ANTRIM

Last week the Belfast Telegraph launches a major offensive to tackle the filth that is blighting our province. The Big Clean-Up is being launched after shocking figures revealed that £30m a year is spent on clearing up rubbish that has been carelessly discarded by members of the public — the equivalent of employing 1,400 additional nurses.

(Source: The Belfast Telegraph)

CARLOW

If you are a betting person, we may (or may not) have a money making scheme for you. Carlow’s very own starlet, Saoirse Ronan, is being hotly tipped for an Oscar. Surely not meaning to put any undue pressure on a teenage girl not yet 16, Paddy Power is taking bets that Saoirse will win an Oscar for her role in The Lovely Bones. The 15-year-old actress is 11/8 to get the nod for her role as Susie Salmon in the 2009 film adaptation of the book, and just 8/1 to make Oscar history and become the youngest best actress Oscar winner ever.

(Source: The Carlow Nationalist)

CAVAN

Cavan lobby group has welcomed a move by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a review of the license granted to Oxigen reducing the amount of biodegradable waste that it can accept at the Corranure landfill on the outskirts of Cavan town. Cian Murtagh, the chairman of the Cavan Better Waste Management group said that residents in the vicinity of Corranure had endured "the worst weekend ever" last weekend with the stench from the landfill.

(Source: The Anglo Celt)

CLARE

Callan Technology is the winner of the 2010 National Enterprise Award. The awards are organized by the County and City Enterprise Boards and recognize “outstanding” micro-enterprises. Established by Joe O’Donovan and Paul O’Beirne in 2001 and nominated by the Clare County Enterprise Board, Callan Technology manufactures a range of servo- motors used in machinery in 26 countries across the US, Asia and Europe

(Source: The Irish Times)

DERRY

Derry City Council has abandoned ambitious plans to raise a World War Two U-boat from the seabed off the coast of Donegal in order to display it in the city. At a meeting of the Council's Development Committee last week, councilors discussed plans to travel to Liverpool to visit a maritime museum. A council report says the steering group set up to examine the U-Boat project has "agreed upon an alternative approach to telling the U-Boat story." The report states that, because of "financial implications", they should consider telling the story of Derry's involvement in the Battle of the Atlantic through an interactive exhibit in a maritime museum.

(Source: The Derry Journal)

DONEGAL

Fascinating new evidence discovered at an ancient grave in Ballyshannon has revealed that brain surgery was carried out on members of the population here back in the eighth/ninth century. Scientists who have been working on the remains of some 900 skeletons found at the burial site at Ballyhanna say there is also evidence of TB and cancer. They may have found evidence of cystic fibrosis in the Irish population of some 1,000 years ago.

(Source: Donegal Democrat)

DOWN

A fresh attempt to find the body of a man abducted and murdered by the IRA began in south Armagh last Monday. Gerry Evans from Crossmaglen was last seen hitchhiking in Co Monaghan in March 1979. Earlier this year investigators looking for his remains drained a stretch of bogland in Co Louth. A spokesman for the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains said this latest search in south Armagh was merely the "continuation of a long process". SDLP councilor Geraldine Donnelly appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

(Source: The Down Democrat)

DUBLIN

A bundle of joy was born in the back of a BMW during Dublin's rush hour traffic last Thursday. The boy was delivered by his doctor father on the Navan Road. Razan Alresai (22), who is living in Clonsilla but originally from Syria, is the proud mother after the newborn's dramatic arrival six days late. Razan went into labor with her second child at 5.50pm, just a half-an-hour after she started to get labor pains. She then started to give birth in the car after being held up on the gridlocked road. Her husband, Dr Wissam Alsahli (30), was taking her to Holles Street hospital as a precaution, but as soon as he realized his wife was giving birth he rang emergency services to raise the alarm. "When my wife said she was feeling that maybe the head is down there, I had to stop the car. The road was full of cars. No one would move. I had my emergency lights on and I was beeping the horn to try to get people to move but it was a complete gridlock."

(Source: The Evening Herald)

FERMANAGH

Enniskillen looks set to benefit from the arrival of a new international hotel. The first Ibis hotel in the North opened this week, and at the opening it was indicated by its chairman and chief executive of its local franchisee, Lord Diljit Rana that he is looking to extend the chain across a number of locations, including Fermanagh. No timescale has been set to date, but the county's tourism potential and it's pulling power as a major cross-border retail destination could prove decisive in attracting the international hotel chain.

