Conradh na Gaeilge to look back on historic Ard Fheis of 1915

The Dundalk and Newry branches of Conradh na Gaeilge are combining to examine the historic 1915 Ard Fheis which witnessed the dramatic departure of Douglas Hyde as long-standing President of Conradh na Gaeilge (holding that office since the League’s inception in 1893) partly as a result of IRB manoeuvrings which saw the League adopt, for the first time, an overtly political aim to its constitution.

The Ard Fheis in Dundalk, which coincided with a very successful and non-controversial Oireachtas na Gaeilge in the town, will be explored through open access to rare, hard copies of the League’s newspaper, An Claidheamh Soluis.  Indeed, over 300 issues from various years will be available for perusal during the sessions in Dundalk and Newry.

In addition, two bound volumes of An Claidheamh Soluis (1899 and 1900), on temporary loan from the Cardinal O Fiaich Library and Archive in Armagh, will also be available.  These offer fascinating insights into the early years of the Gaelic League in the north where Newry and its still Irish speaking hinterland was arguably the most advanced district.  The bound volumes are replete with reports from Newry, Dundalk, Omeath, Warrenpoint, Bessbrook, Camlough, Rostrevor and Dromintee in years which saw the spectacular growth of the Gaelic League across the island.

A highly ornate address, co-presented to Douglas Hyde in Dundalk in 1915 by Canon Quin of Bessbrook, will assume a central position in a mini-exhibition.  An impressive national Gaelic League pop-up display entitled ‘An Ghaeilge agus 1916’ will also be on show on only its second outing in Ireland.

The talks in both the Dundalk and Newry venues will be in Irish and pitched at a general interest level, though any student of the cultural and linguistic revival in pre-1916 Ireland will find the ‘Claidheamh Soluis’ bilingual materials accessible and suitably detailed.

This joint venture, entitled ‘An Scoilt’ (The Split), will run in Newry’s Gaeláras Mhic Ardghail, on Monday 19th October at 7pm and in a newly renovated Áras an Chonartha in Seatown Place in Dundalk on Wednesday 4th November at 7.30pm. ‘An Scoilt’ is supported by Foras na Gaeilge and admission is free.

Passengers in taxi driver’s car last night urged to come forward to Gardaí

Martin Mulligan RIP

Superintendent Gerry Curley of Dundalk Garda Station has appealed to the public and possible passengers who would have been driven by Martin Mulligan last night to please come forward.

The 53-year-old, whose body was discovered close to his vehicle in Kilcurry shortly after 3am this morning, began work at 9.30pm last night in his silver Skoda Octavia, registration number 07-LH-5599.

The 53-year-old from Waterview on the Lower Point Road is believed to have been stabbed to death following a violent attack at Carnmore, off the R177 Dundalk to Armagh Road, around 3am.

His body was discovered by a female driver close to his car around 3.15am. A forensic tent set up 30 or 40 metres beyond the car suggests he may have been attacked away from the car or staggered away for help.

Mr Mulligan was pronounced dead at the roadside and his body remains at the scene, which has been preserved for technical examination. His family visited the scene earlier this morning.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact the incident room at Dundalk Garda Station on 042 9388400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800666111 or any Garda Station.

Dundalk taxi driver stabbed to death named as Martin Mulligan

Martin Mulligan RIP

The taxi driver who was found dead near his car in the early hours of this morning in Kilcurry has been named as Martin Mulligan.

The 53-year-old from Waterview on the Lower Point Road is believed to have been stabbed to death following a violent attack at Carnmore, off the R177 Dundalk to Armagh Road, around 3am.

His body was discovered by a female driver close to his 2007 Louth-registered Skoda Octavia taxi around 3.15am. A forensic tent set up 30 or 40 metres beyond the car suggests he may have been attacked away from the car or staggered away for help.

Mr Mulligan was pronounced dead at the roadside and his body remains at the scene, which has been preserved for technical examination. His family visited the scene earlier this morning.

The State Pathologist has been notified of the incident with Gardaí appealing for anyone who was in the area in the early hours of this morning to contact them at Dundalk Garda Station. They are treating the death as suspicious, with robbery one possible motive.

The likelihood is that the investigation will be upgraded to murder upon the results of a post mortem.

Local councillor Maria Doyle described the death as “horrific”.

Gardai have announced that they will hold a press conference on Mr Mulligan’s death in Dundalk later today.

They said in a press release: “A media briefing will take place at Dundalk Garda Station this afternoon Monday 28 September 2015 at 3pm by Gardaí investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body of a man, aged in his mid 50’s, at Kilcurry, Dundalk County Louth.”

While living in Waterview for a number of years, Mr Mulligan is originally from St Clement’s Park, where his mother Nancy still resides. He was well known in the area as a coal man for many years. His nephew Garry is a member of the Sean O’Mahony’s team preparing for next Sunday’s County Final against St Patrick’s GFC.

