Average private rent was €514 in Mayo in second quarter of 2015

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

The average rent for all dwellings in the private rented sector in Mayo in quarter two of 2015, and which were registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), was €514. This was up €3 when compared to the average rent in quarter one when the amount was €511, and was up €8 when compared to a year earlier, in quarter two last year.

Fulbright scholar and Notre Dame anthropologist joins GMIT as guest lecturer

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

GMIT has announced that Fulbright scholar and University of Notre Dame anthropologist, Dr Deb Rotman, has joined the GMIT Culture and Environment programme as a guest lecturer for the 2015/16 academic year. Dr Rotman will collaborate with GMIT Mayo and UCD on her project, “Clachans and Cultural Landscapes of County Mayo, Ireland: Local History, Folklore, and Archaeology of 19th-Century Domestic Sites.”

Inspirational Mizens to speak at national faith event in Knock

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

The parents of murdered UK schoolboy, Jimmy Mizen, are to speak at Knock Shrine later this month about their inspirational campaign to spread a message of compassion and hope. Barry and Margaret Mizen lost their son Jimmy, one day after his 16th birthday, when he was violently attacked by another teenager in a bakery in south London in 2008.

Mayo dairy farmers encouraged to attend Aurivo Focus Farm event in Knockmore

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

Aurivo, the globally focused agri-business headquartered in the northwest of Ireland, and Teagasc will deliver a joint programme initiative aimed at enhancing output and profitability of milk production on farms in the Mayo region. The initiative entitled Focus Farm will bring together the full resources of Teagasc and Aurivo in mounting an intensive and co-ordinated advisory programme on all aspects of efficient milk production for Aurivo’s milk suppliers in the Mayo region. The initiative is being led by Dr Roberta McDonald, farm profitability programme manager with Aurivo.

Fab fortieth Westport Arts Festival starts next week

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

The 40th Westport Arts Festival kicks off next Wednesday, September 30, and this year’s festival features an eclectic mix of events for all ages across all art forms. The literary programme for this year’s festival includes the award-winning writer, John Banville, whose novel, The Sea, won the Man Booker Prize. There will also be readings from Donal Ryan, Martin Dyar, Geraldine Mills, and Orfhlaith Foyle. Dr Eimear O’Connor, art historian and author and curator, will give a presentation on Seán Keating and the Art of the Rebellion. The winners of the festival’s Poetry Competition will be announced at a special prize-giving evening of poetry and music in The Creel, featuring writer and singer-songwriter, Orlagh de Bhaldraithe.

Music fans will not be disappointed this year, as the festival hosts a number of concerts, encompassing a variety of musical styles. The opening night will feature a very special event, when archival footage of Mayo, courtesy of the Irish Film Institute, will be screened in the Town Hall Theatre, accompanied by a new soundscape which has been composed by two Westport-based musicians: Achill native Des Cafferkey and Polish native Bartholomew de Boer. The music, entitled ‘Draíocht Mhaigh Eo – The Magic of Mayo’ will be performed live on the night by a band of local musicians.

Heroes for Hospice head to Dublin

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

Mayo’s Heroes for Hospice group, a voluntary musical group with members hailing from all over Mayo, have announced that they will perform their hugely successful musical production Beyond the Barricade in Dublin on October 28 in Liberty Hall, Eden Quay.

Mayo to feature in UTV Ireland’s Lesser Spotted Journeys

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

Lesser Spotted Journeys, a new series on UTV Ireland, continues with presenter Joe Mahon embarking on a tour of the country with a visit to the parish of Kilcommon in northwest Mayo on Tuesday next, September 29, at 8pm.

Gardai to hand out high viz vests as part of awareness campaign

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

In an innovative move designed to reduce the death toll on Irish roads, all Garda cars in Mayo are to carry a stock of high-visibility vests to be given out to poorly-lit pedestrians and cyclists. "Be seen and be safe" – that is the message to all road users in Mayo as the evenings get darker. Mayo County Council is reminding pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike to make themselves more visible during the dark winter nights. High-visibility vests are to be handed out by gardaí to poorly-lit pedestrians and cyclists in Mayo as part of an initiative to reduce the county’s casualties.

The county council is urging pedestrians to wear fluorescent or bright clothing in the daytime and reflective material at night to make them more visible to drivers. At the same time, motorists are being urged to use their headlights so that not only can they see other road users but they, themselves, can be seen. Without reflective clothing or accessories a pedestrian or cyclist is only visible, in low beam headlights, from 30 metres away. By wearing or using reflective items they become visible at 150 metres, giving drivers five times the distance to notice and avoid them.

St Joseph’s Castlebar receives Cycle Against Suicide Ambassador School award at Farmleigh House

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

To coincide with World Suicide Prevention Week, Cycle against Suicide honoured the efforts and achievements of 45 secondary schools from all over Ireland recently, including St Joseph’s, Castlebar, in promoting positive mental health awareness and their dedication to spreading the message that ‘it’s OK not to feel OK; and it’s absolutely OK to ask for help’.

Mayo pension contributions are nineteen per cent behind the Irish Life national average

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

According to an analysis of Irish Life’s personal pension customers, people in Mayo are saving 19 per cent less into their pensions than Irish Life’s national average. The average monthly pension contribution by those living in County Mayo is €279 compared to Irish Life’s national monthly average of €343. On average women in Mayo pay €278 a month, and men pay €280 a month. Only 31 per cent of Irish Life’s pension customers from Mayo are female, compared to 69 per cent male customers.

As market leader, Irish Life is well placed to provide an insight into the behaviour of Irish pension customers. Gerry Hassett, managing director, Irish Life Retail, said 2015 could be the first year since the downturn that we will see a fall in the average age of people starting pensions. “In 2008, the average age of a new pension customer was 35. This increased to 42 years old during the recession, as Irish people in their 30s focused on essential financial payments such as mortgages and other shorter term commitments. However, the average age stopped rising last year and it looks like it will fall to 41 this year. We have also seen a significant increase in the overall market for personal pensions with sales up by 18 per cent for the first half of 2015.”

Applications sought for Music Recording Assistance Award

Fri, Sep 25, 2015

Mayo County Council is currently taking applications for the Music Recording Assistance Award. The award was established to support the recording of original music across all genres by musicians/singers/songwriters resident in Mayo. The Music Recording Assistance Grant consists of two awards of up to €800.