A final decision on the report had been previously delayed for further consultation; with a second traffic system trialled over a period of 3 days, instead of the 4 days originally agreed. However, the initial plan, formulated by Transport Infrastructure Ireland(TII) was proposed, yesterday, by Fine Gael Cllr. Ms Peggy Ryan and seconded by Fianna Fail Cllr. Sean Ryan, thus giving same idiotic plan the “green light”.
Yesterday evening, following the approved of this controversial plan, we understand that traders reacted angrily, with the latter holding banners stating, “It’s OK to say NO” and “120 Job Losses”.
The new plans, which are expected to take several years to implement, will involve changing the traffic system reduced to one lane, thus accepting traffic and heavy goods vehicles converging from 3 lanes right in the very centre of town. It will also see a further reduction of, at least, 12-14 car parking spaces from west Liberty square, and the removal of mature trees to be replaced by miniature trees forcing a colony of 1,000 Pied Wagtails becoming homeless.
Thurles Municipal District Officials; Councillors together with other unsuspecting drivers are being asked to take great care when travelling on Upper Kickham Street, (N75), in Thurles, Co. Tipperary tomorrow. Due to recent frosts, a section of the road surface, which had been dug up, has now totally disintegrated leaving huge craters directly opposite Aldi(on North side) and close to the entrance to Monakeeba housing estate(on South side).
State of road surface on Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Four living craters now currently exist on both sides of this traffic infested roadway, and have done so for the past two weeks. Despite being invisible to travelling motorists, these craters, as expected, have received absolutely no maintenance attention. But then again, it’s cold and Thurles Municipal District Officials don’t get out all that much in this type of weather.
The only reason I mention this tonight is because Thurles Councillors could be travelling into Thurles as expected tomorrow, to rubber stamp the planned Phase 2 upgrade for Liberty Square etc.
Thurles Town centre traders already having lost at least 40% to 60% of former footfall, under the Phase 1 upgrade, are expected to also be in attendance; to protest against these planned illogical and fallacious changes, same formulated by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and expected to be supported by aforementioned officials and some recently elected, unqualified councillors.
We will be looking at this matter more fully and in greater detail after tomorrows decisive meeting, which will no doubt be demanding immediate resignations.
Over 30,000 Citizenship decisions made in 2024, the most made in a single year since records began.
More than 6,000 people to be naturalised in Killarney this week.
Digitisation of services have resulted in significantly improved service.
Citizenship ceremonies were first introduced in 2011 in order to mark the occasion of the granting of citizenship in a dignified and solemn manner. Since Citizenship Ceremonies were first introduced, there has been a total of 197 Ceremonies (inclusive) with people from over 180 countries receiving their certificates of naturalisation. To date, over 191,000 people have received Irish citizenship since 2011; 108 of whom are resident in Co. Tipperary.
This year will see a record number of people take the final steps towards receiving their Irish citizenship, with over 30,000 decisions made in 2024. The numbers represent a significant increase on the 20,000 decisions made in 2023, and is nearly double the number of decisions made in 2022.
This Monday and Tuesday alone, over 6,000 new Irish citizens will be granted citizenship in seven ceremonies being held at the INEC Killarney. The Ceremonies will see applicants from 140 countries around the world, and living in 32 counties on the island of Ireland, being conferred as Irish citizens.
The Presiding Officers at the ceremonies over the next two days are retired Justice Mr Paddy McMahon, and retired President of the High Court, Ms Mary Irvine, latter who will confer the attendees with Irish Citizenship. Both will administer the Declaration of Fidelity to the Irish Nation and Loyalty to the State. The new Irish citizens will undertake to faithfully observe the laws of the State and to respect its democratic values.
Significant changes have been introduced in the Citizenship Divisionof the Department of Justice to speed up the application process for applicants, including the introduction of an online digital application, online payments, and eVetting. Going forward, it is envisaged that the majority of applications based on residency will receive a decision within 12 months.