Martin is also survived by his wife Gráinne, daughters Shauna and Sharon and siblings Kevin, Gerry, Imelda and Clare.

Gardaí to hold media briefing on taxi man’s death at 3pm today

The road at Carnmore, which has been closed off

Gardai have announced that they will hold a press conference in Dundalk later today following the death of a taxi man in his mid 50s in Kilcurry in the early hours of this morning.

They said in a press release: “A media briefing will take place at Dundalk Garda Station this afternoon Monday 28 September 2015 at 3pm by Gardaí investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body of a man, aged in his mid 50’s, at Kilcurry, Dundalk County Louth.”

The discovery was made in the Kilcurry area around 3am with Gardaí closing a road at Carnmore, off the R177 Dundalk to Armagh Road, this morning as part of their investigations.

The man is understood to have been a taxi driver from Dundalk town centre and was stabbed to death after a violent attack.

His body was discovered by a female driver around 3.15am.

The man was pronounced dead and his body remains at the scene, which has been preserved for technical examination. His family visited the scene earlier this morning.

The State Pathologist has been notified of the incident with Gardaí appealing for anyone who was in the area in the early hours of this morning to contact them at Dundalk Garda Station. They are treating the death as suspicious, with the likelihood that the investigation will be upgraded to murder upon the results of a post mortem.

Man’s body discovered north of Dundalk

The body of a man in his mid-50s has been discovered north of Dundalk this morning.

The discovery was made in the Kilcurry area around 3am with Gardaí closing a road at Carnmore, off the R177 Dundalk to Armagh Road, this morning as part of their investigations.

The man is understood to have been a taxi driver from Dundalk town centre and was stabbed to death after a violent attack.

His body was discovered by a female driver around 3.15am.

The man was pronounced dead and his body remains at the scene, which has been preserved for technical examination.

The State Pathologist has been notified of the incident with Gardaí appealing for anyone who was in the area in the early hours of this morning to contact them at Dundalk Garda Station. They are treating the death as suspicious.

Na Piarsaigh unveil next three guests for Night of Sport event this coming weekend

Local GAA club Na Piarsaigh have revealed the next three names on the panel for its ‘A Night of Sport’ event in the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Saturday

The event is a fundraiser for the club’s underage teams with Dublin hurler Ryan O’Dwyer, ex-Armagh All-Ireland winner Oisin McConville and Mayo’s Conor Mortimer the latest names added to the billing.

Ryan O’Dwyer, Oisin McConville and Conor Mortimer are the latest names to be added to the billing

The night will feature famous faces from GAA, soccer, rugby and boxing all of whom will speak about their careers and preview the likes of the Rugby World Cup and the All Ireland Football and Hurling Championship Finals.

The BBC’s Jerome Quinn was recently unveiled as the MC of the event with the former Leinster, Ireland and Lions rugby star Shane Byrne, WBC Bantamweight Champion boxer Christina McMahon and Dundalk FC captain Stephen O’Donnell the first speakers to be announced last week.

The night will also feature an auction of some very interesting items from each of the sports.

Tickets, priced €20, are on sale now with details from 087 9841621.

Boylesports expanding in Northern Ireland

John Boyle of Boylesports

Locally-based betting chain Boylesports is to expand in Northern Ireland with two new stores planned for just over the border.

Boylesports which has 210 stores in the Republic, is buying two independent bookies in Mill Street in Newry and in Crossmaglen.

The expansion comes after Armagh owner John Boyle revealed he’s looking into acquiring more than 600 stores in Great Britain which could be shed by a merger between Ladbrokes and Gala Coral.

For the deal to go through it is likely the competition authority will demand the betting giant casts off hundreds of betting shops in the UK.

It would be Boylesports’ first foray into Great Britain.

Mr Boyle said: “Betfred and William Hill will also be looking strongly at this, but I’m hoping that as a new competitor to the UK market, Ladbrokes Coral might prefer us rather than making the bigger plcs stronger.”

His first bookmakers was in Markethill, where it remains. There is also a Boylesports in Camlough and one in Hill Street in Newry.

Now the business has acquired a second Newry bookies and one in Crossmaglen.

Mr Boyle said both would be rebranded as Boylesports.

“We’re already in Dundalk, so Newry is the next big town.

“We’re taking Crossmaglen because we’re already in Castleblayney, Carrickmacross, all the roads leading into Cross, this is just another link.”

He said he is interested in acquiring other stores in Northern Ireland.

He said: “We’re now putting it out that we want to buy shops in the north.

“If any privately-owned shops or groups come up for sale in the future then we would be a bidder.

“The plan is to cover the whole country. We estimated in the south we would be able to cover 250 stores easy, now we’re at 210.

