THE Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) launched an advertising campaign to attract business events from the Republic to the North this week. It is hoped that this campaign will also boost tourism in border counties.

The advertising campaign will run until the end of March and will cost about £110,000 stg. It aims to increase the number of Irish businesspeople deciding to host conferences, company away days, employee incentive breaks and other business events in the North.

The campaign will promote the North’s hotels, its conference facilities and other amenities. Among the best known conference venues in the North are the Waterfront Hall and the purpose-built Odyssey complex which houses the biggest exhibition space in the North.

The campaign from the NITB will focus mainly on the Dublin market and will target event management companies and in-house event organisers. The campaign will also highlight golfing facilities, with a view to attracting people organising corporate events in the border region.

The North’s tourism infrastructure has been developing, with recent developments such as the £25 million stg Lough Erne Golf Resort on the outskirts of Enniskillen Co Fermanagh, on the border with Monaghan. Crom Castle in Co Fermanagh, only a short drive from Clones, which is owned by Lord Erne, is also marketing itself as an elite venue for small meetings and functions.

A QUARTER of a million euro will be granted by Minister Eamon O’Cuiv to promote the Orange Order in the Republic. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has previously supported the refurbishment of a number of Orange Halls in Cavan and Monaghan.

This latest move is being seen as a symbolic milestone in the peace process. Minister Eamonn O’Cuiv is the grandson of one of Ireland’s most iconic republicans, Eamon De Valera. The gesture of approving a grant for the Orange Order is being portrayed as a sign of the growing maturity amongst once divided factions and increased acceptance of other traditions.

The allocation of €250,000 has been allotted for a two year period to a company called Cadelmo Limited. It will operate on a community based initiative in Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim and Donegal. The funding will support the work of a development officer, who will cater for the needs of Orange Lodges and other groups who meet in their halls.

Last year a small Orange Lodge in Drummartin in Cavan was burned to the ground, whilst an Orange Hall in Monaghan was vandalised with republican graffiti. Minister O’Cuiv has said he totally deplores such acts, and he’s delighted to be involved in a programme which will help develop such facilities.

UNITE food workers union will hold a protest outside Larry Goodman’s factory, AIBP in Clones, tomorrow afternoon, Friday 8 February.

The union has called the public protest in a bid to highlight what they believe to be “exploitation of migrant workers” at the company’s new boning hall. The protest is expected to draw support from local union, community and political representatives throughout Monaghan and beyond.

Jim Quinn, Team Leader with the Organising Department of UNITE said: “We have an example here of a bullying employer who is trying to stop his workers being members of a union who will stop him from exploiting them.

“Larry Goodman and AIBP have been stung by a highly affective organising campaign which our union has been running throughout the country with red meat workers both local and migrant. That campaign has highlighted a situation where workers doing exactly the same job in Goodman plants in Newry, Lurgan and Clones are being paid different rates of pay.”

AIBP recently opened the new boning hall as part of an overall €10 million investment in the Teehill plant which created an additional 120 jobs. AIBP has initially employed 62 new staff and plan to increase this figure to120 by August .

“The protest at AIBP Clones on Friday is only the start of a campaign to stop Goodman and AIBP from exploiting workers. We will be raising our concerns about his behaviour with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions next week. We will also be contacting the Ethical Trading Initiative to report AIBP’s activities and advise them which Supermarkets are supplied by AIBP.

“We are determined that these workers will be allowed to organise themselves in a trade union and bring an end to their exploitation. Goodman or AIBP will not be allowed to stop us,” Mr Quinn added.

CLONES will benefit from a €7.3 million funding boost in the form of a state-of-the-art sports complex, the Post can confirm.

Clones Erne East Sports Partnership along with lead partner Monaghan County Council were “absolutely delighted” when awarded the Interegg Peace III funding yesterday, 6 February. Josephine said the one hundred per cent funding was their dream come true. “Clones was allowed to decline so far that we need something big to revive it.”

Resulting from a combined five year effort from the Clones Community Forum, St. Tiernach’s GFC and Clones Athletics Club, the partnership plan to develop a state of the art facility at Millbrook, Clones. The 14 acre site will include an all weather pitch surrounded by a 400m running track, a new GAA pitch with provision for a future covered stand, a changing pavilion and parking facilities. The main building will contain 8 changing rooms, a gymnasium, large function room, kitchen, conference room, reception area and offices.

Described as a visionary project, the facility will cater for the sporting and recreational needs of the town. “It is central to the regeneration of the Clones that we have facilities that will attract people to the town. Clones needs projects on this scale to kick start its recovery from the decline it suffered,” Ms Treanor added.

The complex suffered setbacks when refused previous funding opportunities, but this did not deter the determined group. “Every community project of this scale suffers setbacks and that is part of the road to success. It was important that we rose from this and continued towards our goal,” Ms Treanor said. A local fundraising draw had also raised over €90,000 for the project in December last.

