Looking back over February 2022 in Tipperary - Young girls and women felt under threat

February 3, 2022

An increasing level of harassment of teenage girls in Tipperary Town led to calls for a stronger garda presence on the streets, wrote Eamon Lacey in our first issue of February.
Young women described their experience of running the gauntlet of abuse and sexual innuendo as they walk around the town in broad daylight.
Students from three secondary schools in Tipperary Town (St Anne’s, St Ailbe’s and the Abbey CBS) staged demonstrated to highlight the unsettling behaviour with a demonstration and a vigil in the Tipperary Hills.

The event had a dual purpose. It raised awareness of safety around the town and it allowed those participating to remember Ashling Murphy, the young teacher who was killed while out for a run in county Offaly, and the other 243 women who were murdered in Ireland since 1996.

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In a not-unrelated story the same week the refuge centre in Clonmel (for victims of domestic violence) was unable to admit 200 women and 149 children during 2021, we reported.
The Cuan Saor centre in Clonmel had been working at full capacity since the beginning of Covid.
“We could easily do with doubling our capacity,” said Cuan Saor manager Geraldine Mullane.
“Women fleeing domestic violence need support and safety and that is what we are geared for,” said the centre’s manager.

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There was a good news story in Cashel in early February, when after a wait of over two years, the Cashel Lions Club Person of the Year for 2020 was finally presented with her award.

The Lions Club was geared for a presentation to Mary Roche in March 2020 when Covid struck, and the event had to be called off. In the meantime there was no opportunity to make the presentation.
Then at the end of January 2022 when a reduced presentation event was organised Mary received her prize.

Mary has been an indefatigable worker in two areas as worker in the Girl Guides and as co-ordinator of the Cashel Community School Book Scheme.
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February 10, 2022

A total of 3,566 people were waiting for social housing in Tipperary in 2021, a decrease of 70 on the figure for 2020 and an increase of 65 from 2019, according to Eamonn Wynne’s report in early February.
Figures released by Tipperary County Council, following a Freedom of Information request by The Nationalist, showed that there are 104 vacant social houses in the county, and 5,107 occupied social houses in Tipperary.
Fifty social houses were built by the county council in 2021 at a cost of €11,632,425. This compared to 56 houses built in 2020 at a cost of €11,851,639, and 38 houses built in 2019 at a cost of €6,730,071.
Tipperary County Council has also revealed that 96 social houses that were offered to applicants in 2021 were refused.
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Eamonn Wynne had a very touching story that week about a Clonmel who has been battling against the odds all his life, and having come this far was not prepared to give up the struggle.
Kieran Lyons is one of 40 Irish thalidomide victims who are seeking compensation and an apology for the delays in alerting women to the drug’s effect on unborn children.
“We deserve to be recognised before we die and receive redress for a life we didn’t choose for ourselves,” he says.
“We’ve been fobbed off for long enough. It’s not fair.”
Thalidomide was a drug available in Ireland in the late 1950s and early 1960s for pregnant women badly affected by morning sickness.
Kieran, was born on March 5, 1960 without fingers and toes, after his mother Peggy had taken the drug. His left foot is clubbed and he also has problems with his hearing.
To this day he suffers from pain in his joints, especially his shoulders, and has arthritis in his hands.

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Community groups in Tipperary Town joined forces in February to oppose a residential development in the town centre
The combined groups said they wanted to protect the retail integrity of the town centre.
On three occasions a planning application was lodged with Tipperary County Council for a residential development on the former Caulfield’s Super Valu site in the town centre.

On the three occasions the authority has described the application as invalid.
That week community groups said if another application was lodged they would object.
Jobs4Tipp, Tipperary Town Chamber and The Tipperary Enhancement group have stated that the former Caulfield’s SuperValu site must be retained as a commercial site in the town centre.

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Looking back over October 2021 in Tipperary - Visitors to Cashel cemetery harassed, intimidated

February 17, 2022

A four-time former Mayor of Clonmel, described as “a giant of local government”, was laid to rest in his adopted town in February.
89-year-old Sean Nyhan, died on Wednesday, February 9 had served as mayor of the town in 1974, 1979, 1989 and 2001.
Predeceased by his wife Betty, he was first elected to Clonmel Corporation in 1968. He served for almost 26 years in his first spell as a member of the Corporation until 1994 and ten years in a second spell from 1999-2009.
A native of Hollyford in west Tipperary, he was also a member of South Tipperary County Council from 1999-2009.

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In February Cahir Castle was named as the best film location in Europe.

