Health « Thurles Information

Forensic Science Ireland Celebrates Fifty Years.

Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) today celebrates fifty years since it was established.

FSI marked the occasion today with a celebratory event at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Kilmainham. FSI was first established in 1975 as the Forensic Science Laboratory under Dr Jim Donovan.
Since then it has expanded to over 200 staff, providing a broad range of analytical tests, scientific advice and expert opinion from crime scene to court, that are vital to the criminal justice system.

Dr Ciarán Seoighe took over as Director General in October this year having joined from Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland.

Speaking today, Dr Seoighe said: “We are proud to celebrate 50 years of science supporting justice. Having recently moved into a custom built, state-of-the-art facility, FSI is well positioned to continue leading in the rapidly developing world of forensic science. Moreover, at the heart of a nation’s forensic science capability is people, and we are fortunate to have highly skilled, professional and dedicated people in FSI. It is the outstanding achievements of the staff in FSI today, and those who have gone before, that we mark on this occasion.”

In 2024 FSI moved to a new state of the art facility in Backweston, under then Director General Mr Chris Enright. This summer FSI hosted Europe’s largest forensic science event, the European Academy of Forensic Science (EAFS).
Held every three years, the EAFS brings together over 1,200 forensic science practitioners, stakeholders and partners from across the European forensic science community to showcase developments in the area.

Today’s event in Kilmainham featured contributions on the impact of Forensic Science on the Criminal Justice system and the development of FSI over the last 50 years. A commemorative booklet, which looks back on the major milestones in FSI’s history over its first half century, was also launched at the event.

Presence Of Peanut In Batch Of M&S Food Milk Chocolate Honeycomb.

Alert Summary Wednesday, October 15th 2025.

Allergy Alert Notification: 2025.A36
Allergen: Peanut
Product Identification: M&S Food Milk Chocolate Honeycomb; pack size: 120 g
Batch Code: 5242; best before date: 12/05/2026
Country Of Origin: United Kingdom

Message: Peanuts may be present in the above batch of M&S Food Milk Chocolate Honeycomb however they are not declared in the list of ingredients. This may make the batch unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of peanuts and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batch.

The affected batch is being recalled.

Prohibition Order Served On Cashel Co. Tipperary Retailer.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) report that Ten Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses in September.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) served five Closure Orders and five Prohibition Orders on food businesses during the month of September for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.

Three Prohibition Orders were served under European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:
Nearby Cashel (Retailer), 3 Main Street, Cashel, Tipperary. Enforcement report.
XL Convenience Store (Retailer), Main Street, Drumconrath, Navan, Meath.
BK Foods Limited (Wholesaler/ Distributor), Clongorey, Newbridge, Kildare.

Three Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
SuperValu Hollyhill (Retailer), Hollyhill Shopping Centre, Hollyhill, Cork (served 04/09/2025).
Wok In Noodle Bar (Restaurant/ Café), 48-50 Stephen Street Lower, Dublin 2.
SuperValu Hollyhill (Retailer), Hollyhill Shopping Centre, Hollyhill, Cork (served 29/09/2025).

Two Closure Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:
New Leaf (Closed activities: the preparation and sale of sushi and sashimi) (Take Away), 18 New Street, Skerries, Dublin.
The MOMO House (ceased trading on 10/10/2025) (Take Away), East Ocean, 61 Port Road, Letterkenny, Donegal.

Two Prohibition Orders were served under the FSAI Act 1998 on:
Food Business trading as Vitalorganico and website vitalorganico.ie operating at the domestic dwelling house (Wholesaler/ Distributor), Castleknock, Co. Dublin.
Duud (Retailer), Pinewood House, Huntstown Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.

Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in September include: evidence of pest activity; a live rat observed on a premises and rat droppings visible on floors and shelving throughout areas where food and food packaging were stored; holes and gaps in the cavity wall behind a shelf on a shop floor; no hot water, soap or hygienic drying materials available at wash hand basins in the kitchen or staff toilets; ceilings, walls and floors of food preparation and cooking areas not clean, with significant accumulations of grease, dirt and old food residues; no evidence of controls in place to manage the risks associated with the storage, preparation and sale of food products containing raw fish; chilled and frozen foods stored at potentially unsafe temperatures; no evidence of adequate staff training in necessary food safety controls; food products offered for sale past their sell-by date.

Mr Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive, FSAI, said “It’s concerning that we continue to see serious and recurring breaches of food safety law. These types of breaches are preventable where food businesses have a proper robust food safety management system in place and ensure staff are adequately trained. The FSAI has numerous free resources and a learning portal to help support food businesses. Our new Guidance Note on Food Safety Culture, published recently, provides practical advice to help food businesses develop a food safety culture within their business, comply with their legal obligations and prevent these kinds of non-compliance issues from arising.”