It is important to note that no two applications are the same, and some take longer than others to process. Applicants are required to have 5 years reckonable residence in the State prior to making an application. Citizenship Division has held 24 citizenship ceremonies this year, an increase from the 15 ceremonies held last year, and the 6 that were held in 2022.
More information on the application process is available at the following link shown HERE.
Thurles Gardaí are seeking witnesses, following a road traffic collision in Thurles, Co. Tipperary on Saturday evening last. Gardaí and emergency services were called to the scene of the collision, which occurred on Friar Street, involving a car and a male pedestrian, just after 7:00pm. Friar Street, west of Liberty Square, in Thurles was immediately cordoned off, for a period of time, to allow for the emergency services to fully respond.
Friar Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary at 5:00pm this evening. Pic: G. Willoughby
The pedestrian was taken immediately to Tipperary University Hospital and is understood, thankfully, to have sustained non-life threatening injuries.
While not necessarily contributing to this collision; Friar Street in Thurles town is regarded by many local residents as being poorly illuminated, once the surrounding local businesses close their places of trading each evening.
Gardaí are particularly interested in making contact with witnesses with who may have dash cam or other video footage, same taken from during or around the time of the collision. Gardaí can be contacted at Thurles Garda station, Tel: 0504 25100.
Update on Memorial plaque, unveiled to the Right Reverend John Ryan, [Doctor of Divinity (DD)], late Bishop of Limerick, in the village of Two-Mile-Borris, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
A large crowd was in attendance on Tuesday October 1st, 2024last, in the village of Two-Mile-Borris, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, when a memorial plaque was unveiled to the Right Reverend John Ryan (DD), late Bishop of Limerick (1828-1864).
The Plaque was unveiled by the now retired Bishop of Killala, Right Revd. John Fleming, on the site of his parents’ grave, latter situated in the old section of Two-Mile-Borris cemetery, currently being superbly restored.
Who was Right Reverend John Ryan DD?
In his Homely, the former retired Bishop of Killala, Right Revd. John Fleming, stated quote:-
“I am happy to represent the present Bishop of Limerick, Bishop Brendan Leahy, to honour Patrick and Catherine Ryan and to recognise the enormous contribution which their son, Bishop John Ryan, made to the development of the diocese of Limerick over a period of thirty nine years, from his consecration as Coadjutor in1825 until his death in 1864. Being a Ryan from Tipperary his birth could lead to a certain confusion at any time but born during the second half of the 18th century, when record keeping was still in its infancy, made the problem even greater. However, the records of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, now confirm that aged nineteen years, he entered Maynooth in September 1803 and was ordained priest seven years later, in 1810.
His first appointment as a curate was to see him living in County Limerick for the first time, in Doon, and so began the connection with the County which was to last for over fifty years. His first acquaintance with Limerick City came soon afterwards when, according to James Roche, essayist, banker and one of the founding fathers of U.C.C., and I quote ‘he was a travelling tutor on the Continent to one of my nephews who owes everything to his care and kindness’. After about two years abroad he returned to Doon, becoming Parish Priest and following that was appointed Parish Priest of Mullinahone/Drangan (Co. Tipperary).
In 1825, with fifteen years of pastoral and European experience behind him, he was consecrated Co-Adjutor Bishop of Limerick, with the right to succeed Bishop Tuohy, who died three years later, in 1828. Bishop Ryan’s episcopate of 39 years in all was to be the longest in the post Reformation history of the diocese, followed only by another priest from the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, Edward Thomas O’Dwyer.
Bishop Ryan became bishop on the crest of a wave of support for the Catholic Church in Ireland. Over the decades of his episcopate, it’s growing confidence, supported by its catholic population, saw it make a remarkable contribution to education, hospital care, social work and, in particular church building. Catholic Emancipation came within a year of him becoming bishop of Limerick. The fervour and support which that generated marked Bishop Ryan’s entire episcopate and flowed into that of many of his successors. With great goodwill and support for the Church, forward pastoral planning became the prevailing motive of the day. Construction became a key word in everyday Catholic thought and the Church’s mission to care for the poor and the neglected became the focus of so many ordinary Catholics, encouraging men to join the priesthood at home and abroad, as well as inspiring young women to found and then to join the new religious congregations. Bishop Ryan focused his attention therefore on a number of these specific projects, namely the building of a new, imposing Cathedral for Limerick, support for Catholic education, both primary and secondary, as well the enlargement of the parish structure of the diocese.
