Thurles Facts Are Often Stranger Than Fiction

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” – Mark Twain.

Highly respected ornithologists, both local and from abroad, focusing on our recent bird story, have now confirmed that the unusual bird located in Templetuohy, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, is indeed a ‘Leucistic European Green Finch’.

Leucistic is a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in a bird which causes white, pale, or patchy coloration of the feathers, but not the eyes.
We are happy to relate that our ‘albino’ feathered friend is continuing to visit the various bird tables in Templetuohy village.

Our thanks to experts John Fogarty, Patrick Hayes, Aine Lynch and the numerous other persons who contacted us.

Stranger Than Fact

Speaking of birds; here in Thurles some of our local Thurles municipal district councillors, (anxious to give the false impression that they actually work within our community for their electorate), according to Facebook, highlight at regular Tipperary Co. Council meetings, that items used to decorate graves in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Thurles, are being stolen.

These items stolen usually are identified as expensive stone gravel / chippings and marble and stone vases, which end up appearing in Car Boot sales in Roscommon, Wexford and Limerick.

Whatever about the stolen marble and stone vases, (the solution to which we will discuss in a moment), the stolen chippings removed from graves however are NOT being removed by any human hands.

Please note picture No.2 shown above on the right-hand side.

Before you develop a fear of visiting graveyards at night, these stones shown above, which cost up to €60.00 per bag, are actually stolen in broad daylight, yes and by carrion crows, (Corvus corone).

Over a period of 4 weeks, a flock of crows swallowed, on just one grave alone, €600 worth of the above pictured gravel. Normally this gravel is sold with people using (on a double grave site), 10 bags of black aggregates to 1 bag of white aggregate; the 1 bag of white stones are then sprinkled loosely on top of the raked level black stones.

Crows begin with the white stones first and then graduate to the black variety. For some unknown reason Crows are being observed swallowing, in total, up to five of these particular stones, before departing, to return the following day for more. Let me confirm this is not a joke.

This most unusual phenomenon appears to only have come to the attention of stone masons and graveyard workers, in the past 24 months here in Ireland, resulting in that profession refusing to accept commissions, which request the use of that particular aggregate.

How to ensure that your marble and stone vases remain on your family grave site in 2020!

Please note picture No. 1 shown immediately above on the left-hand side.

The answer is simple “get your name printed on the surface of your chosen marble or stone vase”. We are being warned constantly by Gardaí of the importance of marking all of our expensive household items, enabling them to be identified into the future.

The solution is simple and logical; what thief will steal a personalised stone flower vase and then try and sell it at a Car Boot sale and anyway personalised items drastically reduce the number of possible buyers.

Here in Thurles such personalised marble and stone vases can be readily supplied by James Slattery Monuments, Fianna Rd, Thurles Townparks, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. [+353 (0)504 22219 or Email: jamesannslattery@gmail.com]