Articles in the Headline Category

PETER HUGHES The simmering controversy over the “RTÉ Investigates” programme on which Monaghan Co Council member Hugh McElvaney was featured last December came briefly to the boil again at the conclusion of Monday’s meeting of the local authority in Castleblayney. Having asked for and received a statement from Chief Executive Eamonn O’Sullivan on comments made by Colr McElvaney at the recent Co Council Annual Meeting, Sinn Féin’s Brian McKenna insisted that, contrary to the tenor of Colr McElvaney’s remarks, an internal Co Council report into allegations arising from the RTE programme had ...

PETER HUGHES Cathaoirleach of Monaghan Co Council P J O’Hanlon was compelled to adjourn the business of Monday’s meeting of the local authority in Castleblayney for a five-minute “cooling off period” after councillors’ tempers became frayed over how best to address the issues arising from the UK’s recent ‘Brexit’ referendum decision to leave the European Union. Sinn Féin councillors wanted a discussion to proceed at Monday’s meeting on a motion of urgent business they had tabled on the topic. But the Council instead decided to convene a special meeting for yesterday, ...

Plans to engage in a process of public consultation and to develop a “master plan” for the future development of the Hope Castle and Lough Muckno areas of Castleblayney and the realisation of their potential to attract visitors to the county were referred to by Co Tourism Officer Dympna Condra when she addressed Monday’s meeting of Monaghan Co Council. The local authority’s July meeting convened in Castleblayney to enable councillors to tour the scenic Muckno grounds and to examine the Hope Castle building, which is awaiting extensive renovations after undergoing severe ...

By Patsy McArdle and Peter Hughes Political, business and community leaders and organisations have begun the process of analysing and preparing for the extent of the impact on Co Monaghan of the “Leave” decision made by the United Kingdom in the referendum on continued membership of the European Union held on Thursday last. In the rather fervid atmosphere that has reigned in the aftermath of the decision, forecasts of what ‘Brexit’ will mean for Ireland and the Border region in particular have ranged from the apocalyptic – passport checks and tight controls ...

“The EU is not just about laws and rules agreed for the common interest, it is about Europe and multiculturalism and respecting each other with common values.” So writes Clones journalist Cliona Connolly in the following exclusive piece for The Northern Standard in which she reflects on the reaction to the UK referendum outcome in Brussels, where she works as Press Officer for the Irish European People’s Party grouping in the European Parliament: Friday 24th June was a very sad day for me personally and for everyone here in Brussels. I was ...

By Cianna McNally The 2016 Monaghan Darkness into Light event, which took place last month, raised €45,000 for Pieta House. Monaghan was one of many locations across Ireland that supported this cause and this year’s total is the highest the county has raised since it began participating in Darkness into Light three years ago. The 5k walk and run was facilitated by Monaghan Harps GAA Club and approximately 30 people were involved in its organisation with around 2,500 people registering for this year’s event. One of the organisers, Sean McKenna, told ...

Internal investigation found no corruption or malpractice says Independent councillor PETER HUGHES Strong comments in relation to the actions and statements of some members of Monaghan Co Council in the aftermath of the “RTÉ Investigates” controversy in which he was embroiled in December last were made by Hugh McElvaney at Monday’s Annual Meeting of the local authority. The Independent councillor used the term “kangaroo court” to describe the special meeting convened by the Co Council on December 16 last year at which a motion, proposed by Sinn Féin councillor Pat Treanor and seconded ...

PETER HUGHES A proposal that Monaghan Co Council, Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board and the Monaghan Local Enterprise Office convene every three months to discuss ways in which new business development and training opportunities could be delivered was made by P J O’Hanlon following his election as Cathaoirleach at the Co Council’s Annual Meeting on Monday. Addressing the chamber following his unanimous election, the Fianna Fáil local public representative identified as priorities for his term the stimulation of economic growth, the development of tourism and progress in addressing the poor ...

Michael Fisher The border town of Clones with its rich monastic past has the potential to be developed as a heritage destination, according to the Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys. She suggested a monastic trail could be established in the borderlands area, linking Ireland’s Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way in the west. The Minister was speaking at the launch at the Canal Stores of a digital pictorial record of the High Cross in the Diamond and St Tighernach’s Tomb Shrine.  The laser scan ...

The work of an Emyvale sculptor has been included in a stone monument of Ireland that was unveiled in Donegal last weekend. Marc Kelly of Emyvale was asked to create a decorative stone for County Monaghan for inclusion in the Stones of Ireland, a fifteen-foot high stone map of Ireland that saw thirty-two individual counties made of stone, slotted together like a jigsaw puzzle. The monument, a year in the making, was unveiled in Glencolmcille last Saturday, 18th June. Each stonemason was asked to carve out their own county using ...