Convent demolition condemned as "institutionalised thuggery"
Members of the town council are shocked over the demolishing of the old convent building on Rock Square. The developers decided to demolish the building after the Gardaí in Castlebar told them they would have to properly secure the building before somebody was seriously injured or even killed. There has been uproar over this decision as it is a building of historical importance. The building was originally a merchant bank owned by the Lucan family. The building has become increasingly dangerous due to a number of fires that have destroyed the inside of the building and underage drinking parties which have been held there in recent years since the Sisters of Mercy vacated it. Part of the building was listed for preservation and an application was being considered to make the whole building a listed one.

Mayo's strong case for extra seat
Before the next general election Mayo is expected to gain one extra seat in the Dáil and, if this seat is gained, Mayo will once again be divided into a dual constituency. In last week's election, the number of people entitled to vote went up by 7,135 since the previous election in 1997. Mayo will have a strong case for an extra seat if the same increase occurs before the next general election. It has been pointed out that four of the five candidates elected last week are from the area that would become the West Mayo constituency.

Higgins unlikely to walk away from politics
Jim Higgins was eliminated after the eight count in last Friday's general election; however, it is unlikely that he will be giving up his political career. The Fine Gael candidate said that he might go for a senate appointment or maybe he'll “try for Europe”. After the announcement that the party’s leader Michael Noonan had resigned there was talk that Higgins could be in the running to be the next party leader; however, any chance of that happening was taken away when he lost his seat to Enda Kenny, another Fine Gael candidate. Mr. Higgins said that, although he was disappointed, he was also delighted that Enda Kenny had been elected.