Articles in the General News Category

Peter Hughes “Another one for the van!” These ominous words told me that my number was up. Having survived chainsawwielding maniacs, witches and their dread familiars, sundry members of the ranks of the undead and an assortment of other temporary exiles from Hell, this was how it was all going to end, I thought – in the back of a rather nondescript white van from which chilling screams were issuing. Whatever was going on in the vehicle was distinctly unpleasant and spoke of a oneway trip. But the dreadfullooking man ...

Cavan/Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD Niamh Smyth has raised the threat of closure facing an addiction support service in her constituency with Minister of State for Health Promotion and the National Drugs Strategy Catherine Byrne TD. Deputy Smyth commented: “We face a vacuum of services in the Cavan/Monaghan constituency by 2020 if the Department of Health does not engage fully with Cavan Drug Awareness Trust ….

Today, Thursday October 31’s long-signalled deadline for the UK to depart the European Union has arrived without the Brexit beginning it so long heralded. On Monday, European Union members agreed to postpone Brexit for up to three months, setting a new departure deadline of January 31 2020 with the proviso that an earlier date will be accommodated if the UK ratifies a withdrawal agreement in the interim. The following day British Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured House of Commons support for the holding of a General Election on December 12 ...

Michael Fisher The Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is to be asked to reinstate Emyvale Garda Station and review its opening hours when he comes to Monaghan in the near future. The small bungalow-style Garda station which opens only during the day on a part-time basis was extensively damaged in a fire early on Monday morning. No Gardaí were working there at the time. Gardaí and the fire service attended the scene of the fire, which was reported at around 5.30am. An examination of the scene was carried out by the ...

Michael Fisher The Chief Executive of Quinn Industrial Holdings has said the latest threat against its five directors is being taken very seriously at the highest level. The threat, delivered to a newspaper in Belfast earlier this week, was conveyed to Quinn directors by police. It called on the men to resign their positions and warned of a future “permanent solution”. CEO Liam McCaffrey said police on both sides of the border were monitoring the homes and place of work of QIH’s directors. In the typed letter delivered to the ...

Readers will notice that the Northern Standard they hold in their hands this week has a different look. Production changes necessitated by the outsourcing of the printing of the newspaper have resulted in a slight alteration of its broadsheet format. This is also the first week in its 180-year history that the newspaper has been printed in full colour. We hope this development will enable us to enhance the quality of the product that we offer to our readers, contributors and advertisers. We ask those submitting photographs for consideration for publication in the ...

Irish workers affected by any no-deal scenario post-Brexit would benefit from new EU support through a contingency measure in the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, Fine Gael MEP for the Midlands North West Maria Walsh has stated. Speaking from Strasbourg, the MEP told the Northern Standard: “Despite the fact that there is a deal in principle between the UK and the EU, there remains continued uncertainty in the United Kingdom regarding the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and the overall domestic political situation, meaning that a future no-deal scenario remains a ...

In the following essay on social and industrial history in the Monaghan area, DERMOT McNALLY documents how trade and frontier instability in the decade after Partition delivered some unexpected benefits… As the instability of Brexit still looms over the border region it’s interesting to remember how trade and frontier instability in the 1920’s (after partition) delivered unexpected industrial benefits for Monaghan. Early May 1925 and Mr Thomas McDonagh, a businessman and Quaker from Co Armagh, had just completed a deal to rent a building in Monaghan Town. The letting agent ...

Peter Hughes The public’s views are to be solicited on new bye-law proposals to deal with the problems of alcohol and drug use in public places in Co Monaghan. Monaghan Co Council agreed at its October meeting to allow new draft bye-laws for the regulation and control of the consumption of intoxicating substances to proceed to public consultation stage. Meetings Administrator Carmel Thornton explained that the purpose of the byelaws was to provide a mechanism for An Garda Síochána to deal with the increasing number of instances of consumption of ...

Monaghan champs want more success JOHN GRAHAM REPORTS For Clontibret the celebrations have been put on hold as they now turn their minds to the provincial club series when they take on Armagh champions Crossmaglen Rangers in the Athletic Grounds, Armagh, this Saturday evening at 7.00pm. This is Clontibret’s first foray into the provincial series since 2014 and they will be hoping for a more extended run than they enjoyed on that occasion. They are however up against the specialists in the Ulster club championship in Crossmaglen Rangers, who have won the ...