Articles in the Headline Category

Monaghan will form part of the base for the Ireland senior rugby squad’s preparations for the RBS Six Nations international series getting underway this weekend. Coach Joe Schmidt will bring his players to Monaghan Rugby Club’s Rafeenan headquarters on Friday, February 17 for one of what will be only two open training sessions scheduled for the current Six Nations campaign. The occasion represents a landmark moment in the history of the club, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and news of the team’s visit has generated an immense amount of ...

Michael Fisher As calls continued for the undergrounding of the proposed North/South electricity interconnector, the latest coming from the Fianna Fáil party environment spokesperson and from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, EirGrid’s Chief Executive has said the increased costs would affect the competitiveness of Irish businesses. Technically it would be a very different solution to an overhead line and one that was less good. Undergrounding the cross-border link, he said, would mean paying an awful lot of money for something that was less good.   He was speaking to reporters including the ...

The importance of developing the rich heritage potential of Clones was emphasised by Government Minister Heather Humphreys when she visited the town on Monday. The holder of the Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs portfolio was accompanied by the Heritage Council’s Chief Executive Michael Starrett, and Martin Colreavy who is Principal Adviser in the Build Heritage Division of Minister Humphreys’ Department. During the visit, which came on the eve of her announcement of an investment of more than €27 million in town, village and rural recreation projects as part of the ...

By Patsy McArdle THE mid-Monaghan community learned with a sense of shock last week that a Castleblayney man was charged in connection with the murder of a Dundalk woman in 2005. Anthony Lambe (34) of Annadrumman, Castleblayney, appeared before a special sitting of Dundalk District Court on Saturday charged with the murder of Irene White on April 6th 2005, at Ice House, Demesne Road, Dundalk. The mother-of-three was found with multiple stab wounds by her elderly mother in the house. It emerged that on the day of her death ...

By Cianna McNally Call for redesign of N2 supported The issue of safety on the N2 Dublin – Derry road was once again in the spotlight this week with councillors on Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District supporting a call for a redesign of it. Sinn Féin representatives Colm Carthy, Noel Keelan and Jackie Crowe submitted a motion to the January meeting, which took place on Monday, calling on Minister for Transport Shane Ross and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to put plans in place to redesign the N2 from Aclint to Castleblayney ...

Michael Fisher “The Fine Gael party are totally useless” according to Monaghan Cllr Hugh McElvaney. Cllr McElvaney, formerly a longstanding FG member and now an Independent, was expressing his displeasure at the stance of his former colleagues over the controversial interconnector issue during a special Council meeting on Monday. It was convened to discuss with Oireachtas members from Cavan/Monaghan their continuing opposition to EirGrid’s plans for the North/South power link.    The major infrastructure development involving the erection of almost 300 pylons and overhead 400kV high voltage lines across Monaghan, Cavan and ...

A FORMER Clones-based solicitor who defrauded clients of over €850,000 was given three and a half years in prison at Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court last Friday. Paul Madden, aged 50, of The Diamond, Clones, pleaded guilty to 16 separate charges of stealing money from clients at his former practice, Paul Madden & Company, Fitzpatrick Square, Clones on various dates between October 2006 and August 2013. The charges related to thefts from nine separate client accounts, from which a total of €856,871.33 was taken, contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft ...

BRITISH PM SETS OUT OBJECTIVES FOR BREXIT NEGOTIATIONS By Patsy McArdle THE implications for small firms and business enterprises, on the Co. Monaghan side of the Border, in the wake of the countdown to Brexit, has sent many firms into a major flurry in recent days, with calls made this week for financial support schemes for companies in the exporting sectors. Meanwhile, on Tuesday the Carrickmacross-based Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy met with the EU’s chief negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, for top-level talks on ...

• Michael McDonnell THE inaugural launch of Margaret Skinnider 1916 Heroine — The Monaghan Connection attracted a capacity gathering to the county town’s Market House on Tuesday night, where there was a palpable and well-earned sense of pride and satisfaction on the part of everyone involved at how the project so successfully came to fruition inside a relatively short timeframe. While the collective effort by members of the Margaret Skinnider Appreciation Society in making the 140-page volume a reality were highlighted more than once, there could be no mistaking the ...

By Patsy McArdle THE entire Co. Monaghan community – and residents in the wider Castleblayney area in particular – were shocked and saddened at the weekend by the tragic death in a road accident of a very popular local lady, who was a caring wife and mother as well as an affectionate teacher at Beech Hill College in Monaghan town. Mrs Mona Frances Clarke, who was aged 53, was wife of esteemed Castleblayney GP Dr Michael Clarke, Dundalk Road. She was daughter of the late Frank O’Duffy, and is survived by ...