As Thurles Municipal District continues to allow the towns public lighting system to burn 24 hours each day for some months now; we understand that Thurles Christmas lights will not be officially switched on until December 9th, 2022, just 16 days before Christmas day. The Christmas lighting on Liberty Square, will be switched on between 2:00pm and 6:00pm, in the presence of none other than Santa Claus himself.
Dublin City Council were delighted to announce that their spectacular ‘Dublin Winter Lights’ were officially lit on the night of November 14th 2022, and will remain on until January 1st.
Meanwhile, on the “What’s On In Tipp” website, funded/hosted by Tipperary Co. Council, someone added some rather contradictory information for the publics consumption. Smile and read the information currently displayed HERE.
The website invites people to:- Shop Local this Christmas Thurles 2022. Event Entry Fee: €0.00.
Of course there is an entry fee, as parking charges remain in place in Thurles, unlike our sister town of Clonmel, where free parking is permitted in council owned car parksevery Saturday during December, 2022. Following previous successful schemes, it has been decided to provide free parking in the following Pay & Display towns across Fingal County Council for 3 Saturdays in December in the run up to Christmas. The dates are 10th, 17th, 24th December 2022. The towns in question are: Balbriggan, Rush, Skerries, Swords and in Malahide, Bridgefield Carpark only . Fingal County Council supports local enterprise and hopes that this initiative will assist local businesses by encouraging citizens to “shop local” in these towns at the busiest shopping time of the year. It should be noted that Pay and Display areas in Clonsilla, Dublin 15, have free parking on Saturdays all year round.
Read On:- Event Description Thurles Chamber of Commerce and Thurles Traders are again joining forces this year to promote ‘Shop Local for Christmas’. Over 65 shops and businesses are supporting the promotion with many putting on special events, giveaways and Christmas raffles. The promotion ties in with the completion of the refurbishment works on Liberty Square and the switching on of the beautiful Christmas lights in Thurles.
(Note: To date only half of the refurbishment of Liberty Square has now been completed.)
Event Status: On Event Type: Public Event Categories: Fairs, Shows, Markets Event Start Time: 10:00 am Event Start Date: Friday, December 3, 2021(Are we totally living in the past?) Event End Time: 05:30 pm Event End Date: Friday, December 31, 2021 Venue Name: Thurles Chamber of Commerce Venue Email: info@thurleschamber.ie Venue Telephone: 050422257 Organiser Name: Thurles Chamber Organiser Email: info@thurleschamber.ie Organiser Telephone: 050422257 Nearest town or village: Thurles.
If you go to page 9 of the same website, you will find thatNewport, Co. Tipperary will be having their Christmas Market on Sunday, December 3, 2023 @06:00 pm to Monday, December 4, 2023 @05:00 pm. Now that is what I call great forward planning.
The waste by Tipperary Co. Council, who support, through the funding/hosting of this WordPress website, continues without any reduction in either intensity or strength.
Berberis (Barberry)(Top Picture Above) The attractive, easy-to-grow, evergreen shrub Berberis (Barberry) loved for its abundant bright orange flowers, which are normally expected in late March to May, was in bloom yesterday, some 5 months early. These evergreens shrubs bear small blue-black shaded berries much loved by our feathered friends, (birds).
Primroses (Irish: Sabhaircín)(Bottom Picture Above) Meanwhile, our dainty and colourful wild primroses (from the Latin word ‘primus’, meaning ‘first’.) which can be found decorating grassy banks, woodlands and roadsides, have not been fooled and appear to be on schedule to bloom in early or mid-December.
Both the flowers and leaves of the Primrose are edible; the flavour ranging between mild lettuce and more bitter salad greens.
More importantly, Primroses are beneficial as an excellent early source of nectar for bees, as well as an attractive flower to brighten up your outdoor spaces.
