Tipperary town public meeting told that town is 'dying on its feet'

The Excel Centre where the public meeting was held and which is fighting for its own survival.
The anger, despair and sense of hopelessness that has enveloped a town "dying on its feet" was highlighted at a public meeting in Tipperary Town on Monday night.
Over one hundred people vented their frustration at a public meeting organised by a new action group called "Jobs for Tipp" held at the Excel.
The long list of factory and business closures, the death of Main Street business life and the layers of bureaucracy generated by the creation of a new Town Council and an amalgamated County Council all added to the air of disillusionment that now prevailed in the town.
The meeting, facilitated by Siobhan Hyland Ryan, decided to establish a public participation network of all interested agencies and organisations and individuals in the town who were determined to give Tipperary "a voice".
"The town has been ignored for so many years. Nobody listened and now we need a voice to make people hear what we have to say" said Ms Hyland Ryan.
Another "Jobs For Tipp" committee member Maureen Walsh described how her walk up Main Street while handing out information leaflets about the meeting was such a sad experience.
"All I saw was closed shops, boarded up doors and windows and weeds . It was depressing. We have to stand shoulder to shoulder to fight our case" she insisted.
The meeting heard that the crisis unemployment situation in the town was having a knock on effect on the fabric of the community.
Vital social infrastructure such as the Excel and the Canon Hayes Recreation Centre were both fighting for survival and three attempts had been made to close down Mount Sion mental health facility.
Local councillors,TDs and council officials at local and county level were heavily criticised by committee members and from the floor.
Leave your comment
Share your opinions on
comment
Mary
Johnston
21:09, 22 November 2016
My husband and visited Tipperary at the end of October and we were very disappointed. It should be a vibrant tourist area. I now know why its gets its nickname of Tip. The road is full of potholes and the streets are dirty. We saw the Halloween town walk and it was very well organised. Well done everyone involved but the council should be more active in looking after Tipperary and promoting it as a Tourist attraction. Then more jobs would come to the area. We couldn't fault the people of the town. We were met with courtesy and welcoming every where we went.
Reply
Report
Kim
Bourke
17:05, 22 November 2016
Oh, obviously. When I buy things, I try get them in town. I do my best to support local. But some people here (no offense) don't have much business sense. I get told they won't order things in, or to "go look in Limerick", when I want something specific. They're not even willing to try. It's not always the people though. It's the recession. Dublin might be out, but Tipperary never saw a good time. It's just unfortunate. This place is an agricultural town, Friday is the only busy day. It's hard going for jobs for people my own age, you end up serving food, or in something dead-end. This is why I want to migrate. Nothing about Tipperary excites me. It's a dirty, smelly, small town. Every shop needs painting, every road needs resurfacing. We need interesting shops to draw people in, like Penney's for example would be great. That could go where the SuperValu that shut down is. I've been here most of my life and I don't even feel attached to the town. I'll be glad to get out of it tbh, if things don't pick up. -Kimberley, age 20.
Reply
Report