In a massive boost for tourism for the area, Cahir Castle, on Tuesday, was named the winner of the prestigious EUFCN Location Award 2021.

It is  the annual prize for European filming locations organised by the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN), as the location was submitted by Screen Ireland.

Cahir was up against such strong competition like Berlin, Croatia, Malaga and Norway so for Cahir Castle to win this award is a testament to everyone from the town.

Eleanor Morrissey, the OPW site manager at Cahir Castle was delighted that the location had received such international recognition.

“All of us working in Cahir Castle are immensely honoured and feel proud of this fantastic achievement that acknowledges how special Cahir Castle is, not only in Ireland but in Europe,” she said.

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A number of mountain hikes were being organised in February in county Tipperary and just over its border in support of the Climb With Charlie fundraising campaign spearheaded by retired RTE journalist Charlie Bird, who has Motor Neurone Disease. 

The legendary broadcast journalist was to embark on a climb of Croagh Patrick in County Mayo on Saturday, April 2 to raise funds for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Pieta, Ireland’s national suicide prevention charity. 

Knockmealdown Active, which promotes tourism in county Tipperary communities around the Knockmealdown Mountains, answered the call to action and was to run the Mount Melleray Climb with Charlie Walk on April 2. 

Climb With Charlie hikes are also being organised for Slievenamon, Galtymore and Coumshingaun Lake in the Comeraghs  on April 2.

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Treating the elderly like royalty was the mindset of Patsy Butler, who retired in February, as she went into work every day at the Clonmel Day Care Centre for the last 18 years, wrote Eamon Lacey in February.

Patsy retired from Clonmel Day Care Centre at Irishtown in Clonmel where she is sorely missed by all who attended there.

She adored the people that turned up every day to avail of the services  at the centre and that was reciprocated by all who attended.

“I loved everybody I met that came into the centre. They were all friends and I will miss them all greatly, I put my heart and soul into it as did all the staff.

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February 24, 2022

In February Cahir was basking in the glow of its castle being awarded best film location in Europe and its business community was also hoping the prestigious EU Film Commissions Network prize would bring more film crews and visitors to the town, wrote Aileen Hahesy.
Cahir was set to reap another welcome tourism boost with reports that week that Cahir Castle was one of the places Prince Charles and Camilla intended to visit during their trip to Ireland in March.
The 13th century castle, considered to be one of the best conserved strongholds of its type, had been a film set for a long list of historical movies from Oscar winning Barry Lyndon in the 1970s and Excalibur in 1981 to the most recently shot blockbusters The Long Duel and The Green Knight.
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In February Tánaiste Leo Varadkar gave a commitment to bring the problems with the water supply in Clonmel to the attention of Irish Water, wrote Eamonn Wynne.
The Tánaiste made the commitment when he met with Clonmel’s Mayor Michael Murphy, Deputy Mayor John Fitzgerald and Senator Garret Ahearn in Thurles. Mr Varadkar said he was aware of Clonmel’s problems and was frustrated that Irish Water had underspent its budget by €100 million last year.
“I gave him concrete examples that reflected my deep concern as Mayor regarding recent outages in Ballingarrane and the northern part of Clonmel and under-investment in the plants at Glenary and Poulavanogue,” said Cllr Murphy.
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A former public house in Clonmel was sold as part of a worldwide online auction for €190,000.
The legendary Chawkes public house at the junction of Upper Gladstone Street and William Street, was in vacant possession.
The BidX1 auction took place on February 17 and the premises sold after just one bid of €190,000 - which was the asking price.
The pub closed in November 2017 when proprietor Gerry Chawke and his wife Anne retired after more than 50 years in business.
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In February we carried a special report on Superintendent Eddie Golden who was proud to be back serving on familiar territory.
Community and connection to the community has been the guiding principle of Superintendent Eddie Golden throughout his career in An Garda Síochána, wrote Eamon Lacey.
Superintendent Golden, one of four in a family of five sons to be serving in the force, believes the connection members of the gardaí have with people living in the community they serve is crucial and is at the very essence of what the role of a garda should be.
Before last Christmas Eddie was appointed Superintendent of the Cahir district, which encompasses the urban area of Cashel and a huge area touching borders with Waterford and Cork and a huge swathe of county Tipperary taking in up to the south of Thurles and into areas approaching Tipperary Town and Clonmel.
He had settled into his new role when The Nationalist caught up with him and was busy at the time making preparations for the royal visit of Prince Charles and his wife Camilla in March to both Cahir and Cashel.
Eddie is the eldest of five boys born to Joe and Kitty (nee Hickey) in Carron, New Inn.