Thurles “Believe None Of What You Hear!”

“Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see.” ― Benjamin Franklin.

How Dublin and our local elected politicians see Tipperary.                         Source: Imgur

If it is reported in a daily newspaper, heard on our radios or viewed on our TV’s then surely it must be true; Dublin has been voted the world’s second friendliest city by readers of the so called travel tourism guidebook ‘Rough Guides.’

This month, the guide book asked its readers to vote for the friendliest city they had visited and Dublin was unveiled as the runner up, taking the number two spot on the planet. For those even remotely interested; the list of top 10 cities are Glasgow, Dublin, Montreal, Liverpool, Copenhagen, Vancouver, Toyko, Dubai, Melbourne and Manchester.

‘Rough Guides’ replied by inviting tourists to; “Spend a weekend enjoying Dublin’s Georgian town-houses, squares and historic churches among some of the friendliest people in the world.”

Welcoming this news, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, Mr Niall Gibbons said that it “chimed” with Dublin’s own research undertaken recently which discovered how truly attractive our ‘Fair City’ is, to our overseas visitors and highlighted the fact that the ‘Irish Welcome’ was one of the country’s main attractions. (How much public funding was wasted on that research result one wonders?)

Mr Gibbons stated: “Again and again, our research shows us that the friendliness of our people is one of our unique selling points. This accolade bestowed by the readers of Rough Guides gives Tourism Ireland another wonderful platform to continue to promote Dublin and the island of Ireland, throughout the world as a ‘must-see’ destination.”

Well to use the supposed riposte of Marilyn “Mandy” Rice-Davies sometime back in the 60’s/70’s, “He would, (say that) wouldn’t he?”  Looks like Dublin will now not need to spend the recently announced €20 million fund to clean up our capital’s image and design that new clever logo for the city. Same was announced last month by a colleague of Mr Gibbons; the former deputy chief of Ryanair, Mr Michael Cawley.  This €20 million funding will no doubt now be divided up countrywide, (in the interests of friendliness) with a substantial amount being instead invested to assist neglected Tourism interests and marketing here in Co Tipperary. (Yes & Pigs Might Fly).

Let us pick, at random, a friendly day in the life of Dublin City; lets pick yesterday the 20th September, 2014 as a typical example.

In one incident: Dublin senior footballer Jonny Cooper was stabbed in the face and neck on Dorset Street, Lower. He was treated at the Mater Hospital and thankfully his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

In a separate incident: Another male in his 20’s is in a serious condition, following a stabbing in Blanchardstown. This incident took place in Whitestown Park at around 5.15am, with the victim taken to Connolly Hospital.

In another incident: An investigation is being carried out after a shooting took place at around 3.45pm at Belcamp Grove, Priorswood in Dublin. A 32-year-old man was shot by a gunman on a bicycle as he was leaving the garden of his house.

In another incident: RTÉ confirms it is cooperating with Gardaí; later investigating allegations about “creepy and menacing” phone calls made to a “high profile businesswoman” from its Montrose Studio campus in Dublin by someone who was employed on a casual basis.  (Perhaps possibly this situation is the reason why thousand of Irish Water protest marchers in Dublin, latter who feel they are justified in stopping the implementation of a tax on a human right to swell our governments coffers, got no real TV coverage yesterday.)

In another incident: A 31-year-old male was arrested in connection with a car-jacking at knife point in the shopping centre car park at Palmerstown, in Dublin.

In another incident: Dublin Region Homeless Executive director Cathal Morgan has stated that there is a growing trend of families being forced to leave private rented accommodation in Dublin; to move into homeless accommodation. Official figures agree that the number of people sleeping rough on Dublin’s friendly streets has increased by almost 50% since April last.

Finally: How many friendly drug dealing thugs left Dublin yesterday, heading for Co Tipperary and elsewhere, using high powered motor vehicle down Ireland’s motorways. Their intention would have been to behave like the ancient marauding Vikings, to plunder the private dwellings of those living alone in rural areas, latter presently now devoid of any real Garda presence.

In a past publication by that same so called travel tourism guidebook ‘Rough Guides,’ North Tipperary towns receive the following testimonial: “Thurles is of very little interest in itself. 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.  Templemore is even less interesting than Thurles.”  Of course there is little of interest in Thurles itself, it has all been stolen from our midst to enhance Dublin’s National Museum thus destroying our Tipperary rural tourism economy.

In the words of the brilliant Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu (Around 400BC) and Al Pacino of “Godfather” film fame; “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”