Articles in the Headline Category

Monaghan County Council has joined forces with the “Monaghan Has It” business group to promote a Christmas “shop local” campaign. Launching the initiative this week, the organisers stated: “Everybody is acutely aware of the impact the economic recession has had on our community over the past number of years. Our retailers and businesses throughout County Monaghan have suffered from changes in shopping patterns, increased competition from regional shopping centres, the growth of multi-national stores and the growth in online shopping. “Monaghan Has It” believes that local shops and businesses provide the range and ...

By PATSY McARDLE CASTLEBLAYNEY was again the focus of a ‘good news’ story last week, when the town was deservedly adjudged as having staged the ‘best festival in Ireland’ last year!. And there was huge jubilation in the mid-Monaghan town on Friday last when the popular and successful Muckno Mania Festival was declared ‘Best Festival in Ireland’ in a special Today FM Best in Ireland Awards’ Competition. The Best in Ireland Awards was held in association with Board Gais Energy and ran in conjunction with the Ray Darcy morning show on Today FM. Over ...

CALLS ON PUBLIC TO ENSURE MAXIMUM TURNOUT AT DUBLIN  By MICHAEL McDONNELL michael@northern-standard.ie IN A comprehensive and sweeping speech delivered at Monday night’s ‘Right2Water’ public meeting in Monaghan’s Four Seasons Hotel, a clearly impassioned and committed Brendan Ogle, the well-known trade union activist, called on as many people as possible to attend the massive anti-water charges rally taking place in Dublin next Wednesday, 10th December — after assuring his audience that the Government was “on the run” on this issue and might be only “one or two major pushes away” from abolishing ...

By Veronica Corr A potential bidding war could be on the cards in relation to the Billy Brennan’s Barn, Drumnanaliv, Inniskeen. This iconic building was immortalised in Patrick Kavanagh’s poem Inniskeen Road: July Evening. The estate agent handling the sale, Daragh O’Rourke of Gartlan O’Rourke Property Advisors, Carrickmacross told The Northern Standard: “We’ve had interest from home and abroad, but most of the general interest has come from the locality. We’d like to agree a deal before Christmas.” Mr. O’Rourke also confirmed that there is currently a bid of €45,000 on the property which ...

A section of the large crowd that attended the Monaghan Town Christmas lights switch on on Sunday last. More pictures on NORTHERN STANDARD page 16.

By Cianna McNally The contract has been signed and after a 14-year wait, Castleblayney College will soon see its new extension taking shape as building work is set to begin in January. Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys was in Castleblayney on Friday last, 28th November, to witness the signing of the four million euro contract which was awarded to Ganson Contractors Ltd. Speaking to the Northern Standard Principal of Castleblayney College Gerry Hand told how the new extension to the school would benefit students and staff alike. “This extension has been on the cards for ...

Soccer in Clones is to get a €200,000 financial windfall. Funding to this amount was announced for Ireland’s oldest soccer club by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring last Thursday evening for the construction of dressing rooms at the club’s newly developed grounds in the heart of the border town. Minister Ring commented that since coming to office, he had made a special allocation each year to specific sporting disciplines. They have included rugby, boxing, athletics and swimming pools. “I am now pleased to be able to allocate €1.2 million in ...

Castleblayney College student, Kyle Mc Gee, has been chosen to represent Co Monaghan on the ‘Adopt a WWI Soldier’ commemorative trip to the battlefields of the Somme in northern France next year. The trip, which will take place from June 26th-29th, will see 32 students, one from every Irish county, travel to the graves and memorials of soldiers that they have researched. The project is the brainchild of Glenties teacher, Gerry Moore. Gerry, whose great-uncle died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, has been taking Transition Year ...

By Veronica Corr Paddy Power’s press office confirmed on Monday that a €1 accumulator bet, which scooped in excess of €245,000 over the weekend, was made in one of their Co. Monaghan betting shops. While the customer wishes to remain anonymous, the bookmaker was allowed to reveal that the gentleman is an Eastern European in his forties who has been living in Ireland for a number of years. While he regularly places these kinds of bets, he has no idea what he will do with the money. The Monaghan punter ...

It’s a good news story. The Monaghan Town Country Music Festival committee and volunteers are delighted to donate €46,000 from the 2014 festival funds to 29 extremely worthwhile local charities. The beneficiaries are: Monaghan branches of The Alzheimer Society, Age Action, Arch Club, Ballybay Cancer Society, Civil Defence, Cuan Mhuíre, Crocus, Down Syndrom Ireland, Errigal Truagh Special Needs, Irish Red Cross, Local Latch-On Management Group, MS Ireland, Cancer Treatment, Positive Mental Health Group, Senior Citizens, Wellness Centre, M.S.P.C.A., National Learning Network, St Dympna’s Faith & Light, St Vincent de Paul, Solas ...