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 Thurles Courthouse where Fine Gael will be taking some of us shortly. A threatening Minister Phil Hogan is about to take you to court, lock you all in jail, gain access to your bank accounts and made withdrawals. If you do not have a bank account he will deduct his ill advised household charge from your pay, pensions and social welfare payments and ‘pigs will fly,’ Minister.
Before you rush out in a subservient sweat, trembling fearfully in anticipation of a kicking from Minister Phil Hogan Nazi jackboots, let us have a look at just a few aspects of who is going to receive this expected funding, and how they will spend it.
An annual Household Charge of €100 has been introduced in order to fund local services. The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 (pdf) provides for this charge, which is an interim measure and will be replaced in future by a valuation-based property tax. The new charge is separate from, and in addition to, the Non-Principal Private Residence (NPPR) charge. So if you own a residential property in Ireland, you are obliged to declare your liability for the Household Charge and pay it by the due date, without question.
I will not bore you about the unfairness of this new ridiculous Tax passed by this Coalition government made up of Labour (Working Man’s Party) and Fine Gael. Suffice is to say that a millionaire, of which many reside in this country, pays €100, as so does a family of five, in receipt of €223 weekly after USC deductions, without a medical card or other insurance. (‘Yes Minister,’ (No TV pun intended) we have collected the evidence and double, double checked it, should you wish to view same at any time, thus confirming that your government is totally out of sync with those who foolishly trusted you with their vote.)
Now let us look at two of the hopeful beneficiaries of this tax in North Tipperary, e.g. Thurles Town Council and North Tipperary Council Co. and ask can Thurles, in particular, be categorised as a “Ghost Estate,” as is the case of people living in certain unfinished housing estates, who can claim a waiver for the years 2012 and 2013, assuming of course we pay our €100 to fix these unfinished projects.
Define an unfinished housing estate Minister?
- Is it an area where the street lighting does not work properly, as is the case in Kickham Street, where over the past 9 months the public street lighting flashes on and off at 3 minute intervals, or like Cathedral Street, where the public lighting burns both day and night?
- Is it an area where wheelchairs cannot travel on footpaths in fear of overturning, and where elderly pedestrians must walk beside moving vehicles on busy roadways to avoid breaking an ankle? I won’t discuss potholes and roads that are reminiscent of gravel driveways and for which I currently pay €3 per day in annual car road tax.
- Is it an area where signposts are so broken and abused that they no longer serve any purpose?
Continue reading Thurles County Tipperary Where Exactly Is It ?
 RubberBandits: The Revenge of Stephen Forward Plastic shopping bags at the ready folks, comedic duo the RubberBandits are coming to Thurles, but not in the way you might expect.
The Bandits are about to feature in their very first video game and attendees at Thurles’ annual Games Fleadh this coming March will be given the opportunity to sample the game for the very first time.
RubberBandits: The Revenge of Stephen Forward is an iOS and Android game, the brainchild of the Bandits themselves and Limerick based development studio Open Emotion Studios. The game will feature scenarios written by Bandits themselves including a cameo from “Willie O’DJ,” who must be freed from prison for “assaulting,” a dole queue.
The game will debut at Games Fleadh 2012, Ireland’s largest Computer and Console Games Programming Festival this March 14th and 15th in LIT Tipperary Institute in Thurles. Punters will be able to sample a demo of the game and get their first taste of classic Bandit humour on iOS and Android platforms.
Gamers coming to Thurles for this Console Games Programming Festival do take note, both hotels in Thurles, which are within 15 minutes and 6 minutes walking distance of the events, are offering very special overnight accommodation rates to all visitors.
Hayes Hotel Accommodation Rates are as follows:-
Single Room plus breakfast €40.00 inc, Twin Room plus breakfast €70.00 inc, Triple Room plus breakfast €90.00 plus breakfast inc.
Anner Hotel Accommodation Rates are as follows:-
Single Room plus breakfast €45.00 inc, Twin Room plus breakfast €80.00 inc, Triple Room plus breakfast €100.00 plus breakfast inc.
Accommodation during this Annual Gaming Festival will be at a premium, so all you mad gaming enthusiasts please do be warned, book your space as soon as possible, and enjoy this major Irish gaming event.
 The public meeting by campaigners against Septic Tank, Water, and Household Tax charges, held in Hayes Hotel, Liberty Square, Thurles, on Friday last, February 10th, adequately demonstrated the outrage felt by rural dwellers with regard to this controversial and discriminatory tax, with well over 200 in attendance.
Local elected politicians supporting the tax were more than conspicuous by their very absence, as speakers from the floor, which included members of Thurles Chamber, elderly residents and parents of young families with mortgages, vocally condemning the proposed charges, as discriminatory, anti rural Ireland and totally unacceptable.
Their worst fears expressed on Friday night were further supported today with figures, released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which revealed that more than half of households have reduced spending on groceries and two-thirds are purchasing less clothing and footwear.
According to these new figures, one in ten households has borrowed money from friends or family to pay for basic services during the recession, and one fifth of Irish residents have delayed or missed paying a bill over the last two years. Nearly half have spent all or some of their savings. This Quarterly National Household Survey also found that spending on health insurance and pension contributions has also been cut by more than 10%.
In this survey, one member of each household was asked if they had to cut back on spending on several categories of goods or services as a result of the economic climate in Ireland. E.g. mortgage payments, utility bills, groceries, clothing and footwear, holidays, nights out, and extra tutorials for children’s education.
The survey concluded that 79% of households had cut back their spending on at least one of the above, including one in ten delaying or missing a loan repayment: 10% missing paying their credit card bill; one in five reducing club membership spending; 10% cutting back on tutorials for children; and holidays abroad cut back by just under half of all households questioned.
