Ballinrobe gearing up for a community day to remember

Sat, May 14, 2022

Plans are at an advanced stage for Ballinrobe’s Community Day in the Parish Centre on Saturday, May 21.

Ring officially opens Glencorrib/Kilroe Community Walkway

Sat, May 14, 2022

Michael Ring TD officially opened Glencorrib/Kilroe Community Walkway recently. Deputy Michael Ring stated: "I was absolutely delighted and honoured to be asked to officially open Glencorrib/Kilroe Community Walkway. This is a truly wonderful amenity in the village of Glencorrib. I am very pleased to be able to say that this walkway was developed with funding of €71,250 that I allocated in my capacity as Minister for Rural and Community Development. This walkway with lighting is a tremendous addition to the Glencorrib/Kilroe area. The provision of lighting will ensure that this facility can be used all year round and will prove especially beneficial during the long winter evenings. This is an excellent investment in people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. The number of people engaging in outdoor recreation activities in Ireland has increased significantly in recent years. Both locals and visitors are engaging in a broad range of outdoor recreation activities. I was delighted that Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton -who also allocated funding to this wonderful project - was able to attend the official opening. I wish to strongly compliment and commend LEADER, the Rural Social Scheme and Mr Pauric Hennelly, chairman of the committee, on their hard work, dedication and commitment to this project. Without of all of their sterling work this project would not have come to fruition. It is extremely heart-warming to witness first-hand the community spirit that is very much alive and well in the Glencorrib/Kilroe area. It is extremely admirable. Over the years, in my capacity as Minister for Rural and Community Development, I always endeavoured to deliver as much funding as I could to rural Ireland and Glencorrib/Kilroe was no exception to this."

Dillon urges Minister to secure an affordable housing scheme for Mayo

Sat, May 14, 2022

Affordability of housing in Mayo is now at a crisis point, Mayo Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon highlighted during ministerial questioning in the Dáil. Deputy Dillon expressed disappointment that Mayo County Council has been excluded from the national affordable housing five-year delivery targets despite the problems that exist. At present no scheme has been approved to provide affordable housing in the county and this is having a negative impact on future economic development in the county. "There is a shortage of affordable homes to rent or purchase in parts of the county, especially in towns such as Westport, Castlebar and Ballina." Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien explained an identified level of affordable housing need arises where, of the projected housing need in the county, more than five per cent of new households would not qualify. "The level of affordability constrained need in Mayo is assessed at below five per cent. I understand there are localised affordability issues, particularly in Westport and also potentially in Ballina. We are happy to consider those issues. Where local authorities have localised affordability measures, as is the case in the two towns in question, they can still apply to the Department for funding to develop affordable housing schemes if they can demonstrate that an affordable scheme is needed to address those localised affordability challenges and they can meet the criteria for the fund. I am confident that can be done. As regards Mayo in particular, in June 2021 a scheme was submitted for 25 homes in Westport under the previous fund, namely, the Serviced Sites Fund. We have told Mayo County Council that it can resubmit that to the new fund and I understand work is ongoing between my Department and the council on that." Minister O’Brien informed Deputy Dillon of KPMG’s ongoing work for Mayo County Council on the future analytics side, to prove the affordability constraint in pressure areas within Mayo, and following the conclusion of KPMG work this month his Department has agreed to meet with Mayo County Council in June. Deputy Dillon said Mayo has the fourth-lowest market house price in the country but that is certainly not reflective of the open market price of new-build homes in areas such as Westport, Castlebar and Ballina. Some of these A-rated new premises are on the market for between €270,000 and €350,000. He said: "I am delighted to see Mayo County Council has been proactive. It reached out to the public in Mayo, seeking information to understand better the demand for affordable housing, including locations of choice and the affordability constraints of potential applicants. The threshold for social housing in Mayo is €25,000. Many people are above that threshold but caught within the squeezed-middle bracket. It is important that we respond to these pressure areas. Mayo has significant issues in respect of vacancy and dereliction. Increasing housing supply in the area would be an important step forward."