Also keep in mind that according to Irish folklore, when primroses are positioned near your front doorway, same protects your home from an unwelcome visit by the fairies. In Ireland, fairies were blamed for stealing babies and children, especially boys with blue eyes and fair hair, leaving fairy substitutes in their place; so do take care. You have been warned.
Perhaps it’s being caused by climate change, global warming, or the current mild weather being experience here in Ireland. Either way, it appears that some ghosts, phantom ghouls and wandering souls are reluctant to return to that place of departed spirits, as I experienced and photographed, while passing a local graveyard tonight. [Thank goodness the gate was locked.]
In earlier times people would dread being out late on the eve of November 2nd, “All Soul’s Day” as ghosts were said to be observed in the most isolated of places, especially in rural graveyards.
People would remain at home and would refrain from going out after dark, thus avoiding walking on or indeed with the dead.
So deep was the belief that households would sit around a blazing fire, relating stories about their memories of ancestors, before retiring early to their beds.
However, going early to bed would not take place before leaving the house ready for any visiting dead. The door on this night would remain unlocked in rural areas; while in larger towns and cities a window was left open instead, and for obvious reasons. A big fire was put down before going to bed and hot ashes (Irish -gríosach) were never raked out on that night.
No water could be thrown outside on All Souls’ Day, as they could be accidently throwing it into the faces of invisible wandering soul’s.
If people gave money to a poor man calling to their door on All Souls Day, the householder could expect great luck within the next 12 months.
It had come to my attention that I hadn’t seen Johnny Hayes, from the Watery Mall, in recent weeks. So, when I ran into Mikey Ryan in the Arch Bar here in Thurles, last night, I broached the question as to where he might have suddenly vanished.
Mikey had just come off his iPhone, having organising his costume for the 56th annual Littleton “Star Treck” celebrations, this coming month. [By the way, this year Mikey hopes to win the best costume competition. He is appearing, wearing a ‘Tree Trunk’, representing the ‘Captains Log’.]
“No sure it would be strange if you had seen him”, said Mikey, “Sure Johnny’s resting above in St. Patricks”.
“Holy God and his Mother”, said I, “I never heard; how long is he dead?”
“If he had lived until next Saturday”, said Mikey, “he’d have been dead a full month”.
“Good Lord, I’m totally shocked”, said I, “Sure last time we met he was in great form; how did he die?“
“Ah, it was nothing serious”, said Mikey, “It was a workplace accident, didn’t a Tipperary Co. Council stream roller run over his fingers”.
“But sure that wouldn’t kill a strong, healthy man like Johnny”, said I.
“Indeed it would”, said Mikey, “Sure wasn’t he picking his nose at the time”.
“God love him, he was fierce unlucky. Then again it was always the case with Johnny, as long as I knew him anyway; if he had been playing doctors and nurses, he’d have been the ambulance driver”, continued Mikey.
“Two half ones there, Pat,” said I, “and we’ll raise a glass to his memory”.
While only released officially this month, [October 21st, 2022] the film, “The Banshees of Inisherin” [Runtime: 113 minutes], is already available, two days later, here to view in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Opening this afternoon to rave reviews; three of the film’s well known stars, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Pat Shortt; are no strangers to Thurles town, with the latter two named, both born and educated here in the Cathedral town.
Directed by Martin McDonagh, [“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”]; the story tells of a pair of lifelong friends, on a remote Irish island, (set on the Irish Arran Islands), who find themselves at an awkward period in their relationship, when one of them no longer wants to be friends with the other.
Pádraic (played by Colin Farrell), latter an affable and kind man living on a fictional remote island known as Inisherin, suddenly has his world seriously shaken when his former close friend Colm (latter played by Brendan Gleeson), chooses to cut off their previously enjoyed, lifelong friendship. What begins as a minor squabble between both of these former old friends, soon sends shockwaves throughout their small close-knit community, thus causing everyone, from Pádraic’s sister Siobhán (Played by Thurles born Kerry Condon) to the local parish priest, to inquire as to the cause of Colm’s sudden active hatred.
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