Latest news with #TalbotHotel
Irish Independent
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
All Ireland Hurling Final: Top tips for Tipperary fans eager to see the big match
Here are some of the best venues in Tipperary to savour the excitement, or to watch the match on a big screen, around the county. Irwins – Cahir Tipp fans in Cahir shouldn't miss some top class punditry hosted by newly re-opened Irwins bar on Friday, July 18. Irwins Yard is holding an All-Ireland preview night at 8pm, and the guests include Liam Sheedy, Bubbles O'Dwyer, Mark Landers of Cork, and TJ Ryan of Limerick, and a 'special guest'. Who could it be? As well as top class banter, it's all in a good cause with proceeds from the fundraising night going towards the Queen of the Castle Festival in association with Rathkeevin Macra Na Feirme. Tickets went on sale last Friday evening in Irwins and are nearly all sold out. Talbot Hotel – Clonmel Clonmel's Talbot Hotel is the place to be to watch the All-Ireland and cheer on Tipperary on three big screens in the large spacious Poppyfield Ballroom. The bar will be open from 2pm, with a pizza meal deal available. 'And there's even a free ice-cream van at half time for the kids,' said a spokesperson. The hotel has an offer to win a family pizza meal deal. The lucky family will enjoy a tasty bite in the ballroom which includes two delicious pizzas, three tasty sides, and two soft drinks for the kids and two drinks for the adults. To be in with a chance, visit their Facebook page. Winners will be announced on Thursday, July 17. It's 'the perfect day out for families and GAA fans alike,' added a spokesperson. New Anthem Meanwhile, a brand new anthem has been released to rally the Tipperary troops ahead of the All-Ireland final, by Dave Williams. G-O-T-I-P-P-G-O is a powerful call to arms for Premier fans, set to the music of Chapelle Roan's H-O-T-T-O-G-O. The chorus says it all: 'fill the hill with blue and gold'. The video features some of Tipperary's greatest goals from this year's championship, and commentary clips from Brendan Cummins. David Williams is primary school teacher at St Mary's CBS Clonmel, a Ballylooby Castlegrace U9 coach, and former Cahir GAA player. The song continues a proud tradition. In 2010 and 2019, David released Tipp hurling anthems that brought joy to fans and players alike, according to the Pod Premiership. 'I'm blown away by the response to the song,' said Dave. The song can be streamed on Last minute tickets Fans still hoping to get a ticket are being urged to watch out for scams. But lucky punters could be in with a chance of getting their hands on a ticket with Dún Bleisce CLG, who are raffling two Cusack Stand tickets for the chance to see Tipperary take on Cork. 'Enter now for your chance to win,' said a spokesperson. 'Nothing beats being there.' Entry is €10 per ticket, with the draw on Friday, July 18, at 8pm, live on Facebook. Entries must pay Doon GAA the €10 on Norebrook Lounge in Clonakenny While many pubs and restaurants will be showing the match on screen, Clonakenny village between Templemore and Roscrea is the place to be to watch Tipperary versus Cork in the All-Ireland Final, 'live on our big screen next Sunday at 3.30pm,' said a spokesperson. 'Enjoy the great atmosphere and supper served after the match at the Norebrook Lounge. Great atmosphere is guaranteed and all are welcome.'
