ANTRIM

The crew-members of Antrim Lough Neagh Rescue begged Antrim Borough Council to throw them a lifeline last week when they met to discuss the deep rift threatening to pull the group under.

With the prevailing winds making the waters off Antrim some of the most perilous on the lough, it was decided back in 2009 that it was high time it had a station of its own to protect the steady stream of thriller seekers flocking to the waterway.

At first everything went swimmingly for the 26 tireless volunteers. Buoyed up with council support and the promise of significant financial backing from G.R.O.W. it seemed that a life-saving station was within their grasp.
[Source: Antrim Guardian]

ARMAGH

Members of the local community have paid tribute to the inspirational Biddy Kaufmann, who passed away two weeks ago at the ripe old age of 100.

The active centenarian has left a lasting legacy throughout the local area due to her tireless community work and commitment to voluntary services over the years.

Even as recently as May, the older people’s champion was voicing her concerns over the possibility of her beloved Cloughreagh House being closed.  Having lived for 58 years in America, Mrs. Kauffmann had returned to her native Meigh along with her American-born husband a number of years ago.  After her husband died, she sold her house and came to live in Cloughreagh House as she “didn‘t want to be on her own, especially at night.”
[Source: Examiner Newspaper]

CARLOW

A hit comedy by “Stones in his Pockets” author Marie Jones, starring actor Tara Lynne O’Neil, visited the G.B. Shaw last Thursday.

“Fly me to the Moon” is on a two-month tour of Ireland and receiving rave reviews.

Author Marie Jones has already written two of the most successful plays ever produced in Ireland. “Stones in his Pockets” won an Olivier Award for best comedy during its long run on London’s West End and later transferred to Broadway in New York.
[Source: Leinster Express]

CAVAN

The estranged husband of tragic Bailieborough woman and mother-of-four Patricia Kierans has been charged with her murder at a special sitting of Cavan District Court last Wednesday.

The court heard from Bailieborough Detective Garda (Police) Sergeant Anne-Marie Lardiner that Mr. Kierans (56) was arrested on Thomas Street in the town at 3:20 a.m. on the morning of Friday, September 6, and held under the Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act at Bailieborough Garda Station.
Mr. Kierans did not speak through the 15-minute hearing.

When arrested with the suspected murder and use of a firearm at 31 Drumbannon, Bailieborough, County Cavan, on Thursday, September 5, he was cautioned, and he replied: “I will admit. I’m sorry.”
[Source: The Anglo Celt]

CLARE

Clare have requested their All-Ireland final replay with Cork be brought forward by at least one hour after the G.A.A. confirmed a 5 p.m. throw-in for September 28.

Both counties have criticized the late Saturday start, which is 90 minutes later than Sunday’s throw-in.

Cork P.R.O. Tracey Kennedy described it as “not an ideal time” for players while Clare Chairman Michael McDonagh confirmed they have contacted Croke Park about the decision on behalf of their panel and supporters.

“We have made a request the game be completed in daylight hours. It’s unfair to our players and supporters and we believe [4 p.m.] would be the latest acceptable throw-in time.”
[Source: Irish Examiner]

CORK

Last week the arrival of 100 jobs, with the prospect of more in the years to come, was announced at the official opening of a new technology center in Mahon. Global I.T. company Qualcomm will develop wireless technology solutions at the new center.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton opened the new center in Mahon on Tuesday afternoon, September 10. The Qualcomm center will be based at the Citygate complex in Mahon, where McAfee, Dell and SolarWinds are already based. Big Fish Games recently announced that it is to leave Cork.

Qualcomm is also in discussions with I.D.A. Ireland on the potential establishment of a security and encryption research and development center through Qualcomm Mobile and Computing, a business unit of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
[Source: Cork Independent]

DERRY

Derry City Council employees took to the streets last Thursday in opposition to planned lay-offs by the local authority.

N.I.P.S.A. members employed by Derry City Council have voted unanimously to commence a statutory ballot to include strike action and action short of strike action following the decision by council management to proceed with compulsory redundancies.

