Articles in the General News Category

Michael Fisher “It’s great to get back to some semblance of normality”. Those were the first thoughts of Minister for Social Protection, Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD as she arrived at the Ulster Canal Stores in Clones on Friday to launch an expansion of the Meals on Wheels service. The Canal Stores houses a lace museum and visitor centre as well as a bistro, but these have remained closed to the public because of the Covid pandemic. However a meals on wheels service was able to continue to ...

Monaghan Co Councillor Cathy Bennett has been readmitted to Sinn Féin following the removal of the party whip from her in August following a breach of party guidance in relation to international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision was confirmed in a statement from Councillor Brian McKenna, Sinn Féin group leader on Monaghan Co Council, received as we went to press yesterday (Wednesday). Councillor McKenna stated: “On 28th August, on the recommendation of the Sinn Féin National Councillors Forum, I removed the party whip from Councillor Cathy Bennett in ...

The members of Monaghan County Council at their meeting on Monday repeated their call on the Government to implement the terms of a Fianna Fáil motion passed by the Dáil and Seanad in 2017 in relation to EirGrid’s northsouth electricity interconnector project. Meanwhile Councillors in Meath (with one exception) have supported their Monaghan colleagues and passed a motion demanding that the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister Eamon Ryan tell EirGrid to stop the project. Sinn Féin Councillor Noel Keelan proposed that Monaghan Council contact the Cavan/Monaghan constituency’s Oireachtas members, asking them ...

Michael Fisher Some 3,262 people in Co. Monaghan received their Christmas Bonus on Tuesday, totalling almost €933,000. Social Protection Minister and local Deputy Heather Humphreys released the figures as the Government announced the payment of a record €390 million Christmas Bonus to 1.6 million people nationwide. The first cohort to receive the Christmas Bonus were those in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Other groups such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and lone parents were also paid this week. This year, as an exceptional measure, the Government decided ...

Michael Fisher The HSE along with An Garda Síochána and Monaghan County Council have made an urgent appeal to people to help stop the spread of Covid-19, following the relaxation in restrictions from level five to level three as Chrsitmas approaches. In a statement issued last Thursday, the authorities said the incidence rate of COVID19 in Co. Monaghan had come down in recent weeks and they thanked the communities in Monaghan and Cavan for all their hard work and efforts in working together to reduce the number of cases. The ...

€43,137 in Covid-19 supports for community and voluntary groups in Co Monaghan has been announced. The funding is part of a €1.7 million national package which the Department of Rural and Community Development said was “in recognition of the important role played by community and voluntary organisations across the country as we head towards the Christmas period. “It will be used to assist local community and voluntary groups to adapt to Covid-19, such as allowing them to make changes to premises to provide for social distancing; funding for online activities ...

Fiona McCaffrey Jones and Mary McCrystal were named winners in the Volunteer Manager category in the national Volunteer Ireland Awards for their work with Truagh Development Association. Fiona and Mary manage Truagh Development Association’s rural social enterprise, the Community Services Programme (CSP) based at the Blackwater Valley Lifelong Learning, Cultural, ICT and Peace Centre, located outside Emyvale in North Co. Monaghan. At the beginning of March 2020 the CSP provided weekly social services for the elderly, hot school lunches …

The flax crop was an important part of the rural economy of Co. Monaghan for over two hundred and fifty years, but since its demise after the second World war its importance has largely been forgotten. Most of the older generations who worked at the flax have now passed on and the magnificent mills have fallen in too ruins or disappeared completely. Thanks to Sean Moen and the ‘Old Mill Museum’ Clontibret a renewed interest in the crop has been generated. This has resulted in the production of a new ...

Ulster title up for grabs for Monaghan COLM SHALVEY REPORTS A first Ulster Ladies’ SFC title since 2016 is the prize on offer for Monaghan when they take on Armagh behind closed doors in Clones on Saturday. It’s a first provincial final appearance since 2017 for Monaghan, who are up against last year’s runners-up Armagh. Both counties enjoyed progressive All- Ireland SFC campaigns, with Monaghan missing out on qualification from a razorthin group by the narrowest of margins after edging out Tipperary and falling agonisingly short against Galway. Armagh went one step ...

COLM SHALVEY Despite everything that 2020 has sprung and just two weeks after a remarkable day of provincial finals, the All-Ireland SFC decider will be between Dublin and Mayo for the fourth time in eight years after a pair of one-sided semi-finals at Croke Park. The pundits attempting to build up Saturday’s clash between Cavan and Dublin are at pains to point out that the Ulster champions are there on merit, but they are under no illusions about the task at hand for Mickey Graham’s side. Peter Canavan on Sky Sports ...