The PEACE III Programme funding allocations have been determined based on reconciliation and creating a shared society. With a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) allocation of €225 million and match funding from the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, the PEACE III Programme is worth almost €333 million.

In addition to the special needs homes at Millbrook and Brookvale which were officially opened by President Mary McAleese several weeks ago, there are other homes in the county that remain closed due to a lack of funding.

A home at Billis Cross, Glaslough has been left vacant for approximately four years now and locals are outraged at this waste of resources. The house and grounds have deteriorated into a poor condition and the weeded garden has become an eyesore for those living nearby. This money has effectively been wasted, as the houses remains unoccupied, year after year.

Regarding the homes at Millbrook and Brookvale, Brendan Casey, HSE Care Group Manager for the Cavan and Monaghan Disability Services, told the Monaghan Post “Our plan is that the house will be open in the first quarter of 2008.”

He continued: “We have been working with local authorities and the housing association and we are in the process of identifying priority clients who are currently awaiting group home accommodation.”

The house was purchased by the Parents and Friends of the Intellectual Disability Association with the help of €80,000 which they fundraised. The house was then furnished with the help of funding received from the Department of the Environment and the HSE.

President McAleese was very impressed with the Brookvale House. However, almost immediately after the President’s visit the house was locked up and has not been occupied ever since.

THE HSE has been widely condemned by Monaghan County Council this week as “appalling”, “out of control” with “a clear lack of accountability”.

Many councillors have called for the HSE to be abolished with Cllr Hughie McElvaney deeming the body “a danger to Health”. “The HSE should carry a health warning,” he added. This criticism comes in the wake of the leaked HSE memo reported by the Post on Thursday last.

Mayor of County Monaghan, Fine Gael Cllr Gary Carville, said there was a constant erosion of services at Monaghan Hospital despite assurances from both the Minister for Health, Mary Harney and HSE CEO, Professor Brendan Drumm that no services would be withdrawn until a better service was in place.

The leaked HSE memo revealed planned cutbacks throughout the North-East with drastic consequences for Monaghan Hospital in particular. Plans include reducing outpatient clinics and elective surgery to a four day week in both Cavan and Monaghan, the closure of a further 10 beds in Monaghan Hospital and taking Monaghan ‘off-call’ for all emergencies. These plans were drawn up due to budgetary constraints under the NE Break Even Plan.

County Councillor and member of the Regional Health Forum, Brian McKenna, expressed his disgust at the February council meeting that those responsible for the HSE memo had given no indication of further cutbacks and assured members at a meeting of the forum last week that no cutbacks would emerge in the days following the meeting. “It’s got to the stage that you cannot believe a word that comes from the HSE,” he said.

Mayor Carville continued to slam the HSE for taking the local hospital ‘off call’; therefore forcing residents to use Drogheda Hospital which he believes is “filthy and not able to cope”. “Are our lives not as valuable as those in Dublin?” he asked.

The council is urgently requesting that all Cavan/Monaghan Oireachtas members jointly seek a meeting with An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, HSE CEO Professor Brendan Drumm and Health Minister Mary Harney to address their concerns this month. “I am asking all fellow citizens to support us in this last stand for Monaghan Hospital. If not, we will see more services removed, putting more lives at risk,” Mayor Carville concluded.

A spokesperson for the HSE said the memo was only a draft internal document. “No decisions have been taken on reducing services in the North East. We are facing a challenging year and we are exploring how best to deliver services within budget. We should be in a position by mid-February to be more definitive about the services we will provide for the year.”

MONAGHAN County Council has this week backed Transport Minister Noel Dempsey’s call for EirGrid to re-route the controversial high voltage lines underground. This news comes after yesterday’s announcement that an independent feasibility study would be carried out on the proposed projects.

Local opposition is growing across Monaghan, Cavan and Meath to the overhead pylon routes planned by EirGrid, the company charged with upgrading the country’s grid to increase a secure electricity supply.

The North East Pylon Pressure group has welcomed the announcement of an independent review but have stressed the terms of reference must be set by an independent third party. “It is essential that everyone has accurate figures on the table to identify any cost differential between overhead lines and underground cables. It is also vital that all interested groups have an input into how the feasibility study is done,” a spokesperson for the group said.

“The North East Pylon Pressure Group is fiercely opposed to the overhead high voltage power lines on many grounds ranging from health to the environment to tourism. We believe that with the support of the communities most affected, the people of County Monaghan generally and our local and national representatives, we can drive the power lines underground. The technology is there and it is simple. However, it is going to be a very tough fight.”

The North-South interconnector will be routed from a proposed new substation near Kingscourt in Cavan, through Monaghan and onwards to Tyrone. The second project is the Woodland, Meath to Kingscourt, Cavan 400kV Power Line.

EirGrid have estimated the project would be six to ten times more costly than the current €180 million cost if cables are buried. The company says it could also set a precedent for the planned nationwide grid upgrade driving costs up to a potential €6 billion from €650 million.

