‘Little Egret‘. Extract from a poem by Johno Brett. “Standing tall and proud at the water’s edge, Plumage stark white against the salt marsh, Jet black legs and yellow feet, With a sharp stabbing beak, Stands the Little Egret.”
Little Egret(Egretta garzetta) Feeds In Thurles Town Centre. Pic: G. Willoughby
The little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron, white in colour with a slender black beak, long black legs and yellow feet. Every day this week, usually between the hours of 4:00pm and 7:00pm, one such bird can be observed fishing in the shallow water of the river Suir, close to Barry’s Bridge, in the centre of Thurles Town.
Research shows that the little egret was once very common in Ireland, but became extinct through a combination of over-hunting in the late medieval period. In England the inclusion of some 1,000 egrets in a banquet to celebrate the enthronement of George Neville as Archbishop of York at Cawood Castle in 1465, indicates the presence of a sizeable population in northern England at that period in time. They were also listed in the coronation feast of King Henry VI in 1429 and by the mid-16th century, they had become scarce and nearly extinct.
Little EgretClad In Black stockings & Yellow Shoes. Pic: G. Willoughby
From the 17th century onwards the plumes of the little egret and its close relatives were in demand for the decorating of hats and became a major craze in Victorian times with the number of egret skins passing through dealers hands reaching into the millions annually, reducing the population of the species to almost extinction and stimulating the establishment of Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 1889.
Sometime in the 1950s, conservation laws were introduced in southern Europe to protect the species and since then their numbers began to increase. By the beginning of the 21st century the breed began expand westward, breeding again in the UK back in the 1960s before arriving in Ireland in more recent years.
Little egrets stalk their prey in shallow water, often observed shuffling their feet in an effort to disturb small fish, or may stand still and simply wait to ambush other available prey which include frogs, crustaceans, molluscs, insects, spiders and worms.
Here in Ireland, the species bred for the first time in 1997 at a site in Co. Cork and the population has expanded rapidly since, aided by climate change, and is now breeding in other Irish counties, since 2010, despite the severe cold winter weather experienced during the years 2010 – 2012.
Reports coming in from the public, confirm a worrying increase in Covid cases here in Thurles since Tuesday last.
Fresh Covid-19 wave had been forecast to hit Ireland this summer.
Nationally, 22 Covid-19 cases are confirmed as being in hospital intensive care units, by the HSE, (Figure recorded at 11:30am today, Thursday July 11th, 2024). Confirmed Cases in our hospitals are recorded at 361 Covid-19 cases, (Recorded at 8:00am today Thursday, July 11th, 2024).
At the end of June last (2024), Ireland’s health officials sounded a serious warning after reporting a sharp increase in confirmed Covid cases and hospitalisations. Experts warned that Covid transmission, while presently at moderate to high levels within Ireland; due an increase in travel and attendances at other large social events such as musical festivals, (both which results in crowded settings) the virus is permitted to spread more easily.
The specialist service for the surveillance of communicable diseases have advised anyone with possible symptoms of Covid, (even mild ones), to stay at home until at least 48 hours after their symptoms are mostly or fully gone. Symptom – sufferers should also avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk from COVID-19.
Note:The majority of retail outlets in Thurles no longer provide hand sanitizer for their customers.
Lyrics and Vocals: American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist and three time Grammy Award winner Brad Paisley.
Ode de Toilet.
She says not to buy her flowers, Or big expensive gifts. She says she don’t want jewelry, And she doesn’t need another dress. If I want to show her how much I adore her, The best way that I’ve found, Is to make sure when I’m finished, I put that toilet seat down. We’ve been to counciling, To try and see the ways we could improve, This thing between us, And different ways to show each other “I love you”. Forget about those getaway vacations, To romantic coastal towns, If you want to say “I love you”, Then put that toilet seat down. ‘Cause in the middle of the night, It’s cold and it’s dark, And when I hear my name in vain, I know I haven’t done my part. She just wants me to support her, And the best way that I’ve found, So with a gentle hand and a loving touch, I put that toilet seat down. I know it’s kind of funny, You can teach a little puppy, But it’s very hard to train a grown man, When I’m all about my business, And the path of least resistance, She’s the one that suffers in the end. In the middle of the night, It’s cold and it’s dark, And when I hear my name in vain, I know I haven’t done my part. She just wants me to support her, And the best way that I’ve found, So with a gentle hand and a loving touch, I put that toilet seat down. Down, down. END.
Ireland generated 750,000 tonnes of food waste in 2022.
Food waste in Ireland has not significantly decreased over the first three years of national reporting.
70% of food waste was generated by businesses and industries across the food supply chain, 30 per cent by households.
New figures released by the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) today show that over 750,000 tonnes of food waste was generated in Ireland in 2022. There has been no significant change in the amount of food waste generated in the first three years of national statistics reporting, (Namely the years 2020, 2021 and 2022).
Over 70% of food waste was generated by food & drink sector businesses and 30% by households. This is food wasted during production, manufacturing and processing, distribution, at retail level, in restaurants and in our homes.
Mr David Flynn, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability said: “As a nation, Ireland is wasting too much food – over one million meals a day – which is a significant resource and economic loss. With 70% of food waste generated by food & drink businesses across the supply chain, there is a clear obligation on this sector to focus on preventing food waste. Signing up to the EPA’s Food Waste Charter is a positive statement that your business is serious about taking action to measure and reduce food waste. Unavoidable food waste should be segregated for recycling. Waste collectors are required to provide an organic waste bin so all businesses should now have a 3-bin system in place.”
Mr Warren Phelan, Programme Manager, EPA Circular Economy Programme said: “Waste collectors are obliged to provide their household customers with a food waste collection service since January 2024. Greater coverage and rollout of the organic waste bin is key to segregating food waste and increasing recycling through composting and anaerobic digestion. Food waste costs each household an average of €700 per year. Knowing the food you waste is the first step to prevent waste at home and the EPA’s Stop Food Waste programme provides lots of practical information to support householders.”
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