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website. Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed in the enforcement reports on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.

Water Quality In Ireland Continues To Decline Overall.

At the current level of progress, Ireland will fail to meet the EU and national goal of restoring all waters to good or better status by 2027.
Excess nutrients from agriculture, urban wastewater and other human activities remains the biggest challenge, followed by changes to physical habitat conditions.
Just over half (52%) of our surface waters are in satisfactory ecological condition, which is a deterioration from the previous assessment for 2016-2021, where 54% of surface waterbodies met their water quality objectives.
There is evidence that nutrient levels are reducing in areas where actions are being targeted, which is very welcome. The scale and pace of implementation need to be increased.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published their flagship Water Quality in Ireland Report 2019-2024, which provides the latest, 3-yearly assessment of the quality of Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters, canals and groundwaters. This assessment includes multiple water quality parameters that are monitored and assessed to give an integrated picture of the condition of our waters.
The report shows that, despite improvements in some areas, water quality in Ireland is not as good as it should be and is continuing to decline overall:

**River Suir, Thurles, Co. Tipperary**
*Pic: G. Willoughby.*

52% of rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters are in a satisfactory ecological condition, which means in good or high ecological status. This is a decline since the 2016-2021 assessment when 54% of surface waters were satisfactory.
Transitional waters, including estuaries and coastal lagoons, are in the poorest condition of any waterbody type, with 70% in an unsatisfactory condition, up from 64% in the last assessment.
92% of groundwaters are in good status. Canals are also in relatively good condition with 87% achieving their water quality targets.

**Sewage Pipe flows into River Suir in Thurles Town Centre.**
*Pic: G. Willoughby.*

Commenting on the report, Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment, said: “Our rivers, lakes and estuaries are the lifeblood of our landscape and support our ecosystems, and our health and wellbeing. But they are struggling. They do not have the resilience to cope with the challenges they face, now and in the future. Surface water quality overall has been in decline since before the first of these assessments was carried out by the EPA in the late 2000s.
It is very disappointing to report that water quality is not improving despite the many actions that are underway, across all sectors. It’s clear the scale and pace of implementation needs to be increased and sustained.”
The main pressures impacting on water quality are excess nutrients coming mainly from agriculture, urban wastewater discharges, and damage to the physical condition of water habitats from activities such as land and river drainage, forestry and urban development.
The report highlights that there have been improvements in phosphorus levels in our surface waters in areas prioritised for action where the right measures are implemented in the right places to target interventions. There were also reductions in nitrogen levels in many river monitoring sites in recent years, which is welcome. Further reductions will be needed to reach levels that will support healthy ecosystems.

Dr Jenny Deakin, EPA Programme Manager added: “The decreases in phosphorus levels in areas prioritised for action are very welcome. While further reductions will be needed as well as reduction in nitrate levels, this report shines a light on the progress that can be made when actions are targeted. It is essential that better information is collected by all stakeholders, on when and where the actions are being implemented on the ground, to provide better information on how the progress can be accelerated.”
Information about local water quality and the pressures impacting it is available at www.catchments.ie

North Tipperary Welcomes New 96-Bed Unit Opening At UHL.

New 96-bed unit opened today at University Hospital Limerick.

A new 96-bed unit has opened at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), as part of efforts to ease chronic overcrowding at the Mid West’s main hospital serving North Tipperary.

Minister for Health Ms Jennifer Carroll MacNeill officially opened this new facility, which includes four wards of 24 beds each.

Around 400 additional staff are required to operate the unit, most of whom are already in place, according to the hospital.

UHL, which provides the only 24-hour emergency department for North Tipperary, Limerick and Clare, has consistently recorded the highest number of patients on trolleys in the country.

The expansion comes two weeks after the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) urged immediate action and investment to increase bed capacity in the HSE Mid West.

HIQA outlined three options: expanding the Dooradoyle campus, developing a new nearby site, or constructing a new hospital. Ms Carroll MacNeill said all options remain on the table, adding that increasing inpatient capacity is her priority.

Ms Carroll MacNeill also welcomed the recent granting of planning permission for a second 96-bed block at the Dooradoyle site.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), 100 people were waiting for treatment at UHL on Monday; 70 in the Emergency Department and 30 admitted patients still awaiting a bed.

Emergency departments in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospitals were closed in 2009 by under a Fianna Fáil led government, pursuing a reconfiguration of services, centralising emergency care at UHL.