The Leaning Pedestrian Crossing lighting standard, Brittas Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary Pic: George Willoughby.
One of the Pedestrian Crossing lighting standards, situated on Brittas Road, Thurles, (N62) continues to stands, bowing in a northerly four-degree lean. While some believe this phenomenon is designed as a tourist attraction, and as yet not advertised as part of the 10 things you need to know about Ireland’s Ancient East. Sorry folks, this is not an attempt to emulate the leaning, yet free-standing bell tower of Pisa in Italy.
What Happened Was!
What happened was that an unsuspecting vehicle driver, obviously a fluent Irish speaker and possibly travelling south, noticed the blatant misspellings and grammar errors relating to two of our directional signposts*. Having briefly taken his/her eyes off the road, a devious Pedestrian Crossing lighting standard; taking advantage of this situation, and without any warning, jumped out in front of the oncoming vehicle, striking it before hopping back into its original place. No, thequalified Tipperary Council engineers, who have recently taken it upon themselves to construct narrower streets, leaving signposts too close to the edge of pavements are not responsible, as some would secretly claim, latter harbouring such unspoken thoughts behind closed doors.
*Within five hundred yards of each other are two signs both displaying grammatical misspelling of our native language. The housing estate direction sign entitled ‘Cluain Glas‘, (English translation – “Green Field”). Correct spelling should read ‘Cluain Ghlas‘. Just a few yards closer to Thurles town we find the housing estate direction sign ‘Gort na tSagaire‘, (English translation – “The field of the priest”). Here we find two mistakes. Correct spelling should read ‘Gort an tSagairt‘. Latter correct spelling can be found in the official book “Liostaí Logainmneacha Contae Thiobraid Árann (County Tipperary)” same published in 2004, by the place-names Branch of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
Three neglected road signs situated on Mill Road, Thurles, all within 800 metres of each other.To avoid a choked Liberty Square; this is the same route now being used to avoid Thurles town centre altogether.For Gardaí anxious to get a few prosecutions under their belts, before the end of each month, this is the place to sit and point your Traffic Radar Gun. Pic: George Willoughby.
Signs in the neglected town of Thurles are not to be trusted. (See the picture above). These signs hide behind hedges, turn their faces in the opposite direction and even resort to camouflage, in an effort to fool and confuse unsuspecting, oncoming and unwary motorists.
Speaking on the subject of ‘Clocks’ as we did recently HERE; please listen to and enjoy yet another Irish folk song about another type of ticking ‘Clock’. Enough said.
The Auld Alarm Clock
Vocals – Irish singer, folk musician and actor, the great, late Ronnie Drew. (1934 – 2008). Tune – “The Garden Where The Praties Grow”. Lyric Writer – Unknown
The Auld Alarm Clock.
When first I came to London in the year of 39, The city looked so wonderful and the girls were so divine, But the coppers got suspicious and they soon gave me the knock. I was charged with being the owner of an auld alarm clock.
Oh next morning, down be Marlborough Street, I caused no little stir. The I.R.A were busy and the telephones did burr. Said the judge, “I’m going to charge you, with the possession of this machine, And I’m also going to charge you, with the wearing of the Green”.
And said I to him, “Your honour, if you’ll give me half a chance, I’ll show you how me small machine can make the peelers dance. It ticks away politely till you get an awful shock, And it ticks away the gelignite on me auld alarm clock”.
Said the judge, “Now, listen here my man, and I’ll tell you of our plan. For you and all your countrymen I do not give a damn. The only time you’ll take is mine: ten years in Dartmoor dock, And you can count it by the ticking of your auld alarm clock”.
Now this lonely Dartmoor city would put many in the jigs. The cell, it isn’t pretty and it isn’t very big. Sure, I’d long ago have left the place if I had only got, Ah, me couple of sticks of ‘geliginite’ and me auld alarm clock.
Readers will be aware and will forgive my rhetorical figure of speech when I state that “Checkpoint Charlie”, also known as the entrance to the Slievenamon Road Car Park in Thurles, has been eradicated some weeks ago, with the whole “Lock, stock, and broken barriers” now vanished into history.
Who destroyed the 2 year old badly pointed limestone wall close by, [See top middle of Picture 1 below and also the picture inset], remains yet another mystery.
We had forecast the demise of “Checkpoint Charlie”, (Same an effort to save the wage of one Traffic Warden), if you remember, in early October last 2022, [View HERE]. The overall costings involved in the installation of “Checkpoint Charlie” was initially, we understand €95,000 plus. What it cost to remove less than 6 months after its was put into operation, and its current ‘scrap value’, now remains a closely guarded secret; known only to those we elected.
Picture No.1. “Checkpoint Charlie”, with demolished wall inset. Pic: George Willoughby.
However, there may be just one overall small saving grace in all of this waste of taxpayer’s money; which is unlikely to save the blushing faces of local councillors, their officials and Tipperary Co. Council.
See picture No.2. hereunder, note that I am referring to the two, now vacant, Plexiglas Perspex Acrylic coated parking ticket shelters.
Picture No.2. Shown here, one of two Perspex coated ticket shelters now vacant. Pic: George Willoughby
Here is a chance to create a ‘TFI Local Link’ bus stop between Thurles Shopping Centre and Lidl Supermarket, latter which is now, thanks to the total incompetence of Tipperary Co. Council officials, the newly created centre of Thurles town. These two vacant Perspex coated ticket shelters would make for an excellent ready-made bus stop shelter for the loading and offloading of bus passengers, were a bus stop area to be carved into the existing grass coated island, southeast of the town.
Here earthen sods would be easily available to ‘turn’ by either Mr M. Lowry TD or Mr J. Cahill TD, enabling them to officially open the bus shelter on its completion; giving the false impression that either or both were helping to bring prosperity to their native town of Thurles.
The word ‘mistletoe’ is believed to stem from the Saxon ‘mistl-tan’, meaning ‘different twig.’
Note: Raw white mistletoe berries are very poisonous and tend to fall off the plant easily. They have been known to cause seizures or death when accidently ingested. Indeed, here in Ireland we are more inclined to have in our homes, hanging over our doors, the ornamental plastic variety, since ingesting real mistletoe berries can be especially lethal to small children and household pets.
Historically, mistletoe [A parasitic plant, that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from a wide range of host trees], represents romance, fertility, and vitality. Celtic Druids valued mistletoe for its healing properties. Its berries ripen in December, with the plant continuing to remain green, hence its appeal at Christmas.
Warning: Let be it known to all you ladies, young or old, you the fairer sex, cannot ever refuse to grant a kiss, if caught under a bunch of mistletoe. Ladies also please note, such a kiss under mistletoe will greatly increase your chances of marriage within the next 12 months. According to an ancient custom, ladies not kissed will remain single until next Christmas.
Gentlemen Note: After each kiss, one berry should be removed from the mistletoe bunch. A fresh bunch of course can then be introduced, should you be required to kiss a lot of women.
Yes, it’s not an easy job for the male species, but let’s face it, someone has got to do it.
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