Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin has welcomed the European Commission’s adoption of Ireland’s Territorial “Just Transition Plan” .
The adoption of the “Just Transition Plan” confirms significant Ireland/EU funding to support the Midlands region, as Ireland moves away from fossil fuels. The tourism element of the “Just Transition Plan” includes allocations of €38 million under Regenerative Tourism business supports and €30 million for a Tourism Trails Network.
Eight midland counties are expected to benefit from the allocation.
The eight counties expected to receive funding include Co. Tipperary, Co. Laois, Co. Westmeath, Co. Offaly, Co. Longford, Co. Roscommon, Co. Galway and Co. Kildare; all targeted areas that were previously heavily dependent on peat production.
CEO of Fáilte Ireland Mr Paul Kelly said: “This investment reinforces the value of tourism to the economic well-being and development of a destination. I want to pay tribute to the team at Fáilte Ireland for their tireless work over a number of months on developing our successful submission to the EU. The allocation to Fáilte Ireland is recognition of our expertise as the National Tourism Development Authority to deliver projects of scale that will create jobs, empower businesses and build stronger communities leaving a lasting legacy of transformative change that will enhance the appeal of the Midlands as a tourist destination for generations to come. It is an unprecedented investment in tourism, and one that is going to have a tangible economic impact in the towns and communities of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and Ireland’s Ancient East Fáilte Ireland is looking forward to working collaboratively with local tourism businesses and communities, the East and Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA), Bord na Mona, Local Authorities, and our strategic partners including Waterways Ireland, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Coillte, to deliver this transformational project of scale.”
This EU “Just Transition Fund” in Ireland has 3 priority areas for investment:
Generating employment through diversification of the local economy.
Restoration of degraded peatlands and regeneration of industrial heritage assets.
‘Republic of Work’ offices on South Mall, Cork City.
Co. Cork’s popular co-working hub, ‘Republic of Work’, is to expand; locating in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, thus offering a much-needed solution to Ireland’s fast growing and emerging flexible working quandary.
This first co-working hub outside of Cork city, is expected to open in January 2023, with the team hoping it will encourage people living in Clonmel to ‘stay local‘, rather than having to commute daily or relocate to reside in costly accommodation in Irish cities, in order to work.
‘Republic of Work’ first announced their plans for the Clonmel hub last October on social media and will now hold an open day on Thursday December 15th next, [10:00am to 5:00pm] at the hub on Clonmel’s Dr. Croke Place, to give locals a chance to meet its members and discuss how the new space will operate into the future.
‘Republic of Work’ was first established in Cork city five years ago with a hub situated on South Mall, one of the main streets of Cork city, running from Grand Parade in the west to Parnell Place in the east.
The announcement came with a seasonal graphic heading of:- one galloping reindeer, two tied parcels, to silver pine cones and 6 silver dangling balls, stating that Thurles town during Christmas 2022, would be given an extra 15 minutes of free parking. This initiative (try not to laugh)“is designed to promote local trade and to encourage support for town traders, during the festive season”.
Then came the real joke, (laughter allowed),“Please shop local this Christmas”.
TMD Council officials are taking local residents for complete fools.
The compliments of the season are then offered by Ms Sharon Scully, (Thurles District Administrator) on behalf of Tipperary Co. Council.
To date all parking in Thurles Car Parks had been granted 15 minutes free parking, all year round, and now for the Christmas shopping period, beginning December 1st, 2022, is to be increased by a further 15 minutes to 30 minutes; (or did Ms Scully mean 30 minutes plus the 15 minutes already in vogueestablished). Not that same would offer any further great advantage.
What Ms Scully has failed to realise is that parking in the Liberty Square town centre no longer exists except for handicapped parking spaces and loading bay areas.
So what shopping can you do in 30 minutes. Can you treat you friends to a cup of coffee; buy a lunch; try on an article of clothing, or visit a bank ATM?
You can view the announcement by some local Councillors HERE and HERE with the other more devious embarrassed Councillors having failed to publish same on their social media platforms to date, as yet.
Why are Thurles Municipal Council officials and councillors permitted to discriminate against small local traders, in favour of foreign giant supermarket chain, leaves me totally confused.
Where stands Thurles Chamber of Commerce, latter a local organization of businesses and companies in Thurles, whose intentions boast “to develop and further the interests of local companies and businesses”? Has Thurles Chamber of Commerce now been fully taken over by local councillors, in the hope of gleaning crumps of secret info from politicians?
While I hate to say this, but councillors were informed at a recent meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District[North Tipperary – just 23 miles (37kph) from Thurles and governed by the same Tipp. Co. Council] that from Saturday December 10th, 2022, until Monday December 26th, there will be three hours of free parking, within local authority car parks in Nenagh town, available on a daily basis.
The discrimination continues, to the detriment of Thurles town, with once again, nothing for our Local Property Tax.
The majority of remaining healthcare staff, latter who have not yet received their €1,000 pandemic recognition payment, first announced in January of this year, will now receive same by the end of his month (November 2022), the HSE has confirmed
These recognition payments were initiated by the Irish State as a means to compensate frontline workers for their collective efforts in fronting our public health system, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown period.
Unavoidable delays came about about due to agency workers, being categorised as public servants and third-party contractors, and while funded by the HSE, were difficult to immediately identify.
The HSE has awarded a tender to Public Sector consultants Kosi to implement the payment of these bonuses, to these workers in non-HSE and non-Section 38 organisations, who include those employed in private sector nursing homes; Section 39 (in receipt of State grant aid) long-term care facilities for those with disabilities; agency workers in the HSE and home care assistants, latter contracted to the HSE.
The HSE has confirmed that communications have already issued, (since November 1st) to the organisations/employers of potentially eligible employees. Same communications contained details of how those bodies can apply for payment for their work force, allowing same to pay such named employees on or about the end of November 2022.
According to the website Afloat.ie, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) intend to progress plans to develop a new modern fish farm facility, to be located in Roscrea, Co Tipperary. The facility will be based on a ‘recirculating aquaculture system’ (RAS) technology and will shortly enter the design and planning permission phase.
We understand that recirculating aquaculture systems represent a new way to farm fish. Instead of the traditional method of growing fish outdoors, this system rears fish at high densities, in indoor tanks within a controlled environment.
This new fish farm is not expected to become operational until 2026.
We understand that IFI has placed a ‘Prior Information Notice’ (PIN) on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
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