Ciarán McDonald opens up about Mayo footballing career

Fri, Apr 10, 2015

One of Mayo’s greatest footballers of all time, Ciarán McDonald, has spoken about his heartbreak over never winning an All Ireland intercounty medal in a rare media interview.

New-look Knock Basilica unveiled over Easter

Fri, Apr 10, 2015

Parishioners and visitors to Knock over the Easter holiday were treated to a first look at the Shrine’s massively revamped Basilica, which closed last October for a major renovation project.

People Before Profit to host public meeting on one-parent family cuts

Fri, Apr 10, 2015

Tomorrow, Saturday April 11, at 3pm People Before Profit Mayo has organised a public meeting in the Le Cheile Family resource centre, Tucker Street, Castlebar. The guest speaker at the event will be Michelle Frawley of the one-parent family group Spark. She will give a presentation on the cuts to one-parent family payments and the consequences for one-parent families, followed by a question and answer session.

New project to help older people with odd jobs

Fri, Apr 10, 2015

Many older people may be struggling to carry out basic odd jobs around their homes but are apprehensive when it comes to asking for help.

Weir totally against Eirgrid’s third option

Fri, Apr 10, 2015

Independent Ballina Municipal District Mayo county councillor Seamus Weir this week hit out at proposals to only underground 8km of the controversial project. Cllr Weir said this week: “I oppose Eirgrid’s third option to reduce the voltage on the proposed 400kv transmission line from 400kv to 210kv and suggesting under-grounding the line to a distances of 30 kilometres from Magownagh to Flagfort. I am told it will only be underground for 8km at Flagfort substation.”

Scenic Clare Island set for 10k for Cancer Care West

Fri, Apr 10, 2015

Any one of the hundreds of people who have taken part in the annual Clare Island 10k run/walk in aid of Cancer Care West, understand what makes it such a unique event.

Ballycroy mum’s trim new look wins national recognition

Fri, Apr 10, 2015

A Ballycroy mum is in the running for a national slimming award after shedding a whopping five and a half stone.

Further damning report on Áras Attracta care standards

Fri, Apr 03, 2015

Another damning report by health services watchdog HIQA has raised serious ongoing concerns about the care of residents at the HSE run facility, Áras Attracta in Swinford.

Vast majority of Mayo couples opt for Catholic ceremony

Fri, Apr 03, 2015

The vast majority of couples in Mayo are still opting for Catholic marriage services and do not venture too far from home when it comes to finding their other halves.

Progress for council owned homes with pyrite problems

Fri, Apr 03, 2015

There has been some progress for tenants of local authority homes affected by pyrite, it was revealed this week, but there was not good news for private home owners in the county also affected by the problem. At this week’s meeting of the West Mayo Municipal District, Martin Keating, the director of services for the district, told the elected members: “We’ve received communication from the Department that confirms that they are not covered by the pyrite remediation scheme [which was in place in the east of the country], but they are willing to work with Mayo County Council to resolve the issue. They have asked us to commission a number of further tests and studies on the units and to submit them to them as soon as possible. Arrangements are being made to have that done at the minute, we will keep you appraised on that. We are very glad to see there is movement on it from the Department, or at least a willingness to work with the council on resolving the social housing units.”

Fine Gael councillor Gerry Coyle questioned why the council or the relevant Government department had not taken any legal action against the quarries that sold the pyrite affected products, saying: “Everyone was waiting for one case to come from the council or Department against a quarry, it would give a better chance if it was carried through and won, it would give courage to normal people to press on. Because they already have children going to school or college, paying a mortgage, and are already out of pocket. They are afraid to take it on and go to court and spend another €20k and maybe lose, it is €4k to get the testing done, are they paying good money after bad.”

Doocastle man elected Ireland’s Students’ Union president

Fri, Apr 03, 2015

A law and philosophy graduate from Doocastle has been elected to the most prominent role in student politics in Ireland.

More than five hundred applications for social housing in West Mayo district

Fri, Apr 03, 2015

There are more than 500 applications on file in the West Mayo District for social housing, it was revealed this week. The March meeting of the local authority was told there were 503 applications on file in the region by director of services for the district, Martin Keating. He further broke down the figures outlining that in the Westport town area there were 198 applications, in the Westport rural area there were 97, in Belmullet there were 52, in the Ballycroy and Mulranny area there were 20 applications, and in the Achill area there were 33 applications.

Sinn Fein councillor Rose Conway Walsh told the meeting: “The major problem, and it is getting worse, is the issue of the cap on the rent allowance for the housing. People are trying to prevent themselves from becoming homeless, people are trying to make up the shortfall on the rent allowance, and what they have to pay for rent is too great. It is really pushing families into poverty because they cannot meet the gap there, and I do think this needs to be seriously looked at as it is at the moment. I know the Minister indicated there would be some flexibility around it but there hasn’t been any in individual cases, and that needs to be examined or we’re going to end up with a lot more people who are homeless here, and it is the Government’s responsibility to ensure that people have adequate housing in the area.”

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