A SELF-described sect leader who last week was fined E5000 for drugs misuse is to be a guest speaker at a Green Party seminar tonight in Cootehill.
Marcus McCabe from Clones, a pioneer of the Hemp industry and a horticulturist, will outline new exciting opportunities for farmers at the public seminar on Agriculture and Food.
Mr McCabe, who was convicted on charges under the Misuse of Drugs and the Drug Trafficking Acts last week at Monaghan District Court, also claims to be the leader of the catholic based sect, the Santo Daime Church.
Green Party Leader, Trevor Sargent will also be making the trip to the White Horse Hotel, Cootehill for the meeting, which is to be chaired by Cllr Vincent P Martin, the Green Party General Election candidate. Last week the local councilor revealed his intention to join the Green party.
The meeting will see the Green Party outlining how and why it supports organic farming, farmers markets and energy crops, and the benefits of encouraging the development of eco-tourism.
A 7pm showing of Al Gore’s Oscar Academy Award winning documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth is to precede the seminar, while Trevor Sargent is set to officially open Councillor Vincent P. Martin’s Constituency Office at 7pm in Carrickmacross.

TWO MEN have been remanded in custody at a special court sitting in relation to a three month crime spree against elderly and vulnerable people across County Monaghan.

The pair are charged with a plethora of alleged burglaries, thefts and attempted thefts on individuals in Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Ballybay, Glaslough, Clontibret, Annyalla, Latton, Broomfield, Laragh, Culloville, Oram and Donaghmoyne between January 18 and April 3 of this year. Before Judge Flann Brennan at Ardee District Court on Good Friday were Myles Connors, (26), of 23 Galloway, Warrenpoint, Co Down on a total of 18 charges involving burglary, theft and attempted theft on individuals.

The second man before Judge Brennan was Tom Ward, (19) also of 23 Galloway, Warrenpoint and with another address of Bessbrook, Co Armagh. Ward was before the court on a total of 19 charges involving alleged burglary, theft and attempted theft on individuals.

Garda Inspector Fintan McTiernan, Carrickmacross said that the total amount of cash taken over the period amounted to E2,000.

Both defendants remanded in custody to a sitting of Drogheda District Court this Friday, April 13. Garda Michael Fitzpatrick gave evidence of re-arresting Tom Ward in Carrickmacross on Wednesday last. He was opposing bail for the defendant, he said, because a bench warrant had been in existence for Ward from Arklow District Court since March 18 when the defendant had failed to appear there.

Garda John Doherty, said that he had re-arrested Myles Connors on Wednesday last in Carrickmacross. The garda witness said that he was opposing bail for Connors as he was aware of two bench warrants being in existence for the arrest of the defendant – one from Ballinasloe District Court and a second from Athlone District Court.

Garda Doherty added that gardai were not sure of a permanent address for Connors.
He added that further alleged burglary charges of occupied houses throughout County Monaghan may also be taken against the defendants.

Solicitor, Mr Gerry Jones, Carrickmacross represented both defendants and told the court that no violence was used with regard to any of the offences allegedly perpetrated by his clients. Judge Brennan remanded the pair in custody but added that he may not accept jurisdiction.

MONAGHAN Community Alliance is asking all households in County Monaghan to return a HSE information flier delivered through their letterboxes this week to collection points around the county with the words ‘Not Acceptable’ written on it.
The flier, which outlines HSE services for the North East region for the 21st Century is being distributed week to all homes in Monaghan, Cavan, Louth and Meath, as part of a HSE information campaign.
It outlines a plan to build a new regional hospital which will be surrounded by the region’s five local hospitals and community health centres. It states that, ‘The regional hospital will provide emergency and trauma services on a 24 hour basis’ while the ‘local hospitals will provide the majority of health needs such as day procedures and minor injury units’.
Monaghan Community Alliance Chairperson, Mr Peadar McMahon, told the Monaghan Post that such a plan is ’simply unacceptable’. “Basic 24/7 acute services need to be in the local hospitals. It is unacceptable to remove them from local hospitals and locate them in a regional hospital”, said Mr McMahon.
“We are asking everyone to write Not Acceptable on this flier, in big bold writing, and drop it off at one of our collection points”, he told us. He also indicated that other points for the remaining areas have yet to be confirmed, and that volunteers were needed.
The list of collection points around County Monaghan are: Monaghan Town: Wards Chemist, Ronaghan’s Chemist, Dolan’s Chemist, Connolly’s Chemist, Black’s Chemist, and Charley’s Meats. Castleblayney: Coyle’s Chemist, Carrickmacross: Carrick Pharmacy, Quinn’s Supermarket, Corduff: Corduff Community Centre, Emyvale: McSorley’s Chemist, Scotstown: McMahon’s Shop, Ballinode: Murray’s, Clones: Comiskey’s, Smithboro: Toal’s, Newbliss: Martin’s, Threemilehouse: McEntee’s.

