Singer and actress Ms Marianne Faithfull sadly died today at the age of 78 years. Marianne passed away peacefully in London, in the company of her loving family.
Born in Hampstead, London, UK in December 1946, to parents, father Major Robert Glynn Faithfull (a British intelligence officer) and mother Eva (a ballerina), in the 1960s became famously the girlfriend of ‘Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger. She rose to fame in 1964 with hit songs like ‘As Tears Go By’, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which then reached the UK top 10. She will also be remembered for starring roles in films including the 1968 ‘The Girl On A Motorcycle’.
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan.
Lyrics: Late American writer, cartoonist, songwriter and musician Shel Silverstein(1930-1999). Vocals: The late English singer and actress Marianne Faithfull[Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull], (29th December 1946 – 30 January 2025). Song featured is from her 1979 album ‘Broken English’.
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan.
The morning sun touched lightly on, The eyes of Lucy Jordan, In a white suburban bedroom, In a white suburban town. As she lay there ‘neath the covers, Dreaming of a thousand lovers, ‘Til the world turned to orange, And the room went spinning round.
Chorus. At the age of thirty-seven, She realised she’d never ride, Through Paris in a sports car, With the warm wind in her hair. So she let the phone keep ringing, And she sat there softly singing, Little nursery rhymes she’d memorised, In her daddy’s easy chair. Her husband, he’s off to work, And the kids are off to school, And there are, oh, so many ways, For her to spend the day. She could clean the house for hours, Or rearrange the flowers, Or run naked through the shady street, Screaming all the way.
Repeat Chorus. The evening sun touched gently on, The eyes of Lucy Jordan, On the roof top where she climbed, When all the laughter grew too loud, And she bowed and curtsied to the man, Who reached and offered her his hand. And he led her down to the long white car, That waited past the crowd. At the age of thirty seven, She knew she’d found forever, As she rode along through Paris, With the warm wind in her hair.
END
After a period of heroin addiction in the 1970s, which at one point saw her living homeless on the streets of Soho; she resurrected her career with the classic album ‘Broken English’. The singer also had previously suffered multiple health problems, including bulimia, breast cancer and emphysema, latter caused by decades of smoking.
Ms Faithfull received the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Women’s World Awards, and was made a commandeur of the ‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres‘, by the government of France.
The singer was married and divorced three times, to artist John Dunbar in 1965, Ben Brierly of the punk band the ‘Vibrators’ in 1979, and actor Giorgio Della Terza in 1988.
If we held a minute of silence for every victim of the Holocaust, we would be silent for eleven years and 4 months.
Do listen, hereunder, to the voice, on video, of noted traditional ballad singer Miss Delia Murphy(1902-1971), (now sadly forgotten), whose mother was Ann Fanning, a native of Roscrea, North Co. Tipperary situated just a 33 minute drive north from Thurles. Delia’s wealthy father, Mr John Murphy encouraged Delia’s interest in Irish traditional music from a young age, most of which she learned from being seated around the campfires of Irish travellers, which her father allowed to camp on his estate, at Mount Jennings in Roundfort, Co. Mayo.
But Delia was more than an Irish singer. Between the years 1941 to 1946, Dublin born Dr Thomas Joseph Kiernan, Delia’s husband, was appointed Irish Minister Plenipotentiary to the Holy Sea. Residing in Rome and a close friend of Pope Pius XII, together with his wife, Delia Murphy they worked with Co. Cork born priest, Right Reverend Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, (1898-1963), latter a significant figure in the Catholic resistance to Nazism; nicknamed “The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican”.
Working together, they saved some 6,500 Jews and escaped prisoners of war. Jews conducted religious services in the Church of San Clemente of the ‘Collegium Hiberniae Dominicanae’, which had Irish diplomatic protection. When German troops began occupying Rome, Ms Delia Murphy began smuggling Jews and Allied soldiers out of the city, by hiding them beneath rugs in the back of a car.
In 1946 she was awarded the rank of Dame Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, latter a Roman Catholic order of knighthood, internationally recognised, under the protection of the Holy See.
Silent Jewish protestorMs Lior Tibet.
Sadly; here in the Ireland of 2025, Ms Lior Tibet, aged 37 years, was physically dragged out by her arms, across the floor, from Ireland’s official Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony, which took place on Sunday last (Jan 26th, 2025). Same lady was dragged out by security staff, after she, along with other Jews, dared to stand up and silently turn their back on Irish President Mr Michael D. Higgins. A further 19 Jews also walked out in protest following her forced removal. This silent protest, against a forceful and bitter verbal attack on Israeli operations in Gaza, by the current Irish President, now raises fears regarding the future of Ms Tibet and her children residing here in Ireland.
Holocaust survivors Tomi Reichental and Suzi Diamond had specifically asked President Mr Higgins not to bring up references to Gaza in his speech, since it had little to do with Holocaust Memorial Day, latter each year held to commemorate the genocide of one-third of the Jewish people (some 6 Million persons), by Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945, together with the murder of countless numbers of other individuals and minority groups. President Higgins; a known critic of Israel’s conduct in the war, since the October 7th attack by Hamas terrorists in 2023, had made a point in his Holocaust memorial speech of equating anti-Semitism and the mass murder of 6 million Jews, with issues in the present day, including homophobia and Islamophobia.
LateRabbi Yitzhak Halevi Herzog(1888-1959).
Rabbi Yitzhak Halevi Herzog(1888-1959), after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921, served as the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland. He cultivated a relationship with Mr Eamon de Valera and even learned to speak the Irish language. Due to his friendship with Rabbi Herzog, Mr de Valera consulted him for his input during the drafting of our then Irish Constitution.
