Cape Cod Walk 2013 - participants sought

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

The 15th annual Cape Cod Walk will take place from Saturday May 25 to Sunday June 2 2013. Over the past 14 years dozens of volunteers have completed the challenge of walking 100km on the beautiful island of Cape Cod, which is just an hour from the city of Boston. To date, the walks have raised more than €850,000 for The Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, which is used to provide palliative care for the many patients who require the services in both Mayo and Roscommon.

Now is the time to consider going on the 2013 walk, and experiencing an amazing challenge, while raising much needed funds for the foundation.

Western Care annual Candlelight Ball all ready for February 9

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

The 13th annual Candlelight Ball in aid of Western Care was recently launched in Breaffy House Resort by Brendan Henaghan, Mayor of Castlebar, and was attended by Caroline Gordon, chairperson, Castlebar voluntary branch Western Care, the 2013 Candlelight Ball committee, members and supporters of this very significant annual fundraising event.

Mountain climber who scaled Croagh Patrick for charity dies tragically

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

Ian McKeever from Wicklow died tragically at the age of 42 on Wednesday after he was struck by lightning while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. He had been leading a group which included at least 20 Irish people, on the mountain when the storm hit.

The charity fundraiser set a new record for Reek climbs when he climbed Croagh Patrick 35 times in 80 climbing hours in March 2011 in aid of Mayo Autism Action.

Great expectations for Ireland's seventh EU presidency

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

Ireland has both the privilege and the responsibility of hosting the presidency of the Council of the European Union from January 1 until June 30 2013. Holding the presidency is an important role at any time, but the expectations for this forthcoming presidency are even greater given the challenging circumstances that both the Union and Ireland face.

Mayo pinks up and raises €2,658 at Centra Pink Umbrella Walk

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

The people of Mayo have been congratulated for successfully pinking up their county with the Centra Pink Umbrella Walk. The events, which took place across the county at the end of October, have been hailed a great achievement after local people turned out in great numbers to participate in the walk. As crowds of local people took steps to raise funds and awareness for the Irish Cancer Society’s Get the Girls campaign, the county was taken over by Centra’s fabulous pink umbrellas.

New '131' registration plate rolls out this week

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

Those who find themselves in the lucky position to be purchasing a new car this January will notice the new 131 number plate which takes effect from this week.

Foxford plans for The Gathering 2013

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

The Gathering Ireland, the Fáilte Ireland tourism initiative, has the potential to rekindle relationships with relatives, neighbours, and friends, while forging new ones with the Irish Diaspora across the globe. The Foxford community in association with Ireland Reaching Out, the not for profit organisation, are working through voluntary effort at parish, village and townland level, to identify those who emigrated, and trace them and their descendants worldwide. Traditionally, the town, like most towns in the west of Ireland, suffered from the effects of emigration, the loss of family members, and a missing generation in the community, effectively leaving townlands devoid of their former population. Unfortunately, emigration has once again became a modern day reality as our young people seek out opportunities across Europe, Australia, and the USA.

Mayo lotto ticket holder wins €100,000 in Millionaire Raffle

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

A lucky Mayo lotto player scooped one of only four €100,000 prizes in the New Year’s Eve National Lottery Millionaire Raffle.

The lucky ticket was sold in Brennan’s, Garden Street, Ballina, Co Mayo on Friday, December 21 and the ticket number is 128 884.

House prices continue to fall in Mayo

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

According to the latest survey from MyHome.ie, prices for both three and four bed semi-detached houses in Mayo continued to fall in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Mayo GAA and soccer grants for pitches

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

Mayo GAA and the Mayo soccer league are to receive two substantial grants under the 2012 Sports Capital Programme.

Funding of €254,400 for community organisations in Mayo

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Michelle Mulherin, has confirmed that a number of community and voluntary groups in Mayo have benefited from fresh funding awarded by the Department of Health from the Department’s National Lottery Fund.

Four-fold increase in Canadian working visa applications

Fri, Jan 04, 2013

With the percentage of jobless households hitting 22 per cent, equating to approximately 9,500 in Mayo, experts at www.visafirst.com say that recent changes to the Canadian Working Holiday Visa programme (WHV) coupled with the fast approaching date for the opening of next year’s quotas has led to an unprecedented demand in the number of Irish applicants looking for Canadian visas. A new report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has revealed that the proportion of households without a working adult in Ireland is the highest out of 31 European countries and more than double that of the Eurozone average, and this will contribute to increasing numbers emigrating to Canada next year according to migration experts.

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