“Then you’ve got to start looking at your next step and I’ve got to look three to five years ahead.”

Cross border broadband project badly “mismanaged”

A cross border broadband project, which was to deliver faster speeds to Dundalk, was “mismanaged” according to Stormont MLAs.

They found that a government department was more concerned with meeting grant-making targets than property examining claims for the broadband project.

Politicians in the north found that the cross-border high-speed Bytel scheme was appallingly mismanaged and claimed the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s oversight was unacceptable.

Equipment was bought for €1.3 million (£943,000) using public funds when the true value was €30,000 (£21,700), the Audit Office has said. The “virtually obsolete” apparatus was never used and the department lost €2 million (£1.4 million) after the EU withdrew funding.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said: “Instead of properly examining grant claims to ensure they were appropriate and monies used properly, DETI were more concerned with internal pressures to meet grant expenditure targets.

“The committee has concluded that this was a fundamental failure on the part of DETI to meet its responsibilities.”

Public finances are under tight scrutiny amid major reductions in departmental spending and the crisis looming over the budget.

PAC chairwoman Michaela Boyle said: “The committee also found that investigations into what went wrong with the oversight of the project were completely inadequate, unacceptably delayed and did not go nearly far enough.

“Even at this stage, there has been no investigation leading to criminal proceedings.

“The appalling mismanagement of this project led to it delivering very poor value for money.”

The Belfast IT company behind the ambitious plan, Bytel, aimed to provide faster internet connections to homes in Belfast, Craigavon, Armagh, Dundalk and Dublin.

Although ineligible for funding, €1.3 million was given for equipment that was never used in the project, the Audit Office said. It was bought by Bytel from a “related” company, the audit office said, and evidence suggests it only cost €30,000.

The project, approved in 2004, was to be part-funded by the EU, but Europe withdrew because of irregular expenditure, DETI lost €2 million of EU funding and the Republic’s Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources sacrificed €1.8 million (£1.3 million).

Ms Boyle said: “The committee finds it very hard to believe that no one within the department has faced any disciplinary action for the many serious shortcomings in this project.

“This is not the first time that this committee has found poor management has cost the government vast sums of money.

“While we have been assured that management systems have been improved, we cannot afford, in this financial climate, to lose funding in this way.

“We are calling on the department, and indeed all government and non-governmental bodies, to implement rigorous systems to ensure that this cannot happen again and that those responsible are held accountable.”

Almost €4 million spent cleaning up fuel laundering waste in Louth in last five years

Fuel laundering is a major problem in this area

Louth Local Authorities have dealt with almost 600 cases of illegal fuel laundering and waste dumping in the county over the past five years at a cost of almost €4 million.

That’s according to new figures released by Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly, who revealed that there were more than 1,200 cases in border counties since 2011.

Almost half of the clean-up operations took place in Louth where 596 cases have been reported. Neighbouring Monaghan was closely behind with 509 sites, while Cavan, Donegal, Offaly, Meath and Waterford also had similar operations carried out.

The issue was raised at a recent meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in Armagh when a detailed report on the problem by Senator Paul Coghlan was discussed.

In a report to the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly in February, Mr Coghlan detailed the scale of the illegal cross-border trade worth hundreds of millions of euro a year and called for new cross-border task force to combat it.

Mr Coghlan will this morning address the members of Louth County Council about the need for a new approach to the problem, which has had a direct impact on the water quality in the county in recent years.

Minister Kelly revealed in response to a Dáil question recently that since 2011 more than €5 million had been allocated to local authorities by his department to deal with the problem, with almost €4 million of that being spent in Louth.

Mick O’Dwyer to act as advisor for Louth ahead of the championship

Mick O’Dywer

Louth’s championship hopes have received a boost with the news that legendary GAA manager Mick O’Dwyer is to come out of retirement to take up an advisory role with the Wee County footballers.

According to a report in today’s Irish Independent, the Kerry man has agreed to assist Colin Kelly and his management team as they bid to bounce back from relegation from Division Three.

Kelly confirmed that O’Dwyer had already attended a number of team meetings.

“He’s been about the place. It’s nothing formal. I would have had Micko addressing club teams I was involved with in the past. He has great enthusiasm.”

The 78-year-old once again finds himself back in Leinster where he has been so successful with Kildare, Laois and even Wicklow. His last inter-county position was with Clare for a year in 2013.

It is understood that agreement has been reached with O’Dwyer to attend some sessions at their Darver training centre in the build-up to their opening Leinster Championship match with Westmeath in Drogheda on Sunday May 17.

Former Donegal manager Brian McEniff previously acted as an advisor to Peter Fitzpatrick during his spell as Louth boss, as did Armagh duo Peter McDonnell and Martin McQuillan and former Dublin goalkeeper John O’Leary.