Castlebar and Ballinrobe to get youth cafés

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

There was good news this week in Mayo with the announcement that €100,000 will be invested in youth facilities in two towns in the county. Both Castlebar and Ballinrobe were selected as two of 30 locations across the country for new youth cafés in a list that was announced by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald as part of a total package worth €1.5 million.

Ballina’s running ambitions on track with funding boost

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

Amibitions to develop facilities in Ballina to make the town a major running, walking and cycling destination, similar to west Mayo’s Greenway, got a boost yesterday (Thursday).

Waiting lists soar in Mayo while Government seeks further health cuts, says Calleary

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

New figures published by the HSE have revealed a 17 per cent increase in the number of people on waiting lists at Mayo General Hospital. According to the figures seen by Fianna Fáil Deputy Dara Calleary, there were 850 adults and children waiting for in-patient and day case appointments at Mayo General Hospital at the end of September. That is an increase of 126 in the year.

Deputy Calleary has described the annual increase as a “disgrace”, particularly at a time when the Government is seeking further cuts to local health services next year. “In the last two years, the health services in Mayo and across the west of Ireland have received a hammering under the Health Minister James Reilly’s so called ‘reform’ agenda. Instead of improving services for patients as he promised, the reality has been the exact opposite,” said Deputy Calleary.

O’Mahony hands over study group report on future of Knock airport

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

John O’Mahony TD, who is the joint-chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications, this week handed over a report on the Ireland West Airport Knock to An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, and to Minister for the Environment, Leo Vardakar.

Castlebar unit sells for five times its reserve at auction

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

A unit at the N5 Business Park on the Moneen Road in Castlebar was sold for more than five times its reserve price at the latest Allsop auction in Dublin this week. The unit had a reserve price of €20,000 and sold for €101,000. Also in Castlebar, an apartment at Tara Court, Saleen, which had been listed at €15,000 sold for €22,000.

Mulherin highlights need for pros and cons study of power lines located above and below ground

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Michelle Mulherin, has this week highlighted the need for a study to be carried out to determine the pros and cons of locating power lines above and below ground, so that the public is fully informed in an open and transparent manner. Deputy Mulherin was speaking following the appearance by Eirgrid at the recent Joint Oireachtas Transport and Communications Committee.

Robot enthusiasts get funding for novel business

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

A pair of science and technology students from Castlebar have turned their passion for Lego and robots into a unique start-up company and won themselves a grant to develop their business.

Irish Water funding does not match what is needed to run service

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

With the switch over in responsibility for the water services in the country from local authorities to Irish Water coming into effect from the start of January, Director of Services for Mayo County Council, Paddy Mahon, gave the members of the council a presentation on the hand over at Monday’s meeting of Mayo County Council.

As part of his presentation, Mahon told the members that Irish Water had just sent the council the details of its proposed payments to the council for 2014 for their managment of the network on Irish Water’s behalf. However, Irish Water’s figure came in somewhat less than what the council had expected with a figure in the region of €21.8 million being proposed. This is more than €500,000 less than Mayo County Council is expected to need to run the service at the same level as has been up to date.

Castlebar street battle captured in new calendar

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

The reenactment during the summer of the famed battle known as the Castlebar Races, which attracted 10,000 spectators to the county town, has been commemorated in a 2014 calendar.

New Survey of Clare Island launched

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

Brian Hayes, TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works officially launched two volumes of the New Survey of Clare Island at the National Botanic Gardens. The two volumes (Volume 7: Plants and Fungi and Volume 8: Soils and Soil Associations) are published by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) as part of the New Survey project.

Flynn questions if the council is a debating society

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

“Is this a debating society or is it a council meeting?” was the question posed by Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn on Monday afternoon, after the council had spent almost an hour debating back and forth across the chamber on the issue of the recent jobs news in Castlebar. Flynn, who will not be running in next year’s local elections after he opted to step down after only one term, said: “We’ve been here for an hour and we haven’t made one mention of anything we can effect.”

Mayo men complete Great Ethiopian Run for charity

Fri, Dec 13, 2013

Last month, 19 Irish volunteers participated in the Great Ethiopian Run (GER) in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia on behalf of Vita, an Irish NGO working in East Africa including three Mayo men which raised over €50,000.

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