St Mary's Church, Thurles, burial place of Elizabeth Butler (alias Poyntz) progenitor of the present Heirs to the British Crown.
According to reports, by our top Tipperary Radio station ‘Tipp FM,’ today, we learn that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England will visit Cashel and Coolmore Stud near Fethard, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, during her forthcoming historic visit to Ireland in May.
Deputy Tom Hayes has announced that a trip to South Tipperary will be included on Queen Elizabeth II’s itinerary, when she visits as speculation still surrounds this two-day state visit, beginning Tuesday, May 17th, though this date has yet to be fully officially confirmed. Confirmation of her visit to South Tipperary, however, was given to Deputy Hayes by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
“The Queen’s visit will be a huge boost for the County“, Deputy Hayes stated on Tuesday evening. He said he had made strong representations for the Queen to come to South Tipperary and he was very happy with the commitment that Taoiseach Enda Kenny had given him.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s visit will be the first to the Irish Republic by a reigning British monarch since her grandfather George V visited Ireland in 1911.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch here in Thurles, Political leaders, Tourism Marketing Groups, County Councillors, Urban District Councillors and those with paid responsible for promoting Thurles, have once again failed their public in promoting Thurles and North Tipperary.
Fifteen miles up the road from Cashel, lies the town of Thurles, the ancestral home of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Yet, as far as I am aware, no invitation or representation has been made to indicate, nay insure, that Her Majesty visits Thurles her home town, during this her first visit to Ireland.
It would now appear that there are more public representatives in North Tipperary requiring ‘motions of censure’ than Mr Michael Lowry TD.
In the days when Urban District Councillors received no pay, just expenses, made real decisions regarding our community and were not associated with individuals who write identifiable misspelled anonymous poison pen letters to the local press, we had governance. Amongst their many progressive decisions made was the raising of a plaque to commemorate Elizabeth Butler, progenitor of the present Heirs to the British Crown, which they erected at St Mary’s Church in Thurles.
In those unpaid days, these Councillors knew the value of visitors from across the water.
Now, in possibly a waisted attempt to educate our present overpaid Councillors, allow me to demonstrate the unharnessed value of English Tourism to our town, through statistics shown hereunder, supported by the Irish Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Estimated Number of Overseas Visitors to Ireland 2000-2007 (‘000’s.)
Visitors to Ireland – Year:—-2000.– 2001.– 2002.–2003.–2004.—2005.–2006.—2007.
Great Britain:——————-—-3,559.—3,462.—3,579.—3,719.—3,681.—3,822.–4,060.—4,032.
Other Europe:——————–—1,453.—1,357.—1,392.—1,497.—1,600.—1,917.–2,281.—2,590.
USA and Canada:—————--1,043.——912.—–849.—–904.——977.——953.—1,055.—1,073.
Other Areas:—————————256.—–260.——245.—–249.——317.—– 285.——314.——317.
Total Overseas Visitors:——-6,310.—5,990.—6,065.–6,369.– 6,574.—6,977.—7,709.—8,012.
Failure to study these figures and act, gives licence and credence to “Ireland : A Rough Guide: distributed by the Penguin book Group, to publish the following untruths:- “Having seen the Rock of Cashel, most people head out of Tipperary for the West, and frankly this isn’t a bad idea – the north of the county has little to distract you.” “You’re unlikely to be immediately enticed by a first sight of counties Tipperary and Waterford, much of whose countryside could well vie for the title of Ireland’s dullest.”
I am at pains to point out, of course that this information contained is “Ireland : A Rough Guide,” is always to found under the armpit of every American tourist who visits our Fair Green Isle. Perhaps our Public Representatives and Marketing Groups, presently over funded, while charged with the responsibility of promoting our public and business interests locally, would like to use this website, to explain to our Hoteliers, Nightclubs, Bed and Breakfasts, other Local Businesses, and, I nearly forgot, our numerous unemployed people, why they have failed to take advantage of this golden business opportunity, afforded us. Indeed I suspect that the wonderful American poet Robert Lee Frost in writing ‘The Road Not Taken‘ had just read this aforementioned ‘Comic Travel book.’ Quote:
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both,
And be one traveler, long I stood, And looked down one as far as I could,
To where it bent in the undergrowth;( ‘Undergrowth possibly refers to Thurles ‘) Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear.”
Remember, our valued 1,000 plus readers who visit this website each day, could see your future silence, as an admission of failure and worthlessness, so do explain the reasons for your lack of any progressive action please. See your chance to explain as a perfect opportunity for further self seeking publicity, which we can afford you and which you seek ever so diligently, through local press reports.
We, just like the present Fine Gael party, stand for H.O.T – Honesty, Openness,Transparency, so let’s publicly debate these issues very soon.
“We know you all, and will awhile uphold the unyoked humour of your idleness,” (With apologies to William Shakespeare‘s Henry IV, Part 1)
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