And we're off! Kenny confirms election on February 26

Wed, Feb 03, 2016

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny this morning confirmed that the general election will take place on Friday, February 26. The Taoiseach made the announcement this morning in the Dáil before he departed to go to Aras an Uachtarain to ask President Michael D Higgins to dissolve the 31st Dáil. 

Visiting restrictions in place at Mayo University Hospital

Tue, Feb 02, 2016

Visiting restrictions are in place at Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar due to a number of patients displaying symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting usually caused by norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug.

Read all about it — Westport to get a new library

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

There was good news for Westport this week with the announcement that the town was going to get a new library. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring.

Offical launch of Corrib Natural Gas took place this week

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

The official launch of the controversial Corrib Natural Gas took today in Erris earlier this week, with Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Joe McHugh performing the official duties.

Belmullet Lotto winners pick up their millions

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

The lucky couple who scooped the massive €13,793,435 jackpot in last Saturday night's roll over Lotto draw picked up their winnings in National Lottery headquarters on Wednesday afternoon. The jackpot had been rolling over since November 18 and was one of the top 10 Lotto jackpots ever won in the State since it began in 1988.

Swinford Tidy Towns wants no election posters in the town

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

Swinford Tidy Towns committee have requested all candidates and all parties in the upcoming General Election to refrain from putting up election posters inside the Swinford town boundaries.

Community first responder scheme being set up in Castlebar

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

Castlebar Community First Responders are currently recruiting and training members and hope to be available to be dispatched by ambulance control in mid 2016 on a 24/7 basis. If you would like to help by responding to medical emergencies in your community, or if you would just like to learn CPR and how to save a life, contact Castlebar CFRs by emailing [email protected]

A community first responder scheme operates whereby the ambulance service upon receiving the 112 or 999 call dispatches a rostered on-call community-based first responder, in addition to the usual ambulance/EMS personnel. Community first responders are dispatched by the HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) to life threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrest, adult chest pain (suspected heart attack), choking and stroke.

Cowley enters the Dáil race

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

Dr Jerry Cowley has become the latest person to throw his hat in the ring for the upcoming General Election. The Mulranny based GP was an independent TD from 2002 to 2007 before he lost his seat in the 2007 general election. Dr Cowley contested the 2001 general election for the Labour Party but he failed to regain the seat he lost four years earlier, polling 3,644 first preference votes, putting him in seventh place in the popular poll and was eliminated on the eighth count.

Castlebar schools unite to put on Little Shop of Horrors

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

The TY students in St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, in association with St Joseph’s Secondary School, will present the comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors in the TF Royal Theatre from Tuesday February 9 to Thursday February 11 at 8pm each evening.

Irish Cancer Society Volunteer Driver Service now available in Mayo

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

Cancer patients in Mayo who are attending Mayo General Hospital for chemotherapy treatment are being encouraged to avail of a free transport service which is available to bring them to and from their treatment. The Irish Cancer Society’s Volunteer Driver Service offers patients transport to and from their hospital treatment with a view to alleviating some of the stress or difficulty experienced by cancer patients getting to their appointments.

The Volunteer Driver Service is open to cancer patients from Mayo who are attending Mayo University Hospital as well as Galway University Hospital and Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe. The service is available free of charge to cancer patients.

Diocesan pilgrimage to jet in from Boston to Knock this summer

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

Earlier this week Ireland West Airport Knock and Knock Shrine announced that the first Diocesan pilgrimage from the Archdiocese of Boston to Ireland’s National Marian Shrine will take place in July this year. The announcement of this pilgrimage follows a similar pilgrimage from the New York Archdiocese which took place last summer. This will be the first ever transatlantic service operated by Aer Lingus, from Boston, to Ireland West Airport Knock.

Conway-Walsh condemns treatment of young farmers still waiting for payments

Fri, Jan 29, 2016

It is disgraceful that farmers who have applied for the Young Farmers Scheme, National Reserve, AEOS, and GLAS still remain unpaid coming to the end of January when payments were due in December according to Mayo Sinn Féin General Election candidate Cllr Rose Conway-Walsh.

Cllr Conway-Walsh said: “I am contacted by farmers right across the county who are desperate for these payments to be issued. In particular those in the Young Farmers Scheme who have paid out for leases which now have to be renewed are struggling to meet these payments. They have already paid out over €2,000 to do the Green Cert and many are attending classes two nights a week. They have also bought stock costing thousands of euro."

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