What it Says in the Castlebar and Mayo Papers

May 30th, 2001

Connaught Telegraph

The Mayo News

The Western People

Fianna Fail mood tense following call for cumainn probe The Connaught Telegraph this week.

The mood in the Fianna Fail party in Castlebar has been described as 'tense' following calls for a probe into the controversial establishment of two new cumainn in the town. Deputy Beverley Cooper Flynn is spearheading the move to have the internal investigation carried out in the short term. She told a heated meeting of the local Micheál Ó Moráin Cumann on Monday night that she had conducted her own study into the affair and was unhappy with the findings. Ms Cooper Flynn refused to make any comment on the matter when contacted by the Connaught Telegraph yesterday (Tuesday), citing the fact that the meeting was 'private and should remain private.' But, according to sources, Deputy Cooper Flynn, who chaired the meeting in the absence of outgoing chairman, Mr. Padraig Murray, launched a scathing attack on the manner in which the new cumainn were set up 'behind her back and the backs of the party's public representatives'.

Double dismay at VolexThe Connaught Telegraph this week.

More than 120 staff went on short-time working last Monday at the British owned Volex plant in Castlebar. The three-day week is the second body-blow in a month at the plant which manufactures computer cable assembly systems. In the second half of April, 150 workers - mostly temporary - were let go at the factory which is one of the biggest employers in Mayo. The three-day week has been implemented by factory management following consultations with trade unions. Ms Martina Weir, Assistant Secretary of the Mayo No. 2 Branch of SIPTU, said yesterday (Tuesday) that 127 employees have been placed on short-time working. "Management are saying this is a temporary situation," Ms. Weir explained. She added: "We have been told the position will be reviewed in three weeks time. If the company, following that review, is in a position to return staff to full-time working they will do so."

Ferry trips planned to former Beatle outpost on Clew Bay.The Connaught Telegraph this week.

A Westport couple hope to cash in on the popularity of the legendary Beatles by operating ferry trips past Dorinish - once owned by the late John Lennon - and other smaller islands in the Clew Bay archipelago later in the summer. Despite their admiration for the former Liverpool chart-toppers, however, Tom and Siobhan King have resisted the temptation to call their 50' foot pleasure craft "Yellow Submarine" opting instead for the more traditional "Spirit of St. Patrick." This week, Mr. King, a businessman and farmer, has been talking about the dream which is about to come true. "We're very excited about the project", Mr. King explained. "When we reach Dorinish we plan to cut the engine and play " Imagine" for our passengers over the speakers. It should make for a magical and unforgettable experience."

£200m. turnover for Connaught Gold Co-op. The Mayo News this week.

The first annual report of the amalgamated Connacht Golf Co-op for the year 2000 shows turnover of £202 million, up from £197 million in 1999. Connaught Gold incorporates NCF, Kiltoghert and Shannonside. Profit before tax was £3.23 million, the same as in the previous year which, however, had included an exceptional gain of £783,000 on the sale of the Society's shares in Connaught Mushrooms to Carbury Mushrooms. Commenting on the accounts the Chairman, Dan Gilmartin, said that all areas of the Society's operations contributed to the strong performance. In the dairy division higher product prices contributed to an improved performance and an increase in milk prices to suppliers. Mr. Gilmartin was critical of reductions in price supports made by the EU Commission when the market was improving and he called on the Commission to restore the cuts made in the light of the substantial reductions that have taken place in market prices since January, aggravated by the Foot and Mouth crisis.

620 council house starts for Mayo. The Mayo News.

Six hundred and twenty local authority house starts have been authorised for Mayo to the end of 2003. This includes 530 approvals for Mayo County Council and 30 approvals each for the Urban Councils of Ballina, Castlebar and Westport. The housing construction allocation to the County Council for the current year totals £7.35 million; £1.4 million has been allocated to Castlebar UDC; £800,000 to Ballina UDC and £900,000 to Westport UDC. Housing Minister Mr. Robert Molloy, said the overall allocations represented a 37% increase on the previous year. The Minister has again called on local authorities to redouble their efforts to exploit the full potential of the range of social housing measures now available to them such as affordable and voluntary housing and shared ownership.

National Development Plan warning for WestThe Mayo News this week.

The objectives set out in the Government's National Development Plan for the West of Ireland will not be realised if immediate steps are not taken to implement the necessary investment programme said Dan Gilmartin Chairman of Connacht Gold Co-op at the presentation of the Connacht Gold/John Healy Awards for journalism in Carrick-on-Shannon on Monday. He said that the West of Ireland was particularly vulnerable to non-delivery in a situation where powerful Ministers from other areas of the BMW region had direct influence on investment decisions and project implementation. Dan Gilmartin continued "It is now abundantly clear that a cost inflation factor of over 12% will impact seriously on the National Development Plan. In the health sector alone the Secretary General of the Department of Health has indicated that the £2 billion allocated in the NDP for capital investment needs to be increased to £8 billion if the health services are to be capable of meeting the needs of an expanding and ageing population.

Claremorris to Galway railway service may be back on track The Western People this week.

The re-opening of the Claremorris to Galway railway link for passenger transport is being examined at top level by Iarnrod Eireann. It is understood that very serious consideration is now being given by officials to the feasibility of opening the line for daily services between the South Mayo capital and Galway via Tuam and Athenry. Hundreds of workers from the South Mayo region and much further afield are now employed in various factories and manufacturing and service plants in Galway. The heavy traffic on the N17 from Tuam to Galway see daily 'crawls' from Claregalway into the city. Research has shown that many would be only too pleased to leave their cars at the railways stations in Claremorris and Tuam and avail of the train to Galway which would take in the region of an hour. The existing rota for drivers at Claremorris station dovetails to suit such a service.

Mayo Leisure Point now country's largest entertainment venue The Western People this Tuesday.

On Friday May 25th, the Mayo Leisure Point was launched at Moneen, Castlebar. This is the umbrella name for the complex which incorporated Mayo Roller Bowl, Mayo Movie World, North West Karting, Kachina Natural Spa, Castle Leisure Club and Hogs Heaven Bar. The complex over the years has grown in size from when it first opened in 1993 and is now a 70,000 square foot indoor entertainment park, making it Ireland's largest entertainment venue. It is located on the grounds of the old bacon factory and it currently employs 100 people. Mayo Roller Bowl has recently upgraded its bowling lanes with AMF fully computerised graphic scoring system and automatic bumpers lanes on all lanes to make bowling more enjoyable for younger bowlers. Mayo Leisure point offers 10 pin bowling, 7 screen cinema, go-karting, bar and restaurant, leisure centre, health spa, children's adventureland, Q-2000, snooker, pool, American pool, video games and a snack bar. It is an ideal location for school tours, communion and confirmation parties, birthdays, company outings, summer camps, tourist attraction or a family day out.

Big Tidy Towns' drive launched in CastlebarThe Western People this week.

As part of the preparations for the National Tidy Towns competition, Castlebar Tidy Towns Committee are working in conjunction with An Taisce National Spring Clean Campaign. This clean up campaign was originally organised for April but was postponed due to the threat presented by the Foot and Mouth Disease. This clean-up campaign will commence on Monday, May 28th, and continue during the months of June and July. Cleanups will not take place on Bank Holiday Mondays, The commencement time of the Clean-ups will be 8 p.m., and the meeting point is at Cathal Duffy's Garage Spencer Park. The National Spring Clean is Ireland's biggest anti-litter campaign, encouraging groups from all walks of life to take pride in their local environment. The Spring Clean encourages people to take action against litter. Help us to combat the problem and spread the anti-litter message in Castlebar. Be the solution not part of the problem.

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