Senator alleges GMIT Castlebar applicants are being told to go to Galway

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

A Mayo based senator has alleged this week in the Seanad that potential students who inquire about courses in the GMIT campus in Castlebar are being steered towards the Galway campus if a similar course is on offer there and that the Mayo campus is being "bullied" by its overseeing campus. Fine Gael senator Paddy Burke raised the issue of the future of the Castlebar campus of the institute with the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, in the upper house of the Oireachtas as fears for the future of the facility in Castlebar have intesified recently. Those fears were further increased late last week when the head of the Mayo campus Dr Deirdre Garvey stepped down from her position.

Ballina councillors give Knockmore scheme go ahead

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

The elected members of the Ballina Municipal District gave their approval for a proposed development of eight houses in Knockmore by the council this week. The plan will see the construction of three two bed houses, four three bed houses, and one four bed house in the development. The plans for this project were initially made back in 2009, but the economic circumstances in the country changed that, but now the project has been sanctioned to go ahead again.

Jobs at risk over procurement directive says councillor

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

A new directive from the Office of Government Procurement which has seen Mayo County Council no longer able to purchase tools and small items from local suppliers is going to cost jobs, one councillor said this week. Speaking at the December meeting of the local authority, Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne raised the issue after an unsigned note was given to members of the outdoor staff of the council outlining this new procedure.

Another win for Mayo's Mike

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

Solar Bones, a novel written in a single 223-page sentence by Mayo author Mike McCormack has been voted the Bord Gáis Energy Book of the Year for 2016. Described as “a hymn to modern small-town life”, the experimental novel received unanimously positive reviews around the time of its publication.

Flood fears remain across the county

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

This time last year large swathes of the county were under water with flooding in the south Mayo area particularly bad, the issue once again raised its head at the December meeting of Mayo County Council this week. The elected members were given a presentation by senior executive engineer Dave Mellett in regard to how the council should make a submission to the OPW on the Draft Flood Risk Management Plan for the Moy and Kilalla Bay and Erriff, Clew Bay, Blacksod, Broadhaven.

Mayo Garda chief satisfied that Knock not main hub for drugs coming in

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

Senator Michelle Mulherin this week at the Mayo Joint Policing Committee's quarterly meeting which was held in Ireland West Airport Knock expressed her concern about the lack of a sniffer dog to detect drugs on incoming flights at the airport. She criticised the Revenue Commissioners for the removal of a sniffer dog that had been previously at the airport. She was also critical that the Revenue Commissioners did not send a representative to the meeting to discuss the dog's removal.

The siege of Blackrock Lighthouse

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

Fifteen kilometres southwest of Mayo's Mullet Peninsula, beyond the pillars of the Inishkea and Duvillaun islands, lies the isolated island of Blackrock. Appearing on the horizon like an abandoned vessel, this small, rocky, outcrop has been without a permanent resident for many decades, but the sound of the crashing waves and the constant coating of spray is a reminder of the horror that almost claimed the lives of three men in the winter of 1942-43 when the rock became the scene of a prolonged and frightening wartime siege.

Last of the Ballina GMA funding assigned

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

The General Municipal Allocation (GMA) assigned to each of the four municipal districts in the county has been one of the biggest bones of contention for councillors all across the county since the rejigging of the local government system in 2014, with councillors continuously calling for an increase in the allocations across the county. However the Ballina Municipal District still had €4,000 unallocated from the 2016 fund of €525,000 this week, which had to be approved by a resolution of the district or the funding would be lost to the area.

Pilgrimage to depart from Knock for NY next year

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

The year 2017 will be a remarkable year for the people of Knock and the Irish diaspora in New York as plans are under way at Knock Shrine to lead a group out from Ireland West Airport to New York next May.

More than fifty schools in Mayo without educational psychologists — Calleary

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo Dara Calleary says he is alarmed by new figures which reveal that 53 schools across Mayo do not have a National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) psychologist assigned to them. The statistic is contained in a Parliamentary Reply submitted by the party.

Mayo to benefit from Arts Council investment of more than €310k

Fri, Dec 16, 2016

The Arts Council, the government agency for leading the development of the arts in Ireland, this week announced funding of €314,500 for Mayo in 2017. The Ballinglen Arts Foundation and the Ballina Arts Centre are among the four local centres and organisations that have been awarded funding by the arts agency. 

National Science award for St Joseph’s students

Fri, Dec 09, 2016

A second year science class in St Joseph's Secondary School, Castlebar, has been announced as the overall winner in the National Saffron Science Competition for 2016. This year, entrants were asked to create a three minute video around the question 'How science and technology can make managing transportation safer? 

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