Nifty 250 - Fri, Mar 26: 40 jobs to go as nursing home closes; Heston resigns, lashes VEC; All-Ireland beckons for Claremorris school

Castlebar councillor resigns from VEC and calls for reform

Castlebar Fine Gael councillor Noreen Heston has resigned from Mayo VEC and in a parting shot has lashed out at how the organisation is run.
While Cllr Heston stated that she left because she wants to concentrate ‘my core responsibilities as a member of Castlebar Town Council and, especially, my work with residents associations’, there is little doubt from reading her resignation letter, that Cllr Heston had issues with the VEC itself.
In this letter, due to be read out at the April meeting of the body, Cllr Heston asserts that the VEC need only meet on a quarterly basis and that those working in the educational system should be the majority grouping on the VEC. She also adds that the VEC is highly ‘politicised’.


Castlebar nursing home set to close

The Cuan Chaitríona Nursing Home in Castlebar is to close with the loss of up to 40 jobs.
The 30 bed nursing home, owned by the Sisters of Mercy, is home to 18 sisters and 12 lay residents.
There have been recent difficulties at the home with wage increases and the Sisters of Mercy say they can no longer sustain the supplementary funding they were providing for the home.


Claremorris girls reach All-Ireland schools final

The ladies footballers of Mount St Michael, Claremorris booked their place in the All-Ireland Colleges Senior ‘B’ championship final with an impressive five point victory over Moate CS in yesterday’s semi-final in Kilbride.
Rebecca Kean (daughter of former Mayo GAA star John P) scored 1-8 for the Claremorris students and they ran out 2-13 to 1-8 winners.