Articles in the General News Category

Michael Fisher Former members of the Defence Forces gathered at the site of the former army barracks in Monaghan on Saturday to remember colleagues who served in the 29th Infantry Battalion. They paraded at the memorial stone unveiled three years ago beside what is now the Garage Theatre. See full report and memories of ‘Soldiering Against Subversion’ in the border area on page 29.

The final section of The EirGrid Files includes a draft text sent by EirGrid to the Department of Communications to use in reply to Monaghan County Council about the North South interconnector and a briefing note on the difference between it and the sub-sea Celtic interconnector. There is also more correspondence concerning the planning approval granted to the project in the North and on EirGrid’s position regarding land access. Finally, there is a message from EirGrid to the Department drawing attention to a front page story in The Northern Standard ...

Our photograph by Rory Geary shows local musicians Gráinne Duffy and Paul Sherry in the course of bringing the curtain down in style on last weekend’s Rhythm and Blues Festival in Monaghan Town. The strong local flavour lent by the Castleblayney songstress and the Tydavnet guitarist, augmented by the presence of another Co Monaghan musician Tony McManus on bass, to the close of the bill show was emblematic of the distinctly Monaghan and Irish feel struck by this year’s event, which packed out the various venues across the centre of the ….

Our photograph by Rory Geary shows local musicians Gráinne Duffy and Paul Sherry in the course of bringing the curtain down in style on last weekend’s Rhythm and Blues Festival in Monaghan Town. The strong local flavour lent by the Castleblayney songstress and the Tydavnet guitarist, augmented by the presence of another Co Monaghan musician Tony McManus on bass, to the close of the bill show was emblematic of the distinctly Monaghan and Irish feel struck by this year’s event, which packed out the various venues across the centre of ...

Peter Hughes The campaign for justice being pursued by Carrickmacross woman Lucia O’Farrell following the death of her son Shane in a hit-and-run incident in 2011 was identified as being an uppermost concern by investigative journalist Gemma O’Doherty when she addressed a special meeting of Monaghan Co Council on Monday seeking the local authority’s nomination as a Presidential candidate. Ms O’Doherty said that she had worked on a lot of cases of corruption within public office and An Garda Síochána in her role as an investigative journalist, but one case ...

A new biography of the legendary country music entertainer Big Tom McBride from Oram, who passed away earlier this year will be launched at the Íontas Centre in Castleblayney on Saturday, September 22 next. Co Galway journalist and broadcaster Tom Gilmore has penned the Big Tom life story, interviewing his family, friends and fans and unearthing previously unpublished interviews with the singer himself. . The book also features tributes to the legend from luminaries of music, sport and politics, including President of Ireland Michael D Higgins. “Featuring never-beforepublished interviews with ...

Daniel Hawthorne, a member of Newbliss Macra na Feirme branch, was named as the FBD Young Farmer of the Year at an awards ceremony in Dublin this week. The cattle and sheep farmer, who is now in the process of entering the poultry sector, becomes the 20th recipient of the coveted award, which he received at an event in the Castleknock Hotel on Tuesday evening. Daniel, who works as a metal fabricator for forklift manufacturer Combilift in addition to his farming…

Peter Hughes A €46 million funding application was being prepared for submission to the Rural Regeneration Programme in relation to the redevelopment of 13 kilometres of the Ulster Canal in the Clones area, representatives of Waterways Ireland told last week’s meeting of Monaghan Co Council. Waterways Ireland’s Chief Executive Dawn Livingstone and its Northern Regional Manager Joe Gillespie were closely questioned by the Council members about the detail, funding options and timescale for the Clones element of the project, which was the subject of a highprofile announcement in the town ...

Peter Hughes A pledge to place the Irish diaspora front and centre during his tenancy of Áras an Uachtaráin was made by Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Casey when he petitioned the members of Monaghan Co Council on Monday for their nomination as a candidate in the Irish Presidential election in October. Mr Casey detailed proposals to afford the Irish abroad a number of seats in Seanad Éireann as part of a ‘Proud to be Irish’ concept which he saw opening up potential for businesses in Co Monaghan and elsewhere to ...

Peter hughes The Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael members of Monaghan Co Council found themselves having to defend the reputation and track record of their parties on Monday from a vigorous attack launched on them by Presidential nominee hopeful Gemma O’Doherty. One of two candidates who addressed a special meeting of the Council seeking to secure the members’ nomination to take part in October’s Presidential election, investigative journalist Ms O’Doherty eschewed the diplomatic approach of her fellow petitioner Peter Casey and went straight for the political jugular in the delineation ...