O’Mahony welcomes the commencement of AEOS payments

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony has welcomed the announcement today by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, that the first payments to farmers in AEOS 1 have been issued. Some 8,400 farmers who applied for AEOS by the closing date of May 17 last year have been approved into the scheme, and under EU rules administrative checks for all applicants had to be completed before the first payments could issue. The first tranche of payments has been issued and the remainder will be paid on an ongoing basis.

Castlebar and Ballina get best ever results in IBAL table

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

Both Castlebar and Charlestown were celebrating this week with the news that they recorded their best ever results in the latest National Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) league tables. Out of the 53 towns surveyed Castlebar was ranked in 11th place and Ballina 17th, both towns were found to be clean to European norms. The results for 2011 showed major progress for both towns with Castlebar moving up 28 places in the table from 38th and Ballina moved up 16 places in the table to 17th from the 2010 tables.

Deadline looms for Mayo nominations for Google Silver Surfer Awards

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

The deadline for nominations for the Google Silver Surfer Awards with Age Action is fast approaching. The public has until September 9 to nominate a Mayo older person who has embraced technology, or somebody who has empowered him/her to do so.

Back to school allowance delays unacceptable — Ruane

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

Commenting on the mounting concerns that many families who have applied for the Back to School Allowance may have to wait until late October before receiving the grant, Sinn Féin councillor Thérèse Ruane said: “Children, regardless of their social or economic background, have the right to attend school in comfortable fitting clothing and in this time of economic hardship it is essential that hard pressed families are assisted in preparing their child for school. I am inundated with distressed parents, who cannot afford the costs of uniforms and books needed for their children to get to school. The current fiasco around the processing of the Back to School Allowance reflects a lack of planning and foresight on behalf of the Government. Personnel should have been in place to deal with the increased number of applications.

Plotting the future for Mayo craft and design

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

County Mayo’s wealth of craft and design businesses are coming under the spotlight as key local agencies launch a research study as the first step in getting to grips with the needs of the sector.

Tourmakeady native Mick Lally gets his own seat in the Druid to mark first anniversary of his death

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

To mark the first anniversary of the late Mick Lally, the actor’s first theatrical home, the Druid Theatre in Galway this week unveiled a specially commissioned seat in the foyer of the theatre to remember Lally’s work.

Meteorite may have landed in Mayo

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

The search is on in the west for a meteorite which may have landed in Mayo.

Free cholesterol testing coming to a town near you

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

Are you concerned about high cholesterol? Do you know your number? Next week the Flora pro.activ Cholesterol Challenge is travelling to Mayo to offer free cholesterol checks and expert advice on diet and lifestyle.

Ring announces grant for Westport Leisure Centre

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

Minister for State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring has announced grants to 19 swimming pools across Ireland to improve access for people with disabilities, as well as a Green Swimming Pool initiative to make the pools across Ireland more energy efficient and less reliant on State support. This includes a grant of €359,550 to Westport Leisure Centre.

Witnesses sought following Claremorris bike crash

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

Gardaí in Claremorris are looking for witnesses to a motorbike collision that occurred at 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoon. The single vehicle accident happened on the Kilcolman Road in Claremorris town. The injured motorcyclist was taken from the scene of the accident and transferred to Mayo General Hospital but was later transferred to the Beaumont Hospital in Dublin for treatment of his injuries. Gardaí have called for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact them at the station in Claremorris on 094 9372080.

Aoife Connaughton crowned Belle of Breaffy

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

At last Friday night’s Belle of Breaffy competition organised by Breaffy ladies GAA Club which was part of the Breaffy Blast Festival held in the village, Aoife Connaughton was crowned the Belle of Breaffy. As part of the competition, Aoife recited a poem she had written in tribute to the late Carmel Jordan who sadly passed away this summer. Carmel had been deeply involved in the ladies football club and other community activities until her passing. This is the poem that Aoife wrote and recited on the night

The Soap Box – A regular column in which readers tell us about what matters to them....

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

When I awoke in the middle of last night this saying was running through my head, and as I could not get it out of my mind, I got up and wrote it down and then continued to write this column. Funny how you can write some of the truest words in the silence of the night; I think it was Brendan Behan who once said, “write as if you are dead,” and in the dead of night is certainly the best time to do this.

Governments and religious leaders still do not seem to have the common sense to say, ‘sorry we got it wrong, lets try something different’. This is in a world where we have learnt that the definition of insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.

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