'Lucky no one got hurt' as collapsed wall raises safety concerns in Tipperary

Following reports of a collapsed wall impeding onto a public footpath in Thurles, a senior council official has indicated that the issue is likely a matter for private ownership rather than the local authority.

The issue was raised at the April meeting of the Thurles Municipal District when Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Smith highlighted the matter during a discussion on the District Engineer’s Report for 2026.

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Cllr Michael Smith told the meeting that he had previously raised the issue with the planning department, but as he was told to come back to them, he decided to bring it to the attention of the district as well.

He said Tidy Towns representatives had also highlighted concerns about a wall which has collapsed on the Limerick Road.

Cllr Smith noted that the situation could have resulted in injury and said “it’s lucky that no one got hurt in relation to it” when it fell.

He added that the area may require attention from the council in the short term and suggested that the district should liaise with relevant parties to see if any temporary measures or remedial action could be taken.

In response, District Engineer Thomas Duffy said that, to the best of his knowledge, the collapsed wall on the Limerick Road is located on private property.

He said the wall is within the boundary of a petrol station and that officials will assess the location to determine what action, if any, may be appropriate.

Mr Duffy noted that, if the location is as he believes, it would fall under private ownership and therefore would not appear to be a matter for the local authority.

Cllr Michael Smith acknowledged that, while the wall may be on private property, it is “impeding onto a public footpath” and raised concerns about the "danger" it poses to public safety.

He said there was a need for the council to liaise with the property owner, adding that no one would want an incident to occur and then say 'we should have done this or that'.

Mr Duffy noted the concerns raised by the councillor.