Astaruth, who no longer can speak or breathe.
Later, he exorcises the daughter of King Polemius, the former possessed and controlled by a demon, before cleansing the local temple by destroying all the idols and driving away all the demons that had resided, associated with them.

Enraged at this interference, pagan priests complained to King Polemius’s brother King Astarges, who arrests St. Bartholomew and has him put to death in Albana, latter a city in greater Armenia; some say by crucifixion, before adding greater torment by stripping him of his skin while still alive (flaying), and on his last breath having him decapitated, before being cast into the sea.

Some thirteen days after the apostles death, legend informs us that King Astreges himself was overpowered by a demon and strangled; as also were all the existing pagan priests.

St. Bartholomew’s stain glass portrait and his portraits painted in oil, usually show him with either a book and a flaying knife or being flayed (skinned alive) or being already flayed with his skin hanging around his skinless body. (See images shown above)

EPA Calls For Measures To Urgently Tackle Packaging Waste Generation.

Ireland generated 1.2 million tonnes of packaging waste in 2021.
Ireland is continuing to achieve high levels of recycling for glass (84%) and paper/cardboard (73%).
Plastics present a serious challenge. Only 28% of plastic packaging waste was recycled in 2021, a long way off the 2025 EU target of 50%. The majority of Ireland’s plastic packaging waste is being incinerated.
Ireland’s overall recycling rate fell from 62% in 2020 to 58% in 2021. It must reach 65% in 2025.
Fiscal measures to incentivise householders and businesses are also urgently needed. The new levy on waste sent for recovery, and increases to the landfill levy, will reward better practices of segregation of waste.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its latest figures on packaging waste in Ireland.

Ireland is meeting current EU recycling targets and achieving high recycling rates for some streams such as glass, paper/cardboard and ferrous metals. However, in 2021, the overall recycling rate for packaging waste fell by 4% to 58%, putting the 2025 target of 65% at risk. While the quantity of packaging waste being recycled is increasing every year, it cannot keep up with the total increase in packaging waste being generated in the first place.

Plastic packaging waste recycling rates remain low, at 28%. Most plastic packaging waste was sent for incineration, with less than one third recycled. Ireland will face significant challenges in meeting the 2025 and 2030 recycling targets for plastic of 50% and 55%.

Commenting on the figures, Mr Micheal Lehane, (Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability) said: “Urgent measures are needed to reduce the quantity of packaging waste generated in Ireland each year. Our current rate of production and consumption of packaging represents a poor use of materials and energy and is a growing source of emissions. With Ireland’s packaging waste exceeding 1.2 million tonnes per year, we need to intensify efforts to avoid unnecessary packaging use in the first instance. Packaging waste can be avoided and reduced by replacing single use with reusable packaging, current examples include pallets, boxes and trays, and through better product design such as lightweighting packaging.”

Poor segregation practices at businesses and homes is leading to high volumes of packaging waste being diverted to energy recovery. This includes materials which can be recycled.

Improved separation by householders and businesses at source is needed to collect higher quantities of recyclable packaging materials. Ensuring waste charges to businesses and householders are clearly incentivising reduction and recycling of packaging wastes will support better separation of materials. Continued awareness and enforcement measures are also needed to support better behaviours.

Mr Warren Phelan, (Programme Manager of the EPA’s Circular Economy Programme) noted: “The fall from 62%to 58% recycling in 2021 is disappointing but not unexpected. Better practices are needed by householders and especially businesses, where there are significant opportunities to divert good quality materials from the residual bin. The new levy on waste sent for recovery, and increases to the landfill levy, will reward better practices of segregation provided customer charging is appropriately incentivised.”