Antrim

A suspicious device discovered near the offices of the Andersonstown News in Belfast on Saturday was declared a hoax. An object was found in the grounds of the newspaper on Glen Road in the  west of the city at around 9.00 a.m. on Saturday. Army bomb officers examined the device and it was declared a hoax. Police said Glen Road, Suffolk Road and Hannahstown Hill have now been reopened. A separate security alert in Carnlough, County Antrim has also ended.
Police received a phonecall just after 8 a.m. on Saturday claiming two devices had been left on the Croft Road. A search was carried out and nothing suspicious was found.
(Source: BBC News)

Armagh

Three men were charged in connection with the discovery of firearms and ammunition in Keady, Co Armagh, last week.  The three are: 34-year-old Brian Sheridan, with an address at Avonmore, Blackwater town, Co Armagh, Brian Cavlan, 35, with an address at Circular Road, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, and 39-year-old Dominic Dynes from Bree, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan.

The three men are charged with possession of firearms with intent to endanger life, preparation for committing acts of terrorism and possession of articles likely to be of use to terrorists.

Detective Sergeant Ronnie Gibson told Newry Magistrates' Court he could connect the accused to the charges. He said Mr Dynes replied when charged that 'he was told to bury the weapons found in the car that he was driving and he had no intent to use them at any time to shoot or kill anybody, carry out any robbery or any show of strength.' The other defendants made similar statements. No application for bail was made and all three have been remanded in custody to appear in court in Armagh on 17 May.
(Source: RTE.ie)

Carlow

The Killerig Resort, a highend hotel and golf development near Tullow in Co Carlow, has gone into receivership with multimillion-euro debts. Aiden Murphy, a partner in accountancy firm Horwath Bastow Charleton, was appointed receiver last week and has appointed a new operating company, Westpro Management Solutions, to run the 42bedroom, four-star hotel. David Hennessy, founder of Westpro, said that the Killerig hotel was ‘‘a victim of circumstance’’, but had a strong pipeline of bookings. ‘‘It is business as usual for our customers and staff. It is a good product in a good location," he said.
(Source: Sunday Business Post)

Cavan

Sinn Fein’s Kathryn Reilly (22) from Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan, is understood to be the youngest candidate ever elected to the Seanad. Ms Reilly was returned to the Industrial and Commercial panel after a marathon count which ended last week. She had contested the general election in the Cavan-Monaghan constituency, securing an impressive 6,539 first preferences.
In the Seanad campaign, she had the imprimatur of party headquarters and concentrated her canvass in her native county, the west and Donegal. “I am not sure I could say I enjoyed the Seanad campaign,” she said. “Contesting a general election and the Seanad is quite stressful. My Seanad vote was different from what I had been promised on the campaign trail.”
(Source: Irish Times)

Clare

It didn’t take Clare card sharp Niall Smyth long to drop his poker face after scooping a cool €650,000 at the Paddy Power Irish Poker Open last week. The delighted 26-year-old from Ballyea celebrated with family and friends in Dublin last week after managing to turn a €20 Grand National bet into the massive poker jackpot.?“I just can’t believe it, I’m just getting used to it really, this is all just very surreal. I never thought I would win this, when you’re playing in a big tournament there is always a little hope there that you could end up winning but I never dreamed of this, it’s just amazing,” he told The Clare Champion,?
(Source: The Clare Champion)

Cork

Gardai (police) in Cork arrested two men last week after discovering drugs worth an estimated €15,000?at a house in the city on Tuesday night.?The discovery of the quantity of cannabis plants was made at a house in Lower Fairhill, on Cork’s northside.?Two men have been arrested and are being questioned by Gardaí in the city.
Source: (Cork Independent)

Derry

The latest hoax bomb alert in Derry was another bid to lure police into danger, a senior PSNI officer has said. Homes in the Dunluce Court area of Ballymagroarty were evacuated for a time on Wednesday after a suspicious package was discovered. It’s believed about 100 people had to be moved from their homes. Two people were arrested after police were attacked at the scene of the bomb alert. The pair were arrested after allegedly trying to breach a cordon. PSNI Area Commander, Chief Inspector John Burrows, said those responsible for the disruption had “no part to play in our community. Over the last number of weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of hoax calls here in the city - most turned out to be false and we believe it was a deliberate attempt to draw police in to the area,” he said.
(Source: Derry Journal)