N.I.P.S.A. was organizing a demonstration at Derry City Council offices, Strand Road, to highlight of opposition to the move which will see several senior managers lose their jobs.
[Source: Derry Journal]

DONEGAL

The Donegal Club Championship will not commence in 2014 until after Donegal exit the Ulster and All-Ireland Championships.

That decision, by a margin of 20-6, was made by the clubs of the county last Tuesday at a special meeting in Ballybofey.

The clubs had met with Donegal manager Jim McGuinness on Friday night, September 6, and discussed the running of the club championship.

The Donegal manager, who still has to make a final decision whether he will remain for his final year, had requested that one round of the championship be played in late April or early May and then parked until Donegal’s campaign was over.
[Source: Donegal Democrat]

DOWN

A man was to appear in court last Monday charged with the attempted murder of a teenager in Newry on Friday, September 6.

The 19-year-old victim remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

The incident occurred in Edward Street, close to the city center, around 8:45 p.m. on Friday when the teenager was seriously injured in the knife attack. It’s believed he was walking to his home nearby when his assailant ran out of a house and stabbed him in a completely unprovoked attack.

Having initially been taken to Daisy Hill Hospital by ambulance, the victim was later transferred for treatment at Craigavon Area Hospital, due to the extent of his injuries.
[Source: Examiner Newspaper]

DUBLIN

The killer of Melanie McCarthy McNamara is in fear of his life after being viciously assaulted in prison for the second time.

Keith Hall (24) was set upon by a gang of inmates who poured boiling water on his face and body.

The brutal assault left the Tallaght man with serious burns and has led to fears that he will be subject to further attacks.
[Source: Evening Herald]

FERMANAGH

Over 1,200 potentially criminal incidents were recorded by the Enniskillen C.C.T.V. – the hotspot recorded as the town’s Diamond area.

These are just some of the facts and figures revealed in the latest Enniskillen C.C.T.V. report obtained by the Fermanagh Herald last week. Figures are broken down into “incidents” and “crimes.”

The incident count for 2012/13 is the highest on record since the first year of operation (1267), however, those incidents that were deemed “crimes,” (414), are the lowest since 2009/10.
[Source: Fermanagh Herald]

GALWAY

The Dominican Convent at Taylors Hill in the city could be demolished.

The convent has applied for planning permission to knock the existing building and build a new single-story building.

Outline planning permission for three houses to the west of the site is also being sought.

A decision is expected from city planners at the end of October.
[Source: Galway Bay FM]

KERRY

Cian O'Neill has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Kildare football manager's position, despite being seen as one of the frontrunners following the departure of Kieran McGeeney.

O'Neill has confirmed to the Sunday Independent that he had not made any approach for the job – nor had he been approached by the Kildare board.

In the past month, O'Neill had spoken of his ambition to one day take charge of his native county, but in recent days he has stated his immediate future rests with the Kerry footballers, where he is part of Eamonn Fitzmaurice's back-room team. He added that he is not interested in taking charge at this stage – even if his name is in the reckoning.
[Source: Irish Independent]

KILDARE

A tire slashing incident in Newbridge is the latest event in a feud between two rival gangs over drugs.

Three tires were slashed on a vehicle parked on the Maple Road area of Connell Drive in newbridge on Monday, September 2.

This follows on from an incident where shots were fired at a house in Farrencooley Crescent in Kildare Town in the early hours of Monday morning, August 26. Shots were fired through the window of the house at approximately 1:05 a.m. and the sitting room window was smashed by the shot. The house was occupied, but the room was vacant at the time and no one was injured. Three men were seen leaving the area in what is believed to have been a black Volvo.
[Source: Kildare Nationalist]

KILKENNY

Residents at St. Fiacre’s Place expressed their anger and frustration last week as Kilkenny Borough Council began to cut out chunks of the area’s green space to make way for parking bays.

The large central patch of grass and trees has been used for decades as a play area for children and a common area for the whole local community. Recently, it was used to host a special mass for 300 people to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the houses’ blessing.

A J.C.B. and several council workers arrived last Wednesday morning and began to remove large parts of the green. They intend to put in four parking bays, each big enough for three cars.
[Source: Kilkenny People]

LAOIS

An inquiry into a hospital doctor accused of reading an X-ray upside down and other misconduct allegations in Portlaoise’s hospital has been halted as the medic claims he cannot return to Ireland.

