Articles in the General News Category

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD has published the latest figures relating to the vacant property refurbishment grant which show that, in Co Monaghan, already, €1.2m has been paid out in relation to the refurbishment of 21 homes. Overall, since the launch of the grant just over two years ago, there have been 245 applications, 156 approvals and 21 grants issued in Monaghan. The figures which outline applications, approvals and payments under the scheme up to the end of September 2024, also show the exponential increase ...

By Veronica Corr As we went to press yesterday, (Wednesday), local entrepreneur Padraig Watters took time out of his busy schedule to speak to The Northern Standard about his family’s latest acquisition. The landmark Westenra Arms Hotel located on The Diamond, Monaghan Town. Padraig revealed that the sale arose out of conversations he had with a member of McEnaney family back in mid- July and that the deal was sealed the oldfashioned way, with a handshake. The deal will be finalised in early December. It will be business as usual ...

Minister of for Disabilities Anne Rabbitte TD pictured cutting the ribbon at the official opening of the new Children’s Respite Centre, Rainbow lodge, at Urblekirk in Monaghan on Tuesday. Pictured from left are Laverne McGuinness, CEO Talbot Group, Senator Robbie Gallagher, Edel Quinn Head of Disability Services, HSE Community Services Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo, Dermot Monaghan, HSE Integrated Healthcare Area Manager, Donegal, Sean Kenny, resident at the Centre , Ms Kenny, Sean’s Mum, Minister Rabbitte, Dervila Eyres, HSE Integrated Healthcare Area Manager, Cavan/Monaghan, Sara Long , HSE Regional Executive ...

Bus Éireann, Ireland’s national bus company, has celebrated its employees’ achievements in 2024 at the regional annual GEM (‘Go the Extra Mile’) Awards, which recognise excellent customer service, community impact, performance and forwardthinking. Awards were issued in a number of different categories including Apprentice of the Year, Depot of the Year, Craftworker of the Year and several other categories including driver and community awards. Monaghan’s Caroline Linden Hughes was recognised with the prestigious “School Bus Driver of the Year” award as testament to her character, professionalism and dedication to excellent ...

Sinn Féin local public representative and Cathaoirleach of Monaghan Co Council Cathy Bennett this week called for the process to deliver a domestic violence refuge to serve the county to be expedited. Councillor Bennett’s appeal came at Monday’s meeting of the Monaghan Municipal District. Separately, Aontú local public representative Sarah O’Reilly voiced alarm at the release of statistics which indicated that the Cavan/Monaghan area was showing the highest increase in domestic abuse cases in the country outside of Dublin. The Cavan Co Councillor, who will run for Aontú in Cavan/Monaghan ...

Monaghan is to be the location for one of five new special schools to be established next year to cater for the increasing number of students with special educational needs, Minister for Education Norma Foley TD and Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion Hildegarde Naughton TD confirmed on Friday last, October 18. The news represents a positive outcome for the intensive campaign for a Monaghan provision waged by the SNAP or Special Needs Active Parents lobby group and supported by national and local political representatives. “The ...

By Veronica Corr and Peter Hughes Tributes were paid across the political spectrum to Minister Heather Humphreys following the shock announcement of her retirement from politics at the weekend via a statement sent to media outlets nationwide on Saturday night. Minister Humphreys has confirmed that she will not be seeking reelection in the upcoming General Election, which is expected to happen before the end of the year. It is understood that Minister Humphreys will continue to hold the dual portfolios of Social Protection and Community and Rural Development until a ...

COLM SHALVEY As the Monaghan football championship season races towards its conclusion, the finalists in each grade will be known by Sunday evening. Clones hosts an enticing SFC semi-final double-header, featuring the three most recent winners of the Mick Duffy Cup (Scotstown, Ballybay and Clontibret), as well as last year’s runners-up Inniskeen. The former three have won every county SFC title since 2011, with Scotstown blazing a trail with eight of those, with the other four being shared by Ballybay and Clontibret, who get things underway on Sunday at 2pm. Both ...

The passing at St James’s Hospital in Dublin on Sunday last, October 6 of Billy Bagster has evoked deep sadness among the followers of soccer in Monaghan. Rightly described this week as “a Monaghan United legend” by the club he led to First Division promotion in 1993 and subsequently to a top six finish in the Premier League, the man from Terenure was one of the most iconic characters in Irish soccer, deeply knowledgeable about the worldwide game, charmingly idiosyncratic and individual, erudite and dryly witty and instantly recognisable in ...

1,000 new poles and 1,282 new speed limit signs will be installed across Co Monaghan in November. The works will herald the introduction of new 60 kph speed limits on rural and local roads in Co Monaghan as national legislation is enacted to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50% by 2030. In a briefing to the members of Monaghan Co Council on Monday on the impending speed limit changes, Senior Roads Engineer Kevin West pointed out that the Council had the option of maintaining the current ...