News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

A look at what is happening around Ireland

The 17-year-old suspect is from the Omagh area, where the student was attacked in the early hours of Monday, December 31.

Mr. McGovern (19) was punched outside a nightclub after being involved in a verbal exchange with a group of men.

He travelled to Omagh with a group of friends but became separated.

He later made his way to the border village of Emyvale, County Monaghan, where he had been staying with friends. He was found dead at midday on New Year’s Eve.
[Source: Irish Examiner]

OFFALY

The number of patients waiting for a bed at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore has doubled in recent days with the latest Trolley Watch figures showing that 18 patients were without beds at the facility.

The figures that were released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Association on January 3 show an increase of 100 percent from Wednesday, January 2 when nine patients were reported to be waiting on trolleys.

Elsewhere in the region nine patients were waiting for a bed in Mullingar while three were waiting in Portlaoise.
[Source: Offaly Express]

ROSCOMMON

The number of mobile phones seized from inmates at Castlerea Prison has fallen significantly in the past five years since the introduction of increased security measures.

New figures furnished by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter indicated that just 24 mobile phones were seized at the prison up to the end of November compared to over 100 in 2008.

The figures showed that the number of phones seized across the prison network had halved since 2008 and that this trend was also evident at Castlerea Prison.
[Source: Roscommon Herald]

SLIGO

Iarnrod Eireann is going “off the rails” on the Sligo-Dublin line. That's the view of Sligo Chamber of Commerce over reductions to train services from January.

The company has confirmed that both the 7:05 a.m. and 9:05 a.m. services from Dublin to Sligo will cease. They will be replaced by one service departing Dublin at 8:05 a.m.

This means that the first train will arrive in Sligo at 11:05 a.m. from the capital.
[Source: Sligo Champion]

TIPPERARY

Pakistani student Malala Yousafzai has been announced as the recipient of the 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award. The Tipperary Peace Convention announced on New Year’s Day – World Day of Peace - that they are recognizing Malala’s “courage, determination and perseverance,” along with the impact she has had on so many across the world, with the award to her of the 2012 International Peace Prize.
[Source: Tipperary Star]

TYRONE

B.T. is building on its success in connecting communities by expanding further into rural areas, including Augher in the Dungannon borough.

One year on and B.T.'s Connected Communities program is being rolled out into more rural communities across Northern Ireland.

The major initiative, which was launched in a number of cities and towns in 2011 to establish on-the-ground I.T. support and resources in a bid to tackle online social exclusion, now supports 15 community groups across the island.
[Source: Tyrone Courier]

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Nster.com