The ‘Gratuitous Relief Ration Record Book,’(or the ‘Distribution Book,‘ as it was also called), for the Electoral Divisions of Holycross, Thurles and Ballycahill, dated 1847/48, has now been fully digitized and is uploaded hereunder, allowing yet another search facility, for those anxious to trace their family roots back to their once local homestead, within the Thurles, Co. Tipperary hinterland.
This afore mentioned ‘Gratuitous Relief Ration Record Book’ (Videoed on two occasions, before being broadcast on at least seven different occasions in the past, on Irish national TV channels RTE1 and TG4), contains the names of those who were classed as paupers in the hinterland / towns-lands of Thurles district, during what was the most harrowing period of the Great Irish Famine, referred to as ‘Black ’47’.
This famine also known as“The Great Hunger”, lasted between 1845 and 1849 and was arguably the single greatest disaster that ever affected Irish history.
This extremely rare ‘Rations Record Book,’ which was hand written; contains the names of the heads of each household and in many cases the actual names of all the adults in each household. It also contains the number of rations each householder was allowed and indeed received, together with remarks, sometimes suggesting fraud, under what can be viewed as an early form of social welfare system, introduced after the closure of the Bord of Works schemes which had concentrate on providing employment for the destitute poor under acts passed early in the parliamentary session of 1846, for the sole purpose of affording relief by employment.
Just over 3 million Irish people were being supported nationally by outdoor relief in July of 1847. To those in the Thurles area it supported, (covering the electoral divisions of Holycross, Thurles and Ballycahill), it provides records of food rations distributed during the period May – Sept. 47 and part of 1848; the same distribution being a very humiliating and indeed an insufficient system, administered under British rule. Nevertheless, it did keep starvation at bay for a very sizeable portion of Tipperary people at that crucial time in Black ’47’.
This new information can also be viewed on our other website, Hidden Tipperary.com, (under Downloads) or directly via the link located HERE
How to search this uploaded data.
Many of you will be aware that holding down the CTRL key on the keyboard of your PC or Laptop and striking the F key; a small box will appear on your screens, bottom left corner of the page being searched. Type into this box the ‘search word’ with which you hope to glean the information and press Enter.
Note: When searching for an individual or townsland, there may be several persons of the same name, so use the arrow keys on right hand side of this search box, to complete your search. [Surname first followed by Christian name]. If anyone has any queries regarding the further understanding of this new data upload, please do contact us directly HERE.
Four adorable pheasant chicks have been recently hatched near Thurles, as part of an education and conservation initiative organised by the National Association of Regional Games Council (NARGC).
First to leave the shell.
The recommended temperature, using an Incubator, for pheasant eggs is 37.6 – 37.8 degrees Celsius and pheasant eggs take between 23-28 days to hatch using this method.
Pheasants are widespread across Ireland, but contrary to popular belief they are not native to us or the UK. It is believed that pheasants were first introduced to Ireland in medieval times from Southeast Asia. Back then, as now, they were popular ‘Game birds’ for hunting.
Many readers will be familiar with the distinctive white stripe seen on the neck of many pheasants around Ireland and that particular species is actually native to China.
Pheasants are known by their hoarse call, their long tails, spotted angular markings and for eating seeds, grains and insects gleaned from the ground. They inhabit gardens, woodlands and farm hedges and are notorious for nesting on the ground. Indeed, when mowing near hedges and other ground level nesting areas favoured by pheasants, take care not to destroy or damage their nests.
To find out more about pheasants you can visit HERE or HERE.
History is being made this weekend with the hosting of the European School Chess Championships taking place in Ireland for the first time.
More than 200 children, aged between 5 and 16 years, from 14 European countries are all participating in the week-long tournament, which takes place at the University of Limerick(UL) and continues until Friday June 7th 2024.
European School Chess Championships taking place in Ireland for the first time.
The Irish Chess Union (ICU) beat off competition from four other countries to win the bid to host the event against four other countries, with the support of UL, Limerick City & County Council and the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau.
“Securing this event is a major milestone in the development of chess in Ireland and demonstrates the ICU’s unwavering commitment to promoting the game nationwide and Ireland as a chess destination for future events,” commented Mr Desmond Beatty,(Chairperson, Irish Chess Union.)
Mr. Beatty said the decision to bring the Championships to Ireland reflects the unprecedented growth the game has experienced since the pandemic.
“Chess has proven to be a source of fun and intellectual stimulation for individuals of all ages and can help improve concentration,” he explained. “As a result, the promotion of chess in schools has increased significantly most notably in the classroom following continuous professional development (CPD) courses for primary school teachers now realising the benefits of chess in education, notably in social skills and critical thinking. Over 10000 children this year have taken part in competitions run by ficheall.ie, the organisation of primary teachers promoting chess.Building on the success of both Glorney Cup and Chessmates internationals, this is a remarkable opportunity for us to showcase Ireland’s thriving chess community, promote the growth of the game, and provide an unforgettable experience for participants and spectators alike,” concluded Mr. Beatty.