The Medical Council is investigating Dr. Vincent Osunkwo, who, it is also claimed, tried to cut open a patient’s hand with a scalpel in order to insert a tube during his time at the Midland’s Regional Hospital Portlaoise in 2009.

However, the Fitness-to-Practice inquiry into 13 allegations of misconduct and/or poor practice has had to be delayed because of his nonattendance.

Dr. Osunkwo is understood to be in his native Nigeria. He has not responded to contact since July 2013.
[Source: Leinster Express]

LEITRIM

Carrick-on-Shannon Gardaí (police) were forced to call for reinforcements from other areas after a fight erupted on a hired bus returning from a stag in Bundoran.

The driver of the bus was forced to pull over on the bypass at Townparks, Carrick-on-Shannon in the early hours of Sunday morning, September 8, after a fight broke out between some of the passengers.

The altercation quickly escalated until nearly two-thirds of the men on board were involved in the fight.
[Source: Leitrim Observer]

LIMERICK

A swingers’ club in Limerick City is hoping to tap into the success of the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival – a poster for the adult club is displayed in a chipper in the West Clare town.

Advertising weekly swingers’ parties at the Eastway Business Park, Crossagalla, Limerick, the poster describes i-kandie.ie as being “Ireland’s only real swingers’ club venue, for your imagination and pleasure.”

When the Leader rang the mobile number advertised on the poster – under the guise of an interested punter – the man who answered explained that over 30 people enjoy the use of the facilities on any given night.
[Source: Limerick Leader]

LONGFORD

Gardaí (police) are trying to determine whether road conditions may have played a part in a fatal car crash in Kildare that claimed the life of a County Cavan man on Sunday morning, September 8.

The man, from the Arva area, was killed when his Peugeot hatchback collided with a ditch before turning over into a dyke on the Clane to Kilcock Road, four miles outside Clane.

The 35-year-old was only minutes away from reaching his intended destination when tragedy struck just before 9:30 a.m.
[Source: Longford Leader]

LOUTH

Residents in the Castletown Road area have raised their concerns regarding a derelict building being used by local drug addicts.

Two concerned residents, Matthew English and Darren Taaffe, investigated the den at the site a of the old Rice’s Shop.

Inside they found silver wrapping and empty packets of prescription drugs piled high. Addicts are clearly using the site to smoke and inject heroin.

“It wasn’t a huge shock,” says Matthew. “We had seen a gang of people, men and women, going in and out of the shop. They would come out onto the street and you would see they were completely senseless.”
[Source: Dundalk Democrat]

MAYO

Westport held on to its gold medal in the 2013 National Tidy Towns award. The winners were announced last Monday with overall award going to Moynalty in County Meath.

The Meath town took the title scoring 316 points and Westport was not far behind achieving 314 points picking up the gold medal award, as well as the regional and county awards.

Other areas in Mayo achieving impressive results were Murrisk and Belmullet receiving silver medals and Castlebar, which took bronze.
[Source: The Mayo News]

MEATH

Navan Town Council is to express the sympathies of the people of Navan to actor Pierce Brosnan, on the recent passing of his daughter, Charlotte.

At the council meeting two weeks ago, Clrs. Anton McCabe and Phil Brennan proposed sending a letter to the actor, saying Pierce Brosnan has been a great ambassador for Navan since he was awarded the freedom of the town in 1999.

Mother-of-two Charlotte Brosnan (42) died from ovarian cancer in late June, the same disease which killed her mother, Cassandra Harris, in 1991.
[Source: Meath Chronicle]

MONAGHAN

The Irish beef processing firm at the heart of the horsemeat scandal has begun legal proceedings against a Polish supplier for sending it tainted beef.

A.B.P. said Food Service supplied meat to its Silvercrest Foods factory in County Monaghan. The plant made beef burgers for Tesco that tests showed to contain 29 percent horsemeat.

