Phone numbers to change next year
Eircom has announced that a change in telephone numbers is necessary in County Sligo and in a large part of Mayo to meet the demand for new numbers. This will involve adding two digits to existing phone numbers. In the Castlebar area the local area code (094) will remain the same but 90 will be placed before the current five digit number. The area code in Swinford, Charlestown, Foxford 094 areas will stay the same but 92 will be added in front of the current five digit numbers; 93 will be placed in front of the five digits in the Balla, Claremorris, Kilkenny and Knock areas. This is to take place from October of next year (2003), but customers will receive twelve months notice from Eircom.

Ryanair takes flight over fees increase at Knock Airport
As a protest against the increase in the ‘departure’ fee to 10 Euro at Knock Airport, Ryanair is withdrawing one of its two daily flights to Knock on September 30th, a month earlier than schedule. Ryanair reduced all fares since 11th September and have encouraged their airport partners to do the same. Mr. Michael Cawley, Commercial Director with Ryanair is totally opposed to this increase and stated that Knock airport should be encouraging people into the West instead of discouraging people with this increase. Sligo and Kerry Airport have no departure fees.

Court action saves Historic Castlebar Church
A local parish priest and four parishioners won a court action taken against the Western Health Board and saved an historic church from closure. In 2000, the Western Health Board ordered the closure of St. Mary’s Church located beside Mayo General Hospital because people were blocking traffic on a Sunday morning and they hoped to open a library for the new nursing studies class instead. After hearing the evidence, Judge Moran said instead of attempting to relieve the problems the Health Board had persistently exacerbated them. The church was built in the 1870s and is owned by the Western Health Board.