(Source: The Fermanagh Herald)

GALWAY

Four Galway music venues have been nominated for the prestigious IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Award. Campbells Tavern in Headford was included in the shortlist for the Connaught title, alongside The Crane Bar, Town Hall Theatre and Roisin Dubh. The final nomination in the category went to the Royal Theatre and Event Centre in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. The awards recognize Irish venues that provide the highest standards in live music entertainment.

(Source: Galway Independent)

KERRY

A youth café in North Kerry that provides teenagers with a safe place to socialize is facing closure due to a lack of State funding after barely over a year in operation. The X-Istance Youth Café in Listowel was opened in August of last year as part of a major push by local development company, North and East Kerry Development in partnership with the Kerry Diocesan Youth Service to address spiraling drug use in the region among other youth issues. Amid growing drink and drug abuse by young people across the county, the café was seen as a significant step to providing teenagers with a safe and healthy place in which to meet.

(Source: The Kerryman)

 

KILDARE

Every child has the right to be sensational and the newly named 2009 Kildare Person of the Year has made this a reality for many children. Karen Leigh from Sensational Kids in Kildare was the popular winner of the prestigious award. She received the award for her tireless efforts in setting up Sensational Kids which provides therapeutic services for up to 50 children per week. Children with autism spectrum disorders such as Down Syndrome, Cerebal Palsy, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Global Developmental Delays are all treated.

Karen, and her husband Darren, established Sensational Kids after they realized that there was no affordable occupational therapy in Ireland for their son Conor who has Dyspraxia and Sensory Processing Disorder.

(Source: The Kildare Nationalist)

LAOIS

Up to 67 jobs are at risk at the Bord na Mona owned waste transfer facility at Kyletalisha, just outside Portlaoise. Following a decision by An Bord Pleanála (ABP) to uphold an appeal by local residents against the company’s plans to retain permission on the site, a company spokesperson said the 57 full-time and ten contract owner/driver jobs “are clearly at risk”. Last week, An Bord Pleanála upheld an appeal from residents in the Derryguile/ Kyletalisha area and refused AES (now owned by Bord na Mona) retention permission to continue using its facility in the area as a waste transfer station. Residents in the area have been conducting a campaign to have the waste facility closed since it set up adjacent to the county’s landfill site in 2003.

(Source: The Laois Nationalist)

LEITRIM

Carrick-on-Shannon Education Centre has a long tradition in the provision of 3rd level courses to diploma level. Speaking at the launch of the MA in PE, Catherine Martin the Director of Carrick-on-Shannon Education Centre welcomed all in attendance in particular the first Master's class. She applauded the great work of her predecessor Pádraig Griffin and the wonderful committees that supported him over the years in developing relationships with various Third Level colleges and bringing their certificate and diploma courses to Carrick on Shannon Education Centre.

(Source: The Leitrim Observer)

LIMERICK

The full extent of JP McManus' philanthropic activity have been revealed for the first time this week, with documents obtained showing that he has directed more than €17 million to charity in the last three years. And this is aside from the €31 million raised through the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am in 2005. Accounts seen by the Limerick Leader show that the JP McManus Charitable Foundation Limited, which has been in existence since 2000, donated a total of €10,728,275 to charities last year. In the past three years - excluding 2009 - a total of €17.3m has been donated to charities in Limerick and across the globe through this foundation, with over 3m going directly to worthy causes in his home county.

(Source: The Limerick Leader)

LONGFORD

Details of a €70 million investment in two shopping developments in Longford town have emerged. The planned twin-track development would see the regeneration of the Longford Shopping Centre as well as the construction of a brand new retail store at the edge of Longford town. The planning notices for the multi-million euro development appear in this week's Longford Leader and the planning applications are about to be submitted to the local authorities.

(Source: The Longford Leader)

LOUTH

Four people have died at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda since the outbreak of the deadly superbug Clostridium Difficile, it has been confirmed. A further 13 cases have been confirmed and 20 symptomatic cases identified since the initial outbreak last week. Following consultation with the Louth County Coroner, the HSE has now agreed that all deaths that take place in the hospital during the outbreak of C Diff will be notified to the coroner as a matter of routine. However, whether or not Clostridium Difficile was a factor in the deaths will only be determined by an inquest. Stringent restrictions remain in place at the hospital and any patients who have contracted the highly contagious bug are being treated in single rooms or in co-hort rooms, the spokesperson said.

