By Cliona Connolly
Cliona@monaghanpost.com

ONE OF MONAGHAN’S most successful global enterprises, Combilift welcomed nine US customers last week to their headquarters where the full product range was showcased along with new models due to launch in 12 months time.

At this special day-long event, Comblilift announced a twenty per cent growth on last year’s production with the factory on track to produce some 1,750 models this year for worldwide distribution.

“The visit was an opportunity to receive customer feedback on various models and the new ones we are currently developing. The group of customers represent major potential accounts for us such as Lansing Building Products, which have over 70 stores on the East Coast and hope to increase to 100 stores by 2010 and see Combilift’s operating in each one of those,” explained Director of Sales Aidan Mckenna.

The companies from various industry sectors such as building products, manufacturing and distribution collectively have 200 Combilifts in operation mostly in North America and hope to substantially introduce more across their operations. “The customer visit represents a commitment to the US market, our largest market with 30 per cent of all sales in the USA.

“It still remains our largest opportunity or potential market. Other fast growing markets for us are Russia, Middle East including United Arab Emirate and Saudi Arabia and Eastern Europe,” said Mr McKenna.

Combilift create ngine-powered all-wheel-drive multidirectional forklifts. Their forklifts are also side-loaders and are highly maneuverable, very safe, very cost effective and supremely efficient.

FIONNUALA Caulfield of Drumscor Scotstown in County Monaghan has been picked as the winner of the Monaghan Post’s All Ireland Final competition.

The lucky 11-year-old pupil of Urbleshanny National School was chosen from over 500 entrants to the competition for two tickets to the All Ireland Final in Croke Park this Sunday. Readers were asked to fill their name and address in a section of the paper and send it the Monaghan Post office.

Fionnuala says she is “delighted” with the win but doesn’t know who she will take with her to the big game “maybe my sister Helen because she got me to enter the competition,” added Fionnuala.

She was taken out of school yesterday morning to be presented with her prize by the Monaghan Manager Seamus McEnaney.

Her brother, Bernard, says the school had no problem letting her out, “I think they were just looking to buy the tickets off her,” he joked.

By Cliona Connolly
Cliona@monaghanpost.com

MARY McCague closed the door of Knockatallon Post Office last Friday for the last time after 36 years.

The Post Office, attached to the McCague family home, has been a central part of community life in Knockatallon but is now closed. “My elderly customers were very sad here on Friday” said Mary “they are sad to see it close. It was an important part of their life and they loved coming here for a chat.”

Mary decided to retire to enjoy her time to herself: “I have only good memories of the Post Office, I never had any problems.” Knockatallon PO provided services such as money orders, licences, pensions and unemployment pay.

Mary believes An Post should maintain Post Offices around the county despite falling trade. “I hope they will maintain local Post Offices – it’s an important service in the community.

“I understand that some Post Offices are too small and no longer profitable but Clones Post Office is a big office.

“I don’t understand why they are closing it. It’s very sad for the staff their after their years of hard work.”

Mary plans to enjoy her retirement and will travel to New Jersey in America soon to visit her son.

“I would like to thank all my customers for their loyalty over the years,” Mary concluded.

By Joe McCabe
joe@monaghanpost.com

SEVEN Junior infant pupils have started school this week at Raferagh National School outside Carrickmacross, the largest number to start in the school in recent memory.
In any given year usually only between two or three pupils start at the school also known as Corcreagh NS which has served the local parish well for the past 118 years, and last year there were no children starting at the school.
Principal, Laurence Jones, told the Post. “I’m delighted to see seven new bright and cheerful faces in early September. It’s great for the school.”

By Teresa McGowan
teresa@monaghanpost.com

MONAGHAN could see the return of the €2.5 million generated into the economy along with the return this weekend of the Monaghan Blues Festival, proudly sponsored by the Monaghan Post.
In terms of tourism revenue in the Republic of Ireland Monaghan ranks among the bottom three counties. When the Blues Festival ran for 11 years from 1990 to 2001 it was the busiest time in the county’s hospitality calendar and the single biggest money-spinner in the year for tourism, the Arts Officer for Monaghan County Council and festival organiser Somhairle MacConghail has said.
“Every single hotel and B&B from Clones to Carrickmacross was booked up when the blues festival was at its height in Monaghan,” Mr MacConghail said. “Times have changed and there is a lot of festivals around the country but Monaghan needs something to hang its coat on in terms of tourism and the blues festival is it.
“When we were brining it back this year we found that the reputation was still there among musicians who all wanted to come here to play.
“We will know on Saturday if this can be the success it once was. We know that it’s not going to be as great as it was in its peak, but we’re hoping in three years it will be,” he added.

By Cliona Connolly
Cliona@monaghanpost.com

THE CLONES Cyclone, former world boxing champion Barry McGuigan has been a busy bee. He can be seen daily on the ITV reality cooking show Hells Kitchen and it’s been announced that he will star alongside former footballer turned actor Vinnie Jones in a new gangster film being shot in Derry.
The movie The Best Years is written and directed by Derry man Danny Patrick. The film has been described as a gritty, urban realistic flick similar to that of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Ocean’s 11.The story follows the fortunes of criminal empires in Northern Ireland during the troubles and struggle to survive in peaceful times.
The film also stars Superman star Dean Cain, Billy Boyd from Lord of the Rings and Martin Kemp who starred in The Krays and Eastenders. Filming is due to begin this October.
Barry was unavailable for comment this week because he is currently locked away in the Hell’s Kitchen studio as one of the latest celebrities to brave the world of cuisine on the hit show.
Speaking before entering Hell’s Kitchen last Friday, August 31 Barry was planning his cookery tactics “I can do the basics, beans on toast and occasionally spaghetti, but I don’t do it very well.
“I don’t know if it’s from my addled brain from boxing or just an idiosyncrasy, but I find multitasking hard.”
When asked if he was worried about facing the temper of Chef Marco Pierre White, Barry said “I don’t get intimidated - being a fighter you don’t. But he is a big lad. As my father would say, ‘I’d rather keep him for a week than a fortnight!’” Tune into Hells Kitchen shown daily on UTV at 9pm.

By Joe McCabe
joe@monaghanpost.com

WITH over 70 dogs a month in County Monaghan ending up in one of Monaghan’s two NSPCA centres, moves were made this week to provide a purpose built dog pound and to have fines for uncontrolled dogs substantially increased.
Lorie O’Reilly a volunteer for the NSPCA recently hit out at the level of animal cruelty in Monaghan saying that the number of animals being put down was “shockingly high”, “Litters of pups are being dumped on roadsides”, she told the Post.
At this week’s meeting of Monaghan County Council Cllr Hughie McElvaney proposed that funding from the council’s annual budget be allocated to the provision of a new pound.
County Monaghan Veterinary Officer, Brendan Smith, said that that there were in the region of 7,500 dogs in County Monaghan. 3,300 were currently licenced but this figure is expected to increase to 4,000 by the end of this year.
A new pound was needed he said the running of which could be funded from dog licences, pound fees, fines, the Department of Agriculture, with the support of the MSPCA and through Public Private Partnership.
Ms Lorie O’Neill of the MSPCA told the council that her organisation was spending €30,000 on rent annually and could rent kennels in a new County Pound.
The council was told that a UK based animal welfare charity was contributing substantial funds towards the care of animals throughout Ireland as it had identified a great need here.
County Manager, Declan Nelson described the current fines of €31.75 for unlicensed and uncontrolled dogs as ridiculous. The council will write to the Department of the Environment to have these fines increased he said. “I think that we should carry out a survey in other counties to see what designs are out there,” concluded, Mr Nelson.