Antrim

There was widespread condemnation last Monday after suspected pipe bombs were discovered at St Comgall's Primary School and St Joseph's Primary School in Antrim. The device at St Comgall's was discovered last Monday morning at around 8.30am after an eight-year-old pupil picked it up and carried it to a teacher. Brendan Shannon, from Culnafeigh Green, had just arrived at school with his twin sister Ciara when he saw the device on the ground.
 (Source: Antrim Guardian)

Armagh

A murdered man was killed in a frenzied stabbing, police have revealed.Kevin Fletcher, 32, was found dead at his Armagh home by his girlfriend last week. The unemployed man was vulnerable and defenceless, police said.Detective Chief Inspector Richard Harkness said: "This was a frenzied attack on a man who lived alone and was unable to defend himself against someone who was intent on causing utterly horrific injuries
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Carlow

Six firemen from around the county took on the world at the beginning of this month at the annual World Rescue Challenge in Cork. The team of six from Carlow, Tullow and Bagenalstown stations went head-to-head with 32 teams from Ireland, Europe and as far afield as New Zealand and the USA. John Comerford, Darrell Hayden, Paul Curran, Alan Owens, Ted Doyle and Andrew Fisher won the national challenge, which was held in Sligo in March of this year. They finished 16th overall in last weekend’s competition.
 (Source: The Carlow Nationalist)

Cavan

The citizens of Shercock have a new claim to fame last week. They are the fittest and slimmest community in Ireland, having shed no less than 114 stone during a 12-week slim-a-ton designed to raise funds for a new stand at the local GAA grounds, known as O'Hagan Park on the Kingscourt road. The monster weigh-in took place in St Patrick's Hall last weekend at 9am and the community spirit and feel-good factor among the scores of participants was really palpable.
 (Source: The Angle Celt)

Clare

Caher-based woodturner William Edwards is carrying on a family tradition of woodwork by creating functional and unique craft items.  William Edwards is one of a group of Clare craftspeople who exhibits at the new monthly Artisans’ Craft Fair in the Milk Market in Limerick on the last Thursday of every month. William, originally from Kent in the UK, has been living in Caher, near Feakle, for the past 23 years.
 (Source: The Clare Champion)

Cork

A mother and son have been arrested in connection with the discovery of a cannabis plant farm at Kealkil in Bantry last Monday. On searching a number of farm buildings in Moulikeeve, Gardaí at Bantry found and seized what they believe to be five kilos of cannabis grass, with an estimated value of €60,000. They also found a number of suspected cannabis plants, valued at €4,500.
Source: (Cork Independent)

Derry

A man has had part of his ear bitten off in a late night assault in Derry last week.Police say around 15 people were involved in a fracas close to a nightclub on Shipquay Street in the early hours of last Sunday morning. They say a 20-year-old had part of his right ear bitten off during the disturbance.
(Source: Derry Journal)

Donegal

Volunteer group, Donegal Mountain Rescue, say the number of call outs has quadrupled recently as a result of the growing rise in hill walking and those enjoying the great outdoors in the county. This year alone they have been involved 41 call-outs and if this trend continues they are set to reach a much higher number, according to DMR Team Leader, Joe Pond. Last year the total was 54 call-outs but he says by the end of 2010 they could see figures rise as high as 70.
(Source: Donegal Democrat)

Down

The horrific deaths of seals on the Co Down coast were kept quiet for far too long, according to a local councillor. SDLP Ards Borough councillor Joe Boyle demanded answers to why the revelations of gory deaths among protected grey and common seals were only made public three years after they were first detected. Over the last few years, carcasses of seals were found with shocking injuries including knife wounds, gunshot wounds and decapitation, centring mainly on the Strangford Lough, Minerstown Beach and Dundrum Bay areas.
 (Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Dublin

X Factor judge Louis Walsh will shortly open the doors of his €2m Miami penthouse to give a UK glossy the first look inside his palatial pad. The Herald can reveal how the Westlife manager will be adding some serious zeros to his already bulging bank account after signing a deal for an "at home" photoshoot with a British magazine. The move has come as a surprise to some in his inner circle, given how he usually shies away from the cameras when he's not working and he has never before done photographs inside his South Beach bolthole.
(Source: The Evening Hearld)

