Thurles Information

Creatures Great & Small Land At Feet Of Jesus Christ Statue.

The bee swarm came in a huge wave, dancing majestically from the north side of Thurles town, moving down the town centre, before settling at the feet of Jesus Christ, whose statue is positioned outside the Ursuline Primary school building, on Liberty Square.

Four thoughts quickly came to my mind.
Firstly the Jesus Christ statue, shown in the picture below, stands on a plinth outside the school; its outstretched arms possibly referring to the writings contained in the gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 19: Verse 14, “Let the little children (bees in this case) come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

My second thought was for the schools late, incredibly caring, hard-working and dedicated teacher and principal Sister Xavier O’Dwyer. How said lady would have loved their arrival and the associated symbolism.

My two remaining thoughts came in the form of two hymns the words of which were learned in my youth; firstly an extract from “All things bright and beautiful” by the Dublin born hymn writer and poet Mrs Cecil Francis Alexander, (1818 – 1895), wife of the one-time Anglican Bishop of Derry, William Alexander, latter who later went on to become Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

‘All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small.
All things wise and wonderful, ’twas God that made them all.
He gave us eyes to see them and lips that we might tell,
How great is the Almighty, who has made all things well.’

That thought was quickly followed by lines from that blind American mission worker, poet, lyricist and composer Francis J. Crosby (1820 -1915), possibly better known as Fanny J. Crosby, the Queen of Gospel song writers.
Following the death of her baby daughter, named Frances van Alstyness, Fanny had written; ‘Safe in the Arms of Jesus‘.

‘Safe in the Arms of Jesus, Safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest’.

And rest these bees did, until removed, to be sent to other more suitable living quarters; in the interest of the health and safety of pupils attending classes within the school.

Of course when bees are swarming, they remain the tamest they will ever be. These bees are weighted down with honey, so they are aware they cannot fly fast. They have two goals only in mind; to protect their Queen while locating a new place to live. Everything else remains secondary to those two goals, leaving them to surround and protect their queen, while they wait for scouts to inform them where to set up their new camp.

Invitation To Schools To Observe A Minute Of Silent Reflection – Great Famine.

An invitation has been sent out by Irish Green Party politician Mrs Catherine Martin, T.D. [Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport / Media and Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee], inviting all schools in Ireland to observe a minute of silent reflection.

Note the above Double Ditch was removed during the month of March.
We now ask the question: Where was the Green Party TD Malcolm Noonan, and Leader Eamon Ryan TD, when we contacted both of them on numerous occasions for assistance, in an attempt to save the Thurles Great Famine Double Ditch?
To date Mr Eamon Ryan TD has never replied. See HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE, etc. etc.

In her invitation Mrs Martin writes:- [Now Read & Weep.]

“In May 2008, the Government decided to inaugurate an annual National Famine Commemoration Day in memory of all those who died and emigrated during the Great Famine. This year’s National Famine Commemoration will take place in Milford, Co. Donegal at 2:00pm on Sunday 21st May, in the presence of the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.

There is no other event in our history that can be likened to the Great Famine either for its immediate impact or its legacy. That legacy includes a strong appreciation among Irish people of issues such as food security and a strong commitment to humanitarian aid and relief.
I invite you to arrange for all staff and pupils at your school to observe a minute of silent reflection on Friday, 19th May in memory of all those who suffered loss during the Famine – loss of life, loss of family, loss of home and loss of country. This minute of silence should take place ideally at midday, but can take place at whatever time suits individual schools on the day. I would ask also during this minute of silence that your staff and pupils also remember those who are suffering famine and hunger today, particularly the children and young people living in parts of the world currently afflicted by chronic hunger, poverty and disease.
It will be a very special and dignified tribute to those who died during the Great Famine and I would like to thank you most sincerely for your support in this regard.
If you would like to discuss the matter further, please feel free to contact Ronan Nestor
on 085 800 2899 or at faminecommemoration@tcagsm.gov.ie.
Yours sincerely,
Catherine Martin, T.D.
[Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee.]

Shame on the Green Party and its membership, together with Thurles Municipal District Council officials, and local elected councillors who wasted taxpayers money in order to destroy our local history and a guaranteed Thurles tourist attraction.

Death Of Larry Ryan, Formerly Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, today Thursday 18th May 2023, of Mr Laurence (Larry) Ryan, late of Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin and formerly of Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Mr Ryan, late of Telecom Eireann and a patron of Kilmacud Crokes, GAA Club, Glenalbyn Rd, Stillorgan, Dublin, passed away peacefully in the care of staff at St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4.