Statistics should never form part of a homily. However, in order to do him justice and to recognise the enormous contribution which Bishop Ryan made to the diocese of Limerick it is necessary to distil his thirty nine year episcopate into a few facts. When he became bishop there were 39 parishes in the diocese. When he died there were 48. When he became bishop two female religious congregations were beginning their work in the diocese. When he died there were four well established female congregations at work. The Presentation and Mercy Sisters were educating about 1000 girls in 1828. When he died, the number had risen to well over two thousand. Within the Sisters, the Mercy Sisters alone went from one convent in 1828 to five in 1864. All of them built imposing structures, many of which still exist even if no longer used by the Sisters. At the time of his death the education of what were termed ‘poor female children’ in 1825 extended to the ’education of young ladies’. By then, female religious in the diocese in fact provided services and care for what were termed ‘poor female children’, ‘young ladies’, the ‘Magdalen Asylum’, ‘Penitents. All of this says nothing of the work of the Christian Brothers or of the diocesan priests and the Jesuits; their work supported and guided by Bishop Ryan, in providing education for young men at primary and secondary levels.
When he became bishop a report on the diocese noted that ‘chapels are small but in very good order’. By the time of his death he had laid the foundation stone for St John’s Cathedral (Limerick) in 1856, seen the First Mass celebrated there in 1859 and the opening of the Cathedral in 1861, with the consecration of his successor, Bishop Butler. St John’s Cathedral still stands as a monument to his work as bishop and to the generosity and support of the entire diocese of Limerick given to his efforts. Indeed, quite remarkably, the support which he received extended across the religious divide, with contributions from the Church of Ireland. He now lies under the sanctuary of the Cathedral, in front of what was the High Altar at the time of his death. Almost sixteen hundred years of Christianity have now passed in our country. The ebb and flow of this has been well recorded in Limerick with the rise and decline of the monasteries at Mungret and Ardpatrick, the coming of the Franciscans, Augustinians, Dominicans, Trinitarians and Cistertians to places like Adare, Kilmallock and Manister, their suppression in the sixteenth century, the Penal laws and their easing in the eighteenth century and finally Emancipation in the early nineteenth century. I suggest that Providence and history have been kind to Bishop Ryan in placing him in leadership on the crest of a wave of support for the Church, allowing him to make a remarkable contribution to its development. Today, therefore, we mark and celebrate that unique time and the remarkable Tipperary man, a son of this place, who was its leader in the diocese of Limerick.”
A Rarely Seen Lock Of Hair. (see slide show above) Courtesy of Mr David Bracken (Limerick Diocesan Archivist), a rarely seen lock of Bishop Ryan’s hair was shown at the unveiling ceremony, latter loaned for the event by the Sisters of Mercy, Limerick .
Amongst the clergy in attendance at the event were Fr. Joe Tynan, PP., Knocklong, Co. Limerick; Fr. Jimmy Donnelly, PP., Doon, Co. Limerick; Mgr. Christy O’Dwyer, AP., VG., Templetuohy/Moyne, Thurles; Fr. George Bourke, AP., Moycarkey; Canon Gerard Garrett, (Moderator of the Pastoral Unit comprising of the parishes of St John’s, St. Michael’s, St Patrick and St Brigid’s and Monaleen, Limerick), and local Two-Mile-Borris parish priest Fr. Tom Fogarty, PP. latter who conducted the memorial ceremony.
This event saw a truly communal coming-together of Two-Mile-Borris village residents, which calls for a huge thanks in particular to Ms Miriam Bourke, Ms Josephine Cantwell, Ms Geraldine Bourke-Barnaville, Ms Breda Bowe, and Ms Cait Power, for their excellent catering prowess.
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