Irish Examiner
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
My and my leg: Paralympian Tiarnán O'Donnell on the physical, emotional and financial toll of pain and prosthetics
RETURNING home from the Paris Paralympics, Tiarnán O'Donnell couldn't even carry his own bag through the airport. He was a walking hazard. He was once again disabled and dependent. It had been six years since that combination had last dictated to him. Having just competed at the pinnacle of his sport, the contrast could not have been greater. And the contrast was only beginning. Leaving Dublin Airport in the background, Tiarnán was ferried to the family home in Boher, a quick spin outside Limerick City. From participation at the largest-ever gathering of para athletes to finding himself stuck in his childhood bedroom. He could no longer walk freely and unaided as he had done for the previous six years. He couldn't even carry a drink, never mind cook for himself. Back leaning on others. Back leaning on crutches. The wheelchair was also taken out of storage. Neither had been called upon in over half a decade. The simple act of going out to meet friends became a hassle. After two years of putting life on hold to get himself into the PR2 mixed double sculls boat in Paris, the plan was to spend a couple of months exploring Asia and behaving as regular 26-year-olds do. That plan, along with every other post-Games plan, had to be pulled. His independence had been stripped. The cost of reclaiming his independence and once lived reality came with a €67,000 price tag. *** 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, Paris, France 30/8/2024 Ireland's Katie O'Brien and Tiarnan O'Donnell on their way to finishing fourth Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Maren Derlien Tiarnán O'Donnell strolls into Ballincollig's Talbot Hotel on Monday lunchtime wearing black shorts. He's a shorts-in-all-seasons operator. And so on this day, as like most others, his prosthetic right leg is in full view. Sat on a couch in the hotel lobby, he straightens out his microprocessor prosthetic leg and goes through its various components. Inside is a computer, sensors, and a gyro to help him balance and ensure the leg knows where the leg is at all times. Basically, a bionic leg, he says by way of explanation, simplification, and abbreviation. The model he wears allows him to live an able-bodied life. The model he wears carries a shelf life of up to nine years, depending on how active the user is. O'Donnell was fitted for his first microprocessor prosthetic leg - an older version of his present attachment - following amputation in August 2018. That leg began to break down and reach its expiry date on the run into the Paris Games. The timing couldn't have been worse. Having had the amputation in London, the relevant EU agreement for receiving treatment abroad meant his parents didn't have to fork out for his first prosthetic. The Irish system is not as generous. Instead of exclusive focus on the final leg of his Paris representations, he was now burdened with having to find €67,000 down the back of the sofa to cover a new prosthetic leg. The burden was so pronounced that he buried the issue until after the Paralympics. Not before, mind, it had left a mark both physically and mentally. 'In my seven years as an amputee, this was the first time I had to think about getting a prosthetic. I went for a meeting with my prosthetic team and they told me you have to figure out how you're going to come up with the €60-70,000. I remember somebody in the health system saying I was lucky I'm only missing one leg as it would be twice the cost if you were missing both. I found that mindset absolutely nuts,' says Tiarnán. 'My leg was broken pre-Paris, but I managed to get through Paris with it. Pre-Paris, it was causing me injuries. I was getting injuries in the boat because of how poorly I was walking because my prosthetic wasn't. 'But I didn't have €67,000 to spend pre-Paris to replace it. And I couldn't go with a less functional prosthetic because I would have to completely relearn how to walk. I had all of that stress going into Paris. 'And then I got home from Paris, on a high at being a part of the Paralympic movement and realising a peak moment in my life which was to represent Ireland on the biggest stage, to one week post-Games not being able to leave my house because my prosthetic wouldn't work. 'Coming back from the airport, I couldn't even carry my own bags. It was that bad. My knee would either buckle from underneath me or lock up and I'd trip. I was a walking hazard.' His parents, Paddy and Neasa, told their son they'd take out a loan to fund the new prosthetic. Tiarnán, though, was determined not to be a financial drain on his family. Not at 26. Before and after he and mixed double sculls partner Katie O'Brien rowed down the Vaires-sur-Marne to an eighth-place finish, Tiarnán shook a lot of important hands. A lot of Government Ministers told him they couldn't wait to provide support all the way through to LA 2028. But in the weeks after Paris and with no more photo opportunities, Tiarnán didn't feel at all supported. And so on October 8, he posted an Instagram story calling out the political class. His message to them didn't hesitate in getting to the point. 'I basically said, I'm home from Paris, stuck in my bedroom and can't do anything. I want to start my journey to LA and I want to live a normal life, so something has got to change.' His Instagram inbox immediately blew up. Sport Ireland weren't far behind in stepping in to cover the cost of the new prosthetic. 'I was in almost disbelief that somebody had decided they're going to take this weight off my shoulders. But five minutes later, I was infuriated because this is what amputees have been experiencing their whole lives, whereas this was my first time experiencing that dread and hopelessness of sitting in my bedroom not able to walk, and only because of who I am I got looked after. Elation to anger.' The HSE provides prosthetics free of charge to eligible amputees such as medical card holders and people on the long-term illness scheme. Those that don't must find and hand over €15,000 for the most basic-standard mechanical limb. 16 November 2024; Sean Codd from Glasnevin, Dublin, right, meets Paralympian Tiarnán O'Donnell during the PTSB NextGen Community Series at the National Indoor Arena on the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. Pic Seb Daly/Sportsfile O'Donnell has heard of amputees not taking work promotions because the increased wage would disqualify them from medical card eligibility and, consequently, prosthetic cover. Accessibility is one half of the problem. The quality of prosthetics available in this country he describes as 'pre-historic'. 'The prosthetics available in Ireland are just metal joints. People manage with them, but they have no real functionality. They're almost like, and there is no polite way of saying this, a peg leg, a fixed leg. 