This survey was conducted last year, wonder what it reads like this year?
 Hayes Hotel, Thurles, Co Tipperary Campaigners against Septic Tank, Water, and Household Tax charges will hold a public meeting in Hayes Hotel Liberty Square, on Friday next, February 10th, beginning at 8.00pm sharp.
This event is just one of a series of such meetings planned around the country in the coming weeks.
People are being invited to attend to listen to argument as to why they should “boycott,” or voluntarily abstain from registering for this promised planned controversial taxation, which appears to target rural Ireland dwellers in particular.
It is interesting to note that the word “boycott,” first entered our English language during the Irish “Land War,” a prolonged period of civil unrest in the rural Ireland of the 1870s, 1880s and 1890s. The word derives from the surname of a land agent, one called Captain Charles Boycott, who then managed the estate of absentee landlord, Lord Erne, who owned property at Lough Mask House, in County Mayo.
Boycott was the subject of effective social ostracism, organized by the Irish Land League. Harvests had been poor in 1880 and Lord Erne had offered his tenants a 10% reduction in their rents. In September of that year, however protesting tenants demanded a 25% reduction, which was refused. Attempts by Boycott to evict eleven tenants, for non payment of rents demanded, further exacerbated the situation.
In a speech in Ennis, Co Clare, landowner, nationalist political leader and land reform agitator, Charles Stewart Parnell, proposed that when dealing with tenants who rented or took up residence on farms where a previous tenant was evicted, rather than resorting to violence, everyone in the locality should shun them.
This advice would lead to Charles Boycott being isolated. Soon his employees stopped work in his fields and stables. Domestic staff refused to work in his house and local businessmen stopped trading with him. Even the local postman refused to deliver his mail.
Next Friday’s evenings meeting in Hayes Hotel will offer Tipperary residents a chance to speak up for themselves and their particular communities, thus demonstrating their wish not to be treated in an unfair matter.
Had lunch with Nikki Veasey from Cottage Rescue Animal Shelter yesterday and got the full news update on this years Thurles Christmas Market, which will take place on Sunday 11th December here in Liberty Square, Thurles, beginning at 1.00pm and finishing at 6.00pm.
So first lets look at the entertainment being organised:-
 Kids be good, Santa confirms he will visit Thurles Dec 11th next. Of course her most exciting news is the letter she just received from Santa Claus, who confirms he will be arriving in Liberty Square, Thurles, sharp at 1.45pm. As you know, it is customary for Santa to make unannounced early Christmas visits to certain areas in early December. His reasons, well what else, but to check on who is being naughty and who is being nice. So, Mum and Dad, show this to your children before December 11th, otherwise they may find empty stockings, when he makes his annual final visit on Christmas Eve next, to Thurles and surrounding areas. ( I have it on good authority that Santa is coming down hard on children this year, who won’t go to bed on time, so be warned.)
Three highly entertaining music groups have already been guaranteed a visit from Santa this year and they will be in Liberty Square to entertain the thousands of shoppers expected into the town centre on that afternoon.
No local Christmas Market could be held in Thurles without our first two performing groups. Beginning at 1.00pm the Littleton Ramblers go on stage and at 2.00pm, they are quickly followed by those wonderful voices, yes the magnificent Thurles Gospel Choir.
At 3.00pm sharp, meet the top billing, (Warning, do not be late) as Autonomous i take to the stage, fresh from giggs in top music venues, such as ‘Whelans,’ ‘The Sugar Club,’ and ‘The Crane Lane,’ and of course their recent much publicised appearance on the successful TV series “The Apprentice.” This band was described recently by Mail on Sunday music critic Danny McElhinney as being “The best undiscovered band in Ireland.” Trust me when I say “Expect a live show which will be varied in the extreme, as they seamlessly navigates through rock, funk, dance inspired grooves, while displaying infectious confidence and cheeky pre Christmas grins, and yes for the first time in an open air concert in the centre of their beloved home town of Thurles.”
From 2.30pm -3.30pm Hayes Hotel are opening the doors of their “Factory” night club, for a free junior disco for children, aged strictly between 4 years and 13 years. Parental Note Here: Children can only be admitted if accompanied by at least one parent. Santa will be of course visiting here during this event also. So Mum here is a chance for you to sneak away and have a walk around the town without anyone, dare I say “hanging out of you.”
Note the Market area will be devoid of moving traffic, Christmas lighting will be switched on and everyone can enjoy and visit the assembled over 60 stalls on the street and of course local shops in the town centre and surrounding streets, all of which will be open for business and doing special cut price offers on that day.
“Speaking of market stalls, what’s on offer,” I hear you scream. On the day there will be ‘a sea of shopping variety,’ never before witnessed in any rural town in Ireland, all major food manufacturing artisans will be in attendance offering goods and advise. There will be hand craft demonstrations like wood turning and slate mirror making, jewelry, cosmetics, knitting, garden furniture, face painting, toys, soft ice-cream manufacturing, vintage vehicles, a vintage museum, kiddy rides, etc, etc, etc.
Just in case you can’t find what you are looking for, our town’s much loved, quick witted, and golden voiced “Town Crier,” Mr Tomas Noone will be on hand, with microphone at the ready, to inform you of what is ready and available in the local shops and on the visiting stalls.
Thurles.Info will bring you more news about other events which will be happening on the day, so join us over the coming days or get this and other local breaking news in your Mail Inbox Daily, simply by inserting your Email address in the box supplied on the Right Hand Side of our Home Page. (See Daily News To Your Inbox.)
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