Widespread frustration as CAO faces repeat of grade inflation pressure – Conway-Walsh

Sat, May 14, 2022

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Further and Higher Education Rose Conway-Walsh TD has said there is widespread frustration among students and parents at reports of sustained levels of grade inflation and the use of a lottery system to allocated high-demand courses.

Compromise reached on beach by-laws to ensure retention of Blue Flags

Fri, May 13, 2022

Blue Flag beaches in the county are to have designated areas where people can walk their dogs during the summer bathing season, which will in turn allow the beaches to keep their status as Blue Flag beaches.

Mayo Bike Week Festival returns

Fri, May 13, 2022

National Bike Week returns to Mayo from Saturday, May 14 to Sunday, May 22. Mayo Sports Partnership, in conjunction with the local Bike Week steering committee, invites you to 'Click into Gear' and participate in some of the 25 events taking place throughout Mayo.

Disappearance of Sandra Collins to feature in new TG4 series

Fri, May 13, 2022

The disappearance of Sandra Collins will feature in the second series of Marú Inár Measc, a four-part true crime documentary series by Midas Productions for TG4, which shines a light on the effect that fatal crimes have on society, local communities and on victims' families as they are left without answers.

Road closed at Barnaderg/Tawnyard in interests of public safety

Fri, May 13, 2022

Mayo County Council wishes to inform the public of the immediate closure of the L1824 at Barnaderg/Tawnyard, Westport, in the interests of public safety.

Faction fighting and duelling in County Mayo

Fri, May 13, 2022

Faction fighting and duelling were common in Mayo well into the 19th century. Duelling with swords or pistols was the preserve of gentleman and military men. On the other hand, faction fights were fought with sticks, clubs, stones, and other instruments of bludgeon by large numbers of people who gathered after Mass or at fairs, patterns, or other events.

Ring on hand to unveil projects in Balla

Fri, May 13, 2022

Deputy Michael Ring TD was on hand in Balla recently to unveil a number of local projects that were completed in the local area.

Helipad for Inishturk Island goes to tender - Dillon

Fri, May 13, 2022

Mayo TD Alan Dillon has welcomed good news on the construction of a new helipad at Inishturk Island. Deputy Dillon said: "I received an update today following several representations to the Department that the construction of a new helipad on Inishturk Island is gone to tender. Works include the construction of a helicopter landing pad at Bellavaum, Inishturk, comprising construction of a helicopter landing pad and associated access road. This project is a lifeline for island residents and emergency services, to date progress has been slow but I am very confident that once a tender is chosen the work will commence. I want to commend the people of Inishturk for their patience and the Inishturk Community Club CLG for their hard work and I look forward to seeing the work progress on the Island."

Mayo retail businesses should apply for new round of funding to expand online offering - Ring

Fri, May 13, 2022

Michael Ring TD has stated that Mayo retail businesses should apply for a new round of funding to expand their online offering and presence to customers at home and abroad. Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English this week launched a new round of the Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme, worth €9.3m, to help Irish businesses to upgrade their websites and improve their competitiveness in online retail. Deputy Michael Ring said: "Many Irish companies have successfully made the digital transition in recent years and developed their online capability to sell their goods and services online. Consumer habits have also changed in recent years and it was great for them to know that that when they went online, they had local options instead of just the large international retailers, particularly when the pandemic occurred. Government was keen to help businesses adapt to and embrace this change, and the Online Retail Scheme was launched to help them develop and improve their offering beyond the physical shop. There have been over 500 successful approvals under the Online Retail Scheme, which includes many businesses here in Mayo. Past applicants have included many retailers selling jewellery, fashion, sports, homeware, furniture, healthcare, hardware, electrical goods and equipment. Businesses are rightly preparing for the future and growing their presence so that they can attract and cater for different types of shoppers.” The scheme is administered by Enterprise Ireland and there is €9.3m available in this round of funding, which is open for applications and closes on June 1. In order to be eligible for this funding, applicant companies must have 10 or more full-time employees in a physical store and an existing online presence. This is to support the clicks and bricks for Irish retailers. The transition to online shopping was accelerated over the last two years and consumers' retail habits have changed significantly. Almost all previous recipients of funding in this Scheme noted an increase in online sales, many in international markets and the vast majority have hired additional employees to manage their increase in online sales."

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