The rematch of last year’s County final had an eerily familiar start with Kenny O’Connor involved again in the fireworks. He received a straight red after two minutes when he was deemed to have hit Ciaran O’Connor off the ball.

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Over 50 letters sent to and from Bruff, Co Limerick between the 1920s and 1970s will go on display in the town this summer.

A unique Monaghan-focused family history initiative is being organized as part of The Gathering 2013. It will provide two four-day training courses within the county for tourists tracing their Monaghan ancestors.
 
The project is entitled ‘County Monaghan Genealogy – home to the little hills.’ It will give participants information on the genealogical sources available, the cultural history of County Monaghan and the diversity of origin of its people. The courses will take place in North Monaghan from Monday to Thursday, 14-17 October, and in Carrickmacross from Monday to Thursday, 21-24 October. The courses are designed for individuals and groups with Monaghan ancestry living overseas and members of Irish societies and social clubs abroad.
 
This project is organized by Clogher Historical Society/Cumann Seanchais Chlochair, Monaghan County Library and the County Monaghan Heritage Gathering Committee. The project is also being supported by the County Monaghan Fund and Monaghan Genealogy. The project will be delivered by Ancestor Network Ltd, a professional genealogy company.
 
Substantial funding for the project has resulted in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for overseas visitors to come to Monaghan to trace their roots, experience the warmth of a Monaghan welcome and explore its rich culture and history.
 
If you are a native of Monaghan or know someone who might be interested, contact: John Hamrock, info@ancestor.ie, Tel: +353 87 0505296, Twitter: @ancestornetwork, or on Facebook.
 
About the Training Courses

In honor of Cork Rebel Week (October 14th - 20th), organizers are distributing a special rebel county passport.

A project which began in Killarney National Park in 2007 aims to re-introduce white-tailed eagles to Ireland after a 100 year absence and has reached success with the birth of three eaglets in the past week.

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Irish men, like prophets, are rarely ever recognized in their hometown, but that’s not the case for the High Kings singer-songwriter Darren Holden. Recently Holden was invited to become an ambassador for his home county of Co. Kilkenny for The Gathering, a yearlong initiative to encourage tourists to visit Ireland.

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A postmortem investigation has revealed that 13 dolphins died by being caught up in fishing trawler nets of the west coast of Ireland. The corpses of the 13 protected species washed up on a the coast of County Mayo in January

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Independent Councillor Michael Kilcoyne from Castlebar, Co. Mayo  wishes to pass a law making the wearing of hoodies illegal and claims that hoodies are restricting the solving of crimes in the area.

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On the day and time that RMS Titanic dropped anchor in Cork Harbour over 101 years ago (Thursday 11 April 1912), a poignant collection of a number of passengers and survivors of the luxury liner’s maiden voyage was unveiled at the Titanic Experience, the permanent visitor attraction in Cobh, Co. Cork.
 
Among the items that will be on permanent display at the Titanic Experience Cobh is a beautiful 20th century blue leather suitcase, purchased at Harrods for the journey on board Titanic. The suitcase was the personal property of Mrs. Lily Odell, a first class passenger on board the ill-fated ship.  Lily Odell traveled with some members of her family, including her son, Jack and sister in law, Kate and her two brothers, Richard and Stanley May. The Odell family party disembarked the Titanic at Queenstown, now Cobh, and collected a hire car from Johnson & Perrott Motors to travel around the south of Ireland. 
 
Managing Director of the Titanic Experience Cobh, which is located in the original White Star Line building, Gillen Joyce said, “We endeavor to make the Titanic Experience as authentic as possible in providing information about Titanic, and depicting the story of the passengers on board.  With this in mind, we felt that it was vital to include artifacts from the liner to ensure a true visitor experience here in the original White Star Line building in Cobh. We are delighted that our hard work has paid off and it is an honour for us to have the Odell Collection exhibited here at the Titanic Experience”.
 
On hand to formally open the exhibition was Tommy Barker, property editor of the Irish Examiner and grandson and namesake of Thomas Barker, the Cork Examiner photographer who captured some of the best known images of RMS Titanic and her Irish passengers while in Cobh.
 
There are a number of photographs in the Odell collection, including the original photo postcard showing Titanic survivors, Millvina Dean as a baby, with her brother Bertram in a pram and their mother, Eva. Another photograph shows young Jack Odell, in a Star Laudaulette automobile hired from Johnson and Perrott with Mr May (Lily Odell’s brother) and their luggage.
 
A hand painted and signed French silk lace and mother of pearl fan in its original silk covered box used on board the Titanic is also on loan to the collection by Titanic Experience Historian, Vincent McMahon.
 
Titanic Experience Historian, Vincent McMahon gave a short talk at the unveiling of the Odell collection, which took place at 1.30 pm to coincide with ‘Titanic’ weighing anchor on this day on Thursday, 11th April 1912, 101 years ago.  McMahon described the journey of the Odell family who traveled on board ‘Titanic’ on the 10th and 11th April 1912. 
 
“The loss of Titanic with so many lives has always been a very sad story. Today we recall the passengers on board.  It is a privilege to exhibit items carried on board Titanic on that voyage from Southampton via Cherbourg to Queenstown. The Titanic Experience Cobh looks forward to keeping their memory alive through this Odell collection going on display today.” added McMahon.

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US Secret Service are checking out secure hotel accommodation along the Republic of Ireland-Northern Irish Border in preparation for the G8 Summit in June. The summit will be held at the Lough Erne Golf Resort in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland.

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