Conway-Walsh to host public meeting on Mayo’s Healthcare Crisis in Castlebar

Fri, Nov 06, 2015

Sinn Féin’s Dáil Spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, will address a public meeting organised by Mayo General Election candidate Cllr Rose Conway-Walsh that will take place in the Welcome Inn Hotel, Castlebar next Thursday, November 12 at 7.00pm. The event, entitled “Building a Public Health System that delivers for the West” will feature a talk from Dr David Hickey, a transplant surgeon who served as the Director of the National Kidney and Transplant Programme, on the topic of “building a coalition to fight for a national health system in Ireland”. Cllr Conway-Walsh will speak about the realities for the people of Mayo of the healthcare crisis such as MRI Waiting lists, delays in processing medical cards and broken promises on Rheumatology Services in the county while Pearse Doherty TD will outline Sinn Féin’s alternative for our national healthcare system.

Egan and Horan team up for Westport seminar

Fri, Nov 06, 2015

Olympic silver medallist Kenneth Egan will be one of the sports stars and managers lining out to speak on Achieving Success in Sport – What does it take? a free, public seminar taking place in Westport Town Hall on Wednesday, November 11 starting at 7:30 pm. Kenneth, or Kenny, will be joined by James Horan, former Mayo Senior Football Manager, Valerie Mulcahy, one of the country’s most decorated sportswomen having claimed nine All-Ireland titles with the Cork Ladies Football side and Tom Mohan current manager of the FAI U17 national team. A member of the Connacht Rugby Team is also expected to join the panel but his name has not been confirmed at time of going to print.

Farrington to run for Renua in Mayo

Fri, Nov 06, 2015

RENUA Ireland have announced that their Mayo candidate in the forthcoming General Election will be Michael Farrington. Mr Farrington, who is based in the Mayo East area of the constituency, said in the wake of his nomination that his objective was to build on the strengths this unique part of the country has.

Council warned West Mayo budget should not be effected because of parking charges

Fri, Nov 06, 2015

The elected memebrs of the West Mayo Municipal District this week once again insisted that there would be no introduction of on street parking charges in the district and added that the district should not see its budget affected because of their decision not to introduce the charges to the town in the area.

Cathoirleach of the district, Cllr Christy Hyland told the meeting, which was the first to be chaired by the new director of services for the area, Tom Gilligan that "parking charges are off the table and won't be entertained by the members." He was supported fully by the other six councillors who were at the meeting, with Fianna Fáil Cllr Brendan Mulroy a long time campaigner against the introduction of the charges saying that while council officials might not like the stance taken by councillors, they would have to accept it, because it was a reserved function of the elected members to introduce such charges.

Grace upon a time

Fri, Nov 06, 2015

He is sitting there, all alone, huddled in the chilly May dew upon a rock dressed in seaweed. His scruffy, woollen coat wrapped tightly around his frailing 84 year old body. The waves, roughly batter around his black, scuffed ankle boots as he licks on an icecream cone. A lonesome seagull is perched on the rock beside him trying to peck at the cornet. ‘Away with you,’ he flummoxed with his tar stained, crinkly hand. ‘Shoo.’ It has always baffled me as to where he can get an icecream cone for his breakfast. The town is a distance away and his feeble waddle would take him a good two hours to walk. I am convinced he lives in the icecream truck hiding behind the Burrishoole, Grace O’Malley castle, over towering beside us. I often hear the jingle of the icecream van but I can never see it.

Retailers in Ballina Municipal District urged to take up new facade improvement scheme

Fri, Oct 30, 2015

Business people in the towns of Ballina, Ballycastle, Bonniconlon, Foxford, Crossmolina, Killala, and Swinford are being urged to take up the grant aid that is available to them to make improvements to their shop fronts under a recently adopted Traditional Facades Grant Scheme. The scheme was adopted by the members of the Ballina Municipal District at their October meeting on Wednesday this week.

Prolific children's author to give talk in Westport

Fri, Oct 30, 2015

On Saturday November 14, well-know children’s author Oisín McGann is hosting a talk at Westport Library as part of the 2015 Rolling Sun Book Festival.  The event is free of charge and suitable for children up to 12 years of age. Oisín is one of Ireland’s most prolific and best-known writer-illustrators, producing books for all ages of reader. He is a winner of the European Science Fiction Society Award, the Bisto Book of the Year Merit Award, and has been shortlisted for numerous other awards, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize in the UK, le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire in France, and Locus Magazine's Best First Novel Award in the US. 

Mayo’s Joanne Clarke wins The Taste of Success

Fri, Oct 30, 2015

Mayo woman Joanne Clarke was declared the winner of The Taste of Success on RTÉ One on Tuesday night scooping one of the biggest prizes in Irish television. In the dramatic finale of the eight-week programme, The Taste of Success viewers saw Joanne Clark, a 43-year-old single mum from Westport, Co Mayo, emerge victorious with her nutty brioche and butter pudding. She wins a prize worth €100,000 and her product is now available on the shelves of more than 140 Lidl Ireland stores nationwide. The victory marks a major turnaround in fortunes for Joanne Clark. During the final viewers heard how she has struggled financially in recent years with the bank repossessing her home. 

What's going on in your area?

Fri, Oct 23, 2015

Arthritis and Fibromyalgia support group
A support group meeting for people living with arthritis and fibromyalgia will take place on  Wednesday, October 28 at 8pm in TF Royal Hotel, Castlebar. This months guest speaker will be a Chiropractor. If you have any questions regarding the meeting please do not hesitate to contact the organisation at [email protected].

Most recent Mayo road death brings total to eleven this year

Fri, Oct 23, 2015

The death of a 20-year-old man in Ballina following a road accident on Wednesday night has brought the number of road deaths in the county to 11 so far this year. The latest fatality has come fresh on the back of the release of information from the Western Garda Region that Mayo had the highest death toll on the roads in the region, accounting for almost half of the deaths recorded in the region this year. 

Ring announces €340k for tourism projects in Mulranny and Achill

Fri, Oct 23, 2015

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, this week announced that €340k in funding has been approved through Fáilte Ireland’s Capital Investment Programme for two tourism projects in  Mayo.

Party politics splashes about on pool loan

Fri, Oct 23, 2015

The issue of the raising of a loan of €2.5 million by Mayo County Council as a contribution towards the development of a new swimming pool and the national outdoor education and training centre at Lough Lannagh in the town turned into a political back and forth in the council chamber on Monday.

E-paper

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