The Irish Constitution of 1937 specifically gave constitutional protection to Jews, which was considered to be a necessary component to the constitution by Éamon de Valera, because of the treatment of Jews elsewhere in Europe at that time. The reference to the Jewish Congregations in the Irish Constitution was removed, back in 1973, with the Fifth Amendment. This same amendment removed the ‘special position’ of the Catholic Church; the Church of Ireland; the Presbyterian Church; the Methodist Church, and the Religious Society of Friends, the Quakers.
Our current day Irish government officials would do well to remember, (especially Fianna Fáil), that in 1965, when Mr Eamon de Valera was President of Ireland, the Dublin Jewish community arranged the planting of a forest of 10,000 trees in Israel, near Nazareth, dedicated to President Mr Éamon de Valera, in recognition of his consistent support for Ireland’s Jews. Rabbi Herzog’s son, Mr Jacob Herzog, wrote that “Eamon de Valera’s leadership, integrity, deep humanity and sense of purpose have for many decades now left their imprint on the international community. The forest which will rise in his name in Galilee will, I have no doubt, be a lasting symbol of friendship between Ireland and Israel”.
Sadly, Ireland has now lost this close friendship with the recent closing of the Israeli Embassy. Dail Éireann is now clearly worried about their economic standing, having followed a current anti-Israel wave, which allowed flag waving Hamas supporters to roam loose around Ireland’s capital city. Even before last weekend, there has been a slow withdrawal on Ireland’s proposed ‘Occupied Territories Bill‘, for fear of annoying the pro-Israel American President Mr Donald Trump and the annual March 17th bowl of shamrock invitation.
Further afield Australian authorities in Sydney are currently investigating a large explosive find, same discovered in a caravan, understood to be intended for an anti-Semitic attack, possibly in their city. (Wonder who was behind that?)
Perhaps, in the words of the learned Mr John Selden(1584-1654), English Jurist, Politician and Scholar, “Old Friends Are Best”.
Major opposition, grave concerns and extreme anger has irrupted, due to a planning application for a wind-farm on the outskirts of Thurles town, at townlands of Brittas, Rossestown, Ballygammane and Clobanna. The planning application provides for 10 to 12 X 185m high turbines, together with an accompanying battery farm, latter to store electricity, same to be generated by this proposed project.
These turbines to be erected, we understand, reach some 170 metres(590 feet) in height, (e.g. five times the height of Thurles Cathedral), and would introduce a massive invasion of towering infrastructure overlooking the town and surrounding countryside.
The proposed wind turbines are expected to generate/export at least 60 million watts, if erected in the nearby townlands of Brittas, Rossestown and Clobanna, all situated less than a 5 to 10 minute drive north of Thurles town. We understand that the plans include an underground cable connection to the national electricity grid.
The now launched Brittas Wind Farm and Ballygammane Battery Farm Action Group have begun an online campaign in their effort to fundraise some €10,000, same required to oppose this planning, now ruled as a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) by An Bord Pleanála.
Proposed Storage Battery Farm.
In May of last year the planning appeals board ruled that the Brittas wind farm project constituted a Strategic Infrastructure Development, requiring Brittas Windfarm Limited, to submit their plans directly to An Bord Pleanála.
The newly formed Brittas and Ballygammane action group held a public protest meeting on Wednesday last, January 15th, at which it was agreed that a target of €10,000 could be reached if 100 individuals donated €100. Within the last 10 days, the action group, has already generated over €5,320 in donations and further donations of even small amounts will be greatly appreciated. Funds collected will be strictly used towards paying consultants to make the town’s case to An Bord Pleanála, thus bringing a halt to this threat of a wind farm development and its associated battery storage farm.
Concerns were expressed at the meeting, regarding the downgrading of local property values, construction disruption, visual impact, noise, flicker impact and the immediate obvious repercussion on this area’s environment.
At the protest meeting there was also a major concern expressed that a battery farm, of some 48 battery storage units, now proposed for the Ballygammane townland, could go on fire; with the impact of this on Thurles and surrounding villages visualised as being immense, while this project financially benefits only a few individuals.
Planning application details: Ref: File 257, (Tipperary County Council).
Application Type: Permission for Retention.
Received Date: 22/01/2025.
Decision Due Date: 18/03/2025.
Applicant name: Rossa Drinks Ltd.
Development Description:
(1) Revisions to the internal layout of the public house at the dining area, associated kitchen facilities and toilet facilities. (2) Shopfront design on the Parnell Street facade fronting the dining area of the public house. (3) Revised layout of the 1st floor residential unit over the public house including rear balcony with access to enclosed yard space at the rear of 8 and 9 Parnell St, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. (4) Change of use of the enclosed rear yard space (at the rear of 8 and 9 Parnell Street, Thurles) to yard space for storage for both the public house and the 1st floor residential unit and the existing buildings to storage buildings associated with the public house. (5) A roofed structure providing a sheltered yard space at the rear of the public house. (6) Change of use of an existing outbuilding adjacent to the sheltered yard space to use as a small service hatch and associated storage rooms.
Food Safety Authority Of Ireland recall batches of Newcastle Brown Ale, due to the presence of glass fragments.
Alert Summary dated Wednesday, 29th January 2025.
Category 1: For Action Alert Notification: 2025.05 Product Identification: Newcastle Brown Ale; pack size: 550 ml bottle Batch Code: L4321, L4322, L4323, L4324, L4325 and L4326. Best before date: 30/11/2025
Message:Heineken UK is recalling the above batches of Newcastle Brown Ale, due to the presence of glass fragments upon opening the bottles. Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores.
Retailers are requested to remove the implicated batches from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.
Wholesalers/Distributors are requested to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated batches and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retail customers.
Consumers: Consumers are advised not to drink the affected batches.
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