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'I make no apologies for legitimate expenses' says table-topping Mayor

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

THE COUNTY'S most expensive councillor is its current Mayor, who has said his expenses are ' totally legitimate' and in fact, are not enough to compensate for the huge demands placed on the Fingal Mayor's time.

Oliver Plunkett's bids a fond farewelll to 'quiet man' Tony

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

OLIVER PLUNKETT School will miss their 'quiet man' at the helm of the school as he heads off into the sunset this week after 32 years working at the Malahide school. Principal of the school, Tony Healy has taken the difficult decision to step down after what he described as '32 glorious years' at the school.

Senator appeals to Minister to reverse unfair cuts that target minority schools

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

THE looming crisis for a small Church of Ireland Swords school which is set to lose a vital learning support teacher has made it to the floor of the Seanad with a local senator arguing the move unfairly targets minority faith schools.

Claims 'bolt-on bakery' will be a traffic hazard

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

JC'S Supermarket has appealed against Fingal County Council's decision to grant permission for a bakery to be added on to the Lidl store due to open this summer on the Rathbeale Road.

Insurer condemned for committee snub

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

HOME INSURER, Homebond has been sharply criticised for its failure to appear in front of an Oireachtas committee investigating the pyrite crisis which affects hundreds of homes in Fingal.

Jacinta brightens up local library

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

MALAHIDE LIBRARY has just played host to an exhibition by Jacinta Eydan who displayed her work with a cubism theme.

Garda officer attacked outside club

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

GARDAI from Swords had to employ pepper spray in order to subdue a 24-year-old man who attacked a Garda officer outside a popular local night-spot.

Provision of social housing for non-EU nationals queried

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A REPORT that reveals 70 different nationalities on Fingal's social housing lists has led one councillor to question why the local authority offers housing support to non-EU citizens.

Men ordered to pay cancer charity after stealing from clothes bank

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

TWO ROMANIAN nationals who stole clothes from a charity clothing collection point in Swords were given the Probation Act and a fine at Swords District Court last week.

Council 'should hold on to bonds' for pyrite estates

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A LOCAL councillor has insisted that development bonds be sequestered by the council where homes in that development have tested positive for pyrite.

Steve hoping for animated glory

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

IN a corner of the Isle of Man an animator from Rush will be waiting for word on whether a film he worked on has won an Oscar in the animated film category.

Man jailed for spate of violent burglaries

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A HOMELESS man who threatened to douse an elderly woman in vodka and set her alight during a spate of burglaries has been jailed for eight years.

Gambling addict stole groceries

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A GAMBLER who stole groceries from the same supermarket on two occasions had his case adjourned at Swords District Court for a Probation Report.

Minister refuses to meet brave schoolboy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

THE Minister for Education has refused to meet with a brave eight-year-old Swords boy with dyslexia who is fighting to save his learning support teacher from education cuts.

New primary care centre for Ashbourne

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

THE HSE and High Street Ashbourne have announced the development of a new Primary Care Centre in Ashbourne, just across the Fingal border with Meath, which will deliver health and social care services to the local population in Ashbourne and the catchment area.

Old Borough NS taking fight to save support teacher to Leinster House

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

THE STAFF, pupils and parents of Old Borough National School are not taking the threat of losing a vital learning support teacher lying down and are taking their battle to Leinster House tomorrow.

Difficult for council to get more revenue from recycling

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

IT IS unlikely the council can generate significantly more revenue that it already does from its recycling centres despite calls to increase revenue from scrap metal dealing.

Photographers plan Happy Faces Day

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

ALL THE fun of IPPA Happy Faces Day 2012 in aid of the Jack & Jill Foundation kicked off when local members of the Irish Professional Photographers Association, meeting the charity's cofounder Senator Mary Ann O'brien along with Jack & Jill families and volunteers while filming a spot for RTÉ'S Winning Streak.

Drug case adjourned for preparation of report

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A MAN who had a weighing scales and cannabis on his bed when gardaí searched his home has had his case adjourned at Balbriggan District Court for the preparation of a Community Service Report.

Motorist narrowly escapes jail term

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A RUSH man narrowly escaped a custodial sentence at Balbriggan District Court after pleading guilty to two drink driving offences and three counts of no insurance whilst driving while already disqualified.

DAA and Chamber host local mentoring event

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

THE DUBLIN Airport Authority (DAA) has hosted a mentoring event for local entrepreneurs taking their first tentative steps into the world of business.

Councillors 'basic salary' costs come close to €500,000

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

ALMOST HALF a million euro was paid out to councillors last year in what is called 'representative payments' which, in effect, are the basic salaries of councillors and provide their base income from the job before expenses.

Stole almost €900 worth of groceries

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A MAN who stole almost €900 worth of groceries from a Balbriggan supermarket because he had not got enough money to pay for them has been given two months to come up with a €350 donation for a local charity.

€12,000 TAKEN IN CREDIT UNION RAID

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

AN ARMED raider made off on foot with €12,000 in cash from Portmarnock Credit Union last Friday after holding up two members of staff and putting a gun to the head of a female customer.

Ban for motorist who wouldn't give sample

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A SWORDS woman who refused to give a blood or urine sample after she crashed into another car was disqualified from driving for four years and fined.

Mayors claim one-seventh of overall total

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

MORE THAN €700,000 has been shelled out to councillors in payments, expenses and allowances in 2011 with the county's two mayors who served in the post during that same year, raking in the most cash.

€700K expenses for council members

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

MORE THAN €700,000 has been shelled out to councillors in payments, expenses and allowances in 2011, with the county's two mayors who served in the post during that same year raking in the most cash.

Permission granted with conditions

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

PERMISSION was granted by Fingal County Council in mid-december for the bakery extension to the Lidl development in Swords which is now under appeal to An Bord Pleanála.

'All the things I've done have produced results'

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

THE COUNCIL'S most frequent flyer last year was a Labour councillor who said that all of the conferences he attends whether at home or abroad produce 'concrete results'.

Fás tells trainees to take the train

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

SOME 5,000 unemployed people in Balbriggan have been told by Fás they must hop the train to Baldoyle if they want any training after the State body confirmed it would offer no courses in the unemployment black spot this year.

Over €52,000 spent attending conferences

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

COUNCILLORS spent well over €52,000 last year attending conferences at home and abroad according to figures released by Fingal County Council.

Suspected abduction reported in Skerries

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A SUSPECTED abduction of a teenage girl has been reported in Skerries after three local teens spotted a young black girl being 'dragged' by an adult male into a white van.

Gardai launch man hunt for the killer of Marioara

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

GARDAI HAVE launched a man hunt for the killer of young Marioara Rostas who lived in a derelict house in Donabate before going missing in 2008.

Work-intensive roles justify expense payments - Kelleher

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

LABOUR COUNTY Cllr. Tom Kelleher says he is worth every cent of the over €38,000 expenses he claimed last year, including the highest claim of the meetings and allowance catagory of €18,646.

Duathlon events

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

FEBRUARY 4 will see the start of three major events in the ever-growing sport of duathlon which will culminate at the end of March in an important qualifier for the world championships in the sport.