A March4Tipp candidate in the forthcoming local elections is worried about the ongoing deterioration of the iconic Irish House on the Main Street.

Lisa McGrath referred to the Dereliction Notice attached to the building’s front door.  The Notice was issued by Tipperary County Council following pressure from March4Tipp last year.

“One of the key issues that caused March4Tipp to be formed in the first place was the serious dilapidation of the Irish House”, she says. “If something isn’t done soon, my worry would be that it will be too expensive to restore it”.

Lisa, a Youth Worker, has fond memories of how the Irish House and other places in town were hubs for young people. “The Irish House was a great space to gather.  It was big, comfy and had the best apple tart.  I remember the big screen with MTV playing in the background.  There was always a great buzz when a bus pulled up and all the tourists alighted for their short stay in our town”.

“We were lucky in the choices we had. It’s with a smile I remember working in The Basement, which was run by Ronán and Jackie Fitzgerald.  Every lunchtime we would come in from school looking for “sloppy spud”, a delicacy served by my own mother, who always gave an extra spoon of mash or bigger portions with extra cutlery, a bit like the glass of coke and three straws, but that order was reserved for after school.  The place would be buzzing with teenagers laughing and joking. What’s more important is that we were safe and warm and in winter there was always a roaring fire”. 

“As a Youth Worker, I see two main aspects of the dereliction of the Irish House: the shameful treatment of a proud old building; and the great service it once provided to generations of young people, firstly as a school and later as a great café. Our town now has so little to offer our young people, particularly in terms of socialising safely”.

Image of the Irish House from 1894

The March4Tipp group has demanded that the Council compulsorily purchase the building so it can be put to good use again.  “The Dereliction Notice on the door gave the owners one month to fix the front of the building. The notice was put up in October last year and nothing has been done, either by the owner or by the Council in all of that time.  In fact, the date on the Notice is 25 January 2017”, she says.

Speaking about the upcoming election, she said “the gradual dilapidation of the Irish House must be stopped.  It is too important in our heritage and in our memories to let it rot away like this.  I and any other March4Tipp candidates who are elected in May will be fighting to stop what is happening to the Irish House and fighting to have it restored properly”.