News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

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Brian O’Grady of Carrowsallagh, Newport, and Christopher Dyra of Mullane, Newport, both pleaded not guilty to several counts of assault and a single count each of false imprisonment against

Damien Murray of Skirdagh, Newport, on May 27, 2011, while Dyra was also charged with assaulting Murray on May 31, 2011.

However, the court went into recess while Murray was being cross-examined and afterwards both defendants pleaded guilty to a charge of Coercion under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act. Judge Rory MacCabe adjourned sentencing until January 2013.

[Source: The Mayo News]

MEATH

A County Meath company has pulled off a major trade coup by beating off international competition to land a $12 million contract with France's largest exporter of agricultural products, protecting 100-plus jobs at its Oldcastle headquarters in the process.

Dromone Engineering, manufacturers of hitching equipment for agriculture and construction, secured the contract with France's largest exporter of agricultural products, Massey Ferguson (Agco Group), based in Beauvais, north of Paris.

The company also has more good news in the pipeline as it is expected to sign an agreement on a contract of equal size in North America next month.

[Source: Meath Chronicle]

MONAGHAN

Cross-border fuel smugglers caused further pollution in Co. Monaghan in the Croghan area of Annyalla.

They dumped five plastic containers with almost 5,000 liters of diesel sludge – the substance “laundered” from colored tax-rebated diesel when the dye is removed.

Removing the dye enables those processing the diesel to get a higher price for commercial fuel used by motor vehicles.

It was the third illicit dumping of sludge on the southern side of the Monaghan/Armagh Border within that week.

[Source: Irish Times]

OFFALY

Garda (police) Commissioner Martin Callinan has assigned a detective superintendent to investigate the case of missing Co. Offaly woman Fiona Pender.

The 25-year-old hairdresser and part-time model was seven months pregnant when she disappeared from her flat at Church Street in Tullamore on August 22, 1996.

Her mother, Josephine Pender (63), has suffered ill health and insomnia ever since.

Ms. Pender’s disappearance occurred just over a year after her 22-year-old brother Mark died in a motorcycle crash near Tullamore.

“My husband took his own life in 2000 because of the loss of his children. That’s the domino effect,” said Josephine Pender.

[Source: Irish Times]

ROSCOMMON

The Chief Executive of the Midwest Regional Hospitals Group, Ann Doherty, has stated that there will be no additional costs and that smaller hospitals will fare better from the reorganization of acute hospitals in the midwest.

Currently, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is overhauling hospital services in the midwest, Galway and Roscommon.

Hospitals in the two areas have a combined budget of almost $619 million this year.

[Source: Irish Times]

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