Nostalgia CRCFM

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Commencing on Monday March 2 and on every Monday over the next 10 weeks, Community Radio Castlebar will be broadcasting a series of programmes entitled Bygone Days and Gone By Ways. The half-hour programmes, presented by Michael Fox, are based upon short stories written by him which have been published.

Celebrate World Book Day

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

The author of a new book, The Curious Case of the Mayo Librarian, will tell the story of how in 1930 the post of county librarian in Mayo caused the abolition of the county council and created a heated national debate about the role of Church and State.

Fine Gael can’t pander to disaffected groups

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

After the disastrous rout in the 2002 General Election Fine Gael was reduced to 30 seats. They have since steadily rebuilt the party. Over recent months they have out-polled FF – the latest poll gave them a 10 point lead, albeit with a lower rating of 32 per cent. During the last election I predicted they could not win because they had simply too many seats to make up.

Coming back for more

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Never one to shy away from a controversy or pushing for what he believed was right, Frank Durcan threw his hat back in the local political ring last week, putting himself forward for both Castlebar Town Council and Mayo County Council elections. Durcan, who stepped away from politics five years ago, is eager to get back into the to and fro of the political game and believes that politics in the county needs a serious shake up. “The country is going down the tubes, the system has been ripped off by our politicians and our bankers. In Mayo county council there are no two parties, there has been no opposition for the past five years. It's a cosy cartel, while they drew close on €1 million a year in expenses between them, which are legally entitled to them. But it’s immoral for the amount of work they do, unless you get honesty back into politics in this country it's going to only get worse and worse.”

Greens offer new voice for new challenges for Westport

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Fergus McAllister was selected by the Mayo Green Party to run as a candidate for the Westport Town Council election this June. McAllister says that he will concentrate his immediate attention on supporting local businesses so that closures can be staved off and jobs can be protected.

Time for change: Vote for the women

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

International Women’s Day, celebrated throughout the world on March 8, will soon be upon us. It was first nominated as a national holiday for women in 1908 to highlight a strike by New York women clothing workers against the sweatshop conditions in the factories. From its beginning it has been rooted in years of struggle and used as a rallying point to demand women’s rights and women’s suffrage. Here in Ireland, something we can be proud of is that in the First Dáil on January 21 1919, a woman, Constance Markievicz, was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Labour. This was truly historic when you consider that Constance Markievicz was the first female cabinet minister in western Europe and that Irish women didn’t gain the right to vote until 1928.

Labour candidate calls on Government TDs to support public sector workers

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

As some of the public sector workers commence their industrial action against the proposed pension levy, and as others ballot their members to do likewise, Dr Bernie Courtney, Labour candidate in the Castlebar Town Council election calls for both Mayo Fianna Fáil TDs to push for a Government re-think on this unjust tax.

Unemployment figures not reflecting number of employers out of work

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Employers who are out of work and who have had to lay off staff, have no recourse to any social welfare benefit and are not included in the Live Register figures, according to Mayo Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony.

Deputy O’Mahony said there were hundreds, possibly thousands, of employers throughout Ireland who are now unemployed but their status is not reflected in any set of statistics released by the Department of Social Welfare.

Finn vows to secure Brickens’ speed limits

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Claremorris election candidate Richard Finn this week called on Mayo County Council and the National Roads Authority to immediately install speed limits at the village of Brickens which has been the scene of many accidents.

He said: “It is high time that this issue was addressed as Brickens is an up and coming village on a major route way, the N60.” He continued: “This issue is of high priority as local groups have been lobbying for this for a number of years. Brickens is home to Eastern Gales who have fine playing grounds on the main road. There is also a playschool, community centre, public house, Enterprise Centre, church, and Lohan Park housing estate in the village. If elected to Mayo County Council in June I will ensure that speed limits will be installed in Brickens,” stated Mr Finn.

Chambers announces his decision not to run in local elections

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Newport Fianna Fáil councillor Frank Chambers has announced that he will not be contesting the forthcoming Mayo County Council elections on June 5, despite having received the Fianna Fáil nomination for the Westport electoral area. Cllr Chambers made the announcement at a meeting of the Michael Kilroy Fianna Fáil Cumann.

€1 billion health cuts will lead to ward closures and job losses in Mayo

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Health service staff in Mayo have been rocked by this week’s announcement that €1 billion cuts will have to be made this year.

Fifteen Mayo primary schools to lose teachers

Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Seventeen teaching posts may be lost from 15 national schools throughout the county for this coming academic year, according to a provisional list issued by the Department of Education this week, which based its figures on pupil enrolment returns from schools and the operation of the staffing schedule.

E-paper

Read this weeks E-paper. Past editions also available from within this weeks digital copy.