Clonmel Thread

Active vocal in what? Commemorating the IRA highlighting Palestine and pride. He can F off with that we need someone to focus on clonmel who will be listened too and be a positive for the town not another anti everything crazy that has the town the way it is.

Mairin McGrath is an excellent local councillor and will probably take over from Mattie when he hangs up his boots. She is well educated and articulate. I’d vote for her.

Such sad news RTE reporting that there are four fatalities.

She'll struggle to hold the seat when Mattie steps aside. Sinn Fein and People Before Profit will have targeted that as a protest seat and they will go all out to take it from her. Which is a pity because anytime I've come across her she strikes me as a decent person and intelligent politician.

Y’know what the thing is too. She has lived in politics and has done relevant degree in university etc. She has a genuine long-term future in it.

Loopers like the Dean McGrath example below are your typical clueless lads that hopped into politics because they were at nothing else (generally Sinn Fein in fairness).

Shure its a discussion about clonmel, not a political battle. We all have our own opinions but its good to hear a differing opinion, nothing is ever black or white but shades of grey.

Here’s a controversial opinion - they’ve cancelled the pride celebrations today due to the terrible loss of those young lives. In my opinion, we should continue to celebrate young lives and diversity and it could have been done in a sensitive way - a lot of people have put in a lot of work over the last few months (not me), and I think it would have given people a lift.

Agreed. Same with the St. Mary's Hurling match today and the Kilsheelan Hurling match today. Would've been distasteful to have them go ahead, as it would've been with Pride Events and Half Marathons.

Words fail at time like this

Jesus, let their bodies turn cold atleast. Road is shite and there was bad weather, multitude of factors involved id imagine.

If it's any help they were on about it being in Manchester in Coronation Street last night.

Agreed. There was an absolute downpour around that time, I know as I live in the town and needed to run to my car to wind up the windows and got soaked in the process. The lad driving could very easy have aquaplaned. VERY presumptuous to assume fault. The last thing the family need is speculation.

Sunday Times

Christ above! Are you from Clonmel? Were you in the town yesterday? 4 young people have just lost their lives. People are in shock and upset. The last thing anyone wanted or needed was a parade going through the town.

You missed one.

I agree with you. This constant 4 candles, sky news etc takes over from the families grief. Let them grieve in peace. They don’t need people who have never met them constantly going on and on about it - we can be very very sad without constantly posting on social media (says she posting on social media) but the world doesn’t stop and actually it may have given the town a lift. You didnt have to attend if you didn’t feel up to it. This catholic shite going on boils my blood - probably none of us go to mass so why this constant role out of priests, angels, candles. Give it a rest

The funerals haven't even taken place and you talk about giving the town a lift. Hmm.

Yep pure selfish comments that’s the society we live in .

It isn't about disrespecting people, its about giving people an outlet and something to help bring the town together.

I think that everyones reasons for either wanting the parade to go ahead or wanting it to be cancelled are good hearted and well intended.

In other words, people like myself that suggest it should go ahead are only doing so in the best interests of the town.

And I am sure that your reasons for cancelling the parade are, in your mind, in the best interests of the town also.

Everybody is trying to be positive, but they have different opinions on how to display that positivity, thats all.

I am from Dublin, not Clonmel. So in fairness, Clonmel being so small possibly means more people are against the parade going ahead as they are more familair to one another and the grief is more keenly felt across a very small community.

Whereas in Dublin or other large city, the vast majority of folks wouldnt know the deceased and although everyone would be saddened to hear the news, people may resolve that the wealth of positivity generated for the tens of thousands who attend and support the parade justifies it going ahead.

Especially because it doesnt conflict with the grief of the families.

The parade going ahead isn't a slight on the poor people who sadly died.

Its an unconnected event.

Would we cancel the GAA final for a crash in Dublin City Centre or a Westlife concert in the RDS etc?

No, we would not.

And that was my original point. If the crash happened in Dublin or London they wouldnt cancel a major parade or any other major event.

Perhaps we just have a different perspective, based on the size of the place we live in. But either way, we both have the best interests at heart for the people of Clonmel and if they decided in the main that the parade shouldnt go ahead, then thats what should happen.

We can both be right, but still express different opinions. Thats really what empathy is about.

Thats my point though. Its unfair to say someone from Dublin is uncaring because they would expect it to go ahead if the crash happened in Dublin. It would go ahead.

But Dublin folks can appreciate that in somewhere small like clonmel there is a different perspective, and thats fair enough.

Empathy works both ways, is all I am saying.

What about Carlow? And Kilkenny (although I’ll open a whole new can of worms with that)! :D

As I said, if the tragedy happened in Ballsbridge or Smithfield, the Dublin Pride festival would still go ahead.

But i understand your point of view and if the people of Clonmel are united in the parade not going ahead, then it shouldnt do so.

Pride is, rightly, meant to be a celebration. I don't think celebration was the tone anyone wanted on the streets of the town on Saturday. It would have been in very bad taste.

In a similar vein I'm starting to find Mairin McGrath's constant popping up on every radio and TV station talking about how she was a student in the presentation and is therefore personally devastated at the tragedy, quite distasteful at this point. No other politician is using the tragedy for publicity as much as Mairin and I'd wager they could all say they went to one of the three schools impacted.