Looking back over May 2022 in Tipperary - Tentative return to normality after lockdowns

May 5, 2022

For the second time in just over four months a major sheep kill took place on the Knockmealdown Mountains, this time resulting in the savage deaths of 27 sheep, wrote Jeddy Walsh.
On Monday night, April 25, Michael and David Coyne, who farm at Boolahalla, Newcastle, endured the horror of seeing their flock savaged by an Alsatian dog on the Knockmealdown Commonage.

In late 2021, a further 30 sheep were savaged by the same dog when another local farmer, Stephen Ryan from Kings Yard, Knocknagalty, Kilbehenny, lost 20 of his ewes on December 16.

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Tipperary man Patrick Quirke, who has been jailed for life for the murder of “Mr Moonlight” Bobby Ryan, was given leave to appeal his conviction to the Supreme Court. The decision came after Quirke had appealed a Court of Appeal decision not to overturn his conviction or grant him a new trial.
Quirke (53) of Breanshamore, Tipperary was jailed in 2019 for the murder of Mr Ryan (52), a part-time DJ known as “Mr Moonlight”, following the longest criminal trial in the history of the State.
Mr Ryan’s body was discovered inside a disused underground pit on Ms Lowry’s land in Fawnagowan, Tipperary on April 30, 2013.
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On Wednesday, April 27 the staff and pupils of Cahir Boys’ National School held a service of commemoration for the school in St Mary’s Church. The school had been opened in 1964 and was due to close in the coming weeks to amalgamate with Our Lady of Mercy Primary School in the newly built Bunscoil na Cathrach.
The service was a celebration of the school’s history in the town and was opened with an address from principal Brendan Horan.

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May 12, 2022

Darkness Into Light in Tipperary Town brought upwards of 500 people onto the streets at sunrise on the morning of Saturday, May 7.
The organisers were delighted that an in-person event could resume safely in 2022 and spokesperson Denis Pollard thanked everyone who had registered for the event and had turned out in such numbers. In welcoming everyone to the event,

It was similar in all the other major towns throughout south Tipperary, with Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir and Cahir also organising Darkness Into Light walks.

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An 11-year-old south Tipperary girl was going to extraordinary lengths to highlight the lack of services available for children with special needs, wrote Eamonn Wynne.
Despite her young age, Cara Darmody, a Fifth Class pupil at Ardfinnan National School, intended sitting the Junior Cert maths paper in June (an exam that students who are four years older sit), in a challenge that raised funds for her school in Ardfinnan, as well as Scoil Chormaic special school in Cashel.

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An estimated 1,300 people flocked to public consultation events in three Tipperary towns in May to find out about the route selection process for an upgraded N24 route between Cahir and Waterford and how it may impact their properties.
Four route corridor options for this 60km stretch of the N24 were being considered within a 6km study area around the existing N24 and significantly; they included proposals for bypasses of Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir where the existing N24 is congested daily with traffic.

Looking back over January 2022 in Tipperary - First baby of the year and Nancy’s tips to be 100!

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May 19, 2022

Cashel town and the surrounding parishes received a massive boost in May with the news that more than 100 extra jobs are to be provided right in the heart of the town.
Waystone, the leading provider of institutional governance, risk, administration and compliance services to the asset management industry, announced that week that it was to substantially increase its Ireland-based workforce by creating the jobs in Cashel following its recent growth.

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Killenaule celebrated in style the tremendous achievements of Rachael Blackmore when the global horse racing star arrived home after her amazing exploits.
The village welcomed the Queen of Racing back home in May and she got quite the reception from locals both young and old.
The long-awaited celebration, delayed due to Covid, was an opportunity for people of all ages to come together and in glorious sunshine to meet Rachael.

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We reported in our May 19 edition that a ceremony had taken place to deconsecrate the church on the grounds of St Luke’s Hospital, Clonmel performed by Most Reverend Alphonsus Cullinan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore.

The first patients were admitted to the hospital on January 16 in 1835 while the last patients were discharged from St Luke’s Hospital on July 26 in 2012.
The church was erected in 1890 some 55 years after the opening of the hospital.
The ceremony held in the church on April 28, was attended by current and former staff members.
At the close of the ceremony Bishop Most Rev Alphonsus Cullinan read the Declaration of Deconsecration.

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A proposed €50 million development at Garranacanty, Dundrum Road, Tipperary Town was in grave doubt of getting off the ground due to a major obstacle that the project developer was experiencing.
Speaking exclusively to Martin Quinn for The Nationalist, Pramukh Goginei, said that if he didn’t get the project up and running in 2022 that he certainly would not be returning to it after that and that “Tipperary Town will lose out one more time”.

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May 26, 2022

Last May we reported that public consultation was underway with up to 565 owners of homes, businesses and farms along the preferred route corridor for the proposed new N24 upgrade project between Limerick Junction and Cahir, to include bypasses of Tipperary Town, Oola, Monard, Limerick Junction and Bansha.
The 37km preferred route corridor running from west of Brooks Bridge in county Limerick to the M8 junction at Cloghabreedy, Cahir was first unveiled to Tipperary and Limerick public representatives on Monday morning, May 23.
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Honorary gardaí Joey Moss, Hayden Smith Kirwan, Shane Hearn, Grayson Reid and Holly Carroll were accorded a Mayoral Reception at Clonmel Town Hall in May.
Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Michael Murphy gave the civic honour to five inspirational young people.
The Little Blue Heroes and their families were welcomed to the Town Hall by the Mayor.


Cllr Murphy pulled out all the stops on the day with personalised cakes and buns and mayoral scrolls for each of them.

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A south Tipperary community council that runs a wide range of social events and community activities for all ages, and was making plans to build an astro-turf pitch and walking path, won a prestigious national Pride of Place award, wrote Aileen Hahesy.
Ballyporeen Community Council received the top prize in the Population 300 to 1,000 category at the All-Ireland Pride of Place community awards in Kerry’s INEC Centre in May.
James Hackett, Chairman of Ballyporeen Community Council, said it was fantastic to win the award as they were advised before the ceremony the chances of winning were very slim due to the excellence of the competition they were up against. “We couldn’t believe it,” he told The Nationalist.
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There was a sense of profound sadness in the Cahir area in late May when it became known that Liam Simpson had passed away.

Liam passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in his 90th year after living a full and varied life contributing to many different community organisations and helping many people through his work as a teacher and a tutor.
He was a family man, an entrepreneur and gave career advice to people across Cahir and beyond over the years.