Thurles Information

This year 2024, you will have noted, is a leap year, meaning that there are 29 days in February, instead of the usual 28.

A Leap year exist because while the world follows a 365-day Gregorian calendar, it actually takes our earth a little bit more than a year to orbit our sun. It takes our planet precisely 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds to orbit, according to NASA.
A leap years is therefore added to account for the difference and this extra day keeps calendars and seasons from gradually falling out of sync and impacting on harvesting, planting and other cycles based on our seasons. Without Leap Days, in every 100 years, calendars would be 24 days off.
The next leap year will be in 2028.

Here in Ireland we have the long held tradition of Leap Day marriage proposals; the 29th of February being the one day, in every four years, when women can propose marriage to their menfolk.

So where did this tradition come from?
Legend has it that Saint Brigid complained to Saint Patrick that the women of Ireland had to wait far too long for their partners to propose. Saint Patrick conceded that women could have this one day every four years, allowing women to pop the question themselves. However, if the man being targeted refused their lady love, tradition has it that her victim had to buy her either a dress or a pair of silk gloves. Given the cost of silk it seems likely that many men would have taken the option to marry, in the hope of saving a few quid.

There is another more practical theory however, on the origins of Leap Day proposals. No marriages were permitted to take place during Lent and since the start of Lent begins at the end of this month, is was the day to guarantee that women would not be left ‘on the shelf’, for a future 40 days and 40 lonely nights.

Men be warned, the tradition of leap day proposals is still upheld in modern Ireland, remaining on the Irish folklore calendar. So we recommend if your lady friend insists on seeing you or has invited you for a meal, tell her you have tested positive for Covid 19, unless you want to start shopping on line for that dress or a pair of silk gloves.

True love was in the air in Co.Offaly.

A farmer from the townsland of Ballybryan, Rhode, Co. Offaly, Mr John Bermingham, aged 86 years, and his great love Ms Mary Long, aged 83 years, exchanged their vows in a civil marriage ceremony yesterday afternoon in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

Witnesses attending at the ceremony were John’s daughter Carolyn Bermingham and her husband John Fitzgerald, latter who travelled from Holycross, Thurles, Co Tipperary with their twin daughters Robbyn and Alison, to be with the happy couple on this their very special day.

The Groom John, a well respected horseman and his new Bride Mary, latter a former beauty consultant and a keen swimmer, first met some 40 years previously.

To John and Mary go all our very best wishes.