What it Says in the Castlebar and Mayo Papers

06th of December 2000

Connaught Telegraph

The Mayo News

The Western People

Take-off for Dublin service a front page story in The Connaught Telegraph this week.

An early morning air service between Knock and Dublin is to become operational on January 15th. The route will be serviced seven days per week by a 36 seater aircraft and the flight time will be approximately 40 minutes. A delighted Cathal Duffy Chairman of the Knock Board, said that the approval of the Public Service Obligation flights will be a major addition to the services available from the airport and the region in general.Mr. Duffy also hinted at further positive announcements in the months ahead. He said among other things that an "e-commerce" business park is to be developed on lands adjoining the airport. However, Knock Airport Board has indicated that it has rejected an "Action Plan" for the development of the airport and the region submitted by Art McCabe and Associates of Massachusetts U.S.A. A meeting recently between Mr. McCabe and representatives of the other U.S interests involved with the Airport Board was facilitated by Irish M.E.P. Dana Rosemary Scallon. The Knock Board has rejected the McCabe blueprint as "not feasible" and described a local newspaper report that Mr. McCabe had received £30 million investment backing for the Plan as "misleading". The board, in a statement, said that it has always welcomed development proposals from domestic and overseas groups and had actively encouraged it. The statement added however, that "it has to be said that not all of these expressions of interest have been supported by the necessary financial or strategic substance".

Pakistanis cause phone panic in Partry The Connaught Telegraph this week.

Partry and Pakistan have more in common than the letter "P" as some householders in the south Mayo village discovered following a nightmare 24 hour period when their home telephones jangled incessantly. They also share quite similar international access phone codes, which resulted in a bizarre telephone bombardment of the Partry area by callers whose language and accents were bafflingly unintelligible. So many calls were flooding into the 092 Partry district even in the dead of night that Gardai were alerted and Eircom's Malicious Calls Unit was asked by worried householders to investigate. The advice from Eircom's Malicious Calls Unit to use a caller identification unit to try and trace the mystery communicator proved useless as the message flashed up "caller unknown". Finally, extensive detective work by Eircom identified the root of the problem, a fault in the Danish phone network which meant that calls home from Pakistan expatriates resident in Britain were being routed to 092 (an area code for part of Mayo) instead of 0092 which is the international code for Pakistan.

St. Mary's Church Castlebar court reprieve welcomed- KennyThe Connaught Telegraph this week.

A court injunction has been awarded against the Western Health Board who is attempting to close the church in St. Mary's grounds in Castlebar. The move has been welcomed by Mayo Dáil Deputy Enda Kenny. The injunction will last until February 2001 and will allow for further discussion to take place including the preparation of a court case to provide a long term lease to the Catholic Church to cater for public mass there for the future.

Westport pub withdrawn at £1.35mThe Mayo News this week.

One of Westport's best known public houses/restaurants - JJ O'Malley's of Bridge Street- failed to sell when it was put up for public auction at the headquarters of Richard Ellis Gunne in Ballsbridge, Dublin, on Friday afternoon last. The property was withdrawn from sale at £1.35 million having failed to reach its undisclosed reserve price. However, it is understood that negotiations with one interested party are at an advanced stage and may be completed by the end of the week. There were a total of three bidders for the property at last week's auction and bidding commenced at £1 million before rising in various instalments to £1.35 million.

Mayo F.F team in place for next Dáil outing The Mayo News.

The Fianna Fáil team of candidates that will contest the next General Election in Mayo has been put in place. At a party convention in Castlebar on Sunday four candidates were selected without a vote, outgoing T.D.s Tom Moffatt and Beverly Cooper-Flynn, Senator Frank Chambers and Cllr. John Carty of Knock. A contest had been expected to decide who would be the party standard-bearer in East Mayo, but just before a vote was called Cllr. Pat McHugh withdrew in favour of Cllr. Carty. Earlier Cllr. Margaret Adams had withdrawn in favour of Senator Frank Chambers. Almost 1,000 delegates attended the convention which was chaired by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr. Frank Fahey, T.D. Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher , M.E.P also attended.

Ring raises Moore Hall in Dáil The Mayo News this week.

Mayo Deputy Michael Ring questioned the Minister for the Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms. Síle DeValera on the Moore Hall Restoration Project. The Department had commissioned a structural survey on Moore Hall and Deputy Ring queried the up-to-date position on it. In her reply, Minister DeValera confirmed that she expected the report to be completed in early 2001. This information will help the local community in the preparation of a full business plan for the Moore Hall Restoration Project, she said. Deputy Ring said that he hoped that the structural survey report would be positive and that the Government would see fit to restore Moore Hall whatever funding might be necessary.

Castlebar Arts Centre to get £800,000 facelift The Western People this week.

An £800,000 upgrade and redevelopment of the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar has begun. It is the largest single investment in the arts infrastructure ever taken in the county and it is expected to be completed by May of next year with an official opening in June. The Linenhall Project is a partnership involving the Arts Council of Ireland, Castlebar UDC, Mayo County Council and the local community. The Linenhall has provided the people of Castlebar and the surrounding areas with an innovative arts programme for well over a decade.

Proving that when it rains it pours The Western People this Tuesday.

Just in case you have been out of the country or hadn't noticed, it has rained for over 90 consecutive days for the period September, October, and November in parts of the west. And it's still raining into December. The Crossmolina Meteorological station has recorded total measured rainfall for the extended period at nineteen and a half inches, or 488mm. Already, on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of December 2 extra inches of rain has been recorded at the station. Based on statistics gathered over the years we would normally get ten to fifteen dry days over the months September through to November.

Aldi to open new store in Castlebar this week The Western People this week.

A new supermarket, Aldi is due to open its doors to customers this week. The company which originated in Germany has approximately 5,000 stores operating worldwide. They sell a limited range across the product spectrum including canned and packet goods, household supplies, fruit and vegetables etc. It is Aldi's policy to source as much product in the country of operation as possible, subject to quality standards and price, and this is the case in Ireland, as Aldi have recently increased by 50% the number of Irish sourced products currently on sale in seven stores. Aldi now trade successfully with a growing number of Irish suppliers and projects to spend some £50m. in 2000 with Irish-based suppliers for both its Irish and UK stores.

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