****TIPPERARY NEWS****

Contact info: Tipperarynews@gmail.com

News stories featuring Tipperary, incl Breaking News stories and pictures where available

***Tipperary News Facebook Page***

***Tipperary News Twitter feed***

*****Breaking News*****

GARDAI tried in vain to intercept an elderly man who was driving on the wrong side of a motorway before he was killed in a collision with a delivery truck.

The two-vehicle crash occurred on the M8 motorway between Mitchelstown, and Cahir, early Friday morning.

Martin Heffernan (82), from Ballinahow outside Tipperary town, was killed instantly after his 2011-registered car collided with a transport truck.

The Irish Independent understands that Mr Heffernan drove north on the wrong carriageway of the motorway from Mitchelstown until the collision occurred.

Several anxious motorists had contacted gardai about a motorist who was driving north on the wrong side of the motorway.

Responding gardai were attempting to intercept Mr Heffernan's vehicle before the collision occurred at Raheenrow, Co Tipperary at 2am.

The truck driver, who had been travelling towards east Cork, was uninjured.

The southbound carriage of the M8 motorway remained sealed off at the scene for several hours on Friday.

Family and friends of Mr Heffernan said it was a very sad day and hailed him as "one of the nicest men you could meet".

Bureaucracy Prevents Progress On Abandoned Roscrea Estate

A private development of 12 houses in Roscrea, which has been gutted by vandals since the estate's former residents abandoned the development earlier this year, has County Council officials attempting to establish who is responsible for the ravaged homes. 
Recent calls by Councillors to have the estate made safe and boarded up, because it currently lies open to vandals and strewn with domestic waste and dangerous shards of glass, have hit a stumbling block because the Council must first ascertain who is responsible for the homes before they can remedy the situation. 
The issue arose at the monthly meeting of North Tipperary Council in Nenagh on Monday, where Senior Executive Housing Officer, Donal Purcell, told the meeting the Council are 'currently attempting to establish who exactly is responsible for the estate.'
‘We understand it's in the office of the official signee directed by the Court at the moment and we are attempting to contact them through phone and email,' Mr. Purcell explained.
'IBRC need to value the properties and we are in discussions with them. Until we know what they are worth and what it will cost to repair them it is very difficult to progress any further,' he said. Unsatisfied with the update, Cllr John Hogan (FF) warned immediate action must be taken: 'The Irish Courts Service are now responsible for these homes and they were able to write to the tenants looking for rent money, yet they are not able to board up these homes and make them safe,' he said.
'As we speak bannisters and radiators are being taken out the doors of those houses. I'm worried it will be burnt down one of these nights and one of the last residents to leave the estate explained to me that she caught 30 mice in her kitchen and the place is overrun with rats,' Cllr Hogan said angrily. 
'These concerns are very real and the longer this is allowed go on the worse the situation will become,' Cllr Michael Smith (FF) said. 'This is not going to just go away and it's time now that we own up to it,' he added.

Free counters

A decision has been made to close the cinema at the Excel Centre in Tipperary town.
The decision was made yesterday, to allow management and the board to consider the feasibility of investing in new digital technology. 
The current technology which uses traditional 35 mm film is out of date and is likely to become obsolete from July 1st when the worldwide film industry switches to digital technology.
Because of this, alongside falling numbers attending cinema nationally, the cinema will be closed temporarily to allow the board and management consider the viability of investing in a new digital system.
The board of management has confirmed that there may be some redeployment of staff to other areas within the centre and that some redundancies will be unavoidable.
However funding has been secured from South Tipperary County Council and Tipperary Town Council to ensure the Excel Centre remains open as a pivotal arts and cultural centre for South Tipperary.
The management thanks staff and the centre’s customers for their continued support.

Tipp MidWest Radio

Independent TD, Michael Lowry, has called for redeployment of extra staff to the vetting unit in Tipperary town when the reform of local government takes place.
When town councils are abolished and the two Tipperary county councils are merged next year surplus staff will have to be redeployed.
As it is thirty three staff have expressed their interest in being redeployed to the vetting unit in Tipperary town.
At present staff at the various garda vetting units are experiencing a long list of applications that need to be processed resulting in a waiting time of sixteen weeks.
According to Deputy Lowry the surplus staff from the local authorities in Tipperary should be given first priority in joining the vetting office.

Tipperary News understands  that the Clonmel Park Hotel has been put into administration. It is also believed that three other hotels in the Brennan group have also been put into administration. The staff at the hotel were called to a meeting this evening and given the news. The hotel will carry out business as normal and there will be no job losses.

Clonmel dinner theatre will double as charity fundraiser

Clonmel Theatre Guild, following their hugely successful production of Cash on Delivery, and in conjunction with Acquired Brain Injury are now preparing for their forthcoming dinner theatre production Trouble in Paradise, which will be staged at Raheen House Hotel next month.

This will be a hilarious night of comedy consisting of three one-acts - Last Respects by Colin Calvert, directed by Carol Acheson; A Spy With A View by Robert Scott and directed by Maggie Morrissey; and Neil Simon’s Man On The Floor, directed by Patricia Harte.

Carol and Maggie are making their debut as directors and these three plays enable a large cast to showcase the wealth of talent in the guild.

In the guild’s endeavours to provide the people of Clonmel and the surrounding area with top-class entertainment and value for money, it is also very proud to have supported many charities and worthwhile causes. The most recent production Cash on Delivery enabled the guild to give a sizeable donation to the new ASD unit in St. Mary’s Irishtown for pre-school children with autism.

Trouble in Paradise will be staged in conjunction with the emergency services and the wonderful medics who deal with acquired brain injury. A number of events are being organised by the ambulance service, Gardai and many others and the guild are honoured and delighted to be part of this.

This dinner theatre promises a night full of laughter and good food while supporting a very worthy cause. The play runs from Wednesday, 12th June to Saturday, 15th June and tickets may be purchased at Marian’s Bookshop, O’Connell Street, Clonmel, tel. (052) 6123813.

The cast of Last Respects includes Paul Kelly, Jacqui Ahern Slater, Suzanne Dunne, Miriam O’Connell and Jim Malone.

The cast of Spy With A View is Brendan Barnett, Patricia Harte and Eugene O’Meara.

The Man On The Floor cast is Ger Meagher, Amanda Kirwan, Des Cunningham, Mary O’Keeffe, David Walshe and Ellie Mackey.

Clonmel’s Stonehouse Restaurant has announced the creation of 10 new jobs. The announcement comes off the back of the completion of a €100,000 investment programme to re-fit the restaurant and develop new private facilities for corporate hospitality.

The new jobs were created in the kitchen, front of house and among the corporate hospitality team. Stonehouse recently announced the appointment of Mark Ahessy as Head Chef. Mark’s CV includes tenures at Mulcahy’s of Kenmare, the Michelin starred l’Ecrivain, Chapter One and Pichet.

“We believed there was a gap in the market for a fine dining restaurant in Clonmel town. Following a very strong first six months of trading our instincts have proven correct. We’re delighted to be in a position to create these additional full and part time positions, both front and back of house. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank our local and not so local custom and acknowledge the support of the local business and larger corporate communities in Clonmel” said Jim Smith, Proprietor, Stonehouse Restaurant.

Opened in 2012 by brothers Jim and Anthony Smith, Stonehouse Restaurant is a 70 seater fine dining restaurant, with private dining facilities for corporates, set in an old grain store in Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Stonehouse is the latest addition to the brothers’ hospitality portfolio. They already own Lautrec’s Tapas & Wine Bar in Kilkenny.