As if we needed to be told, the official weather data for August has been released by Met Eireann, revealing that August was another damp – or soaking – squib. Rainfall figures show that July and August have been, respectively, 1.6 and 2 times the average at the Belmullet weather station.
Here in Mayo we should be grateful, however, as some parts of Ireland have been far wetter, with nearly 4 times the seasonal average falling at Johnstown Castle in July, and 2.5 times the mean at Valencia in August.
Interestingly, the temperature and sunshine figures for Belmullet have been slightly above average, 6% & 7% respectively. The summary, then, is warmer and wetter, which happens to be just what the climate change model is predicting.
Life in Currane
achill, Currane, Ireland, life, Mayo, weather
The Mayo Open Coffee Club met for the first time today when a ‘bakers dozen’ gathered at the TF Royal Hotel in Castlebar for a bit of a chat and a cup of coffee.
Thanks and congratulations are due to Chris Kerndter, the driving force behind establishing MOCC – well done Chris!
The Open Coffee Club concept is to encourage entrepreneurs, developers and investors to organise real-world informal meetups to chat, network and grow. More details about Mayo OCC are at mayo-open-coffee-club.org, including details of future meetings.
A good mix of people were in attendance, from developers and business owners to mentors and people involved in support and incubation of fledgling businesses, all adding up to a solid foundation on which MOCC can grow. The venue, a large hotel in the centre of Castlebar, was spacious and accommodating, although the coffee was a bit on the pricey side.
So, a great start and plenty to look forward to in the future.
business
business, Ireland, Mayo, MOCC, networking
Liam & Noel Gallagher, stars of British rock band Oasis, were at the centre of a row at a recent meeting of Mayo County Council.
According to a report in the Mayo News, councillors disagreed about a proposal to honour the brothers, whose mother is from Charlestown, with a Civic reception. Despite the objections, the Council agreed to invite the brothers to an event in the east Mayo town which, according to one councillor, would be “claiming these sons of emigrants back.”
It is not known if Liam & Noel would be interested in such an event.
Seems a bit presumptuous to me; just because someone is part Irish it is assumed that they would want to be ‘claimed back.’
entertainment, local politics
County Council, entertainment, Ireland, Mayo, politics
One of the hot topics in Irish politics at the moment centres around remuneration of our elected representatives. It was sparked off by revelations that Beverley Flynn, a Mayo TD (like an MP in England), is still receiving money that, morally, she probably shouldn’t be receiving.
If a person is elected to our national parliament as an independent candidate, i.e. not affiliated to any particular political party, it seems that they can claim and extra €41k a year on top of the €100k+ salary and expenses (which can, for TDs in more remote constituencies – like Mayo I assume, amount to a further €100k or so). This extra money is supposed to compensate for the fact that they are not backed by a ‘party machine’ and hence incur extra expenses.
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national politics, politics
fraud, Ireland, Mayo, politics
From tomorrow, 29th September, those wishing to use the recycling facilities at Mayo County Council’s Civic Amenity Sites will have to pay €2 per visit (for cars). This is in addition to the €5 per bag for domestic waste.
Mayo County Council obviously have funding problems, no doubt in part due to the current economic climate and concomitant downturn in revenues from taxation, levies etc.. However, attempting to bridge the gap by taxing consumers who wish to recycle is surely the wrong way to go. Clearly the Council sees these ‘recyclers’ as a soft target.
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local politics, politics
County Council, Eco, Ireland, Mayo, Recycling