A.B.P. also announced on Thursday that it had reached a financial settlement with the Cheshire-based trading company Norwest Foods for supplying Silvercrest with beef that contained horsemeat.
[Source: The Guardian]

OFFALY

“Our Unfenced Country,” one of the Galway Film Centre/RTÉ 2013 shorts commenced shooting in Offaly two weekends ago. It is written and directed by Niamh Heery and produced by Eric Dolan and Swansong Films.

The film is being shot in the boglands of Lough Boora in County Offaly, and concerns a young woman, played by Róisín Murphy (lead actress, What Richard Did) who is released from prison and starts working on the bog railway with Edward (played by Pascal Scott, known for playing Sgt. Dick O’Toole in RTÉ’s “Killinaskully”), an elderly worker who is in love with the myth and literature of the bog.

 [Source: Offaly Express]

ROSCOMMON

Up to $370,000 worth of cannabis plants have been seized by Gardaí (police) in Roscommon.

The drugs were discovered when officers carried out a planned search of a house in Athleague.

A man in his late 20s was arrested at the scene.
[Source: Roscommon Herald]

SLIGO

A man was due before Sligo District Court last Thursday morning in connection with the seizure of $105,000 worth of cannabis on September 9.

Gardaí (police) stopped a car on the N4 at Castlebaldwin, Ballymote. When the car was searched, they recovered 4 kilograms of cannabis resin.

A woman arrested at the scene was released last Wednesday night and a file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, a Garda spokesman said.
[Source: Irish Times]

TIPPERARY

Nenagh’s Mayor Jimmy Moran has paid tribute to former town councilor Sally Gardiner, who died last Monday.

“She was a very nice woman and I am sorry to hear of her death. She was a unique person,” said Clr. Moran.

The Fianna Fail councilor described Ms. Gardiner as someone who “fought for her corner. She worked for a long time at the hospital and fought for it. She fought for what she believed in. That is what politicians should do. It is a great thing.”
[Source: Tipperary Star]

TYRONE

A massive expansion at the Oaks Centre, Dungannon, will create around 60 new jobs, the Courier can reveal.

Two new stores will open in the shopping center in the near future with another store increasing its size by more than half.

Blue, Inc., a high street and online fashion retailer is expected to open its doors to the public next month. Work on the 3,000 square feet has commenced and the company is currently seeking to recruit management, supervisors and retail staff for the shop.
[Source: Tyrone Courier]

WATERFORD

John O'Shea admits that he fears for the future of Irish football as the problems of the game here are more deep-rooted than the simple identity of the national team manager.

O'Shea is one of only a handful of players – alongside Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne – to have played international football under Mick McCarthy, Brian Kerr, Steve Staunton and Giovanni Trapattoni, and also stand a chance of lining out under the next boss, likely to be Martin O'Neill.
[Source: Evening Herald]

WESTMEATH

Niall Horan, Joe Dolan, Niall Breslin, The Swarbriggs – Mullingar has always been known for the quality of its singers. But are there enough other singers around town to sustain six choirs?

Mullingar Arts Centre has announced that it intends launching two new choirs – Sweet Tunes, for retired people, and Loud and Proud, for unemployed people, which, with the Mullingar Gospel Choir will take the number of choirs based at the center to three.

Meanwhile, the Mullingar Charity Variety Group has its Children’s Choir, and an adult show choir. Then there’s the Choral Society; and the Mullingar Cathedral Choir. Separately, Loreto College also has a choir, made up of students.
[Source: Westmeath Examiner]

WEXFORD

Villagers at Ballycanew were awakened by a loud crackling noise only to discover a major fire in a block of terraced houses in the early hours of Thursday morning, September 5.

Two houses were badly damaged and a third house was smoke damaged following an outbreak of fire at Creamery Gardens, in the center of the village.

Many people left their beds to see what was happening and a call was put through to the fire service.
[Source: Wexford Echo]

WICKLOW

One man drowned and a second survived after falling into a County Wicklow river in the early hours of last Tuesday morning.

Two helicopters and up to 80 search-and-rescue personnel, including units of the fire brigade, civil defense and Gardaí (police) were involved in a search of the Avoca river at Arklow in the morning, after concern was raised for a number of people.

The search operation has now been called off after Gardaí confirmed that just two people - not four as first thought - had entered the river.
[Source: Irish Times]