News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

What's going on in your home county in Ireland

The councilor said he had seen several cases where legal owners of firearms were “dusting them down in preparation for what may, or may not occur.”
[Source: The Mayo News]

MEATH

After almost 10 years in temporary accommodation, there was great joy as the sod was finally turned on the new primary school for St. Stephen's National School in Johnstown, Navan last week.

Alex Kiernan Byrne (4), who will start school in St. Stephen's next September, helped school principal Jenny McHugh perform the sod-turning on Tuesday morning, while Fr. Michael Cahill blessed the site.

Local councilors and members of the parents' council joined sixth-class pupils and some of the children due to start school this year for the sod-turning ceremony.
[Source: Meath Chronicle]

MONAGHAN

Burger King is no longer sourcing burgers from the Irish company at the center of the horsemeat scandal.

The global fast-food giant Burger King confirmed last Wednesday it has switched to an alternative supplier for its Irish and British restaurants because A.B.P.'s Silvercrest plant is under investigation for contamination of supermarket burgers with horsemeat.

Silvercrest in County Monaghan is a burger-making subsidiary of beef tycoon Larry Goodman's A.B.P. Food Group, which has meat processing plants throughout Ireland, Britain and Europe.
[Source: Irish Independent]

OFFALY

A total of 45 events have been confirmed across Offaly during 2013 as part of “The Gathering” Festival.

Events will take place from March right through to November across Offaly ranging from a St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Festival, to parish gatherings, to an Equinox Festival, to an American Festival in Moneygall.

The first event is the St. Patrick’s Day Weekend in Tullamore from March 16 to 18, which will see visitors from all over the world visiting and taking part in the celebrations. Tullamore is linked with Chandler, Arizona, whose impressive 80-person band has been invited to perform at the weekend festival.

The weekend will include art exhibitions, drama performances, street performers and, of course, the extremely popular parade.
[Source: Offaly Express]

ROSCOMMON

Discussions have taken place in recent weeks on the location of the McAleese collection of items at King House in Boyle.

Former president Mary McAleese has donated more than 60 gifts to the State she received during her 14 years in office. Many of those items were presented by heads of state, including Barack Obama and Yasser Arafat.

Deputy Frank Feighan said last week that to have some of these presentations on display at King House in Boyle “would certainly prove to be a major attraction for visitors at home and abroad. The Taoiseach (Prime Minister) is aware of the ambitions locally to house some of the collection in Boyle and is delighted at the enthusiasm being shown to bring to Roscommon what would be a wonderful showcase.”
[Source: Roscommon Herald]

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