POPULAR COUNTY COUNCILLOR WAS DRIVING WHILE ALREADY DISQUALIFIED, COURT HEARS HIGH-PROFILE, mid-Monaghan-based public representative Seamus Coyle was given 240 hours’ community service in lieu of a four-month prison sentence, along with a four-year driving ban, when he pleaded guilty to driving with no insurance and no licence at Monaghan District Court on Monday Mr Coyle, aged 47, with an address at Mahon, Latton, Castleblayney entered a guilty plea to the charges, which had arisen after he was stopped by a Garda sergeant on the Cootehill-Ballybay road at Leagh, Lisnalong, Co ...

By Veronica Corr This week Eileen Treacy, the new owner of the hotel formerly known as The Oasis and more recently The Carrick Court Hotel in the townland of Lossetts, revealed her plans to The Northern Standard about possibly opening the hotel pool to the public, on condition she gets grant aid from Monaghan County Council. The hotelier explained: “I was initially going to build a pool, but it seems that Carrick needs a public pool. There is a big outcry here. I do know that the site ...

– Strong call made for government support By Cianna McNally “Somebody needs to call ‘stop’. We can’t afford to let the government off the hook in relation to towns like Ballybay or else we may just shut up shop and go home.” So stated Senator Robbie Gallagher at a meeting on Friday last where a strong call was made for government support for Ballybay. The meeting, which took place in The Wetlands Centre on Friday last, was attended by members of Ballybay-Clones Municipal District, a number of Cavan-Monaghan TDs and ...

Significant Monaghan elements to Martin McGuinness funeral Patrick Kavanagh’s Raglan Road provided an elegiac element to the funeral of former Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, which took place in Derry on Thursday, March 23 last. Independent Senator Frances Black, in the course of a short private tribute by Irish musicians when the remains of the Sinn Féin politician were brought from his family home, sang the Kavanagh poem – the deceased’s favourite song by his favourite poet. The Funeral Mass was attended by the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach ...

Michael Fisher Bus Éireann drivers in Monaghan are entering the seventh day of an indefinite strike that continues to affect all of the semi-state company’s Expressway and other services, with the exception of school transport. Pickets were placed at the bus station at North Road last Friday by members of the National Bus and Rail Union and SIPTU. Translink is continuing to provide an express service on the Derry to Dublin route but its buses do not call at the Monaghan depot.   As the financial situation at Bus Éireann deteriorates, the Minister ...

By Cianna McNally Appearing on RTE TV’s Don’t Tell the Bride was a surreal experience, according to Monaghan couple Liza and Dean Watkin who spoke to The Northern Standard following the broadcast of their episode to the nation on Monday night. “The whole experience of being involved in Don’t Tell The Bride was so surreal. To be chosen out of thousands of people, you never expect these things to happen to normal people! It was like a rollercoaster of emotions: excited, nervous, stressed, frustrated, worried, happy ..

In 2016, Monaghan Sports Partnership launched the ‘Walk the Earth’ programme for primary schools in County Monaghan. From October 2016 to January 2017, over 800 pupils in 11 primary schools have accumulatively walked over 20,000 kilometres (halfway across the world!!!). We will be profiling the schools involved in our programme over the next few weeks; our eighth school is St Michael’s National School, Donaghmoyne.  There are 75 pupils in St Michael’s National School, spread across ….

Catherine Duffy, centre, from Monaghan Town, who was the winner of a car in the Monaghan Credit Union customer car draw is pictured receiving the keys to a new Ford Fiesta from John Bogue, John Bogue Ltd. Also included at the presentation are Cyril Smyth, Monaghan Credit Union, Matthew and Hannah Duffy, Ann Clancy and Marc and Darragh Garvey. ©Rory Geary/The Northern Standard

In recognition of the exemplary work he carries out in his local community, Castleblayney College student Bartek Karpinski has been honoured at the 2017 Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards gala awards’ ceremony, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dublin. The only all-Ireland youth initiative of its kind, the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards programme recognises young people for their motivation, service and impact on their local community. As a 2017 finalist, Bartek was selected for the honour from amongst hundreds of youth volunteers from across the island of Ireland and received €500 ...

The Jebb and McGonnell families are overwhelmed by the success of their recent fundraising table quiz in aid of Cavan Monaghan Palliative Care in memory of the late Adam Jebb.  The goodwill and generosity of so many bears testament to the high esteem in which Adam was held and also reaffirms the continued support which both families so deeply appreciate as they continue to grieve the loss of someone so special. During Adam’s short illness he openly acknowledged to his family the sense of security and reassurance he ...