Donegal

A Killybegs fisherman died in the early hours of Tuesday morning in a freak drowning tragedy in Castletownbere in West Cork -- eight years after his younger brother died in similar circumstances. 43-year-old Oliver Cunningham from Killybegs, died after it is believed he tripped and fell in between the pier and his fishing boat, the Patrick C at the harbour at Castletownbere in west Cork as he was returning to the boat.Tragically Mr. Cunningham’s brother Matthew (25) drowned after he fell into Killybegs harbour in almost identical circumstances in November 2002.
(Source: Donegal Democrat)

Down

Late night campers are using the fencing around Tyrella beach for their camp fires.
A Tyrella resident said several fires had been lit over the past week and that there had been late night parties in the area. The resident, who asked not to be named, said unsightly evidence of camp fires had been found in the area of the sand dunes, accompanied by cider bottles and cans.
“It seems they have been cutting at the wooden gates near the dunes and using the wood for their fires,” he said. “It is terrible looking and unbelievable that they have been getting away with this.
“This vandalism in such a beautiful area needs to be stopped.”
(Source: Down Recorder)

Dublin

A takeaway worker grabbed two garda (police) sergeants by their neckties, boxed them and violently pushed them against the side of a car so his father could escape from them, a court heard. Cipriam Roman (32) was trying to prevent the officers from arresting his father who was wanted by gardai on foot of a European arrest warrant. Garda Sergeant James Kirwan claimed Roman's father was wanted in Romania, after he was found guilty, in his absence, of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to five and a half years in prison. However, Roman denied assaulting the sergeant, claiming he panicked when he saw two men in suits trying to shove his father into a car, as he did not realize they were gardai.
(Source: The Evening Hearld)

Fermanagh
A 17-year-old girl has been threatened during an armed robbery in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh.
Two men - one of whom had a firearm - entered a shop in the Main Street area shortly after 10.50pm last Monday. After threatening the teenager, they made off with a sum of money and a quantity of cigarettes. No-one was injured during the incident.
(Source: UTV News)

Galway

A catholic priest serving in the Archdiocese of Tuam, Co Galway, has been suspended and will be questioned regarding child safeguarding issues, according to RTÉ. The priest has not been named and Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary says the allegation which led to his suspension dates back to the 80s. Galway Bay FM reports that the Archbishop informed the priest’s parishioners Saturday evening that an allegation had been made. Neary also said that the priest is entitled to every person’s right of presumption of innocence.
(Source: GalwayBay Fm)

Kerry

None of the four teenagers killed in a horrific road crash last August had been drunk, an inquest into their deaths heard. Excess speed caused David Breen (17), of Hazelwood Drive, Ballyspillane, Killarney, Co Kerry, to lose control of the Hyundai Accent car as he took a sharp bend at Carrigeen on the main N72 Killarney to Mallow road.

A garda (police) forensic expert said the car had been traveling at speeds of between 99kph and 110kph when the accident occurred at 7.15am on August 25. Mr Breen was pronounced dead at the scene along with his 15-year-old brother Kevin, who had been at home all night but had decided to go for a spin with his brother and three other teenagers. Medics at the scene tried frantically to administer CPR to Aine O'Riordan (15), of St John's Park, Castleisland, but she was also pronounced dead at the scene. Brian Coffey (19) of Fossa, Killarney, was removed by ambulance to Kerry General Hospital but died later that morning from his injuries. The sole survivor of the crash, Darragh Jones, of Farranfore, Co Kerry, who was 16 at the time, said the car in which they were traveling was going so fast it was "hopping" off the road.(Source: Herald.ie)

Kildare

More and more people are opting to do the time rather than pay the fine with six people arrested on warrants by Newbridge gardaí (police) alone on Good Friday. Sgt Seamus Rothwell told the Kildare Nationalist that he has seen an increase in people being unable to pay fines and so opting to do their time in prison. “Normally, we would see three or four people a week being arrested for nonpayment of fines, but today there were six,” he said, adding that the garda in charge of warrants would have spoken to the people in advance.
(Source: The Kildare Nationalist)

Kilkenny

The traffic on the Burnchurch road has been described as “worse than my worst fears” by Cllr Tom Maher (Fine Gael) who had said that the road would be over run by traffic after the opening of the new M9 motorway. Cllr Maher was calling on the council to introduce weight restrictions at the bridge between Burnchurch and Sevenhouses to try and cut down on the number of HGV’s that have been using the regional road as a short-cut to the Dublin Waterford motorway. While Cllr Billy Ireland (Fine Gael) felt that the biggest danger was at the Burnchurch National school when the children are coming out on to a busy road at 3pm.
(Source: Kilkenny People)