Fermanagh

25 homes had to be evacuated in Co Fermanagh early last Friday morning following a bomb alert. British army technical officers were called to Loughview Drive in Enniskillen following reports a suspicious device had been discovered at the front door of a house. The object was later declared a hoax and the families were allowed to return to their homes at 3.40am.
 (Source: RTE News)

Galway

Aer Arann has a “reasonable prospect of survival” and could return to profitability by next year, the High Court was told at a hearing held last Wednesday to determine the airline’s examinership status. The airline which suffered loses of more than €18 million in the past 30 months, applied to the High Court for examinership on August 26 last with the result of Mr Michael McAteer of Grant Thornton being appointed interim examiner
(Source: GalwayBay Fm)

Kildare

The sudden death of a young GAA player last weekend brought shock and sadness to residents of the Coill Dubh area, the St Kevin’s club and the wider GAA community. Martin Sheridan (22), above, had just played a challenge game against Carlow club Palatine last Saturday when he collapsed after enjoying a meal in a Carlow café after the match. Teammates who were with him said that after they left the café, Martin seemed to lose his breath and collapsed onto the pavement.
 (Source: The Kildare Nationalist)

Kilkenny

Four men have been arrested in relation to a break in at a nursing home in Callan last week. The four men, who range in age from late teens to early 20s, were questioned over a burglary at Avondale nursing home in Callan in the early hours of September 2. The four suspects are believed to have broken into the nursing home through a rear window. They were disturbed during the burglary by a member of staff and fled through the same window. The only thing taken during the burglary were some groceries, although on a more sinister note a knife was discovered near by.
 (Source: Kilkenny People)

Laois

A Laois County Council rent collector was put through a harrowing ordeal when he was robbed at gunpoint in Doonane, Crettyard, last week. In what appears to be a planned and targeted incident the man's car was blocked by a stolen blue Volkswagen Golf at around 1pm, on Friday the 3rd of September. Three men wearing balaclavas approached the car with a shotgun. They stole the man's car and several hundred euro and left in the direction of Wolfhill. His car was later found abandoned in nearby woods.
(Source: Leinster Express)

Leitrim

In the Sligo/Leitrim and Waterford areas no child was left waiting more than four months to be assessed by speech and language therapists. Immunisation uptake rates at 12 months were also highest in Sligo/Leitrim at 90 percent and the figures revealed that 92% of children in care in the region, due to have a scheduled review in June, had that review completed on time - substantially higher than the rest of the country.
 (Source: Leitrim Observer)

Limerick

A Moyross man who was caught carrying a scissors blade in the early hours of the morning was sentenced to 10 months in prison by Limerick Court. Damien Ryan, 28, of Castle Park, was arrested at Ballygrennan at 3.40am last June 6 after gardai received complaints that a man was acting aggressively in the area. Judge Tom O'Donnell was told the defendant was drunk and that when arrested he told gardai: "I stabbed a fellow before, I'd do it again tonight."
(Source: Limerick Leader)

Longford

A County Longford man has pleaded not guilty to rape and murder charges at a preliminary hearing held at the Edinburgh High Court last Friday, September 10.

Patrick Rae (40) has been charged with the rape and murder of mother Mary McLaren (34) in Dundee, Scotland, earlier this year. He is also charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice. Mrs McLaren went missing following a night out with her sister in Dundee on February 25. Her body was found on an embankment near Dundee's Ladywell roundabout almost two weeks later.
(Source: Longford Leader)

Louth

Former Dundalk Democrat editor and current Trip Through Time contributor Peter Kavanagh insists that last Monday night's flooding in Dundalk was the worst in 50 yearsPeter, who lives on the St Alphonsus Road, one of the areas worst affected by last week's rainfall, uncovered an old photo of flooding in the same area in 1960 following last week’s events, which saw Dundalk Fire Service dealing with the problem in the area from 8.15pm to 1am.
(Source: Dundalk Democrat)
Mayo
A tunnel carrying high-pressure Corrib gas, across a bay in north Mayo, will be the longest of its kind in Europe, it has emerged.A Shell E&P Ireland (SEPIL) consultant confirmed at last week’s Bord Pleanála hearing into the controversial project that at 4.9km long, the tunnel under Sruwaddacon Bay is almost a kilometre longer than a gas pipeline tunnel in Holland, and longer than the Dublin Port Tunnel.
(Source: The Mayo News)