County Cllr Vincent P Martin has confirmed he will meet Green Party Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan Minister Ryan next week to discuss this issue.

An independent review is to be conducted to examine the merits of routing the proposed controversial cross-border inter-connector power cables underground as opposed to erecting overhead wires.

This decision has been made after huge pressure from anti-pylon groups across the region forced the government to question Eirgrid’s plans. Many Monaghan residents are worried about the possible negative health implications and property devaluation if the power lines are to be carried on pylons.

Communications Minister, Eamon Ryan attended a meeting of the Communications, Energy and Natural Resources committee on Tuesday. Following the meeting he has demanded that an independent study be carried out before Eirgrid go any further with its plans.

Speaking after a committee meeting yesterday, Deputy Seymour Crawford TD for Cavan and Monaghan, expressed his delight at the review. “I was pleased with the assurance which Eirgrid gave to me, that they would suspend their proposals to move forward, pending the outcome of the study”.

“The Independent Study will look at the feasibility and costing of putting the inter-connector underground against overground,” added Deputy Crawford. “However, we want to make sure that the study will allow for a full consultation with the organisations that have campaigned for and demanded this as their right.”

Yesterday’s announcement has also been welcomed by Minister Ryan’s Green Party Colleague in Monaghan, Vincent P Martin. “As a local representative I am acutely aware of the fears in my community about the construction of new overhead power lines. The study will provide comprehensive, independent and empirical evidence about the other implications of such development.”

Chairman of the County Monaghan and Toome Anti-pylon committee Owen Devlin said “We are delighted to hear the minister has finally seen sense and I welcome the investigation into the viability of putting the cables underground.
“The Monaghan Anti-Pylon Group never wanted to stand in the way of progress but we would naturally be very concerned it the lines were to go over head.” He continued. “As well as the possible health risk, the lines would be a blight on Monaghan’s drumlin landscape and there are also serious concerns about the economic devaluation of the land and property close to these lines.”

GROVE Turkeys Ltd MD Tom O Driscoll has confirmed to the Post that the Smithboro plant will not close and that the remaining 70 jobs are secure. Despite planned talks with a County Council delegation and Union officials, management said the decision to axe 130 jobs is final.

Mr O Driscoll said that while Grove deeply regretted the decision, they felt they had no other choice as the very survival of the company is at stake and it was either 130 job cuts or closure. “We did everything in our power to maintain year-round production and I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of our staff in this regard. I am pleased to be able to say that our action now, necessary and painful though it may be, will ensure that this Turkey production tradition continues into the future.”

Smithboro and the wider community were shocked to learn of the planned slashing of over half of the workforce as announced on Friday last, 1 February. Mr O Driscoll has told local staff and suppliers that the Irish poultry industry has suffered rising costs and has been “under severe competitive pressure” from overseas producers, forcing them to implement a radical rationalisation programme by this Easter and a seasonal production cycle supplying Easter and Christmas markets.

“Overseas producers have a phenomenal advantage in terms of costs and we haven’t been able to compete with this during low seasons,” Mr O Driscoll stated. In the past ten years, the number of licensed slaughtering facilities in Ireland have halved due to such intense competition.

A vital local industry, the factory employs about 200 office, line and managerial staff. However, this number does not reflect the wider local economic benefits generated by Grove through the support of the 85 poultry farmers which rear and supply the turkeys for the factory and local feed suppliers.

Grove staff previously suffered a 3-day-week from January until Easter 2007 and staff had feared for their jobs at that time, as exclusively reported by the Post. Union officials had then voiced concerns that this previous situation heralded the beginning of a slowdown in Grove’s production.

The company also guaranteed they would fulfill all their commitments to staff made redundant as required under the Transfer of Undertakings Act.

This further jobs blow came only days after 30 jobs were slashed at Irish Joinery Limited which blamed the downturn on the housing market.

A FOUR month old baby survived a horrific crash involving a car and a lorry outside Carrickmacross on Wednesday morning. The baby’s mother also emerged unscathed from the wreck of the Audi A4, which was travelling towards Carrickmacross when it collided with a rigid truck at Lisnashannagh on the N2 Carrickmacross Bypass. The accident occurred on the straight of the road and only yards from the spot where a local motorcyclist was killed approximately 18 months ago.

Such was the impact of Wednesday morning’s smash that the car was severely damaged whilst the lorry, which was en route from Donegal to Dublin, overturned and shed its load of scaffolding along the roadside. Both vehicles ended up approximately 100 yards apart. The lorry, having overturned, righted itself again before coming to rest having hit an embankment.

Gardai and two units of Carrickmacross Fire Brigade attended the scene. Firemen used cutting equipment to free the occupants of the car. The mother and baby travelling in that vehicle sustained only slight injuries and suffered shock. The male driver of the car, a foreign national, sustained very serious injuries to one hand, whilst the driver of the truck sustained only minor injuries. All four were removed by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.