Men convicted for being drunk in public

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

Two men were before Ballina District Court for being intoxicated in a public place.

Man on motorbike drove without reasonable consideration

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

A man who was rushing to work on his motorbike was before Ballina District Court this week for driving without reasonable consideration.

Hair we go again at Westport College of Further Education

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

There were celebrations recently at Westport College of Further Education after students repeated their success at the All Ireland Hairdressing Schools Championships in St John’s College, Cork.

Mayo students in bid to become Ireland’s Top Young Problem Solvers at DCU

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

Two Mayo students, Sofia Ferdini and Ruth O’Connor of Mount St Michael, have taken part in the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad finals, the search to find Ireland’s top young decoders at Dublin City University. The best performers at the national finals in DCU will be selected to represent Ireland at the International Linguistics Olympiad in Manchester in July 2013.

Connacht success for St Gerald’s

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, entered three teams into the regional competition (north-west) for applied mathematics.

Councillor queries if debt collectors are being used

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

Sinn Féin councillor Rose Conway-Walsh this week queried if the council was employing external debt collectors in an effort to recover money that is owed to it. Peter Duggan, head of finance for Mayo County Council, informed the councillor at Monday’s April meeting of the council, that the council has not engaged an external debt collector, but is looking at a possible shared service option by a number of councils for the future in this area.

Staffing levels and cash flow worry Flynn

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn at Monday’s April meeting of Mayo County Council, during an item discussing the financial review of the first three months of the year, raised a number of issues that are of serious concern to him. Speaking in the council chamber he said: “The current capital expenditure is quite worrying, it’s about €5 million this year. Five years ago this would have been €40 million, this is a really serious issue. It also raises serious questions as to what are people doing [council staff]. We have also three town councils to take in and services are gone to the Road Safety Authority [RSA].”

Mayo Pink Ribbon organisers urge participants to register in advance

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

With just weeks to go, entries for the Mayo Pink Ribbon Cycle on Bank Holiday Saturday, May 4, are well up on last year already. Entries are via the website (www.mayopinkribbon.ie) and the organisers are encouraging everyone to register in advance to avoid delays on the day.

Breaffy House Resort to host Alcoholics Anonymous convention 2013

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

The 56th all Ireland convention of Alcoholics Anonymous returns to the west of Ireland after a four year absence and will be held in the Breaffy House Resort, Castlebar, Co Mayo from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 April 2013.

All members of the public are welcome to attend the open AA meeting on Friday night at 8pm, where one of the organisation’s non-alcoholic trustees, Denis Doherty, will be a guest speaker, and also to the open public meeting on Sunday afternoon at 12.30pm. These meetings are special focal points where AA is showcased to the wider public. AA members share their stories of how alcoholism dominated their lives and what changed for them to come out from under this crippling disease and more importantly what established and now sustains their recovery into the present day. The Al Anon family groups will be represented at these meetings also and in fact are running their convention programme concurrently in the same venue. While AA is not affiliated with Al Anon, it does co-operate with it. The Al Anon family groups support those family members who have been affected by alcoholism.

Love Castlebar initiative attracts An Taoiseach’s seal of approval

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny was in his home town of Castlebar last Saturday to launch Love Castlebar, a civic pride initiative which promises to bestow Ireland’s warmest welcome upon visitors to the Mayo town, and in this year of The Gathering 2013 will ensure that those making the trip to Castlebar will enjoy an unforgettable experience.

Councillors want to see Community Gain Investment Fund area expanded

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

A number of councillors have called for the €8.5 million Community Gain Investment Fund that has been put up by the developers of the Corrib Gas project as part of their planning permission to have a wider geographic reach. Cllr Rose Conway Walsh, speaking at the April meeting of the Belmullet electoral area committee, said: “I do want to see it extended to areas like Ballycastle, it’s very unfair that it’s not included.” The idea of seeing it extended was supported by other councillors including Cllr Michael Holmes and Cllr Michael McNamara. At present the fund is confined to the Cill Chomain area. While asking for the geographic remit of the fund to be expanded, Cllr Conway Walsh hit out at the small nature of the fund compared to the overall profits that the project developers will make, saying: “Overall we need to look at this fund being from our own natural resources, not the developers” and “it’s a lot less than the people deserve”.

Glaoch an Cheoil – a new series for TG4

Fri, Apr 12, 2013

Imagine an Ireland where everyone in the country has the chance to learn to play a musical instrument, from the fiddle to the guitar, the drums or even the saxophone. This is the driving ambition of Glaoch an Cheoil, a new series for TG4 produced by Mind the Gap Films. The show aims to unite unused or discarded musical instruments with people who have always wanted to learn to play, but never had the opportunity. Four music hubs are being established (one in each of the provinces) – and the Connacht centre will be in Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet, Co Mayo.

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