Large crowds turn out on Easter Monday for Trek to Freedom walk

Fri, Apr 01, 2016

On Easter Monday, a large contingent of walkers and history enthusiasts departed from Newport to follow in the footsteps of Michael Kilroy's flying column, who during the War of Indepdence escaped through the mountains and countryside of Newport following an ambush in Kilmeena. The day started in upper Skirdagh where Niamh Chambers read the Proclamation followed by Billy Chambers' account of the West Mayo Flying Column. Then it was on to the now ruins of what was in their day the safe houses, where Michael Kilroy's men rested after the Kilmeanna ambush. Here Patrick Carey told the group about the people who once lived here and the men they looked after.

Community groups urged to get involved in 1916 parade

Fri, Apr 01, 2016

Mayo will celebrate the centenary of the 1916 rising on Sunday, May 1 when Castlebar hosts a 1916 county parade and family fun day, which is being backed by Mayo County Council. The County Mayo 1916 commemoration parade and Family fun day,  provides a great opportunity for communities and groups from all across Mayo to get involved.   

All community groups who have a 1916 themed float are invited to take part in the parade, as are marching bands, and any other creative ideas from community groups to make this event really memorable. Groups wishing to take part in the parade should contact the co-ordinator of the parade, Mick Baynes on [email protected]  for full details regarding the parade and the wider activities that will take place on the day.

Westport gets ready to talk climate change

Fri, Apr 01, 2016

The Geography Department at NUI Galway has organised two short talks for the public in Westport next Tuesday, April 5, to highlight how our response to recent extreme weather events and how our agricultural practices might be better adapted to anticipated changes in the climate.

Get active this April on the Clogher Bog Loop

Fri, Apr 01, 2016

An evening walk will take place on Clogher Bog Loop each Tuesday for the month of April. The walkers will meet at Clogher Heritage Centre at 7pm on Tuesday evenings. The walk suits all age groups and all levels of fitness and lasts around two hours.

The Heritage Complex is the starting point for the Clogher Bog Walk, a loop walk of 8km. The walk takes in the biodiversity of the flora of the bogland, which is a unique habitat for both common and rare protected species. The Clogher Bog Eco Walk is an 8km National Waymarked Loop Walk. It covers varying landscape of hedgerows, woodland and bogland and follows quiet country lanes and bog tracks. The terrain is flat and uneven (walking boots recommended). For details contact Clogher Heritage Centre at (094) 9030687 or email: [email protected]

Flybe commences new services from Birmingham and Edinburgh to Ireland West Airport

Fri, Apr 01, 2016

Flybe, Europe’s largest independent regional airline, has this week celebrated the launch of their new year round services from Ireland West Airport to both Birmingham and Edinburgh.  Both new services will provide a welcome boost of 70,000 new seats to and from the West of Ireland in 2016.

Mayo Pink Ribbon Cycle gearing up for the off

Fri, Apr 01, 2016

It’s that time of year again! The Annual Mayo Pink Ribbon Charity Cycle will take place on Saturday April 30. Yet again the beauty of Mayo will be showcased as three new routes take participants through our majestic countryside. With distances of 51km, 108km and 147km there’s something to suit everyone in this event. The organisers are delighted that once again the legendary Sean Kelly and their patron, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, will lead the cycle. 

St John Ambulance Ireland announces new division in Mayo

Fri, Apr 01, 2016

An exciting addition to community first aid and training services has been welcomed in Mayo this week with St John Ambulance Ireland announcing a new Mayo division commencing activities in April 2016. St John Ambulance is a voluntary first aid and ambulance charity that has been at the forefront of emergency care and training in Ireland for more than 100 years. The organization has a proud history in Ireland, for example during the 1916 Rising more than 600 St John Ambulance volunteers from across Dublin helped to treat the wounded on both sides of the conflict. This contribution was recently recognised with St John Ambulance participating in the Rising commemorations at the GPO this Easter.

Hospital asks for only genuine emergencies to use the service

Thu, Mar 31, 2016

Mayo University Hospital has asked that only those with genuine emergencies use the hospital today, in a statement from the Hospital this afternoon they said, "The Emergency Department at Mayo University Hospital is extremely busy at present with a high number of medical attendances. Every effort is being made to provide beds for those patients awaiting admission.

Truck catches fire at busy Castlebar filling station

Sat, Mar 26, 2016

A truck caught fire at a busy filling station in Castlebar this morning (Saturday, March 26) and the Mayo Fire service was required to put out the fire that broke out at around 8am in the vehicle mere meters from a number of petrol and diesel pumps.

Mayo candidates in hunt for Seanad seats

Fri, Mar 25, 2016

A number of Mayo candidates are seeking election to the 25th sitting of Seanad Éireann next month, with both the Universities and the vocational panels nomination proceedings closing recently.

The most high profile of the Mayo candidates seeking election to the upper house of the Oireachtas is Sinn Féin West Mayo, county councillor Cllr Rose Conway Walsh who has been nominated on the Agricultural Panel. Conway Walsh who contested the general election in February and received 7,853 first preference votes the sixth highest in the county the county. The Erris-based councillor was first elected to Mayo County Council in 2009 and retained her seat in 2014, she is a member of Sinn Féin’s Ard Chomhairle and is an Irish Representative on the EU Committee of the Regions and chaired the party’s ‘Stand up for the West’ campaign. Owing to Sinn Féin’s local election results in the 2014 where they returned 156 councillors, it looks that Conway Walsh will almost certainly take a seat in the next Seanad.

Top restaurants in Mayo announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards

Fri, Mar 25, 2016

The Connacht Regional Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards took place in The Benbulben Suite at Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa, Sligo on Tuesday night and named the top restaurants in the five counties for 2016. Over 500 restaurant owners and staff celebrated their hard work and achievements at the Awards, which saw many well-known restaurateurs of Connacht turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.

Research appeal for help in finding Irish suffragette objects

Fri, Mar 25, 2016

A researcher is currently undertaking a nationwide public appeal for information on surviving objects related to the Irish women suffragists who fought for the right to vote nationally almost a hundred years ago. Donna Gilligan is a museum archaeologist and material culture historian who is compiling a research thesis on the visual and material culture of the Irish women’s suffrage movement. The year 2018 will mark the centenary of the first granting of the right of national vote to Irish women.

Donna hopes to record any surviving suffrage material in her research catalogue, with the aim of publishing this record by the time of the centenary. Her early research has uncovered very few surviving objects present in our museums and archives, and it appears that the ongoing nationalist movement formed the main focus of contemporary collection of objects from this period. The numerous Irish suffragist groups are known to have produced a range of promotional objects for their cause, with many of these displaying the national colours, as well as suffrage slogans and organisational acronyms. A large number of domestic objects are also known to have been used by suffragists during public demonstrations and militant protests. It is Donna’s hope that many suffragist objects may today be held in private and family collections, and may not yet have been officially documented. Donna aims to use her research to address, and hopefully enhance, the surviving physical record for this important period of Irish women’s history. For anyone who has, or knows of, any associated suffrage objects, she asks that they please contact her at [email protected].

E-paper

Read this weeks E-paper. Past editions also available from within this weeks digital copy.