News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

A huge blaze has destroyed an agricultural premises in Johnstown, Navan, for the second time in just 15 months, leaving a disbelieving local farmer in shock.

On Thursday night, 27th September, a fire started in the outbuildings of a yard at St Martha's, Johnstown, leased by farmer Edmund Curtis.

It is understood that repairs, renovations and re-wiring were only recently completed after a fire wrecked the same premises in June of last year.

Gardai are investigating the incident but the cause of this latest outbreak is not yet known. Winter feedstuffs and straw helped ignite the blaze, leaving the facility effectively beyond repair.
(Source: The Meath Chronicle)
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Monaghan

Two men from Newry have appeared in court in the Republic of Ireland in connection with laundering illegal diesel.

The men, aged 33 and 34, were arrested at commercial premises in Glaslough, County Monaghan, last Monday night.

They appeared before Cavan District Court last Tueday and were remanded in custody.

The arrests follow the recovery of a tanker delivering 40,000 litres of diesel.

Customs officers followed the tanker and raided an illegal diesel laundering plant.

Inside they found an underground tank into which the fuel, originally intended for agricultural use, is pumped with a bleaching agent to remove the dye.

When the dye is removed, the fuel is sold on as conventional road diesel, making a significant profit for the launderers.

The facility could have deprived the Republic of Ireland's exchequer of up to 4m euros (£3.4m) a year in lost revenue.

The men are due to appear before Monaghan District Court on Monday 10 October.
(Source: BBC News)

Offaly

Up to 50 or 100 new jobs could be created in Tullamore if local people kept their money in town.

That’s the message being highlighted in a new poster campaign launched last week by a group of local traders and business people.

“Your town, your choice, your money” is the catchy slogan on the posters which are now on display in shops and businesses throughout the town centre.

The posters play on the famous World War II US poster featuring Uncle Sam and the wording “Your country needs you”.

“Money spent in Tullamore keeps jobs locally,” said local business man, Christy Maye who is the author of the new marketing campaign.

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Nster.com