Surgeon sent home, surgeries cancelled at Mayo General — Chambers

Fri, Feb 19, 2016

Surgeons were sent home early and surgeries were cancelled last week at Mayo General Hospital because of overcrowding in the emergency department, according to General Election candidate Lisa Chambers.

Cllr Chambers said that under new protocols, surgical beds were being used to take the overflow of emergency department patients. Speaking this week she said: "Mayo General is obliged, under an order signed by Minister Varadkar, to put certain procedures in place once overcrowding reaches certain levels. Twenty five per cent of inpatient general surgical beds and 60 per cent of day surgical beds are being used to cater for emergency overcrowding."

Time to end digital divide in Mayo — Calleary

Fri, Feb 19, 2016

Fianna Fáil General Election candidate for Mayo, Dara Calleary says it is time to end the digital divide which is undermining Mayo’s potential to develop business and increase local employment opportunities. Commenting following the launch of the Fianna Fáil manifesto on Thursday, he said that now is the time for action in delivering high speed broadband and mobile phone coverage to every home and business in Mayo.

Mayo ignored for key infrastructure says First Independent Mayo

Fri, Feb 19, 2016

Why did Enda Kenny "our Mayo Taoiseach" not continue the motorway from Gort to Tuam on into Mayo at the very least? It is only a distance of 14km, asked the First Independent group this week.

The group, which is running two candidates in the General Election next Friday, said in a joint statement from both of their candidates, Peter Jordan and George O'Malley: "First Independent Mayo policy is to push for it to be continued to Claremorris and on to Sligo town. Mayo needs real infrastructure if we are to get real jobs. We are also pushing for the Western Rail Corridor; and a Knock Free Zone around the airport. Such a zone will take in Charlestown, Swinford, Kiltimagh, Knock, and Kilkelly and will result in 8,000 jobs."

Mayo post offices and jobs secure — Mulherin

Fri, Feb 19, 2016

Fine Gael candidate in Mayo, Michelle Mulherin TD, has received confirmation from An Post that there will be no closure of post offices in Swinford, Charlestown, and Kiltimagh, arising out of changes proposed in the arrangements for mail sorting.

Ireland’s centenarians should be honoured as part of 1916 commemorations — Ring

Fri, Feb 19, 2016

Michael Ring, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, has said that he will be contacting the relevant Department to make provision to honour Irish people who were born in 1916.

Mayo election candidates urged to prioritise dementia

Fri, Feb 19, 2016

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland has launched its General Election 2016 campaign ‘Vote to Remember’ as it reveals the numbers set to develop dementia nationally will jump by 11 people a day to 68,000 by the end of the next Government. Currently there are people in 1,835 Mayo living with dementia, by the end of the next government that will have increased to 2,569.

The Vote to Remember campaign on www.votetoremember.ie urges candidates to make dementia a political priority, and asks for the people of Mayo’s support by visiting the website and contacting their candidates directly in relation to dementia supports.

Sweet sixteen looking for your number one

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

The nomination process closed for the upcoming general election yesterday at noon and there are 16 people putting themselves forward looking for your number one vote on Friday, February 26 when you go to the polling station. In total there are nine political party candidates, three Fine Gael, two Fianna Fail and one each from Sinn Fein, Renua, Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit and the Green Party along with seven independent candidates on the ballot paper.

Guns and drugs seized by Gardai

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

The number of detections made by gardai in Mayo in relation to drug cultivation increased by two last year compared to the previous 12 months it was revealed this week. There were 12 detections of drug cultivation in 2015 compared to 10 in 2014 the Chief Superintendent of the Mayo Division, Pat Diskin told the elected members of Mayo County Council this week. He also told the members that the number of simple possession detections had dropped from 109 in 2014 to 105 in 2015.

Speaking about the issue of drugs in the county Chief Supt Diskin said that, “In the main cannabis herb and resin are the two main drugs to be found in the Mayo division, price wise it’s €7 per gram of resin and €20 per gram of herb. Ketamine and cocaine about €70 per gram.” He continued saying that “you don’t see there hero, I say this very, very cautiously because heroin is a completely different animal, you’re talking about €200 per gram for heroin, we’ve had one detection for that one individual, that person would have had a significant amount of drugs on their person and that person is no longer in the country.”

Quay School in Westport embarks on 1916 centenary photography project

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

The pupils in the Quay School in Westport have begun work on an interesting project to mark the 1916 Centenary. This project will take place over the next number of weeks and will hopefully come to fruition towards the end of February.

Councillor compares Westport House situation to owning front garden but not the back

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

The chief executive of Mayo County Council this week reiterated that the council do not have the finances to buy Westport House and the portion of lands that was put up for sale last week by the owners of the house the Browne family. The shock announcement last week that the family had put the house on the market for a guide price of €10 million has led to increased fears for the future of the house as a tourist attraction going into the future.

The situation around the future of the house and estate is tied up in two separate issues — the first came to light late last year when around 400 acres of land on the estate was about to be sold by NAMA as part of the Project Arrow portfolio arising out of loans estimated in the region of €10 million. Those loans were removed from the sale at the last minute by NAMA following a large public outcry and intervention by Minister of State Michael Ring TD. Mayo County Council along the Western Development Commission and three different government departments, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport have been involved in what was described as “delicate” talks since then in regards to purchasing those loans.

Mayo Association Galway dinner dance takes place next week

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

The 2016 Mayo Association Galway Annual Dinner Dance will be held on Saturday, February 20 in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill. The 2016 event begins with a private drinks reception for Mayo Association Galway guests at 7pm in advance of the gourmet four course meal with wine which will be served at 8pm sharp. This year’s dinner dance will pay special tribute to the guest of honour, recently nominated Mayo Person of the Year 2016, Tommy Griffith, founder of PEL Waste Reduction Equipment, Balla.

Burglaries in Mayo down 32 per cent since 2008

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

Mayo recorded the larges drop in burglaries in the country between 2008 and 2015 it was revealed. In the seven year period the number of burglaries in the county dropped from 468 to 306 according to the Central Statistics Office, the Chief Superintendent of the Mayo Division told the elected members of Mayo County Council at their February meeting.

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