'They can walk up the stairs, but it is a case of leading with your good foot and then dragging your bad foot up. If someone with a prosthetic is walking down a hill that isn't a microprocessor knee, they essentially fall down that hill, whereas when I put weight through the heel of my prosthetic, it adds resistance to naturally allow me walk step over step. 'There is no denying €67,000 is expensive, but because of this prosthetic, I'm not a burden to the health system, I am contributing to society and living a normal life. That is all people want to do. And if you give them this prosthetic, they're not on disability benefit, they're out in the workforce paying taxes, and on top of that they lead a normal social life so they're not slipping into issues with their mental health. 'My position in sport has given me the opportunity to access prosthetics that aren't available for other young people in Ireland. I visit schools with disabled kids, and I tell them, they can be just like me, they can do what I do. But I feel it is a white lie. It's like, you could, but only if you get the opportunities I get. That scares me. 'I don't need to worry about this issue if I'm being selfish. But nothing is going to change if I don't make some change.' Tiarnán did not require the platform afforded to him by dint of Paralympic involvement to seek change. His advocacy began many years before he ever pulled a green oar or captained the Irish U23 wheelchair basketball team to third-tier European bronze. During his first week at University of Limerick, he and a wheelchair-using friend were going to a lecture when his friend informed him he couldn't go this route as there were stairs further down the path. His friend told him he had to go a more circuitous route and would meet him at the front of the building. The inconvenience and unfairness prompted Tiarnán to contact college authorities and volunteer himself as the student disability representative. During his third-year work placement at the Galway base of Boston Scientific, it dawned on him that the route he and his colleagues took every day to get coffee on-site was not doable for a wheelchair-employee. The company's sole two disability car park spaces were for guests. Again, he spoke up. Within a week, four wheelchair spaces were created. An elevator was constructed to ensure the stairs en-route to coffee no longer acted as a roadblock. 'They were like, 'we'll sort that, no problem, we just didn't realise this was an issue'. That lift will ensure other people with a disability don't have a different experience to me. Everywhere I go, I have these goggles on. I'm able to see things others don't. I don't think it is ignorance, it is just not knowing.' *** At the age of five, Tiarnán came in the door limping from a school sports day. Subsequent investigation found a vascular anomaly in his leg. The diagnosis arrived shortly after older brother Ronan had emerged from the woods following a six-year fight of his own. A rare arteriovenous malformation in the brain meant Ronan was 'on death's door until the age of five or six'. Paddy, Neasa, and their four boys returned to hospital for a second saga. Tiarnán's fight would run for 14 years. Repeated operations every nine months to lengthen and straighten his leg. Three weeks post-op and he was again at square one. Twenty-something operations in total. The toll on a child to endure such surgical overload for no progress at all. A mother's intuition. They always know. She requested fresh scans and had them sent across the Atlantic. This boy from Limerick was the 16th person in the world to be diagnosed with fibroadipose vascular anomaly. A month before his Leaving Cert year at Castletroy College, he underwent surgery to remove a large chunk of tumour from his calf. A high-risk surgery. Those cutting into him damaged a nerve and paralysed him from the knee down. 'The leg was paralysed but I was still in the most incredible pain. It felt like I was getting electrocuted in the leg all of the time.' His Leaving Cert diet was not Irish, English, Maths, Engineering. His Leaving Cert diet was ketamine, morphine infusions, tramadol, oxycodone, and amitriptyline. An opioid diet no 18-year-old should have to endure. His six-foot frame disappeared. His weight dropped to 48kg. There's a chocolate granola from Lidl he can no longer go near. Even a whiff makes him queasy. It was his breakfast of choice Leaving Cert year. The cocktail of drugs he was consuming meant it was a breakfast that would come straight back up. 'I was going to school completely doped up just so I could function and sit in class. Even at that, I couldn't concentrate because I was still in so much pain and so out of it from the medication. 'I am a sixth-year student trying to study and be a normal teenager, but even though I knew it wasn't normal, I just got on with it. I actually tried to hide it from my friends. "I remember one day on the way to afterschool study, I had to run to the bathroom. My friend came in with me to see if I was okay and I got sick in front of him. This shame came over me. I was like, 'fuck, now he knows I'm sick because I let the mask slip'. Of course they knew, but it is only now I realise how much I was struggling back then.' A week before his Leaving Cert, he was studying maths equations whilst paralysed from the chest down after receiving an epidural in the latest attempt to suffocate the pain. His points total was skewed by a most trying year. He received his 10th and final choice. A far more important choice was in front of him. 'Pre-Christmas in first year of college, I decided on amputation. Everything I went through forced me to grow up quickly. The amputation came at such an amazing time in my life because for the first time I took control of my disability. I went to my parents and said, 'I can't do this anymore'.' We are chatting the day before he flies out to Lucerne for this weekend's Rowing World Cup. He pulled gold in the most recent World Cup event in Italy. That was as a single. There's no single sculls on the Lucerne menu, or LA menu for that matter. With regular mixed partner Katie O'Brien sidelined, he'll partner West Cork's Sadhbh Ní Laoghaire. We're over an hour in the lobby. The latte is cold, the conversation has moved to tattoos. Hidden under his sleeve is SISU. Grit and determination in the face of adversity. The ink is inspired by his 21-year-old cousin Elliott. Elliott lives with the terminal illness Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 'He has every reason in the world to complain, but doesn't. Even in the depths of my struggling, I was like, if Elliott doesn't complain then who am I to complain.' Back to hospital. The last face he saw before amputation was his mother's. The tears rolled down her cheeks. 'I told her, no, this is a time to smile. I am finally going to have a quality of life. This is the start. Went into it smiling and have been smiling ever since.'