(Source: The Drogheda Independent)

MAYO

Joan Varley, the Castlebar lady who gave birth to the first surviving set of Siamese twins in the British Isles, has died after illness. The late Ms Varley, from An Sruthán, Turlough Road, Castlebar was aged 43 and had suffered from a brain tumor for the past eight months. She died last Thursday at the Galway Hospice. Ms Varley was mother of twin daughters, Niamh and Aoife, aged 12, and a son Cian (9). The birth of Niamh and Aoife was a huge medical breakthrough. Born in St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester on April 6, 1997, the girls were transferred to Great Ormonde Street Hospital in London for surgery eleven weeks after their birth.

(Source: Mayo News)

OFFALY

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has complimented the winner of the prestigious James Dyson Award, which was presented to Tullamore student Noel Joyce at a function in the Court Hotel last Wednesday. 29 year old Carlow IT design student Noel, was presented with the James Dyson Best of Irish Design Award for his invention - a hydraulic wheelchair braking system, which is set to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of disabled people. Noel was presented with the award and a check for €2,500.

(Source: The Offaly Express)

ROSCOMMON

Roscommon County Council is paying way over the odds for rental accommodation and is merely operating a subsidization scheme for desperate landlords, it has been claimed. Last week Cllr Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan alleged that rents being paid to the 250 plus landlords on the scheme were way over the market value for their properties. Cllr Flanagan pointed out that he received three examples of houses rented under the scheme in the last week and he branded the prices being paid as “totally unrealistic”.

(Source: The Roscommon Herald)

SLIGO

Seventeen councilors voted at a meeting last Monday to a proposal that, in effect, hinders the Newbay Doherty Group from its plans to redevelop the Carraroe Retail Park that would create badly needed jobs and more choice for shoppers. Clr. Imelda Henry proposed that the council reject the County Manager's recommendation and leave the zoning for small goods in the Carraroe Retail Park at 20% and not change it to 30%. She said the Carraroe Retail Park was built "at a different time to what we live in now" and it was her opinion that it was "a bit too big."

(Source: The Sligo Champion)

TIPPERARY

As an announcement last week by Deputy Michael Lowry confirmed two million euro in funding for the provision of a new endoscopy unit at Nenagh General hospital, the chairman of Nenagh Hospital Action Committee, Christy Hartigan, warned against empty promises being peddled by politicians.

(Source: The Tipperary Star)

TYRONE

Political parties have been urged to do all they can to encourage more women to become involved in shaping future governments, as it was revealed not one female is represented on a committee charged with the transition of the proposed new Mid Ulster council. Earlier this month, the Assembly's Joint Committee on the Constitution heard evidence about the impact of the PR-STV electoral system on the representation of women at Stormont. In all, the Assembly has 18 female members, representing just over 16 per cent of the total 108 MLAs.

 (Source: The Tyrone Times)

 

WATERFORD

Preparations are well under way for the Tall Ships Race 2011, with four entertainment stages, food markets and park and ride facilities planned for the city. Chairman of the committee, Des Whelan, outlined the work that has been carried out in organizing the mammoth event.

The objective, he said, was to create a world-class festival over four days from June 30 to July 3. "We want to present Waterford in the best possible light to the 400,000 visitors and the national and international media."

(Source: Waterford News & Star)

WESTMEATH

The new County Buildings in Mullingar were announced last week in Dublin as winners of a major architectural award. The €40m project, opened on June 11, was named as winner at Plan Expo at the RDS Simmonscourt of the 2009 OPUS Architectural and Construction Award for the category of buildings costing over €20 million.

(Source: The Westmeath Examiner)

WEXFORD

Disgraced swimming coach Ger Doyle served as a volunteer at the children's Mass in Bride Street Church while awaiting trial for the sex offences on which he was convicted two weeks ago. But the parish administrator Fr. Jim Fegan said last week that the church authorities in Wexford knew nothing about the case and no-one brought it to their attention. Doyle (48), of 7 Emmet Place, Wexford, was convicted by a jury in Wexford Circuit Court on 35 sex-related offences involving five boys aged 10 to 15 years at New Ross Swimming Pool between January 1981 and December 1993. The former pool manager and Irish Olympic team mentor pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was remanded in custody for sentencing next January.

(Source: The Wexford People)

WICKLOW

Burglaries in Wicklow have rocketed by almost 20 per cent making it one of the top five burglary hot spots outside of Dublin. According to the annual Eircom Phonewatch Burglary report Wicklow recorded a 19.1 per cent increase in the incidence of burglaries in the Garden County. The county is one of the top five burglary hotspots in the country, represents 8.2 per cent of burglaries in the counties outside Dublin.

(Source: The Wicklow People)