Tipperary’s Drombane Village Renewal Scheme In Full Swing

“How often have I loitered o’er thy green,
Where humble happiness endeared each scene.
How often have I paused on every charm,
The sheltered cot, the cultivated farm,
The never-failing brook, the busy mill,
The decent church that topt the neighbouring hill,
The hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade,
For talking age and whispering lovers made!”

“The Deserted Village” – By Oliver Goldsmith.

That world famous black-and-white photograph, featuring men having a lunch break atop a Skyscraper, (today known as the General Electric (GE) Building) taken by Charles Clyde Ebbets, during construction of part of the Rockefeller Center in New York City in 1932, has just been superseded.  This time however showing workers in the village of Drombane, Thurles Co Tipperary, during a 10:00am official tea break, courtesy of an idea by Drombane village native and Thurles resident, Mr Paddy Gleeson. (Latter named pictured here, wearing a white vest.)

Picture: Left – Right: Dog ‘Rusty‘; Mr Phil Lowry; Mr Michael O’Sullivan; Mr John Ryan (P); Mr Paddy Gleeson; Mr Thomas Ryan (P) and Mr Brien Phelan.  (Photo G.Willoughby.)

The original photograph was taken on September 20th, 1932 on the 69th floor of the RCA Building and depicts eleven men eating lunch, while seated on a girder with their feet dangling some 840 feet above the New York City streets.  Like our photo above, the 1932 photo was also prearranged; staged by the Rockefeller Center in New York City to promote its then latest skyscraper, appearing in the Sunday photo supplement of the New York Herald Tribune on October 2nd 1932.

Our 2013 picture here shown above is also to highlight latest developments in the picturesque rural village of Drombane, which itself is currently undergoing an upgrade under a village enhancement scheme’ initiative, currently being undertaken by Drombane Village Group, a committee under the Chairmanship of Mr Con Harrington and Treasurer Martin Donoghue, and funded mainly by North Tipperary Leader Group.  Works currently nearing completion include a river board-walk and seating, river railings, a water wheel, tree planting and quite pedestrian walk way areas.

Having had the privilege of viewing current agreed plans for the village, I have to agree with Mr Gleeson’s predictions; “Future expected tourists and natives returning to this small rural village will have difficulty in recognising it and may even now decide to remain and attempt to re-grow their earlier roots, reversing the prophesy of Oliver Goldsmith, Quote; ‘Trade’s proud empire hastes to swift decay, as ocean sweeps the labour’d mole away’.”

So if you are out and about on the road from Thurles to Upperchurch, over the coming days, do take a short detour and examine the magnificent work currently being undertaken in rural picturesque Drombane village.

Surely, with apologies to Oliver Goldsmith; “Contented toil, and hospitable care, and kind connubial tenderness, are HERE.“