Mayo County Council recorded a surplus of €239,866 on its revenue account for 2011 according to its annual financial statement which was adopted at this week’s meeting of the council. The surplus was recorded on a turnover of €147 million last year. County manager Peter Hynes told the meeting: “We’re under significant pressure and it is good to have made a small surplus in a tough year, a lot of organisations would like to be in this position.”
While the news of the surplus was welcomed by members, some also expressed fears for the future of the council, with Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn stating: “While any sort of surplus is welcome, it also has to be taken in consideration we are carrying around €118 million in debt. Over the past few years we’ve seen more and more of this council’s authority stripped away, most recently with the removal of grants, driving licences, and water. We are a dying vocation, because other quangos are coming in and picking off the bits they want. We should be taking back control, not giving it away.”
I popped along to Crossmolina last Saturday evening to see my former team, Crossmolina, play against Davitts in round two of the league. It was not too pretty to watch because the standard of football was not particularly good on this occasion. At no stage did I get the impression that Davitts were going to beat Crossmolina which will understandably be a concern for them, as they will be really anxious to continue to play at this higher level of football into the foreseeable future. There will not be too many clubs in a forgiving mood during this league campaign, so picking up points at every and any opportunity is essential. Those teams that got a real scare of relegation last year will be more determined than ever to avoid being sucked into the same territory again this year, so it is going to be a real baptism of fire for the Ballindine club as they will no doubt discover.
This exciting inaugural festival will take the form of more than 30 male and female international, national, and Mayo choirs participating on a competitive and non-competitive basis from Thursday May 24 to Sunday May 27 across the county. The event will include a number of evening and daily countywide performances, as well as competitions and workshops. For visitors friendship, relaxation, and a memorable Mayo experience is the theme of the festival, allowing choirs to meet other choirs, relax, and enjoy a great weekend in the beautiful west of Ireland.
Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Michelle Mulherin, has welcomed the decision to give the green light to the proposal by Ballina Chamber to open a year-round tourist office in Ballina and the awarding of funding of €5,000 to help in its operation. The new tourist office, located on Pearse Street in the heart of the town, replaces the seasonal office which had operated for about six months each year from premises on Cathedral Road which was more off the beaten track.
There is a nasty hidden problem on Irish roads – drugs and driving.