Articles in the General News Category

BUT FURTHER RATES SUPPORT VITAL FOR COVID-19 RECOVERY SAY CO COUNCILLORS Co Monaghan has led the country in the effectiveness of the implementation of the Restart Grant initiative to aid businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Monday’s meeting of Monaghan Co Council was told. Head of Finance John Murray said that the grant initiative had worked out very well in Co Monaghan with €9.3 million going to the businesses in the county. While councillors welcomed the success of the scheme, they united in calling for an extension of rates support measures ...

Garda are appealing for information after two breaks-ins occurred at churches in the Smithboro and Clones areas at the weekend. St Mary’s Church at Magherarney, Smithboro was broken into late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning last. The perpetrators broke a window at the rear of the church to gain access and stole a small sum of money. On Friday morning last the sacristy of Killeevan Catholic Church was forcibly entered and again a small amount of money was taken. Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact ...

Following recent disturbances in Northern Ireland, the Church Leaders Group (Ireland) has written an open letter to political leaders in Northern Ireland, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the European Union. In the letter, the church leaders echo the appeal from local church and community leaders for political leaders “to treat Northern Ireland’s fragile peace with care”. They emphasise the importance of the three strands of the Good Friday Agreement and the consequent responsibility to respect all identities and foster good relations within Northern Ireland, on the ...

Prudent financial management and significant central exchequer assistance combined to leave Monaghan Co Council with a budget surplus of €358,000 for 2020 despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Head of Finance John Murray told Monday’s Council meeting – which considered the local authority’s Draft Annual Financial Statement – that a difficult financial year, and a possible deficit, had been forecast last April, but staff had been asked to curtail spending and budgets where they could and they had followed through on this. The Council had also put through ...

Call on Co Council to explore possibility of Shirley estate development as public amenity Sinn Féin local public representative Colm Cathy has called on Monaghan Co Council to explore whether the Lough Fea estate in South Monaghan, closely associated with the Shirley family, could be developed as a public amenity. Councillor Carthy, the current Cathaoirleach of the Council, after praising the recent development work which had taken place under the aegis of the local authority at Rossmore Forest Park in Monaghan Town, asked at Monday’s Council meeting if there had ever ...

Comment The bad news on our doorstep as a Border county of the ongoing violent disturbances on Northern Ireland streets provokes tremors of unease even in these more insular pandemic times when everyone’s world has grown smaller and even happenings a relatively short distance away can seem somehow remote and not of pressing relevance to our own concerns. True, there is something about the footage that has appeared on news channels each evening, of rioters in clumsy disguise hurling petrol bombs and rocks at vehicles and police personnel that seems anachronistic ...

The Swimming Pig sculpture as it was placed into position on the N2 outside Castleblayney on Monday morning. ©Rory Geary/The Northern Standard

five-figure windfall just as the bookmakers were counting the cost of a popular irish winner at the Grand National. The anonymous winner ignored the big meeting at Aintree and instead opted for a €0.38 Lucky 63 and €2.50 each -way accumulator on their BoyleSports account, featuring six horses running on Saturday evening at Lingfield and Wolverhampton. 10/1 pick Wolflet got the ball rolling by winning the 4.55 at Lingfield, while the Wolverhampton winners were quickly racked up by way of Seaforth (10/1), Ben Lilly (6/1) and Excel Power (3/1). 11/1 ...

As part of the slow, phased restart of sporting activities, golf courses are preparing to be among the first to reopen on Monday week (April 26). The Golf Ireland ‘Return to Golf’ protocol has been published. The main restrictions include: Golf Clubs can reopen from Monday, April 26 for members only; Golfers must only travel from within their county or within 20km of their home to play golf. In the initial phase, the Irish Government have decided that participants in sport and exercise activity must be from no more than ...

MCENANEY ADMITTED A “SERIOUS ERROR” AND HAS APOLOGISED Colm Shalvey reports Monaghan GAA await the outcome of an investigation by Croke Park into a “breach of the Covid-19 regulations and guidelines” via a senior football training session in Corduff understood to have taken place on the last weekend in March. Monaghan GAA moved quickly after Thursday’s Irish Independent report to suspend senior football manager Séamus McEnaney for 12 weeks, while they also face the likelihood of losing home advantage for an Allianz Football League game next month. Monaghan GAA County Board Chairman ...