All games will be broadcast live on chess.com and lichess.org. Diana Mirza and Antonina Gora, both members of Ireland’s women’s team, will be providing live commentary HERE
Speaking on behalf of UL Conference & Sports Campus, Mr David Ward said, “Attracting the European School Chess Championships to UL, highlights the success of our one stop model with accommodation, catering and venues on site. We look forward to setting the stage for a thrilling tournament in June 2024 and hope that many memorable moments will unfold.”
Ms Karen Brosnahan, (General Manager, Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau) said “We are delighted to see the European School Chess Championships coming to Limerick. This is testament to the collaborative efforts of UL, Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau, Limerick City and County Council, and Failte Ireland working together to promote Limerick as a host city and developing strong relationships with the sporting bodies and event organisers. Tournaments like this are highly lucrative, contributing significantly to the local economy.”
Ireland to miss emissions targets even under a best case scenario – EPA.
Ireland is projected to achieve a reduction of up to 29% in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to a target of 51%, when the impact of the majority of actions outlined in Climate Action Plan 2024 is included.
To achieve a reduction of 29% would require full implementation of a wide range of policies and plans across all sectors and for these to deliver the anticipated carbon savings.
Almost all sectors are on a trajectory to exceed their national sectoral emissions ceilings for 2025 and 2030, including Agriculture, Electricity and Transport.
The first two carbon budgets (2021-2030) will not be met, and by a significant margin of between 17% and 27%.
Ireland will not meet its EU Effort Sharing Regulation target of 42% reduction by 2030.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its greenhouse gas emissions projections for the period 2023-2050.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its greenhouse gas emissions projections for the period 2023-2050.
EPA analysis shows that planned climate policies and measures, if fully implemented, could deliver up to 29% emissions reduction by 2030 compared to 2018, a reduction of 4% each year from 2023 to 2030. This is insufficient to achieve the ambition of 51% emissions reduction in Ireland’s Climate Act.
The first two carbon budgets (2021-2030), which aim to support achievement of the 51% emissions reduction goal, are projected to be exceeded by a significant margin of between 17% and 27 %.
All sectors, except Residential buildings, are projected to underperform relative to the sectoral emissions ceilings. Agriculture, Industry and Electricity sectors are projected to be the furthest from their sectoral ceiling in 2030.
MsLaura Burke, Director General, EPA said: “The EPA’s projections show that full delivery of all climate action plans and policies could deliver a 29% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This is well short of both our European and National emission reduction targets and highlights the scale of effort required to achieve the required reductions across all sectors of our economy. The key priority must be to translate the aspiration in our policies and plans to implementation on the ground.”
Ms Burke added: “The transition to a low carbon society is building momentum in Ireland. We see this with more electric vehicles on our roads, renewable electricity powering our homes and adoption of new farm practices. However, we need to speed up and scale up the transition.”
Agriculture. Total emissions from the Agriculture sector are projected to decrease by between 1% and 18% over the period 2022 to 2030. Savings are projected from a variety of measures including limits on nitrogen fertiliser usage, switching to different fertilisers and bovine feed additives. The higher ambition scenario assumes that most of the measures outlined in Climate Action Plan 2024, AgClimatise and Teagasc (MACC) are in place.
Transport. Emissions from the sector are projected to reduce by 26% over the period 2022 to 2030, if the measures set out in plans and policies are implemented. These include over 940,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030, increased biofuel blend rates and measures to support more sustainable transport. Road freight is projected to be the biggest source of road transport greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Energy. Driven by a reduction in fossil fuel usage and increased net importation of electricity from interconnectors, there was a marked drop of almost 24% in emissions from electricity generation between 2022 and 2023. In combination with planned increases in renewable energy generation from wind and solar, energy sector emissions are projected to reduce by 62% and achieve over 80% renewable electricity generation by 2030.
Land use.
Emissions from this sector are projected to increase between 23% to 99% over the period of 2023 to 2030 as our forestry reaches harvesting age and changes from a carbon sink to a carbon source. Planned policies and measures for the sector, such as increased afforestation, water table management on agricultural organic soils and peatland rehabilitation, are projected to reduce the extent of the emissions increase.
Commenting, Ms Mary Frances Rochford, Programme Manager said: “The EPA projections show the importance of accelerating the delivery of renewable technologies to support decarbonised electrification across the economy, adopting known emission reduction technologies while new solutions are developed in agriculture, providing alternatives to car and freight transport, and taking action to reduce emissions from land to reduce Ireland’s emissions. Increasing the pace of implementation will deliver the required emission reductions and create space for adoption of further policies and measures.”
Tipperary Central Community Policing Unit will be out and about at venues across Tipperary from today, Friday May 24th, until May 31st, 2024. They will be offering a ‘Property Marking Services’ in each community visited, giving people the chance to have any valuable property marked with their Eircode. Gardaí would especially like to see owners of high value itemse.g. Trailers / Lawnmowers / Power tools etc. attend at the venues tabled hereunder. (For more details visit https://propertymarking.ie )
Date:
Time:
Venue:
May 24th.
12:00pm – 4:00pm.
Knockanrawley Community Resource Centre, Tipperary Town.
Gardaí will also use this opportunity to speak to those in attendance on all aspects of safety (including personal security, online security and in particular, road safety).
So please do come along to the named venues during the times stated above.
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