Articles in the Headline Category

By Veronica Corr The McKennas from the Emyvale/ Glaslough area of County Monaghan make their debut on the small screen this week, as they are competitors in Ireland’s Fittest Family. So, our readers are encouraged to tune into RTÉ One on Sunday evening at 6.30pm to see how the local family get on. On Tuesday, The Northern Standard caught up with Sharon McKenna, who told this reporter how the whole thing came about. Filming of the series is now complete, however, there were some things Sharon couldn’t say, so we’ll ...

By Veronica Corr The cultural partnership between Project Children and Monaghan County Council promised a spectacle never before witnessed in Monaghan and on Wednesday, October 7th it delivered, with a Transatlantic parade marking the launch of ‘The Project Children Stories: A legacy of peace lives on in Monaghan’ at the Peace Campus incorporating Monaghan County Museum. A total of 320 visitors made the sentimental journey from America, all of them possessing a connection to this remarkable programme, which changed the lives of everyone who took part. Project Children, a grassroots ...

The series of calls for urgent action to resolve flooding issues in Monaghan Town and other parts of the county and address the threat to overhead powerlines from roadside trees made at Monday’s meeting of Monaghan Co Council articulated concerns being voiced across the county in the aftermath of the visitation of the severe weather event Storm Amy on Friday last. The Council members and executive also echoed the wider public disaffection with the belated severe weather warnings for Co Monaghan issued by Met Éireann which left the county largely ...

News of the death yesterday, Wednesday morning at Cavan General Hospital of former Monaghan Co Council member Hugh McElvaney sent a wave of sadness emanating from his beloved Corcaghan bailiwick across Co Monaghan and much further beyond. A Co Councillor from 1974 until 2024, first for Fine Gael and latterly in Independent livery, Hughie’s half-century of service as a local public representative encompassed enough conquest, colour, controversy and campaigning to fill the entire column inches of this newspaper. In the limited time and space available to us this week, it ...

By Veronica Corr News broke during Monday morning’s meeting of Carrickmacross/ Castleblayney Municipal District (MD), when Fianna Fáil Councillor PJ O’Hanlon excitedly announced that he had just received a message from Adrian O’Higgins, Special Adviser to the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, confirming that the CCTV scheme for Carrickmacross had been approved by the new Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who took up the role on September 1st, 2025. In welcoming the development and commending the new Garda Commissioner, Councillor Noel Keelan observed that there had been no engagement from his ...

By Veronica Corr On Sunday afternoon a sizeable crowd congregated around the Big Tom statue outside Castleblayney’s Market House, for a concert and civic reception for The Mainliners Showband, who were conferred with the Freedom of Castleblayney. The event was organised by Monaghan County Council. Country singers Margo O’Donnell, Damien Davis, Big Tom’s grand-nephew; Big Tom’s son Tom McBride Junior and Mick Mulhern entertained the crowd before the presentation began. Margo recalled the first time she heard ‘The Mighty Mainliners’ , as they were originally known, in 1966. All of ...

A new joint framework to address legacy issues arising from the Northern Ireland Troubles was unveiled by the British and Irish Governments on Friday. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said the new proposals were “a night and day improvement” on the controversial measures unilaterally introduced by the previous British Government under its controversial 2023 Legacy Act which effectively blocked inquests and civil legal proceedings arising from Troubles murders and atrocities. The Tánaiste and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn jointly announced the details of the new framework. The ...

Veronica Corr Homegrown Irish Presidential Candidate for Fine Gael, Heather Humphreys kept it country for Saturday’s launch, her venue of choice being the iconic Monaghan Peace Campus – Tánaiste and Fine Gael Leader Simon Harris quipped that she could draw a bigger crowd than Philomena Begley as he took to the podium in the packed to capacity function room! Heather says that if elected she intends to, not only bring people to the Áras, but bring the Áras to them. She has certainly started as she means to continue, as the ...

By Veronica Corr Former Minister Heather Humphreys is a household name, something that will be a distinct advantage to her when she appears on the ballot paper as Fine Gael’s candidate for the Irish Presidential Election, set to take place on Friday, October 24th in polling stations nationwide. Heather’s candidacy will be ratified by the Fine Gael Party at an event which will also serve as the official launch of her campaign. Heather took time out of her busy schedule this week to return a call to The Northern Standard, ...

Graced by perfect summer weather, a prodigious attendance and the drama and delight generated by the exacting standards pertaining across its wide range of competitive classes, Saturday’s 72nd Tydavnet Show can be inarguably pronounced one of the most successful in the recent history of this celebration of North Co Monaghan rural vibrancy. The ascendant stature of the event in the Irish show calendar was reflected in its hosting this year of two All-Ireland finals: one in photography and the other in the equestrian sphere, the Three-Year-Old Filly Championship. The event ...