Tesco to invest €21m in new Ballina superstore and create 100 new jobs

Tesco's plans to build a new superstore in Ballina and create 100 new jobs cleared its first hurdle at Ballina Town Council meeting Wednesday night when councillors agreed to sell 2.35 acres of land at Pearse Street/Humbert Street for the new store. ...

Tight lines for anglers as Lough Mask opens with a flourish

Ronan Cusack reports that Lough Mask got off to a flying start to the 2012 fishing season. Water levels are still fairly high but this did not discourage plenty of anglers from venturing out. Conditions on Wednesday were perfect with mild temperatures and a soft westerly breeze.  Ballinrobe Anglers chairman, Tommy Foley, and boat partner, Paul Loscher, had 7 good fish on opening day, all too various wet flies. ...

Parke Arts and Drama Group back with side-splitting comedy

The Parke Arts and Drama Group, winners of the Mayo County Council Drama Award 2011 for its production of ‘Cupid Wore Skirts’ in 2011, returns to the stage this March with its 2012 production – 'Fortunes and Misfortunes', a side-splitting 3-Act comedy by Westmeath playwright, Jimmy Keary. ...

Top marks for enterprising St Muredach's College students

North Mayo’s youngest entrepreneurs were celebrating as the winners of the north Mayo Regional Student Enterprise Awards were announced at the showcase event in the Kennedy Glasgow House on the 10th of February. In all, 25 student enterprises participated with 12 taking centre stage at the North Mayo Final, which is organised by Moy Valley Resources and Mayo County Enterprise Board. ...

Swinford residents to be consulted on future of town

A survey is being carried out in Swinford this week to discover what local people think about the area and the organisers, Swinford Community Futures Group, is also interested in hearing from residents about the changes they would like to see in the East Mayo town. ...

Moy Valley Resources hosting business clinic in Ballina

Moy Valley Resources is hosting a free business clinic for new or expanding businesses or anybody thinking of starting a new business in 2012. The Business Clinic which is the first of its kind in North Mayo will be held on February 28th from 3:00pm till 6:30pm in the Greenhills Enterprise Centre Ballina. ...

Strictly Come Dancing for 10 Kiltimagh couples .... In the Park

Ten couples from the Kiltimagh area and from Western Care Services are in intensive training at present in preparation for a spectacular Gala Night in the Park Hotel, Kiltimagh on Saturday, March 10th where the glitz and glamour of the Strictly Come Dancing TV show will be recreated.  Competition between the couples is intense with everybody putting their best feet forward to win the overall prize!  ...

Ballina Stephenites raise over €5,000 for cancer care

Ballina Stephenites Shave or Dye 2012 on Friday night was a huge success. Over 30 people volunteered to have their heads shaved and dyed for the cause and helped to raise over €5,000 (and still counting) for the Irish Cancer Society. From players to officers to family members and supporters, everyone got involved on the night. ...

Trades Council welcomes resolution to Ballina hospital issue

Ballina Trades Council has expressed "its immense relief that after prolonged negotiation 12 hospital beds that had been due to close on Friday February 17th will now remain open". The Trades Council had initially documented its concern that Ballina's 62 bed local hospital had been under threat of a drastic loss of beds in January and started a campaign to highlight local concerns and that of members of our community. ...

Mary Robinson opens Ballina SVP's new Home Management Centre

Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, cut the ribbon on Ballina St Vincent de Paul's newly-refurbished Home Management Centre on Friday 17th February. Classes have being ongoing there for the past 15 years to teach participants cookery, nutrition and budgeting skills. It was decided to refurbish the centre in order for students to have a more “hands on” role and to have a better working environment. ...

Solicitors brief Mayo Community Platform on tackling social exclusion

Mayo Community Platform (MCP), working in partnership with Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA), hosted an innovative free Legal Education event on in Castlebar. The event was organised to build the capacity of organisations working with people experiencing poverty and social exclusion to use the legal system.  ...

Ernie Deacy to be honoured at Mayo Athletic Awards

Ballina Athletic Club is this year hosting the 2011 C and C Cellular/Vodafone Mayo Athletic Awards which will be held at a gala function in the Downhill Hotel, Ballina, on Sunday, 26th February.  Athletes from all over Mayo will be honoured for their contribution to athletics during the past year.  Certificates or awards will be presented to all athletes who won national medals in 2011.  ...

Galway Ironman, Geraghty, wins Ballinrobe Duathlon

Galway Ironman organiser and Galway Tri club man, Ruaidhri Geraghty, romped to victory at the Ballinrobe Duathlon beating 200 competitors. However, Ruaidhri Geraghty didn't have it all his own way during first leg (4k Run around the Bowers) as Anthony Murray from Westport pushed him all the way even leading him into Transition. ...

Bee Green Dry Cleaning sets shining example in Business Awards

Mayo-based business, Bee Green Dry Cleaning, has received the title of ‘One to Watch’ in the SCCUL Entrepreneur awards in the Professional Services category. Rita and Stephen Langan, proprietors of Bee Green Dry Cleaning, the first professional environmentally friendly garment cleaning service in Ireland, attended the awards ceremony in the Clayton Hotel, Galway. ...

Castlebar physician to address Achill Haemochromatosis evening

The Achill Ballycroy, Mulranny Primary Care Team, in association with the Irish Haemochromatosis Association, is holding a public information evening at Ostan Ghob a Choire (Connaughtons) Achill Sound on Wednesday, 29th February, at 7 p.m.  The guest speaker on the evening is Dr. Luke O’Donnell, Consultant Physician, Mayo General Hospital.  ...

Top marks for Ballina's school of the future

Scoil Naomh Brid, Cullens, Ballina, had lots to celebrate this week and was lauded for giving a lesson in how to conserve water - a topic that is going to become more relevant to all our lives in the years ahead. The school celebrated being awarded a third green flag, the award of Excellence in Science and Maths and the prestigious Digital Schools Award for having achieved excellence in the integration of Information and Communications Technology into teaching and learning. . ...

Reverse Westport-Dublin train fare hike, says Labour councillor

Westport Labour councillor, Keith Martin, says that Irish Rail should reverse its decision to increase fares on the Westport to Dublin route.  Cllr Martin says the fares increases are disincentive to rail travel and will impact on visitor numbers to the town this year. ...