Pre-deceased by Marie; his passing is most deeply regretted by his wife Carmel, children Paul, Colette, Una, Fergus, Aisling and Emmet, grandchildren Niall, Mark, Ciarán, Liam, Kevin, Paul, Rachel, Alex and Darragh, brother Eddie, sons-in-law Brendan, John and Paddy, also Shubhangi, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Ryan will repose from 1:00pm until 4:00pm on Saturday afternoon next, May 20th, in Carnegies Funeral Home, 19 Monkstown Cres, Monkstown, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
His remains will be received into the Church of the Holy Family, Kill Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, to further repose for Requiem Mass on Monday morning, May 22nd, at 10:45am, followed by interment immediately afterwards in Deansgrange, Cemetery, Kill of the Grange, Dublin.

For those persons who are unable to attend the funeral service for Mr Ryan, same can be viewed, streamed live online HERE.

The extended Ryan 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.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Passing Of Courts Bill 2023 Through Houses Of Oireachtas Announced.

This legislation will allow for an increase of judges across all courts as recommended by the Judicial Planning Working Group earlier this year.

Earlier today, Minister Browne took the bill through Committee and Final stages in the Seanad. The Bill will now be referred to the President of Ireland to be signed into law.

A key recommendation arising from the report published by the Judicial Planning Working Group was to increase judicial numbers to ensure the efficient administration of justice over the next five years.

In February of this year, Minister for Justice, Mr Simon Harris received Government approval to appoint an additional 44 judges to the courts in Ireland by the end of 2024. An initial tranche of 24 will be appointed this year, followed by a further tranche of 20 subject to the implementation of reforms and efficiencies to the operation of the courts.

*Court*	Current as at 16/5/2033, Inc President.	*Phase 1*	*Phase 2*	Additional Phase 1 & Phase 2	*Future*
District Court	64	8	6	14	78
District Court	41	8*	6	14	52
High Court	45	6	6	12	57
Appeal Court	16	2	2	4	20
Sopreme Court	11	0	0	0	10
Total	177	24	20	44	217

* Three of these additional judicial positions have already been created in the Circuit Court under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act, 2022.

Primary legislation was required to enable this increase, so the Courts Bill 2023 was drafted as a priority.

Speaking after the completion of the Bill’s passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas, Minister Browne said: “Ensuring that the Courts are resourced to administer justice efficiently and effectively is central to ensuring there is access to justice.
To continue to improve access to justice for all of our citizens, we will increase the number of judges in two phases, beginning with 24 additional judges this year. This increase in judicial resources was recommended by the Judicial Planning Working Group earlier this year and has been approved by government.
The Courts Bill 2023 will allow Government to significantly increase the number of judges. Not only will this enable the Courts Service to provide an efficient and fair service, it also paves the way for policy initiatives under the Programme for Government such as the establishment of a dedicated Planning and Environmental Court and for the provisions under the Family Law Bill.”

The Courts Bill 2023, when enacted, will allow for a maximum of 17, up from 16 judges to be appointed to the Court of Appeal; 48, up from 45 judges to be appointed to the High Court; 45, up from 41 judges to be appointed to the Circuit Court; and 71, up from 64 judges to the District Court.

Minister Browne added: “This substantial increase in judicial resources will be complemented by the ongoing implementation of the Courts Modernisation Plan.
My Department is committed to driving a modernisation and Digital First agenda across the entire Justice Sector. We will work with the Courts Service and the Judiciary to deliver a number of important commitments in the Programme for Government which will help ensure that we have a modern Courts Service.”

Death Of John Purcell, Loughmore, Co. Tipperary.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday Tuesday 16th May 2023, of Mr John Purcell, Church View, Loughmore, Templemore, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by his sister Carmel and brothers Seamus and Pat; Mr Purcell passed away peacefully, at his place of residence.

His passing is most deeply regretted by his loving wife Mary, daughter Caroline, son John, sisters Mary and Eileen, daughter-in-law Aisling, son-in-law Tadhg, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Purcell will repose for Requiem Mass in the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, Loughmore, Templemore on Friday afternoon at 2:00pm, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in the adjoining graveyard.

The extended Purcell family wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time.

Note Please: Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to Milford Care Centre.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.