News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

However, police sources suggest a lack of CCTV evidence and the fact that the complainant has apparently changed his story on several occasions mean it is ‘very unlikely’ that the reality show judge will be arrested.

‘There has been a change of story a few times and there is no evidence at this stage that backs up the man’s claims,’ an insider said.

‘The [CCTV] footage shows very little and at this stage there are no immediate plans to interview anybody else in connection with this.’

Walsh has said he is ‘flabbergasted’ by the allegations.

He said: ‘The allegations made against me are wholly false and with no foundation.

‘I will happily cooperate fully with the police and am 100 per cent confident that after a full investigation I will be fully exonerated.’

According to the unsubstantiated claims from the alleged victim, the attack happened in the early hours of the morning when Mr Walsh is said to have visited Russell Court Hotel in Dublin.

 Earlier in the evening, Mr Walsh had attended a concert by Westlife, the Irish boyband he created.
The man allegedly told police he chatted with Mr Walsh in the hotel’s private Global Bar, before the pair moved on to its well-known Krystle nightclub.

His statement to officers claims the TV star then indecently assaulted him in the nightclub’s toilets.
(Source: The Evening Hearld)

Fermanagh

A meat processing company in Fermanagh has ceased trading, putting 40 jobs at risk.

Tenderlean Limited, which is based in Derrylin in County Fermanagh, supplied pre-packed beef, lamb and pork to supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants.

The company has called in administrators, who said there were no funds to continue trading.
The administrators have said they hope to find a purchaser.

Like other meat processing operations, Tenderlean faced sharp increases in the price of raw materials at a time when the retail market was experiencing recession.

Cattle prices have increased by 50% over the past three and a half years, resulting in a drain on cash.
Retail meat prices have not kept pace with rising farm prices and as a result companies like Tenderlean have seen margins squeezed.
(Source: BBC News)

Galway

A woman in labor was forced to wait in a toilet of the Maternity Unit at University Hospital Galway last week due to chronic overcrowding.

This happened in a week when the number of patients on trolleys in the A&E department reached an all-time high of 39 on Friday, the highest in the whole country; while an 80 years old stroke victim spent 34 hours on a trolley at the A&E last weekend.

When the Galway mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, arrived into the Maternity Unit last Tuesday night, the waiting room was so crowded with other women in labor that she was offered the adjacent toilet as the only other space for her to wait until she was admitted.

She did eventually get into a labor ward to deliver a bouncing baby boy, but Friday, another woman, who was in the early stages of labor, was sent home because there was no bed for her.

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Nster.com