A ‘Derelict Site Notice’ has been served by Tipperary Co. Council, on a private dwelling, situated at No.3Ikerrin* Road, Thurles, Co Tipperary; pursuant to section 8 of the Derelict Sites Act 1990.
The Derelict Notice was first issued, nailed to the front door of the neglected, unoccupied, property on January 10th, 2023, with the current owner ordered to make representation, ‘in writing’, no later than February 9th 2023(one month).
Under the Act, local authorities are responsible for dealing with derelict sites in the areas they govern and can use granted powers to enforce necessary repairs.
Under the Act also, local authorities can prosecute owners who do not comply with notices served. They can make compulsory land purchases or carry out required necessary work themselves, while charging the owners for all associated costs.
Local Authorities must also maintain a ‘Derelict Sites Register’ (DSR), making the same register available for public inspection. It can remove an entry from the DSR, when it is fully satisfied that all improvement works have been carried out on the named derelict listed site.
If a property is entered on the DSR, the owner of such property becomes liable for the payment of a levy based on the market value of such property.
NOTE: * The name Ikerrin is a geographical unit of land, one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary, created after the Norman invasion of Ireland. Same baronies correspond to an earlier ‘Gaelic túath’ or a jurisdictional unit of land. Thurles town does not actually exist within the known geographical Barony of Ikerrin. Ikerrin Road was previously known, up until the beginning of the 20th century as ‘Limekiln Lane’. Perhaps the Ikerrin reference comes from the once ruling Norman Butler families, who for seven generations bore the title ‘Viscount Ikerrin’.
We welcome persons with more qualified information regarding the ‘Ikerrin’ title, to please contact us.
We, residing in Thules, have watched helplessly as almost 2.4 kilometres of Hedgerow in the past 20 months was removed in the town, during the nesting season, with local Municipal District councillors highlighting such removals on social media, in an effort to give the impression that they are hard at work benefiting their electorate.
Despite every effort to call a halt to this wanton destruction, our best exertions fell upon deaf ears both locally; at the National Parks and Wildlife Service and at government Ministerial level, [exempli gratia, Ministers Mr Malcolm Noonan and Minister Mr Eamon Ryan.]
We have watched helplessly the removal of a 150 meters long, 50 year old mature Whitethorn hedgerow, situated east of Lidl supermarket, in the recently constructed new town centre area; the destruction at the walkway on ‘Lady’s well’; and the now totally destroyed historic “Great Famine Double Ditch” at Mill Road, in the town.
Members representing ‘Hedgerows Ireland’, latter a non-profit organization formed to protect against hedgerow removals, has now rightly claimed that such continuing removals could change the Irish landscape, beyond all current recognition.
It is no secret that Ireland’s hedgerows host a rich ecosystem, acting as Irelands rain forestwithin which some two third of our native birds use to roost, nest and feed.
Currently, to our shame and the shame of our present collision government; Irish current rules regarding any hedge removal, facilitate the eradication of half a kilometre (.62mls) of hedgerow, without any environmental assessment or scrutiny. Some 95% of all applications for hedgerow removal are approved, thus eradicating a huge pollinator and wildlife reservoir, not to mention an area supporting massive carbon storage.
Sadly, their calls; to quote a line from William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, will be “More honoured in the breach than the observance.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today announced €10.7 million of research funding for 42 research projects addressing climate change and other emerging, complex environmental problems. This funding will contribute to the delivery of high-quality research, evidence-based policy development and further build Irish environmental research capacity. The funding is an important element of the EPA 2030 Research Strategy which delivers essential scientific support for environmental policy development, implementation and broader decision making across four thematic areas:-
Addressing climate change evidence needs,
Facilitating a green and circular economy,
Delivering a healthy environment,
Protecting and restoring our natural environment.
This funding will support more than 200 researchers across the higher education sector. University of Galway had the highest success rate and was awarded more than €2.3 million of funding for projects related to greenhouse gas emissions, ozone levels, radon, human bio-monitoring and earth observation. University College Dublin followed with €1.9 million of funding in the areas of Strategic Environmental Assessment, extreme climatic events, peatlands, DNA-based assessment, and soil quality.
