Local Papers Commentary
The Mayo News - 21 May 2003
26, May 2003 - 15:33

Mayo visionary to set up "chain" of prayer centres

Mrs. Christina Gallagher has announced plans for the establishment of a "chain" of prayer centres – similar to the House of Prayer in Achill – in various locations throughout the world. She is asking for donations of suitable buildings whose ownership would pass to the House of Prayer "chain".  The House of Prayer has also unveiled plans for a new fund-raising campaign to include a monthly lotto draw.  An application for a licence to run the lotto was successful despite a request from Supt. Pat Doyle that a statement of means should be produced to the court to see if the House of Prayer actually needed the funding to be raised from the lotto draw. A spokesperson for the House of Prayer declined to comment to the Mayo News about the latest developments and actually ended the conversation by abruptly hanging up.

End of an era at Westport Post Office

Since Thursday 15th May all mail posted in Westport will be sent in bulk to a central sorting office in Athlone where the sorting will be done from now on by computer-aided technology. Post office staff will continue to sort all incoming mail with Westport postal area addresses, but it is expected that as the system in Athlone becomes more automated even the routes out of the Westport office will also be fully sorted on arrival. There will be no job losses at the Westport office as a result of the change to Athlone for sorting. Ironically it now becomes critical that full postal addresses are correcly shown on enevelopes as a computer system will not be able to recognise incomplete addresses as manual sorting could do. Therefore incomplete addresses could cause delays in delivery!! Progress - I wonder!

Covies’ Convention 2003 in Westport, July 24th-31st 

Natives of Westport, traditionally referred to as "Covies", are to see the first International Covies Convention take place in Westport in the last week in July. A special programme of events has been organised for the week-long convention. Highlights of the week will include the Covies’ Mass of Thanksgiving and Welcome - celebrated by Westport born priests - in St. Mary’s Church on Thursday evening July 24th at 7.30p.m, and the "Covies, Reunion Social Night" in the Castlecourt Hotel on Monday night July 28th, with music provided by Westport’s Frank McCaffrey and friends.