Articles in the General News Category

The go-ahead was given at Monday’s meeting of Monaghan Co Council for the establishment of a task force to seek solutions to environmental issues currently stymying development in the Co Monaghan poultry sector. The Environmental Protection Agency issued guidance in June indicating that it would no longer grant licences to intensive agricultural developments such as poultry units in the Sliabh Beagh Special Protection Area of North Monaghan and the Special Area of Conservation at the Kilroosky Lake Cluster in Clones because of the cumulative impact of ammonia emissions on the ...

The upward trend in house prices in Co Monaghan has been reflected in another property report published this week. Three-bedroom houses in the county have experienced a 7.21% increase in price in the first half of this year, according to the latest Residential Property Price Barometer produced by the IPAV or Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers. Four-bedroom homes have risen in price by 9.4 % and two-bedroom apartments by 6.71%. New blended working opportunities where people don’t have to operate from formal office settings on a full-time basis are ...

A new study published yesterday by Ifac, the professional services firm for the farm, food and agri-business sector with an office presence in Monaghan, reveals that the major of agri-food enterprises have experienced a negative impact from Brexit, but are nonetheless optimistic about the post-pandemic prospects of economic recovery. Ifac’s fourth annual sentiment survey of Irish food and agri-business SMEs was conducted by Amárach Research during June and July 2021. With a robust vaccine rollout and plans to remove the outstanding Covid-19 restrictions afoot, the report shows that optimism levels ...

Peter Hughes It’s anticipated that main construction works on the North South interconnector project will commence in the latter half of 2022, according to the Eir- Grid Chief Executive Mark Foley. He made the observation in a letter to Monaghan County Council. A claim in Mr Foley’s correspondence – discussed by the Council at its meeting on Monday last – that EirGrid had established “good relationships” with many of the landowners along the route of the proposed project was rejected by some of the Council’s elected members. Acting Co Council ...

Ballybay Garda Eve McCrystal (right) and her blind paracycle partner Katie-George Dunlevy (left) celebrate after retaining their gold medal in the Paralympics. The Irish duo won the B time trial in a time of 47 minutes 32.07 seconds to claim their second medal of Tokyo 2020 and retain the title they won at the Rio Games five years ago. Pic: Paralympics Ireland (see further report inside).

TAOISEACH APPEALS TO PEOPLE TO GET VACCINATED Michael Fisher As the government set out the roadmap for the ending of almost all Covid restrictions on October 22nd (see separate report), it was revealed that County Monaghan has the highest incidence rate of Covid-19 and the lowest vaccine uptake in the Republic. New figures seen by the Irish Independent show that another border county, Donegal, has the second lowest rate for vaccines. The HSE said it had begun extra advertising campaigns in counties with a low vaccine uptake using local radio, newspapers ...

410 residential buildings were under construction in Co Monaghan in June of this year, but the residential vacancy rate in Co Monaghan stands at higher than the national average, according to a report published this week. GeoDirectory’s GeoView Residential Buildings Report for the second quarter of 2021 found that the residential vacancy rate in the county was 5.9%. The national average was 4.5%. The average residential property price in Monaghan in the twelve months to May 2021 was €172,414. 8.2% of all transactions which involved new dwellings. 259 new residential ...

Michael Fisher The late Nika McGuigan was posthumously honoured in July with the lead actress (Film) award at the Irish Film and Television Academy film and drama awards for her final performance in the film Wildfire. Covid restrictions meant that the ceremony had to be held online. So when the film was being given its première showing in Clones on Sunday, a very poignant and brief ceremony took place before the outdoor screening. Nika’s parents Barry and Sandra McGuigan returned to their native town for the event organised by Clones ...

“We believe more can be done by policymakers to tackle the growing illegal trade in tobacco products in Ireland,” stated Benny Gilsenan of the Retailers Against Smuggling or RAS trade body this week. Mr Gilsenan said there were strong indications from recent seizures by Revenue that the Border region was becoming a focus for the manufacture and distribution of illegal tobacco products, and that the trade was closely linked to organised crime activity. Mr Gilsenan said the fact that Revenue had seized 13.5 tonnes of loose raw tobacco this year ...