News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

A look at news from around Ireland

ANTRIM
Community relations in Crumlin were hanging by a thread last week as anger about the town's Twelfth of July parade threatened to boil over into violence.

The town host the Twelfth once every 14 years, but that was still too much for the members of a recently-formed residents' group who called on the Parades' commission to show the organizers their marching orders.

After days of secret deliberations their verdict came in – and it has somehow managed to drum up hostility from hardliners on both sides of the debate.
[Source: Antrim Guardian]

ARMAGH
A Newry pensioner has proved that age is no barrier to chasing academic dreams by earning a prestigious degree through his local college.

Seventy-two-year-old Jimmy Markey from Monaghan Row became a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Humanities when his degree was conferred by the University of Ulster two weeks ago.

The inspirational pensioner played down his achievement but credited his life-long love of books for his success.

“I’ve always had an interest in reading and learning but in my generation we had to leave school and get out to work,” he said.
[Source: Examiner Newspaper]

CARLOW
A Carlow man who pleaded guilty to the theft of almost $2million from the post office where he was manager must wait until October to hear his fate.

Tony O’Reilly (37), 10 Sandhills, Hacketstown Road, Carlow pleaded guilty at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court July 6 to the theft of almost $2m from postal accounts at Gorey Post Office.

The married father of one admitted to taking a total amount of $2,012,274 over a period between December 6, 2010 and June 29, 2009 on five separate occasions, in amounts ranging from $60,000 to $915,000.

The well-known Carlow man replied “guilty” in a one-word response to the charges.
[Source: Carlow Nationalist]

CAVAN
After the success of The Begrudgers, the Gonzo Theatre cast and crew are taking to the stage once again. For the past nine months, many of the Gonzo crew have been working on The Begrudgers which went on to win the RTÉ Storyland competition in June.

The Gonzo have a very busy summer planned and will be staging three plays during the Fleadh Cheoil.

The highly successful plays Fleadh Town and Charlie and the Big Friendly Twits are making a comeback for this Fleadh Cheoil after selling out all shows last year.
[Source: The Anglo Celt]

CLARE
Householders in North Clare have cried foul over the alleged contamination of a group water scheme and private wells by treated effluent discharged from the Clare County Council’s sewerage treatment plant in Kilfenora.

The local authority has admitted that a tracer has been found in the Lemanagh-Roughan Group Water Scheme and has been linked to treated effluent discharged into the Ballybreen swallow hole from the village’s wastewater treatment plant.

The group water scheme serves about 13 households as well as farm connections, while the tracer has also appeared in four other private wells serving another eight houses.
[Source: Clare Champion]

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Nster.com