News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

Following a two-hour meeting last Wednesday night in the Kingscourt Community Centre, the former Kingscourt Brick workers delivered their decision in favor of accepting the offer.

SIPTU Industrial Organizer John Regan explained that proposals had been presented to the workers in the previous two days and last Wednesday they balloted on the offer and close to unanimously accepted the package put before them.
[Source: The Anglo Celt]

CLARE

Primary schools in Clare are among the most overcrowded in the country and almost nine out of every 10 pupils in the county are in classes greater than the EU average.

New figures published last week show that almost 90 percent of pupils in Clare schools are in classes of 20 or more and over one quarter are in “super-size” classes with over 30 children.

The report shows that 27 percent of primary pupils are in classes of 30 or more which equates to 3,656 pupils. Fifty-eight percent of the primary school population is in classes of 20 or more and 15 percent of pupils are in classes under 20.

Clare INTO Representative Sean McMahon has claimed the figures show the impact of government cutbacks on the ground in schools and that Irish class sizes are back to where they were a decade ago and getting worse.
[Source: Clare Champion]

CORK

A profound effort is being made by Gardaí (police) to trace the origin of a brown, powdery substance that is believed to be the cause of the deaths of Liam Coffey and Michael Coleman in Kinsale two weekends ago.

The two young men died from suspected overdoses in the early hours of Sunday morning (September 9) at Mr. Coleman's house that he shared with his girlfriend in Kinsale. Post-mortems were subsequently carried out on both bodies and toxicology reports are expected to confirm that this substance was the cause of Mr. Coleman and Mr. Coffey's deaths.

The HSE is urging caution to drug users and they are focusing on a brown, powdery substance being distributed in the Cork area which known to contain Methyl amphetamine (MDMA Ecstasy) and Paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA).
[Source: Cork Independent]

DERRY

Derry man Vincent Neff and his art-pop band Django Django were celebrating last Thursday, having been shortlisted for this year’s coveted 2012 Mercury Music Prize, reports Julieann Campbell.

Their self-titled album, which was released in January this year to critical acclaim, is among the 12 albums that will now compete for the 2012 prize, one of the most prestigious accolades in the music industry. The shortlist was announced last Wednesday.

The four-piece are in fine company, too, as they make the list alongside the likes of Plan B, previous nominee Richard Hawley, Jessie Ware, Alt-J, Field Music and the Maccabees.
[Source: Derry Journal]

DONEGAL

Loreto, Letterkenny may be the only Donegal secondary school involved in Gaelic sports that won’t get any tickets to the Sept. 23rd All-Ireland final between Donegal and Mayo, a teacher said last Wednesday.

​
Nster.com