Conviction for man who drove while intoxicated on New Year’s Eve

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

A Kilalla man who was detected drink driving on New Year’s Eve was warned by Judge Patrick Clyne that he would serve a prison sentence if he breaks the conditions of a suspended sentence which was imposed on him at Ballina District Court on Tuesday.

Anger at €11.7 million investment in Mayo Roads

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

Mayo has been allocated €11.7 million under the National Roads Programme 2009 but there has been anger expressed at what was dubbed “the crumbs off the table”.

Galway man passed cheques which bounced in Ballinrobe

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

A Galway man was convicted and fined €300 and ordered to hand over €500 compensation for passing two cheques that bounced at Ballinrobe District Court. Mark Keane pleaded guilty to the charges in court, in a case which his solicitor Cathy McDarby said had “no malice in it”.

Four months sentence for mystery Nigerian woman

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

Judge Mary Devins handed down a four month prison sentence to a Nigerian woman who has been through the court system on a number of occasions since she was first arrested on November 12 last year.

Roadsafe Roadshow comes to Mayo

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

A hard-hitting road safety message will be delivered to some 1,000 teenagers at the Royal Theatre in Castlebar on February 3 when they view the award-winning Roadsafe Roadshow. The event has been organised in conjunction with the Mayo County Council, An Garda Síochána, and the local emergency services. It depicts graphically how a night out ended in tragedy and permanent disability for one Roadshow participant.

Mayo family changing their world for climate change

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

While some New Year resolutions are already falling by the wayside, Mairead Carney, a mother of one from Kiltimagh, has found one she can stick to that saves her money and helps tackle climate change. Mairead found her carbon number at Change.ie and has since begun making small, cost-effective changes to her and her family’s lifestyle.

Grass Roots – An inside look at local politics – from the pens of the politicians themselves

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

So Councillor Noel Campbell is gone, helped along by those who made the complaint that he was now too high a grade in the public service to continue to represent people in his native town. Funny isn’t it that some people who are paid from the same public purse, a lot more than Cllr Campbell, remain as elected members of local councils.

What fascinates me most were the reports in the local papers of the glowing tributes that all present at the last meeting of Castlebar Town Council paid to Cllr Campbell, I’m sure they were all deserved.

It’s time for politicians to be honest with people

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

“It’s time for the politicians to be honest with the people in the area, for example with the sewerage scheme in Belmullet. We have been promised this basic bit of infrastructure for years and when the money was there we didn’t get it. But now the promises will be trotted out again come the election about it, but even if there is funding for it there, because of the polluter pays principle there are businesses in Belmullet who are going to have to contribute millions towards it to get it going. It’s time our politicians were honest with the people about this.”

Hands off Domiciliary Care Allowance O’Mahony warns Hanafin

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Mayo Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony has said that any attempts by the Minister for Social Welfare, Mary Hanafin TD, to impose cut backs on the Domiciliary Care Allowance or the Domiciliary Care Respite Grant will not be tolerated and he has warned the Minister to back off.

Sinn Féin ratifies council contenders

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

The membership of Mayo Sinn Féin has unanimously ratified its team to contend the county council elections next June. The party’s local election convention held in Castlebar last weekend also endorsed the candidate to contest the Castlebar Town Council elections.

Sinn Féin’s election team is unique in the county as 50 per cent of those selected are female. The convention chairperson Councillor Seán MacManus highlighted the need for political parties to address the gender imbalance that exists on local authorities and congratulated the Mayo membership for putting together a strong team that would also represent the women of Mayo.

Martin hits back at Irish Independent Westport article

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Westport is feeling the recession like the rest of Ireland but an article in last Friday's Irish Independent drew “an inaccurately dire picture of Westport's economic status” said Labour's Keith Martin, who is also a member of Westport’s Job Creation Taskforce.

Call for action plan for intelligent transport systems and services

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins has called on the Government to draw up a strategic action plan to increase research and development in the field of intelligent transport systems and services, associated with the EU-owned Galileo satellite. The satellite, which uses highly advanced navigation technology, is seen as a key step towards the creation of thousands of high-end jobs across the EU.

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