CLONES Weather Station will close in the next 12 months. The partly automated station will be replaced with a fully automated station in Ballyhaise agricultural college, County Cavan. Met Eireann said the encroaching housing developments surrounding the station in O’ Neill Park made accurate reports difficult. This closure means that weather reports will never be the same again as Clones will literally be taken off the map.
Opened in 1957, the station is now manned by Station Manager Sean Bonner and Michael McDonnell. Joe Burke, spokesperson for Met Eireann, said the two jobs would not be moved to Ballyhaise but would be devolved or allocated work in the Clones area. Mr Bonner voiced great sadness and disappointment at the news. “Our motto was ‘never leave until your successor arrives’ so it will be a very sad day locking the gate after 37 years.”
Mr Bonner arrived in 1970 there were five full time staff working “Its very sad for the local community, Clones had built up a high profile on weather reports. This station is a part of the town’s fabric. A lot of people have come through this station and many men met their wives in Clones. Schools from six counties visited the station on a regular basis. We will miss the schoolchildren and they will be disappointed with the news. It’s an awful pity it wasn’t kept in Monaghan. It’s an awful waste of the climate records that were built up here over the last 50 years.”
Met Eireann explored the possibility of buying land to facilitate new stations. “Sites need to be reasonably open in order to get complete exposure to the elements. We assessed the location of the stations around the country and unfortunately a few of them were not suitable anymore for this reason. Land owners are happy to lease us the use of the site, but ask them to guarantee there will be no building all around it then it is a very different story,” Liam Keegan of Met Eireann said. Almost all of the 15 weather stations in Ireland will be affected by the automation policy over the next two years.

The ‘All New Nissan Radiation’ is the latest move by Clontibret residents in their campaign against the Meteor telephone mast erected in the village over a month ago.
The vehicle, poking fun at the Nissan Garage at Kilcrow on which the mast is located, was placed in a field along the N2 on Monday past by local residents, in an attempt to publicise the anti-mast campaign.
Anti-mast posters have also been placed in the windows of Clontibret National School, and David Johns, a member of the Anti-Mast Committee, told the Monaghan Post that a petition has been signed by over 400 people in the Clontibret area.
“We are not going to let this drop”, said Mr Johns. “We are also in the process of organising a march to the garage on Saturday, April 28, and we have written to Nissan, Ssangyong, and Chevrolet informing them that a march to the garage will be taking place”, Mr Johns told the Monaghan Post.

Cashflow Problems Stall Carrick Shopping Centre

CONSTRUCTION work on a €20m shopping centre and housing development on the Old Ardee Road in Carrickmacross has ground to a halt due to cashflow problems.

In recent days all machinery and plant with the exception of two large cranes on the McEnaney Construction project a short distance from Carrickmacross town centre have been removed. On completion the project was expected to create employment for hundreds of people in the Carrickmacross area. Some 30 construction staff had been employed on the site.

McEnaney Construction Director, Sean McEnaney, confirmed exclusively to the Monaghan Post that a problem does currently exist.

“There are a number of cashflow problems at the moment which we are attempting to address. We are trying to rectify the situation as quick as we can so that the Carrick job can be up an running again.”

However, it is not known when work will re-commence on the massive construction project.

Mr McEnaney also confirmed that his firm is currently engaged in a “restructuring process”.

This newspaper understands that McEnaney Construction may currently be seeking a buyer for either the unfinished Carrickmacross site or for another such site in Dundalk where the firm is currently building industrial warehousing and offices on a huge 92 acre site on the Armagh Road.

Mr McEneaney refused to comment on any site sale negotiations. “This is a sensitive issue so I can’t say anything on that.”

Only in recent months McEneaney Developments submitted a revised plan to Carrickmacross Town Council after the company managed to acquire a number of additional properties adjacent to its original Ardee Road site. Phase one of the Carrick project consisting of 19 townhouses and 14 apartments was expected to be completed in July or August of this year.

Phase Two - a three storey shopping complex encompassing 17,470 square metres was expected to completed by the end of 2008. This shopping centre is proposed to include 25 shop units. It was planned that the shopping centre complex would also include offices, a medical centre and a restaurant as well as parking facilities for several hundred cars.