News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Antrim

After two years' work setting up and growing the Antrim-based cancer charity Eye Feel Good, the group's chairman, Richard Fee, has stressed that the Champion award won at the Antrim Community Awards is a testament to the work of the charity as a whole and the generosity of the people of Antrim.

When his wife Annemarie was diagnosed with eye cancer shortly after giving birth to the couple's first child, Richard recognised the need to raise awareness of the disease.

(Source: The Antrim Guardian)

Armagh

The Northern Ireland student left in a coma after she was attacked with a metal baseball bat in America has begun to walk, talk and breathe on her own.

Natasha McShane, 23, from Silverbridge in County Armagh, was attacked as she returned home from a night out with a friend in Chicago on 23 April.

Two people have been charged with attempted murder.

The hospital has said Natasha has improved. Her grandmother, Bernadette, said it was great to have good news.

"It is exactly seven weeks tonight since we heard about the attack," she said.

(Source: BBC News)

Carlow

A Carlow man who received a callous death threat via his email has appealed to people to be wary of what appears to be a new method of forcing vulnerable people to hand over huge sums of money.

The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was left in a very frightened state after he opened an email from a person who claimed to have been hired to kill him. And although the man realised that it was most likely a hoax claim, he was still left shaken by the fact that his life and the safety of his family were threatened.

(Source:  The Carlow Nationalist)

Clare

The need to rebuild a special identity in the Catholic Church in the wake of the pain and suffering caused by clerical sex abuse has been identified by the Bishop Elect of Killaloe, Fr Kieran O’Reilly.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Fr O’Reilly described himself as a “person of hope but not false optimism” when questioned about the importance of Church renewal.

The 57-year-old Cork cleric told members of the local and national media that Ireland has a great tradition and deep-rooted faith in the Gospel, which provides an ideal foundation to embark on a new journey of discovery.

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Nster.com