Laois

Stradbally couple, Mary and Tom Kearns have been honored for their dedication to the children of Chernobyl who were affected by the world’s worst nuclear disaster 25 years ago. Last Thursday, President Mary McAleese paid a very special tribute to 25 of the top volunteers who have dedicated themselves selflessly to improving the lives of so many across the areas worst affected by the nuclear disaster. The ceremony at Farmleigh House was one of the key nationwide commemorations for the 25th Anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe, which occurred on April 26 a quarter of a century ago. Mary Kearns says they were representing the entire Stradbally group who open their hearts and houses to the children year in and year out.
(Source: Leinster Express)

Leitrim

Insurance companies paid out €2.167 million in compensation claims to Leitrim home owners and businesses related to last December’s arctic weather conditions. Irish insurers dealt with almost 30,000 claims relating to damage to homes and businesses due to burst pipes, according to the Irish Insurance Federation. Leitrim had the seventh highest pay out per population in the country. Almost €75,000 was paid out to every 1,000 population in the county due to burst pipes from the severe weather. The adverse weather conditions experienced across the country in December represented the third severe weather event to affect the country during a fourteen-month period, the IIF explained.
(Source: Leitrim Observer)

Limerick

Limerick city continues to have the highest rate of births outside of marriage according to new figures just published by the Central Statistics Office. According to the latest Vital Statistics figures, 100 (58%) of the 173 births recorded in the city during July, August and September last of year were born to mothers who were stated they were not married at the time. However, in just over a third (36%) of those cases the mother said she and the child’s father were living at the same address in the city. Of the babies born to women living in County Limerick, 211 of the 618 (34%) were born to unmarried mothers. This figure is on a par with the national average but represents a slight increase when compared to the previous quarter of 2010.
(Source: Limerick Leader)

Longford

For over three years Sean Farrell (40) and his wife Irene have lived and worked in the African country of Uganda. Sean, a native of the parish of Dromard, arrived in Uganda shortly after the cessation of a 20-year war where he took up the post of Country Director for Trocaire. “The northern part (of Uganda) is coming out of a brutal 20-year conflict. Trocaire is helping communities to return home after this conflict as up to two million of them were displaced during the war,” said Sean, speaking to the Leader from Uganda. “For the most part many of them were living in huge refugee camps. Some were there for anywhere between five and 20 years.” Now Trocaire is responding to the aftermath of that displacement and the impact of the warfare in terms of loss of human life.
(Source: Longford Leader)

Louth
There are 65 unfinished housing estates in County Louth, according to a new report compiled by the Department of the Environment. Of those 65, a total of five are said to have been abandoned by the developer – many of them in the north end of the county, including Oyster Bay Court in Carlingford. Other abandoned estates are said to be located in the Omeath area. While not all of the estates are in a bad state of repair, councilors highlighted the “serious issue” at the recent meeting of the County Council.
(Source: Dundalk Democrat)

Mayo

Gorse fires broke out over the weekend in Counties Mayo, Galway, Donegal and across the border in Co Down. In Co Mayo, the Fire Service were dealing with gorse fires along the Castlebar to Pontoon Road in the Ross area, with four square kilometers of bog and forestry reported to have been damaged by one large fire. Meanwhile, another fire was burning close to the townland of Coolturk, which is situated on the N59 Erris Road, close to Crossmolina. The blaze started Saturday night and was still burning at the time the Home and Away went to press. Woodland in the area has been affected. While the cause of the fires has yet to be established, the recent spell of warm, sunny weather would have left heather and grass extremely dry, accelerating the rate at which the blazes spread.
(Source: The Mayo News)

Meath

An inquest has heard that a 52-year-old inmate of Cloverhill Prison died last year having shown symptoms of swine flu. John O'Connor of Athlumney Castle, Navan, Co Meath passed away in Beaumont Hospital on March 10, 2010 having been unwell for some time. The Dublin City Coroner has adjourned the hearing until September over concerns by the deceased's family about the handling of his illness prior to his admission to hospital. They want to know why tamiflu or steroids were not prescribed and whether he should have been hospitalized sooner.
(Source: Irish Examiner)

Monaghan

The Carrickmacross lace-making technique used on Kate's wedding dress also featured on Diana, Princess of Wales's wedding dress. The technique, used for the delicate lace applique flowers on the train and bodice of Kate's dress, is named after the market town in Co Monaghan where it originated. According to the County Monaghan tourist website, Carrickmacross Lace was first established in the 1820s by Mrs Grey Porter, wife of the rector of Donaghmoyne. It went into decline in the 1840s but later revived. The Carrickmacross Lace Gallery, which is a co-operative, continues to make the fine lace. On its website, it said the lace was historically "made by the poor for the rich and famous". (Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Offaly

