Castlebar - County Mayo - From the Western People 9 June 2004

Porsche tests its new car on roads of Erris
The fact that the famous car company Porsche travelled the whole way to Erris to test its car on the region’s roads is a shocking indictment of Mayo County Council, Independent candidate, Michael Holmes, has claimed. Mr. Holmes, who is Chairman of the Western Roads Action Committee, said everyone in Erris believed they were being serviced by the worst roads in the country – and obviously the makers of Porsche agreed with them! Locals in Bangor spotted the cars, which are not due in the showrooms until next year, being put through their paces around the town. The new models – a Boxster and a 911 with a likely price tag of up to £225,000 - were covered when they were parked to keep them secret. "But while the cars were on the road they were easy to spot - following behind them was a green van collecting data beamed from aerials on the back of the test cars."

This could be a new industry for the west. Car testing centre of the world!

Mystery greening of Moy raises spectre of pollution
Massive growths of a heavy, green substance have appeared along a stretch of the Moy in Ballina, prompting fears of a major pollution incident. The growth is heaviest from the area where the Bunree (Brusna) River joins the Moy and in recent days it has extended down river to the Quay area. The pollution is most concentrated on the Riverslade/Quay Road side of the river and is in huge masses on the flats at Riverslade. It is so heavy here that it bleaches in sunshine. In the last week the green growth has appeared on the mud bank in the middle of the river at the Quay. Near where this pollution starts - at Riverslade - a small overgrown stream is spewing sewage material, apparently from a sewage pumping station, into the river.

All the papers have a number of environmental stories this week and none more horrible than this one. Green algae – sure isn’t that natural stuff one of God’s plants? There was another story too about shipping Ballina’s sludge to Castlebar for drying but I didn’t want to put you off your breakfast altogether.

Mayo’s new city idea hijacked by Munster
Plans put forward some years ago to build a new and beautiful city in east Mayo have been hijacked by interests who are pressing to have the new city in Munster. Galway-based, William A. Thomas proposed the East Mayo location to Government in 2000 and he says that to date more than 4,500 articles have been written about the proposal all over the world. As well, he says, that some 100,000 people have expressed an interest in the new city by putting their names on a list for houses and some 1,345 major companies have expressed an interest in setting up in a new city. William A. Thomas is now saying that interests in the South West have hijacked the plan and are putting forward the idea the new city should be built in Munster, in a location between Cork and Limerick. This has annoyed Mr Thomas who says it is the wrong location for a new city. He points out that several things are important in building a new city. Firstly, it must have international access such as an international airport close by, secondly it must be at least 800-1000 feet above sea level and, thirdly, given that Ireland is on track to have an all-Ireland government within the next 25 years, it must be located at least in the centre part of the country and not in the South in West Cork. Mr Thomas adds that given the dire warnings about the gulf stream slowing down, NASA and other scientists have warned that Ireland’s temperature could go well below — 40 degrees centigrade, so any new city must be a thermal-proofed city.

This has been doing the rounds like a sort of biblical myth for some time. I like the bit about the new city being high up – I presume so that when the floods come it will be safe. And if the Gulf Stream stops double glazing the whole thing will keep the heat in and protect its citizens from the surrounding ice cover which could be a mile high if the last ice age is anything to go by!