Articles in the General News Category

Illegal drugs to the value of €1,475,000 had been seized by the Gardaí in search operations in Co Monaghan over the past 12 months, Garda Chief Superintendent Aidan Glacken told last week’s meeting of the Co Monaghan Joint Policing Committee. Chief Superintendent Glacken said the figure compared to €83,000 for the previous 12-month period. During the past year Garda searches had detected eight illegal cannabis growhouses and cash to the value of €128,500 had also been seized. The Chief Superintendent added that in the 12- month period between June 2020 ...

As Co Monaghan celebrated a significant milestone in broadband connectivity in Drumhowan on Friday, the community’s famed acting twins John and Tommy McArdle delivered a timely reminder of the joys of reconnecting with the work of Inniskeen poet Patrick Kavanagh. The McArdles’ performance of an excerpt from their celebrated showcase of Kavanagh’s characters and colloquy conveyed the timeless quality of “the half-talk code of mysteries and the wink and elbow language of delight” and reminded the audience of the essential value of human communication as we enter a Covid-19- accelerated ...

A Ballybay woman was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin on Monday. Alison Gilliland from the town, a resident of Dublin since 1995 and a Labour Party councillor on the capital’s local authority, is only the 10th woman out of the 353 people to hold the position, which was instituted in 1665. Chairperson of Dublin City Council’s Strategic Policy Committee on Housing, Councillor Gilliland succeeds the Green Party’s Hazel Chu. A Labour Party member since 2009, she was elected to the City Council in 2014. A former primary school teacher, she ...

Fianna Fáil Senator Robbie Gallagher has called for action to avert a potential crisis in mushroom production which he said could have adverse consequences for employment in the sector in Co Monaghan. Senator Gallagher told Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Senator Pippa Hackett on Monday that proposed restrictions on agricultural peat harvesting had raised deep concerns in the horticultural sector and had particular implications for the major mushroom production industry in Co Monaghan. “The mushroom industry is the largest horticultural sector in Ireland with a farm gate ...

Gardaí in Monaghan are continuing to investigate the cause of a fire in Dublin Street in Monaghan Town on Thursday of last week. The fire broke out in a derelict building located in the backlands area of the street. The heat generated caused a number of cylinders located in the building to explode. The street was closed for approximately four hours from 6 pm as two crews from Monaghan Fire Service worked to control the blaze, with traffic diversions put into place in the centre of the town. Fire Service ...

The Garda had recently put a number of visible patrols into the Sliabh Beagh area and had featured illegal activity taking place there in its social media campaigns, Garda Superintendent Pat O’Connell told last week’s meeting of the Co Monaghan Joint Policing Committee. Sinn Féin member of Monaghan Co Council Cathy Bennett had raised the issues of cars being burnt out in the Sliabh Beagh area and of dead sheep and cows being dumped there. She asked if there was a possibility of CCTV being deployed in this location. Superintendent ...

One of a series of protest events held under the banner of “Time for Truth” took place in Clara graveyard in North Monaghan on Saturday last to coincide with the Armed Forces Day celebrations honouring British Army personnel. The Time for Truth campaign represents families who “have suffered at the hands of the British armed forces”. Aidan McAnespie, who was shot dead by a British soldier at an Army checkpoint in Aughnacloy on February 21 1988, and Seán McKenna, are both buried in Clara. The protest finished at the nearby ...

130,000 expected to attend camps COLM SHALVEY The 2021 Kellogg’s Cúl Camps got underway on Monday, with Clones and Clontibret hosting Monaghan’s first camps of the summer. Monaghan GAA will have 20 Cúl Camps altogether between now and late August, with sold-out camps taking place at Castleblayney and Monaghan Harps next week. The Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps offers children a healthy, fun and safe summer outdoor activity at locations nationwide, with more than 130,000 expected to attend over 1,200 venues. Following the successful health and safety measures from last year, similar guidelines ...

“Jeopardy” is one of the most-used buzz words in sport of late. Attention recently focused on a lack of jeopardy in the group stages at ‘Euro 2020’, where it took 36 games to reduce 24 teams to the last 16 before the tournament heated up for the first knock-out round. Meanwhile, there was little doubt about the outcomes last weekend as Kerry, Mayo and Donegal cruised through their SFC openers. Monaghan, however, know only too well what a minefield the Ulster championship can be ahead of their quarter-final derby against ...

By Veronica Corr There was tremendous excitement at the new Holy Family School building in Cootehill on Thursday last, June 17th, when the Minister for Education, Norma Foley visited the facility at the request of Fianna Fáil Deputy Niamh Smyth. When asked if the visit to the school had been a highlight of her tenure in education, the former teacher said that it most certainly was and she even committed to returning for the official opening of the new school building. The school community was well represented at the informal ...