What it Says in the Castlebar and Mayo Papers

27th September 2000

Connaught Telegraph

The Mayo News

The Western People

Public should decide on best site for new Castlebar Post Office - Kenny a story in The Connaught Telegraph this week.

A demand has been made that a full examination of all available sites be made before any decision is made by An Post to relocate their post office and sorting office in Castlebar. It has come from local Deputy Enda Kenny who has called on the Minister for Public Enterprise, Mary O'Rourke to furnish him with all the information regarding the proposal. Deputy Kenny said that no plans on the proposals have been made available to either the postal workers, or members of the public. Deputy Kenny stated "There is still great confusion about the provision of a new Post Office for Castlebar. Despite comments from An Post that a new retail office and a new sorting office complex are to be provided, no clarity has been given either to the staff or to the public. The Minister for Public Enterprise is to meet with postal staff next week to hear their concerns on the matter. I am concerned that claims are being made to have both the retail and sorting complex allocated to a small number of businessmen without reference to the greater range of views in the town, or indeed examination of the full range of site options available for each of the offices".

Castlebar twinning with Hochstadt finalised The Connaught Telegraph this week.

The proclamation officially twinning Castlebar with the Bavarian city of Hochstadt was signed in the German city on Sunday. The Leas Cathaoirleach of Castlebar Urban Council, Mr. Pat King, and Hochstadt's Burgermeister, Gerald Brehm, both signed the Proclamation finalising the ties between both centres. The twinning has been endorsed by the Irish Ambassador to Germany, the German Ambassador to Ireland, and Dr. Hugo Friedrich, a Vice President of the European Parliament. Sunday's ceremony commenced with an Ecumenical service in Hochstadt and both delegations marched to the local school led by a Bavarian band where the signing took place.

Former County Cinema to be demolished The Connaught Telegraph this week.

Arrangements are being put in place to demolish the former County Cinema at Spencer Street, Castlebar. The building, now in the council's ownership, is being knocked to make way for commercial development and to provide a proper entrance to the new Spencer Street carpark. A specialist team is being employed to carry out the removal and disposal of the asbestos roof on the property. Mr. Alec Fleming, assistant county manager, said that he envisaged the work being carried out before Christmas.

Mayo in line for 20 - channel TV is one of the leading articles in The Mayo News this week.

Mayo TV Deflector groups are considering a link-up with South Coast Community Television to provide alternative digital television services for its customers. The Cork-based SCTV which provides to Cork, Waterford, and Kerry has announced proposals for a new service which will compete with cable and MMDS providers, can provide the same range and quality of services as conventional digital providers at a substantially reduced cost, and has the potential to be replicated nationally. Westport-based Mr. Joe Gibbons, Chairman of the National Community Television Association, said groups in Mayo and other community television groups around the country were seriously examining the proposed new service. "It has the attraction of offering our customers the choice of a top quality service at attractive prices, and with a high level of local and community control".

Minister officially opens 250 job Cedar Centre in Castlebar The Mayo News.

The official opening of Cedar Software, headquarters for the Cedar Group in Castlebar, which comprises a Call Centre and Software Development Centre, was performed by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Mary O'Rourke, on Friday last. The 25,000 square foot centre, located in Teach an Cheadair at Moneenbradagh, Castlebar, is a subsidiary of the U.K. based Cedar Group plc. Within the next year, a total of 250 new jobs are expected to be created at the Castlebar plant, which has been operational since April 1999. The call centre (Cedar Ansaback Call Centre), which is the first of its kind in County Mayo, operates on the basis of connecting business clients with customers and potential customers around the world and with disseminating information from one to the other. The services of telephone operators at Cedar might be required by typical clients such as travel operators, financial institutions, etc., in their marketing research or perhaps in the promotion of new products. Staff at the centre are specifically trained to deal with all possible queries from customers and can be passed on digitally anywhere. Cedar can cater to clients from all over the world.

Marine tourism has jobs potential for Mayo The Mayo News this week.

Several locations in Mayo are likely to be put forward for the development of marine tourism and leisure projects. They include Westport, Mulranny, Achill, Ballina, Killala, Belmullet, and Ballycastle. Tourism groups and other bodies in some of these areas are already formulating proposals following comments by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr. Frank Fahey, in which he said he would be having discussions with Bord Fáilte and the Department of Tourism to determine areas suitable for marine and leisure tourism. Minister Fahey has now challenged local coastal communities to come up with imaginative and innovative ways of harnessing the marine resource to create employment. It is unlikely that more than one or two centres in a county like Mayo would be approved and supported for such development.

Council ignores plea to save Castlebar's only traditional family farm The Western People this week.

Mayo County Council has decided to over-ride the objections by the owners of a 'traditional family farm' and proceed with the construction of a major road widening plan between Castlebar and Newport. The scheme involves the realignment and reconstruction of 1,200m of existing carriageway at Snugboro and the construction of 1,754m of new carriage-way through Drumshinnagh and Rehins towards Derrycoosh. When notice of intention to proceed with the development was advertised, it attracted an objection by Mr. Ger Derrig of Tully Farm who recorded his 'strongest objections' because of the resultant adverse effects on his farm - "The only remaining traditional farm frontage in this (Castlebar) area". However, the council argued that the Tully Farm experienced an existing impact from the annual average daily traffic of 1856 vehicles and the provision of a grass verge along the frontage would not significantly increase the impact. The removal of trees was necessary as they encroached on the land required for the road realignment.

Castlegrove to be Castlebar's biggest housing development The Western People this Tuesday.

Deputy Beverley Copper-Flynn has "cut" the first sod on the site of Castlegrove, the biggest single housing development ever undertaken in Castlebar. She said that she was sure the development would prove to be one of the finest residential developments to date for the town of Castlebar. The project is the 14th. successive development to be built by Tony Gaughan in Castlebar. He is well known and respected in the construction business throughout Mayo.

New jobs for Belmullet The Western People this week.

Udaras na Gaeltachta have approved a project which will provide twenty new jobs in Belmullet. On Monday Cllr. Tim Quinn said that the company involved is already operating in Mayo and the new Belmullet project will produce containers for cosmetics. He said that it was good news and he was hopeful that the negotiations going on between Udras and other companies would produce results.

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