Another lonely Christmas looms for undocumented in US

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

The Irish Government have been called on to address the issue of the undocumented Irish in the US with the new US administration.

Increased cost of FÁS training course unacceptable – O’Mahony

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

The prohibitive cost of securing a “ticket” which enables workers drive machines on construction sites is forcing self-employed drivers away from the industry. That is the view of the Mayo Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony, who has called on the minister with responsibility, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan TD to review the pricing structure which has rocketed since the course was taken over by FÁS last year.

Irish Coast Guard safety advice for the Christmas holidays

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

Minister of State Noel Ahern and the Irish Coast Guard have urged members of the public and water users generally to be very careful over the Christmas holidays. The Minister said: “No matter what the water activity is, think safety and obey the basic rules. Remember, check the weather and tides; if conditions are unsuitable, cancel your trip out on the water and stay safe.”

Reinstatement of substitute teacher cover still below the mark

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny TD has been contacted by numerous schools throughout the county in recent weeks regarding the “vicious” education cuts affecting all aspects of education in the county. “Thankfully the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe, has made one U-turn in respect of substitute teacher cover, providing funding of €2 million for primary schools and €2.7 million for secondary schools for this vital service, however, it will still be extremely difficult for schools to work within this system,” said Deputy Kenny.

Tourist charged with careless driving

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

A man from New York who was holidaying in Ireland was convicted of careless driving at Castlebar District Court last Wednesday—the day he was catching his flight back to America.

Visit your family safely this Christmas

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

Winter weather can be a hazard over the festive break, so the IAM (Irish Advanced Motorists) are urging drivers to be extra cautious as they take to the road to visit their loved ones across the country.

Dancehalls, minerals and romance

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

They were great times back then. Sure we had no money but we didn’t need it. There was no mobile phone to pay for, no CDs or DVDs to buy and we were happy if we had clothes that kept us warm. We only drank minerals so there was no money needed for shots or fat frogs. Fat frogs — I kissed enough of them in my time and none of them turned into princes. We didn’t need money for contraceptives either, sure it cost nothing to say no and all that happened back then was a bit of slap and tickle.

Visit your family safely this Christmas

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

Winter weather can be a hazard over the festive break, so the IAM (Irish Advanced Motorists) are urging drivers to be extra cautious as they take to the road to visit their loved ones across the country.

Patient forum launched at Mayo General Hospital

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

A new patient forum designed to enable patients, staff and members of the public to have a say in the quality of services being provided at Mayo General Hospital was launched by Stephen McMahon, Chairman of the Irish Patients’ Association, at the hospital on Thursday December 18.

The patient forum will provide its members with an opportunity to exchange information and opinions on the type and quality of services being delivered at Mayo General Hospital.

Grassroots

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

This week I'm going to have a look at how the European elections are shaping up around the county.

Fine Gael’s new voice with new ideas

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

“I believe in the policies and I believe that I can help Castlebar to become a better town.” With the election conventions doing the rounds across all the parties in the different areas in Mayo, one name was more unusual than the others to come out of the nominating stages and on to the ticket. Nigerian native Okay William Kalu got the nod to run on the six person Fine Gael Castlebar Town Council ticket for next June’s elections.

Higgins welcomes EU Youth in Action Partnership programme

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

Jim Higgins, Fine Gael MEP for Ireland North West, has welcomed the European Union's new initiative entitled Youth in Action Partnerships. This new programme will be regulated by regional or local public bodies across the EU with Léargas responsible for regulating the programme in Ireland.

The Youth in Action programme aims to promote young people’s active citizenship and to foster mutual understanding between young people in different countries. The action plan aims to increase the mobility of young people by supporting youth exchanges. This allows groups of young people to host or be hosted by a group from another country and will help break down cultural differences while at the same time fostering new relationships between people that would never meet or learn about different societies or cultures.

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