Irish Examiner
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Watch: Midleton tattoo festival marks 26 years
Now in its 26th year, the Midleton Tattoo Club Summer Bash brought colour, creativity and community spirit to the Talbot Hotel. Founded by Denis Dennehy after a trip to Sweden, the Cork event has become Ireland's longest-running tattoo gathering, with world-class artists, loyal fans and a warm, welcoming atmosphere that keeps them coming back.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Conservation and heritage groups have their say on historic hotel extension plan
NATIONAL conservation charities and heritage groups have had their say on a planning application submitted to Dudley Council detailing plans to extend an historic hotel in Stourbridge Town Centre, adding 10 additional rooms. The application submitted to the council to extend The Talbot Hotel in the High Street and repurpose its conference room into new bedrooms has sparked controversy since its submission on March 18. A planning, design, access and heritage statement, submitted by AP Architects on behalf of the Talbot Hotel, details plans to construct a two-story flat roof extension and a single story pitched roof extension at the back of the building, which in total would allow for seven extra bedrooms, a space for laundry storage and a boiler/plant room. The plans also request permission to divide the historic conference room to create two additional bedrooms and make internal alterations to the hotel's lobby and reception areas, the bar and its toilet facilities, including relocating the accessible toilet. The hotel was bought by Birmingham-based hospitality operators, Rosevine Ltd, at the end of 2024, with the new owners looking to revamp the hotel. The Grade II listed building dates back to the 1600s, with the application having attracted strong criticism from over 100 objectors, including the town's MP, Cat Eccles and local councillors including ward councillor, Andrew Tromans. Echoing the concerns of objectors, conservation charity The Georgian Group have submitted recommendations to the council saying the plans pose 'serious concerns'. Read more Hotel management issues statement over application to extend historic town landmark On behalf of the group, James Darwin said: 'These proposals cumulatively have the potential to cause a considerable degree of harm to the listed building. 'The proposed works are both poorly explained and justified, and thus fail to meet the minimum requirements set out by the Secretaries of State within the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework). 'The group is particularly concerned by the extremely poor standard of the information provided in support of this application and by its failure to adequately assess the impact of the proposed alterations on the significance of the listed building.' Historic England have also criticised the application, voicing concerns bout the 'level of detail' in terms of potential harm to the listed building that the applicant has included, and the degree of harm the alterations would cause overall. Benjamin Williscroft from the organisation said: 'Fenestrated with sash windows, [The Talbot] has a commanding presence within the streetscene, and makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area.' He continued: 'Overall, it is considered that these external and internal alterations, including two storey extensions to existing extensions and that to the conference room, would result in a significant degree of incremental alteration, and harm to the significance of the existing designated heritage asset, especially where the legibility of historic internal spaces would be compromised.' The building, which is mostly located within the Stourbridge High Street Conservation Area, has many historical features including original timber framing, red brickwork, timber sash windows and a 'good' 18th century staircase. The planning, design, access and heritage statement submitted by the application said that the proposals have been 'designed to be sympathetic and in-keeping with the character of the existing building', with the two rear extensions being designed to 'echo the aesthetic, forms and feature of the immediate host' and continue the form of the existing building, therefore 'minimising' the impact on neighbouring buildings. The Georgian Group and Historic England are both statutory consultees, whose views the council are obliged to take into account when deciding on applications to alter listed buildings. The relevant applications P25/0222 and P25/0223 are available to view on the council's planning portal and will go before Dudley Council Planners.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hotel management issues statement over application to extend historic town landmark
