Lyrics: British folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor, the late James Henry Miller (1915 – 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl. Vocals: Dublin born Irish singer, folk musician and actor, the late Luke Kelly(1940 – 1984).
Come My Little Son.
Come me little son, And I will tell you what we’ll do. Undress yourself and get into bed, And the tale I’ll tell to you. It’s all about your Daddy, He’s a man you seldom see, For he’s had to roam, Far away from home, Far away from you and me.
[Chorus:] Remember laddie he’s still your Dad, Though he’s working far away. In the cold and heat all the hours of the week, On England’s motorway.
Now when you fall, And hurt yourself, And get a feeling bad, It isn’t any good to go running for your Dad. For the only time since you were born, He’s had to spend with you, He was out of a job, And he hadn’t a bob, He was signing on the brew.
[Repeat Chorus]
Sure we’d like your Daddy here, Yes, sure it would be fine, To have him working nearer home, And to see him all the time, But beggars can’t be choosers, And we have to bear our load, For we need the money your Daddy earns, A working on the road. Remember laddie he’s still your Dad, And he’ll soon be home to stay, For a week or two with me and you, When he’s built the motorway. END.
The graduation of 123 Prison Officers took place yesterday at the Print Works, Dublin Castle.
The new officers have now completed their Higher Certificate of Arts in Custodial Care (HCCC), developed and delivered jointly by the Irish Prison Service and South East Technological University (SETU).
This graduating class form part of the Irish Prison Service’s latest recruitment drive. They have already been allocated tn prisons throughout the State, including the Operational Support Group and the Prison Service Escort Corp.
This week’s graduation ceremony marks the formal recognition of the new officers’ academic achievement.
Recognising the crucial role played by prison officers in delivering an important public service, President of SETU, Professor Veronica Campbell emphasised the need to provide a high standard of training and education to support them:- “In light of this, the Irish Prison Service and SETU have created a collaborative work-based programme that develops the reflective, theoretical and practical skills of the Recruit Prison Officer.With over 900 Recruit Prison Officers having successfully completed the programme since 2017, including the 123 graduates who were awarded a Higher Certificate of Arts in Custodial Care at Dublin Castle this evening, SETU’s partnership with the Irish Prison Service is a prime example of our connectivity with our region, firmly aligned with our strategic goals in the provision of educational experiences that are student centred and responsive to learner needs. I extend my sincere congratulations to this year’s graduates on their academic achievements. This milestone is a testament to the hard work you have invested in earning your qualification.”
The Higher Certificate in Custodial Care is a two-year part-time programme designed to develop the professional competencies of Prison Service staff in working with prisoners. The HCCC is intended to facilitate a greater understanding of how officers can confront challenges through the exploration of different subjects including, Resilience, Mental Health, Social Psychology and Human Rights.
After initial training, RPOs are appropriated to a prison, with assignments based on the security and operational needs of each individual prison.
Clocks go forward tonight, with Irish Summer Time beginning tomorrow morning, Sunday March 30th, at 1:00am. This change will mean longer, lighter evenings from the start of next week.
This practice of advancing clocks is to make better use of the longer daylight available during our summer season, so that darkness falls at a later clock time.
Most of our smartphones, tablets, laptops and PC’s will automatically update.
Since April 2021, the European Parliament, of which Ireland is a member, voted by 410 to 192 in favour of ending this seasonal practice of moving clocks forward by an hour in springtime, and then back again in the autumn. This decision is expected to form the basis of further discussions within EU countries before taking a final stance on the matter.
The British government has already indicated that having left the European Union, it will stick to the current practice/system of switching clocks. Sir Winston Churchill once stated that the switching of clocks enlarged opportunities for the ‘pursuit of health and happiness’, among the millions of people who reside in England, however, it should be remembered that the practice of changing clocks was first introduced in 1916 to save energy costs during World War I.
An Bord Pleanála has confirmed that proposed plans to establish a €650m hydroelectric pumped storage power project, to be located at the former mine site at Silvermines, Co. Tipperary, has been now been deemed developed enough to enter the permit granting process for ‘Projects of Common Interest’, latter an essential infrastructure project regarded as aimed to strengthen European energy markets, thus assisting EU energy and climate goals.
The appeals board will now evaluate the project under an EU procedure which aims to streamline the consenting process for trans-European energy projects.
This Silvermines Hydroelectric Energy Storage Project, when eventually operational, is expected to store as much as 296 Megawatts (MW), with a daily storage capacity of up to 2,175MWh of electricity, same sufficient to power 185,000 households or 21,000 small businesses daily in Ireland.
Not a new idea, but like the existing ESB Turlough Hill (292 MW) Power Plant in Co. Wicklow, first commenced in 1968, this project will see water pumped from one source, starting at ground level and delivered to a reservoir higher up, which in turn will then be released through turbines that in turn generate electricity.
The 148-hectare (366 acre) site, chosen for the project, in Co. Tipperary is situated on the Northern ridge of the Silvermines Mountain range and was first proposed initially some 9 years ago. The project, when first made public in January of 2016, suggested that wind energy, from awind farm on the site would be deployed at night time, during periods of less demand, to pump the water from the downhill lake to the uphill storage area.
This Silvermines Hydro project is being developed and managed by Siga-Hydro Limited, an Irish company based in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, working with the Foresight Group, a global infrastructure investor.
Accounts for a connected firm, Silvermines Tipp Hold Co Ltd, shows that it received a capital injection of €14.5m in 2023. It is estimated that the project will create some 400 jobs during its construction phase and employ as many as 50 qualified personnel in the pumping hydro station, during its operational phase.
Following the announced permit granting procedure, An Bord Pleanála will now make a final decision on the project.
The temporary Stop & Go traffic lights, which were in use on the narrow Mill Road, here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, over the past number of weeks have this afternoon been fully removed.
Same temporary Stop & Go traffic light system was in use while the upgrading of the bridge crossing the River Drish, situated close to Lady’s Well, was being repaired.
Some years ago, a motorised vehicle had careered into the north facing, ancient, stone bridge wall, demolishing same into the river bed. Repairs, sadly, had been undertaken using solid modern cement blocks, causing major offence to Thurles residents.
Now some years later, in 2025, this crude offence has been corrected by Triur Construction Ltd, whose Corporate office is situated at No.13 Society Street, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, (Eircode H53 N9X3).
Full Credit Where Credit Is Correctly Due. True to the Triur Construction company pledge, this specialist Civil Engineering & Building Company has most certainly delivered high quality, in relation to this project, with the attending skilled workforce under the supervision of a Lithuanian led supervisor.
The work was undertaken over the past few weeks, despite the most severe of Thurles weather conditions, with scaffolding having to be erected on the bed of a deep and fast moving, swollen river.
The newly replaced stone work is truly excellent and fully in keeping with the existing original structure.
I understand, the company will return soon again, when the flooded river water begins to subside; to carry out further repairs to the underside of this ancient, yet quaint historic structure.
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