A number of cases of winter vomiting bug have been confirmed at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore and visitors restrictions have been put in place as a result. The HSE has requested that children do not visit the hospital and that only essential visiting should take place. Symptoms of the virus include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and it can be particularly harmful to the very young and the elderly.
(Source: Offaly Express)

Roscommon

Roscommon county is currently the most expensive place to live in Ireland... on a Monopoly board!?No, the world hasn't gone completely mad. This latest claim to fame for the Rossies is due to the announcement that Hasbro Toy Company are set to release an All-Ireland edition of its best-selling Monopoly board game. And with only 22 spaces on a Monopoly meaning there is only space for 22 of the 32 counties, competition for the coveted spaces is expected to be fierce. Hasbro has invented a league for which Roscommon are currently top of. The counties that make it onto the board will be represented by their most popular visitor attraction when the game is released later this year.
(Source: The Roscommon Champion)

Sligo

Sligo-based co-op Connacht Gold is to create 30 jobs in its consumer foods and agri-business divisions, the company said at the weekend. The co-op, which employs around 560 people, said it would take on the staff throughout the rest of this year. The news follows a strong 2010 for the co-op, which saw pre-tax profit nearly treble to €5m from €1.8m a year ago on the back of turnover that topped €300m compared to €264m in 2009. The business returned cash flow of just under €6.7m for the year.
(Source: The Sligo Champion)

Tipperary

A 22-year-old man from Clonmel was stabbed nearly 40 times in the early hours of Friday morning but his injuries are not life threatening. The incident took place in the car park of an apartment block near the Gashouse Bridge in Clonmel, Co Tipperary at around 5am on Friday morning. The victim was taken to South Tipperary General Hospital and gardaí (police) say his injuries are not life threatening. The scene of the crime was sealed off and examined by a garda forensic team. No arrests have been made and gardaí say their investigations are ongoing.
(Source: Tipperary Star)

Tyrone

A pilot had a lucky escape after a small aircraft crashed into a field and burst into flames in a small Co Tyrone village. The plane is reported to have come down in the Cairn Road area of Killeter at around midday on Sunday. A police spokeswoman said the pilot was "badly shaken" following the crash, but has not sustained any serious injury. Police in Derry are now investigating the incident.
(Source: UTV News)

Waterford

A 42-year-old has died from his injuries after his car struck a horse in Co Waterford in the early hours last Monday morning. The man was driving on the N25 just outside Kilmeaden when the accident occurred at 1:50am, and was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital but died from his injuries.
(Source: Journal.ie)

Wexford

A man was being questioned this past weekend about the death of a 37-year-old father of two little girls. Paddy Connors was found dead in a pool of blood on a stairwell of an apartment building at Carrigtur, Springvalley, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford Friday morning. A man was arrested at the scene and detained at Enniscorthy Garda (police) Station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be held for up to 24 hours with a possible extension of another eight hours before he is charged or released. Detectives have not yet upgraded the investigation to murder but are treating the matter as suspicious. They believe the dead man suffered a number of blows. The victim, who was a settled Traveler (gypsey) from a family of 11, was found lying on the stairs. It is understood Mr Connors had been beaten before his body was found. He had been drinking in the apartment complex with a friend.
(Source: Evening Herald)

Wicklow

Gardaí (police) are seeking six men who used a digger to remove an ATM from a wall at a Bank of Ireland branch in Co Wicklow Sunday morning. The incident occurred in Tinahely at about 5.45am. The men escaped with an amount of cash and the front wall of the bank was badly damaged.??A Garda spokesman said a number of stolen vehicles were used by the culprits. They have appealed to anyone who may have seen them to come forward.??The raiders traveled in a black Mitsubishi Pajero, registration 03 CN 712, stolen in Tullow, Co Carlow; a silver Toyota Landcruiser, registration number 06 KK 946, stolen in Castledermot, Co Carlow; and a tractor and trailer unit, registration 90 WX 4156, stolen overnight from Clonegal, Co Wexford.??A longarmed Koluco digger was also used to remove the ATM from the wall.??The men, who are believed to have had at least one firearm, escaped the scene in a dark colored car which was driven in the direction of Aughrim.
(Source: Irish Times)