A PLANNING application submitted to Dudley Council to extend a historic hotel in Stourbridge Town Centre and repurpose its conference room into new bedrooms has sparked controversy since its submission. The owners of The Talbot Hotel on Stourbridge High Street are seeking planning permission from Dudley Council to build two rear extensions and divide the conference room, more commonly known as the ballroom, to create 10 additional bedrooms. The hotel was bought by Birmingham-based hospitality operators, Rosevine Ltd, at the end of 2024, with the new owners looking to revamp the hotel with two rear extensions and internal alterations, submitting plans on March 18. The Grade II listed building dates back to the 1600s, with the application having attracted strong criticism from over 100 objectors, including the town's MP and local councillors. Cllr Andrew Tromans said: 'In my role as an elected representative for Stourbridge Town, I have objected to the planning applications submitted to make significant alterations to the Grade II-listed Talbot Hotel. 'I do not believe that they would be of benefit for our town.' 'If these applications are not thrown out, I have signalled my intention to speak against them at a future planning meeting.' Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles added: 'The Talbot Hotel is one of the oldest buildings in Stourbridge and is deservedly well loved by many of our residents here, me included, not just as an MP but as someone who has grown up in this area my entire life. 'The Talbot standing tall on our high street feels ingrained in Stourbridge's identity.' She continued: 'As Member of Parliament for Stourbridge, I have been very clear and consistent on just how much the heritage of our constituency is something we deserve to be proud of and therefore warrants protecting and respecting. 'I think the overwhelming support for the video I put out on social media is evidence of the fact that The Talbot is a part of that heritage. 'Therefore, any significant changes, and the potential knock-on effects of them, will be relevant to all of us in the community here, who still frequent the high street and recognise the importance of buildings like this in our area.' The historic grade II listed building is an iconic feature of the high street (Image: Bev Holder / Newsquest) Concerns have been raised that 'irreparable damage' could be done if Dudley Council planners give their approval, with the proposed alterations impacting the historical character of the building. There have also been fears that, should this application be approved, the owners will seek to apply for a change of use to operate The Talbot as an HMO. In her objection, Cat Eccles MP said: 'While this application does not state that explicitly, it is clear from the removal of the kitchen facilities, proposing a laundry and additional bedrooms, that this is their plan. 'We should not be allowing underhand tactics like this, which later result in a retrospective change of use application. 'The location of the hotel makes it totally unsuitable for an HMO, and there is vast amounts of evidence locally showing that large unmanaged HMOs cause issues within the area.' The application submitted by Birmingham-based AP Architects does not mention anything that explicitly states an intention to change the hotel into an HMO, with the architects also claiming their designs are in keeping with the existing building and would not detract from its heritage assets. There have also been unsubstantiated rumours circulating that, if it were to become an HMO, the hotel could be used to house migrants. Cllr Tromams has said the hotel is not currently being used to house asylum seekers and has urged people to avoid repeating rumours that have not been proven. He said: 'I have been alarmed by the speculation that the hotel is being used as temporary accommodation for migrants and have spoken to the relevant authorities, who confirmed this is not the case. 'The planning applications for the Talbot Hotel will be scrutinised through the proper process, but I urge calm. 'We need to deal with this issue on the basis of facts, not fear. Please do your part by not repeating unsubstantiated rumours.' A spokesperson for The Talbot Hotel's management told the Stourbridge News that the application to build more rooms is to meet demand for extra bookings and has nothing to do with plans for an HMO. The spokesperson said: 'We operate as a commercial hotel with guests largely coming via Expedia, etc, and public walk-ins. 'Currently, there is a requirement for extra rooms, hence the application to extend the Talbot Hotel. 'Seven extra rooms have been applied for as well as extra space to cater for the hotel's own laundry requirements, such as for bed linen and towels and storage of linen, which is currently outsourced due to limited space. 'Reconfiguration is also required to modernise and redesign the bar and restaurant area for our guests, mostly just moving the toilets away from the frontage of the high street to create open space there. 'The planning application is all in line with our business plan for a commercial hotel. 'I don't know what 'HMO' has got to do with this planning application. 'Also, last Friday (meaning April 25), we had an on-site meeting with the local MP and councillor, who were satisfied with what we are doing and what the planning application is for.' The relevant applications P25/0222 and P25/0223 are available to view on the council's planning portal.