Meath

The historic day was marked by the attendance of Peter Kierans, CEO of Meath VEC, and Christy Duffy, manager of the newly established school. Parents were welcomed to the school with complementary refreshments, allowing their children to settle quickly into their new surroundings. Principal of the newly-opened school, Patrick Sullivan, commented: "Its a great feeling to be able to open our doors and welcome these pupils and parents to our school; we are delighted with the enrolment and the future looks bright for Ard Rí Community National School."
 (Source: The Meath Chronicle)

Offaly

A 90 year old explosive device was made safe in Offaly last Thursday afternoon.The grenade, dating back to the War of Independence-era grenade was discovered in Cloneygowan. An army bomb disposal team was dispatched to the make the deveice safe.
(Source: Offaly Express)

Roscommon

A Parish priest has appealed last week to Irish Rail to help cut the carnage on unmanned rail crossings by introducing, as a matter of urgency, automated barriers on all crossings along the Westport rail line. In the wake of the death of Jack Hoban, the Donamon farmer who was tragically killed at an unmanned level crossing after his tractor was struck by a goods train in the Donamon area two weeks ago, Cloverhill Parish Priest Fr. Francis Glennon said that while Irish Rail had made great efforts in other parts of the country to close down unmanned crossings, there were too many left remaining on the Westport line. “In that regard we are being neglected,” he said.
 (Source: The Roscommon Champion)

Sligo

Sligo could be about to get a boost to its reputation as a centre of culinary excellence if the borough council gives the go-ahead for a new cookery school and restaurant that would concentrate on using local produce as well as attracting top chefs to the area.
 (Source: The Sligo Champion)

Tipperary

Gardai from the Tipperary Division have discovered four pipe bombs a handgun, ammunition and made eight arrests last Thursday. The action took place following a planned operation targeting individuals involved in drug distribution and organised crime in the Tipperary District. A total of 15 searches were conducted in dwellings by the Tipperary Divisional Search Team.
(Source: Tipperary Star)

Tyrone

A top Northern Ireland showjumper who threatened to drop his glamorous girlfriend in a bleach-filled bath has been jailed for six months for a catalogue of abuse against her. In all, the 22-year-old Tyrone showjumper from Chestnut Manor in Cadon pleaded guilty to five charges of assaulting his former 25-year-old girlfriend Abigail Lyle, occasioning her actual bodily harm, and one of common assault between February and August last year.
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Waterford

Thirty years of Kill Community Centre were celebrated recently with an open evening and barbeque, which was attended by many locals. As part of the celebrations an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia from the early years of the centre were enjoyed by all, including the many people who were involved in the formative years of the centre.
 (Source: Waterford News $ Star)

Westmeath

The men will install a new toilet and shower block at the orphanage on this trip. Chairman of the Athlone Chernobyl Aid Project (ACAP) Martin Reilly said the project has been in the pipeline for ten years. "Ten years ago we brought out a container of toilets. Now they will have all new toilets, showers and changing rooms," explained Martin. "They will also be doing a job on the gymnasium." At the moment the gym has large windows, which results in the gym being extremely warm in the summer and cold in the winter. The group will block some of these windows and install smaller PVC ones in their place.
(Source: Westmeath Independent)

Wexford

Two community gardai risked their lives to rescue a young mother and two toddlers trapped in a burning house in Clonard in the early hours of last Monday morning. A terrible tragedy was averted when Garda Neil Murphy and Garda Michael Murphy smashed the front door of the house in Elm Park, Coolcotts and battled through thick smoke to reach Natasha Gordon, her daughter Rebecca (2) and her nephew James (3).
 (Source: The Wexford People)

Wicklow

Flood waters surged into the Glendalough Hotel last Monday after torrential rainfall caused the Glendasan River to burst its banks for the second time this year. Water levels in the river rose by six feet in the short space of 20 minutes, causing waters to crash through the front entrance of the hotel into the function room. The hotel was also flooded in January when a combination of melting snow and heavy rain again resulted in the Glendasan bursting its banks.
 (Source: The Wicklow People)