Articles in the Cootehill Category

AT Station Road, Cootehill yesterday it seemed as if the clocks had been rewound by a dozen years, when tractors and trailers lined up outside the local livestock mart as hundreds of farmers attended the first day of sales to be held there since 2001. Our photograph by Rory Geary shows Gene Donohue (left), from Belturbet, the first buyer at the newly re-opened mart, who is pictured with Pat McEnaney of Corduff, one of the managers of the new venture. For Gene, the transaction brought things to full ...

By MICHAEL McDONNELL michael@northern-standard.ie THE buyer of a chicken processing plant in Cootehill has claimed that he is being prevented from re-opening the business — and thereby generating up to 100 direct jobs — by officials in the Department of Agriculture who are insisting that he pay a €120,000 “bond” in order to receive the required operating licence. In response to queries made by this newspaper (see below) a Department of Agriculture official said applications for approval to operate meat-processing plants must meet the various requirements of the European Communities (Food ...

Cootehill 3-12 Truagh Harps 1-12 BY COLM SHALVEY COOTEHILL won their first piece of silverware since entering Monaghan minor hurling competitions when they held off a second-half comeback from Truagh Harps in the Silver Hill Foods MHL Final at Cloghan last Saturday. Cootehill dominated the first half with the wind at their backs and although they were under the cosh in the second period, the free-taking of Fiachra Hughes maintained their breathing space. It was ultimately their greater threat up front that counted in their favour, with Ryan Rogers, Dermot Connolly, Enda Shalvey, Caoimhín ...

BY MICHAEL MCDONNELL michael@northern-standard.ie THE ANNOUNCEMENT this week that the former Co-operative Poultry Products plant in Cootehill has been sold to Lyntop Ltd has been tentatively welcomed in the wider locality, where hopes have been expressed that some or all of the jobs at the former chicken factory can be saved. The new owner, who paid an undisclosed sum for the plant, will concentrate on producing food for the ‘halal’ market, and has stressed that this will allow the company to avoid competing in an already saturated Irish market and instead ...

BY MICHAEL MCDONNELL michael@northern-standard.ie COOTEHILL girl Michelle Cunningham got off to a flying start in ‘The Voice of Ireland’ when she “turned” two of the judges in the first ‘Blind Auditions’ heat — and booked her place in the next round of the flagship RTÉ One competition. Michelle, who is a primary school teacher now based in Dublin, knew she’d hit the mark thirty seconds into her performance when Bressie’s chair swung around to face her. About half a minute after that, her take on Emeli Sandé’s ‘Read All About ...

PLANS to establish a single representative body to highlight and pursue the interests of people working in all aspects of the poultry sector took a first major step on Friday night last at a public meeting organised by Marion Harkin MEP for the North and West region WRITES MICHAEL McDONNELL. Up 100 people involved in the poultry industry, which has long been a major sector in the Monaghan and Cavan areas, including broiler chicken growers, egg layers, egg packagers, free-range producers and others in the sector attended the meeting ...

BY MICHAEL MCDONNELL michael@northern-standard.ie History was made in Cootehill on Sunday afternoon last when poppies were worn with pride and dignity by many of those in attendance as a large crowd gathered to witness the opening of a new Peace Garden to pay a permanent tribute to soldiers from both sides of the Border who lost their lives in the First World War, other wars and in the service of peace for the United Nations. The well-organised event, which was organised by the Tanagh branch of the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen ...

By Michael McDonnell michael@northern-standard.ie A stand-off has developed at Co-operative Poultry Products Ltd, Cootehill, where workers are staging a sit-in to pursue their demands for up-front payments of money they say they are due, including outstanding pay, notice pay, annual leave and minimum statutory redundancy entitlements. Mr Simon Coyle of the accountancy firm Mazars was appointed receiver by the company’s bank on Monday evening, signalling the loss of up on 90 jobs (including upwards of 70 production staff, with the remainder working in management and administration). The livelihoods of a ...

By Michael McDonnell michael@northern-standard.ie Fears were mounting this week for the future of Co-operative Poultry Products Ltd, Cootehill, which is understood to be in serious financial difficulties due to increased production costs over the last 18 months. Up on 90 processing jobs are at risk in the long-established chicken production plant at Dyan, off the Monaghan road about two miles outside Cootehill, while the livelihoods of 28 chicken growers (about one third of whom are the shareholders in the company) are also in jeopardy. The Northern Standard has learned that ...

By Michael McDonnell michael@northern-standard.ie Gardai in Cootehill have had a patrol vehicle made available to them again this week, after having had to make do “on foot” since the previous car was withdrawn from the local station in July of this year.  The move, which has been welcomed by local public representatives, effectively reverses the earlier decision that had been one of an ongoing series of cost-cutting measures being implemented around the country. The loss of a car had prompted an outcry at the lack of such a basic facility for ...