Thurles Information

Death Of Fr. Bernard Allon, Thurles Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great sadness that we learned of the death, today Tuesday 10th March 2026, of Fr. Bernard Allon, Ruah, Kyle, The Commons, Thurles Co. Tipperary; Callan, Co. Kilkenny and formerly of Hexham and Newcastle Diocese, U.K.

Pre-deceased by his parents George and Ellen, and his brothers and sisters; Fr. Bernard passed away peacefully, while in the care of staff at Sacred Heart Nursing Home, Crosspatrick, Co. Kilkenny,

His passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family;loving sister Rita, brother-in-law Barry, nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, great grandnieces, great- grandnephews, all members of L’Arche Community Kilkenny, extended relatives, neighbours and many friends in Ireland and abroad.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Fr. Bernard, will repose at Molloy’s Funeral Home, Callan, Kilkenny, (Eircode R95 Y443), on Thursday afternoon, March 12th, from 4:00pm until 6:00pm, concluding with Funeral Prayers, followed by removal to the nearby Church of the Assumption, Green Street, Callan, Co. Kilkenny, same evening.

Requiem Mass for Fr. Bernard will be offered on Friday morning, March 13th at 11:00am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in Kilbride Cemetery, Callan, Co. Tipperary.

For those persons who would wish to attend Requiem Mass for Fr. Bernard, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.

The extended Allon 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.

Note Please: House Strictly Private

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

ESB Networks Under Pressure to Explain Smart Meter Failure.

ESB Networks Under Pressure to Explain Smart Meter Failure and Full Extent of Data Error.

ESB Networks is facing mounting pressure to provide a full and transparent account of how an internal software failure was allowed to generate grossly inaccurate smart meter readings for customers across Ireland, triggering alarm, confusion and serious questions about oversight, safeguards and accountability. The company has confirmed that a planned software upgrade carried out last Friday led to some electricity usage data being processed incorrectly, resulting in highly inflated figures appearing on customer accounts and supplier platforms.

You may check your ‘not so smart’ reading HERE, if you can trust the system.

Emotionally overwhelmed eletric wiring on display located at Ikerrin Road Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
*“Behold sky spaghetti”*. Somewhere inside that knot is one cable doing all the work.
*Pic: G.Willoughby.*

While ESB Networks has apologised for the “confusion and concern” caused, the seriousness of the incident goes far beyond inconvenience. Customers reported seeing apparent one-day electricity costs rise to extraordinary levels, in some cases hundreds or even thousands of euro, with usage figures so extreme that they should have been immediately recognised as impossible, by any functioning validation system. Reports included daily costs of €738 and €2,500; figures that have prompted widespread disbelief and anger.

The incident has exposed what appears to be a major failure in internal controls. If abnormal readings of that scale were able to pass through ESB Networks’ systems and appear on customer-facing accounts, it raises unavoidable questions about the adequacy of testing, monitoring and escalation procedures surrounding critical software changes. A planned upgrade to a nationally significant metering system should not have been capable of producing such obviously absurd outcomes without immediate containment. That it did so points to a deeply troubling lapse in operational assurance.

Perhaps most damaging is the lack of clarity over duration. ESB Networks has identified the trigger as last Friday’s software upgrade, but there is still no full public explanation of how long the issue remained live, when it was first detected internally, how many customers were affected, or whether warning signs emerged before the problem became visible to the public. In the absence of that detail, there is every reason for customers to ask whether this issue was caught promptly at all, or whether it only gained urgency once consumers began highlighting impossible charges online.

ESB Networks has insisted that the issue is internal, that smart meters themselves remain reliable, and that affected data will be corrected automatically with no action required from customers. But reassurance alone is unlikely to restore confidence. With smart meters intended to deliver accuracy, transparency and trust, this episode represents a significant reputational failure. ESB Networks must now do more than fix the numbers; it must explain, in full, how this happened, how long it persisted, and why customers were left to discover the problem before the system did.

Death Of John Campion, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

It was with a great sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday Monday 9th March 2026, of Mr John Campion, No 22 Monakeeba, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and formerly Clonoulty, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Pre-deceased by his wife Biddy, son Patrick, infant daughter Margaret and parents Peggy and Bill; the passing of Mr Campion is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family; loving daughters Esther, Maggie, Marion and Bridget, his adored grandchildren Dean, Amy, Sinead, Louise, Katie, Adam, Kelly and Sean, great grandchildren Kaylaa, Joey and Lilly, brothers Christy and Liam, sisters-in-law Mary and Mai, nephews, nieces, extended relatives, neighbours and a wide circle of friends.

