News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Antrim

Postal staff have escaped injury after a packet containing a firework exploded in a Northern Ireland mail sorting office. The complex at Royal Mail House in Tomb Street, Belfast, was evacuated after the blast sparked a security alert at around 11am last Friday. Army bomb experts and emergency services were called to the scene to inspect the premises. The small explosion took place in a returns centre which handles mail from across Northern Ireland and Britain.

(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Armagh

The men were arrested by the PSNI Serious Crime Branch during searches in Lurgan, County Armagh, last Friday morning. The searches were linked to dissident republican activity, a PSNI spokeswoman said. In the Republic of Ireland, four men are still being questioned about a "bomb factory" in County Kildare. Five men were arrested after nine mortars and component were found at the farm in Quinsborough.

(Source: BBC News Northern Ireland)

Carlow

Local gardaí (police) were kept busy last week as there was a sharp increase in burglaries and drink-driving around the county. Enterprising thieves made off with a variety of goods from several premises across Carlow. According to a spokesperson for Carlow gardaí, there were at least ten burglaries in the county over the past seven days, a significant increase on other weeks.

(Source: The Carlow Nationalist)

Cavan

At 5.10am on Monday morning, January 10, 2011, a lone male wearing a balaclava used a crow bar to break the window of Greene’s pharmacy at Market Street, Ballyjamesduff. The man then entered the shop via the broken window and stole perfumes, other toiletries as well as digital cameras from the pharmacy. Footage from cctv in the town show the man leaving the scene in a Mitsubishi Pajero jeep.

(Source: The Angle Celt)

Clare

The number of new 2011 cars registered in Clare for the first 10 days of this year has increased by 50% on the same period last year, according to figures obtained from the Revenue Commissioners. Last year, there were a total of 96 new cars registered up to January 10, 2010, while for the same time this year that number has increased to 144. While that figure has increased, the number of used cars registered so far this year has dropped on last year’s figures.

(Source: The Clare Champion)

Cork

The Roche’s Point foghorn sounded for the last time last week after more than 100 year’s service. The Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) also discontinued eight other fog signals around the country as it aims to modernize its systems and cutback on potential expenditures.
Speaking last week, Desmond O’Brien from the CIL said that, because of cutbacks, it would be too expensive to upgrade and maintain the foghorns and that, in the age of modern technology; the long-serving foghorn can’t compete.

Source: (Cork Independent)

Derry

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Nster.com