Women in sport seminar to take place in Castlebar

Fri, Jan 20, 2017

Next month, Mayo Sports Partnership in conjunction with a number of other agencies and bodies, will be hosting a Girls and Women in Sport seminar in GMIT Castlebar on Thursday February 9 from 10am to 3pm. The seminar which is free of charge has a stellar line up of guest speakers on the day with Mayo Ladies' star Cora Staunton, RTE's Jacqui Hurley, Dr Aoife Lane from AIT and WGPA, former Cork Ladies' manager Eamonn Ryan, Paralympic swimmer Ellen Keane, and Marie Walsh, former Rose of Tralee, all speaking at the event.

Raise your voices in aid of St Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina

Fri, Jan 20, 2017

Start off 2017 on a high note and Raise your Voices with a musical extravaganza in aid of St Muredach’s Cathedral, Ballina. Remember the singing priest Fr Ray Kelly who caused an internet sensation with his rendition of "Hallelujah" last year?  Well now is your chance to see Fr Kelly perform live alongside St Muredach’s Cathedral Choir and St Mary’s Secondary School Choir – for one night only.

The rise of a county capital

Thu, Jan 19, 2017

It is three years to the month since the signing into law by President Higgins of the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The act abolished Ireland’s 80 town councils as part of a range of measures designed to reform local administration. Three of those town councils operated in the Mayo towns of Ballina, Westport, and in the county capital, Castlebar. The debate continues as to whether the abolition of an entire tier of local government was largely beneficial or harmful. It may take longer than three years for any lasting effects to register themselves.

When cricket was 'alive ho in the west'

Thu, Jan 19, 2017

The 1880s was a watershed in the history of sport in Ireland. Soccer's All-Ireland governing body was established in Belfast in 1880 and during that decade the sport began to spread out from Ulster and scatter throughout the island. The first set of rules for rugby were drawn up in England in 1845, but the sport did not gain much traction in Ireland until the 1880s, a mere 10 years after the first game was played on Irish soil. The sport’s managing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union, was founded in 1879. The Golfing Union of Ireland was established in 1891, and though the game was being played in Ireland prior to that date, it had not attracted a Mayo following. The first golf club in Connacht was only founded in 1892. In 1884, the Gaelic Athletic Association was formed with a view to promoting Ireland’s native games. All of these sports have grown to become extremely popular in Mayo today but one sport, once arguably the most popular organised sport in the county, has virtually disappeared.

Cricket was introduced into Ireland in the 18th century. The earliest known reference to the sport is of a match held in Dublin in 1792 between the British garrison and an "All-Ireland" team. The oldest cricket club still in existence in Ireland is Phoenix Cricket Club in Dublin, which was founded in 1830 by John Parnell, father of Charles Stewart Parnell. In Mayo, the County Club was already in existence by 1818. All strata of society were allowed play, and were encouraged to play the game. By the 1870s, very active cricket clubs existed across the county. The early games were played very much with a parochial feel to them with social events organised around the games themselves. Hollymount Cricket Club hosted a regular athletic sports day. By incorporating athletes into the day, the club opened up the event, and cricket, to a wider audience. Castlebar Cricket Club held concerts with the dual purpose of raising funds and creating a social mixer for club members, families, and supporters. Friendly rivalries existed between certain clubs. In the east of the county, Swinford and Kilkelly cricket clubs frequently battled for sporting honours. The bigger towns of Castlebar, Ballina, and Westport played each other regularly, and being evenly matched, reports of their matches were of interest to the county’s wider cricket support. At the inaugural meeting of the Ballyhaunis Cricket Club in 1893, the chairman noticed that every town in the west had a cricket club. So strong was cricket in Mayo that "Ranje", a provincial newspaper columnist, cheered "Cricket's alive ho! in the West". Ranje’s popular column gave cricket updates on Mayo teams and tips on how to play the game's more common strokes.

National Planning Framework could turn region into "glorified wildlife park"

Tue, Jan 17, 2017

The soon to be launched National Planning Framework will leave the region north of a line from Galway to Dublin a "glorified wildlife park" it was said this week. 

Claremorris Musical Society is ready to tread the boards again

Tue, Jan 17, 2017

Members of Claremorris Musical Society are busy getting ready to enthral their audiences with a good old dose of cockney charm. From Wednesday January 25 to Sunday January 28, the award winning Claremorris Musical Society will present its 11th annual production Me and My Girl. This heart-warming tale of true love will delight audiences of all ages.

Explore north Mayo by night

Tue, Jan 17, 2017

A sponsored moonlight walk in aid of Mayo Mountain Rescue Team, on beautiful Nephin will take place on Saturday March 11. You can choose from a 4km walk which should take two hours or a 6km walk which will take in the region of four hours across the Nephin mountains. 

Castlebar native Caitríona Ruane not to contest next Northern elections

Mon, Jan 16, 2017

Castlebar native Caitríona Ruane has announced that she will not be standing for reelection in any upcoming Northern Ireland Assembly elections. Ms Ruane who has been a MLA for South Down for the past 14 years for Sinn Féin had served as Education Minister and principal Deputy Speaker during her tenure in the Belfast based body.

Mayo Young Scientists excel at BT Young Scientist and Technology Festival

Mon, Jan 16, 2017

Students from Jesus and Mary Secondary School in Gortnor Abbey picked up the third place award in the technology category of the BT Young Scientist and Technology Festival last weekend. Sarah Murphy and Mary Murphy picked up the bronze award for their 'Make a Mark - Sheep Marking Gun' project.

Almost eleven per cent of submissions to Constituency Commission relate to Mayo

Fri, Jan 13, 2017

This week saw the closing date for submissions from members of the public to the Constituency Commission, and of the 369 submissions made to the commission (as were published on the commissions website as of lunch time yesterday), 40 of them related directly to county Mayo and the south Mayo area in particular.

Rebelling against the rebellion

Fri, Jan 13, 2017

Folklore, song, and verse dedicated to the rebellion of 1798 usually relay the romantic image of an heroic, clandestine, French army joining forces with a willing and equally heroic band of Irish rebels. Bound by a thirst for liberté, égalité and fraternité, the Franco-Irish forces grew in strength as they progressed through the county, bravely securing victories over the might of the British Crown. But one rebel's contemporary account of the Franco-Irish campaign challenges the notion of international solidarity among equals that has dominated the narrative of the events of 1798. 

Almost twelve hundred turn out for Operation Transformation walks last weekend

Fri, Jan 13, 2017

In good weather conditions approximately 1,200 people turned out for the Mayo Operation Transformation walks last Saturday, in Belmullet, Ballina, Ballyhaunis, Claremorris, Castlebar, Claremorris, Kiltimagh, and Westport. Some 230 alone participated in the Castlebar Lough Lannagh event which was attended by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and  Caithaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Al McDonnell.

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