New appointments to the board of Gnó Mhaigh Eo

Fri, May 13, 2016

The board of Gnó Mhaigh Eo has appointed four new board members in recent months.  Earlier this year, Colleen McMahon of Rua, Castlebar, and Caroline Price of Oileán Éadaigh – West Mayo Brewery, joined the board of directors, bringing with them their knowledge and first-hand experience of working in business in Mayo. Rua was the recipient of Gnó Mhaigh Eo’s Gradam Gnó – Business with Irish Award last year, and West Mayo Brewery was one of the other companies on the shortlist for the award.

Dark Skies leads to bright future in Ballycroy

Fri, May 06, 2016

Tourism in the county received a major boost this week, with the news that Ballycroy National Park and Wild Nephin Wilderness is to be jointly recognised as Mayo International Dark Sky Park. The park has received accreditation from International Dark Skies Assocation. There are just 31 other Dark Skies Parks in the world, with the majority of them being located in the USA including the famous Death Valley National Park in California. Ballycroy National Park is now the first ever International Dark Sky Park in Ireland. The park received Gold tier classification; according to the International Dark Skies Assocation a Gold tier classification is "an honor reserved for the most exceptional of dark skies and stunning nightscapes". This recognition completes the '360 degree experience' that this stunning region has to offer.

Ballinrobe's Alan Murphy ready to tell his tale

Fri, May 06, 2016

The anticipation for Ballinrobe native Alan Murphy’s first book Beyond The Spotlight is reaching fever pitch as he’s just shot the book cover in Hollywood, California. Alan, who is a popular presenter with Galway Bay FM, is gearing up for the nationwide release of his book this September. Beyond The Spotlight will explore the world of fame and celebrity and will feature interviews Alan has done with everyone from A-List superstars Charlize Theron and Martin Sheen to Mayo’s own Louis Walsh and Rory “Panti” O’Neill.

Kilmovee man tells his story of losing a limb to urge drivers to mind cyclists

Fri, May 06, 2016

One of Ireland's elite Paralympic athletes has teamed up with the road safety office of Mayo County Council to produce an awareness video (https://youtu.be/ANHDtfuKCy4) to highlight the importance of giving cyclists a safe distance when overtaking with a minimum distance of 1.5m. Members of the general public were interviewed on what distance a driver should give when overtaking a cyclist, with some surprising results. The clips provides the feeling for cyclists as vehicles whizz by at speed just inches away from them.

Jerry Towey's own story is that on a Sunday night in November 1990, he found himself lying on a road in Foxford being told to keep his helmet on and ‘don’t look at your leg’. He had crashed his motorbike. Three weeks later his leg was amputated just below his knee, due to an infection and the extent of the injury. Six months later, he walked out of the National Rehabilitation Clinic in Dún Laoghaire with a prosthetic leg. When talking about the harsh reality of people losing limbs and becoming seriously injured in road traffic accidents, Jerry does not go into gory details. He simply says "It’s the same wards, but different faces in the beds."

Youth sent forward for trial

Fri, May 06, 2016

A youth was sent forward for trial in the Central Criminal Court for the murder of 17-year-old Dovydas Jenkas from Claremount Manor, Clarmorris at Claremount, Claremorris, on December 19 2015 this week. The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was served with a book of evidence by Sgt James Carroll. He remains on high court bail ahead of his trial in the Central Criminal Court.

Eoin gets the Dragons to bite

Fri, May 06, 2016

Castlebar man Eoin Heverin made a successful pitch for investment in his fledgeling business Tellmystory.ie on RTÉ's Dragons Den last Sunday night. The Castlebar man was successful in persuading 'Dragon' Barry O'Sullivan to invest €40,000 into his business. Speaking this week to the Mayo Advertiser, Heverin recalled the experience: "It went on for over an hour, so what we saw was just condensed down to 15 minutes, but I was very happy with how everything went on the day. The ending especially, of course. I was grand, I was well prepared, now about half an hour before I went they did kick in which is normal, but I was confident about my product and I knew my stuff so it was just about going in there and showing that."

Westport's smartest travellers revealed

Fri, May 06, 2016

Singing, rapping, learning and dancing were all part of the Operation Transportation Award ceremony recently held in Westport Town Hall. Teams from the challenge came along to find out who Westport’s Smartest Travel Team was and also to enjoy the entertainment from special guests Luke Concannon and Jimmy Davis.

Planning restrictions will "close down rural Ireland"

Fri, Apr 29, 2016

Planning restrictions that are being enforced will "close down rural Ireland" it was alleged this week. At the April meeting of the West Mayo Municipal District, the councillors were informed that a planning application for a house in Achill was up for refusal as it did not meet the guidelines laid down in the county development plan. The councillors were told that the house would impinge on the scenic nature of the area.

Huge line-up of events for Mayo Day

Fri, Apr 29, 2016

Tomorrow, Saturday April 30, will see the second ever Mayo Day take place across the county and the globe, with 35 events planned for towns and villages in the county over the weekend. Mayo Day is a celebration of our 'Mayo-ness' in Mayo communities worldwide, it offers Mayo people at home and away an opportunity to celebrate all that is great about their progressive, can-do county.

Mayo has three Senators in new Seanad

Fri, Apr 29, 2016

Mayo's representation in the Oireachtas now totals seven with the election of three Mayo politicians to the 25th Seanad, along with the four TDs returned to the Dáil. The first of those elected to the upper house was Belmullet based Fianna Fáil candidate Keith Swanick who picked up a seat on the Cultural and Educational panel in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

IWAK celebrates 30th anniversary with a gala concert

Fri, Apr 29, 2016

Ireland West Airport has announced a very special live gala concert that will take place in the airport's terminal building on Friday May 27 to mark the 30th anniversary of its official opening. The concert is a celebration not to be missed and looks back over 30 years of memories and nostalgia for the airport that critics said ‘should never have been built’.

Westport Credit Union is on the move

Fri, Apr 29, 2016

It has been a very busy couple of months at Westport Credit Union and they are all very excited to announce their move to a new premises located on North Mall in Westport. To facilitate such a move, they will be closed to the public on Tuesday May 3 and would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

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