Announcing the awards, Ms Laura Burke, EPA Director General said: “EPA-funded research delivers trusted scientific evidence to address key knowledge gaps and support environmental policy development and implementation. Environmental challenges such as climate change are complex and require an integrated, cross-sectoral approach and we are delighted to be working in partnership with a number of organisations, including the Geological Survey Ireland; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Met Éireann, to co-fund environmental research.”
The EPA places a high priority on promoting the uptake of funded research to inform policy development and implementation and to maximise the impact of research and innovation. To this end, the EPA supports and fosters linkages between the public research system and policymakers to address key environmental challenges.
Professor Jim Livesey, Vice-President Research and Innovation at University of Galway, said: “This investment by the EPA is a testament to the success of research across higher education in Ireland. It is a huge bonus to see such a high level of achievement for our researchers in University of Galway, where we lead eight of the EPA-backed projects and partner on another four. The focus of this funding on environmental research further demonstrates the drive among our researchers to collaborate for the public good and the ambition to respond to the challenges facing humanity and society, now and in the years ahead.”
The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The EPA has been funding research in Ireland since 1994 and is currently funding more than 200 on-going research projects. EPA Research Calls are designed to support the development and implementation of environmental policies in Ireland. The EPA’s 2023 Research Call will open in April 2023. Details will be made available on the EPA website. Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office Tel. No. 053-9170770(24 hours) or media@epa.ie
Lyrics & Vocals: Late, great American country singer-songwriter Johnny Cash(1932 – 2003)
“Don’t Go Near the Water” was a song which featured on the 47th album recorded by Johnny Cash entitled “Ragged Old Flag”, which was released on his Columbia Records label back in 1974. The song addresses what was a red hot political issue back then and sadly remains even more of an environment issue, almost 50 years later, in 2023.
Don’t Go Near the Water.
From the fountains in the mountains, Comes the water running cool and clear and blue, And it comes down from the hills, And it goes down to the towns and passes through, When it gets down to the cities, Then the water turns into a dirty gray. It’s poisoned and polluted, By the people as it goes along its way.
Don’t go near the water children, See the fish all dead upon the shore. Don’t go near the water, The water isn’t water anymore.
“I took my boy fishin’ to my old favorite fishin’ hole. I had caught many a fish out of that deep clear water From the time I was a boy like him. After we’d fished a few minutes, he said, “Did you get a bite yet daddy?” I said, “I think I got a nibble son” “Me too”, he said Then he said, “Daddy if we catch a fish can we eat him” I said, “Well there was a time son, this water’s bad now and it might not be safe to eat the fish. But there was a time.”
There was a time the air was clean, And you could see forever ‘cross the plains. The wind was sweet as honey, And no one had ever heard of acid rain. We’re torturin’ the earth, And pourin’ every kind of evil in the sea. We violated nature, And our children have to pay the penalty.
Don’t go near the water children. See the fish all dead upon the shore. Don’t go near the water, ‘Cause the water isn’t water anymore.
Don’t go near the water children. See the fish all dead upon the shore. Don’t go near the water, ‘Cause the water isn’t water anymore.
Define ‘Neglect’:- A failure to look after; a failure to care for; failure to provide for; to leave alone or to abandon.
It’s called “putting the cart before the horse”, latter a figure of speech meaning to place things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities. The meaning of the phrase is based on the common knowledge that a horse, for the most part, usually pulls the cart.
Tipperary Co. Council aided and abetted by Thurles Municipal District Council officials and elected councillors, have long years of practice in perfecting this same art, in the knowledge that taxpayers silently accept their pockets being picked.
River Suir Flooding Thurles. January 15th, 2023. Pic. G. Willoughby.
The picture, shown above, adequately demonstrates the waste of public funding.
This week one local councillor is “calling” for this same body of river water to be cleaned to avoid this flooding.
If and when this work is ever undertaken, the heavy machinery will move in. Can same operate avoiding the breaking of this river hugging, tarmac footpath?
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