Requiescat in Pace.

Funeral Arrangements.

The earthly remains of Mr Campion will repose at Ardeen Nursing Home, Abbey Road, Garryvicleheen, Thurles, (Eircode E41 CY91) on Thursday afternoon, March 12th, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm, before being received into the Cathedral of the Assumption, Cathedral Street, Thurles, (Eircode E41 A528), at 7:45pm, same evening.
Requiem Mass for Mr Campion will be offered on Friday morning, March 13th, at 11:00am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in St Patrick’s Cemetery, Moyne Road, Lognafulla, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

For those persons who would wish to attend Requiem Mass for Mr Campion, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.

The extended Campion 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.

Government Confirms Acquisition Of New Mid-West Hospital Campus.

**Present UHL site at in Dooradoyle, Co. Limerick.**

News that the HSE has acquired a 44-acre site in Raheen, Co Limerick, for €14 million for the development of a new hospital campus aimed at easing pressure on University Hospital Limerick, has been warmly welcomed in North Tipperary.

The newly purchased site at Raheen, is located about 2km from the existing UHL site in Dooradoyle and about 30 minutes travelling time from both Ennis, Co. Clare and Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, thus making it accessible for patients across the much neglected Mid-West health region.

Health Minister Ms Jennifer Carroll MacNeill confirmed the purchase today, Tuesday March 10th, describing the location as strategically important for the wider Mid-West.

The new campus follows one of the recommendations made by HIQA in its review of urgent and emergency healthcare services in HSE Mid West. HIQA found that the region’s main problem is a lack of inpatient bed capacity for seriously ill patients and recommended a mix of measures, including expanding UHL, developing a second site nearby, and planning for a new Model 3 hospital with a second emergency department.

University Hospital Limerick currently operates the only 24-hour emergency department for Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary, while also taking patients from parts of North Cork and North Kerry. It has regularly recorded the highest number of patients waiting on trolleys in the State.

Ms Sandra Broderick, Regional Executive Officer for HSE Mid-West, said the acquisition marked an important step for the region’s healthcare system and for the 10,000 staff working across services in the area. She said the move must help ensure that future patients do not face the experience of receiving care on a trolley.

At Last, Ireland’s Brighter Evenings Are Coming Into View.

After months of grey afternoons, persistent drizzle and that familiar winter feeling of the day ending far too soon, Ireland is finally approaching one of the most welcome turning points of the year; the return of brighter evenings.

For many, the true sign of spring is not a date on the calendar or even a rise in temperature, but that subtle, heartening moment when daylight begins to linger. In 2026, the spring equinox falls on Friday, March 20th, marking the official start of astronomical spring and bringing with it the sense that the darker half of the year is, at last, beginning to loosen its grip.

Of course, spring in Ireland rarely arrives in one dramatic flourish. There may still be cold mornings, sudden showers and more than a few overcast skies ahead. But even so, the shift is unmistakable. The days stretch a little further. The light softens and the prospect of leaving work or finishing dinner before sunset begins to feel real again.

A major part of that seasonal change comes at the end of March, when the clocks move forward for daylight saving time. On Sunday, March 29th, clocks in Ireland will jump ahead by one hour at 1:00am, moving straight to 2:00am. While the change is unlikely to be greeted warmly in the moment. particularly by anyone reluctant to lose an hour of sleep, it delivers an instant reward in the form of longer evenings and more usable daylight at the end of the day.

That is the trade-off many people are more than willing to accept. After all, brighter evenings have a way of transforming everyday life. Suddenly there is time again for an evening walk along that seafront, a run in the park, a coffee outdoors, or simply a chance to enjoy a little fresh air before night falls. What feels impossible in January becomes effortless by late April.

And the improvement happens quickly. By April 18th, sunset in Thurles is expected to fall at around 8:30pm, while by the end of the month it will be approaching 9:00pm. That extra daylight brings with it not just practical benefits, but a noticeable lift in mood. Even the most ordinary routines can feel lighter when they unfold under a brighter evening sky.

This year’s clock change also arrives slightly earlier than it did in 2025, when the switch took place on March 30th. It may only be a matter of a single day, but after a long Irish winter, even that feels worth noting.

There has, of course, been ongoing debate across Europe about whether the twice-yearly clock change should be abolished altogether. While proposals have been discussed at EU level, no final change has been introduced, meaning Ireland will continue to move between winter and summer time for now.

Later in the year, the clocks will go back again in October. But that is a thought for another season. For now, the important thing is this; the brighter evenings are nearly here, and after months of winter gloom, they could hardly come soon enough.