Limerick NewsWire

Chorus NTL creates 50 new Limerick jobs

2010-01-07T20:00:59Z

Telecoms provider Chorus/NTL has announced the creation of fifty new positions at its national contact management centre in Limerick.

The company says the positions are being created to “support existing staff” and will “further improve” overall customer service. The company currently employs 300 people at its operation on Childers Road.

The majority of the positions have been already been filled with 38 already up and running. They say the remaining positions will be filled over the next few months.

Severe Weather: City council to begin distributing water

2010-01-07T19:42:44Z

Limerick City council has announced that a rotating stand pipe operator will be operated from Friday to provide water to those who have been affected by burst water pipes or low water pressure due to the current weather conditions.

“Some service pipes are still frozen and may have to await a rise in temperatures before resumption of normal supply. This is compounded in some areas by consumers constantly running taps during the frosty conditions,” the council said in a statement Thursday night.

Limerick City Council says they will supply a rotating stand pipe operator to provide water to those without water who wish to collect it in containers. The water will need to be boiled before use.

This operation will commence from 9.00am on Friday morning from a number of locations around the city including Thomond Park, Parc Na Gael, Clarion Suites, Scoile Ide, Parkway Shopping Centre, the Greyhound Stadium, Caledonian Park and Mary Immaculate College.

Details of what times the water will be available at these locations can be found on the Limerick City Council Website.

Limerick Quick Hits

2010-01-06T18:34:38Z

This and that from here and there.

:: Limerick County Council is now inviting for inclusion in its Refuse Collection Waiver Scheme for 2010. The amount of the waiver will be €150 per household for the full year. To see if your household qualifies, Click Here.

:: Iarnrod Eireann have announced they are providing a return service to Charleville, Mallow and Cork from Limerick after the Heineken Cup match against Northampton at Thomond Park on Friday 22nd January. “Supporters from Cork can travel to Limerick on the 13.30, 14.30, 15.30, 16.30 or 17.30s trains”. They say early booking is advised.

:: Limerick City Council are also advising motorists and road users that Colbert Ave will be closed to through traffic between 8.00am and 6.00pm, Wednesday 6th, January, until Friday 8th January, 2010.

:: Severe Weather
– Motorists are still being reminded of the hazardous road conditions during the current cold spell. Tuesday morning up to 6 cars were abandoned by motorists on the N18 Shannon dual carriageway following extremely poor conditions near the Radisson Hotel.

– Public transport is one service which has not escaped the weather. Bus Eireann says the majority of their services are operating to schedule with some delays. The 19.35 limerick to Killarney did not operate Tuesday evening and there have been no services operating on Carew Park, Ballynanty and St. Mary’s park due to road conditions in the estates.

– During the worst of the weather Tuesday Bus Eireann said just two services were operating, but with delays and diversions. All other Limerick city services were cancelled for a time. Lynwood, Pineview and O’Malley Park services only begun after 1pm.They say operational reviews will be carried out every morning.

– “From midnight on Christmas Day The Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick reported a total of 55 fractures in a 24 hour period, a figure they would normally see over the course of a week.”, A HSE spokesperson said this week.

:: The short-list of finalists for the fifth annual Our World Irish Aid Awards programme for primary schools has been announced and one Limerick school is in the running. The Awards encourage primary pupils across Ireland to think about the lives of children in developing countries and create projects in a variety of media which explore the challenges faced by young people in developing countries.

St Joseph’s National Boys School in Rathkeale is one of eleven schools up for the award with their project entitled “The World is in Our Hands”. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday, 26 January at Dublin Castle.

School Closures
Close to fifty schools have taken the decision of staying closed until Monday the 11th due to the bad weather. A full list of the schools can be found Here.

Gardai continue to warn motorists of dangerous road conditions

2010-01-02T18:56:52Z

Gardai have issued a fresh warning to motorists in the city and county to take extra care on the roads this week as an ongoing cold snap is leaving roads treacherous and dangerous.

Gardaí are warning all motorists to reduce their speed, to plan their journeys and to be extra careful on all roads.

”The first week in 2010 is set to be bitterly cold. Heavy snow showers are likely and very severe frosts. Daytime temperatures are predicted just above freezing and icy conditions persisting all day in many areas and night time temperatures will fall from -5 to -10 in some parts of the country,” a Garda spokesperson said Saturday afternoon. There have already been a number of minor road accidents relating to the bad weather.

Both the Gardai and the AA are advising against any unnecessary travel in most areas. AA road watch is advising motorists to drive with extreme care as secondary routes along with housing estates are said to be particularly icy.

Limerick man critically injured in county road crash

2010-01-03T18:48:26Z

A Limerick man remains in an intensive care unit following a road accident in the county.

The single car accident happened early morning hours of the New Year on a rural road in Ballyhahill in the north west of the county.

The 25 year old was believed to be the only occupant of the car when it careered off the road, leaving him with serious upper body and head injuries. Fire services and ambulances attended the scene and the victim was transferred to the regional hospital in Dooradoyle where he remains on life support.

Gardai closed the road for a short time while technical examinations of the scene were carried out and investigators are appealing for any witnesses with information to contact them at Askeaton Garda station on 601630.

NEW DETAILS
The 25 year old driver injured in the crash has died in hospital, Gardai have said. The victim has been named as Noel Hayes of Shanagolden.

Gardai are once again appealing for anyone with information to contact Askeaton Garda Station on 601630.

Man dies following city center blaze

2009-12-30T14:02:54Z

Man dies in desperate bid to escape apartment inferno

A man has died and a woman left injured following a fire at an apartment in the city center Tuesday night.

Surrounding streets were closed down as three units of Limerick City fire service battled the blaze on Upper Cecil Street around 9pm. Fire units from Shannon were also called in to assist in tackling the fire.

It’s understood the 31 year old man leaped from an upstairs window in a bid to escape the flames before emergency services arrived, landing on railings below. He was rushed to the Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle where he later died from the injuries he sustained in the fall.

The woman, in her twenties, was rescued from the blaze by fire officials and is being treated for smoke inhalation.She remains in a stable condition in hospital. The apartment sustained major fire and smoke damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and technical examinations were being carried out at the scene Wednesday morning.

Two charged in connection with Roche death

2009-12-30T08:47:42Z

(Corrected)
Kenyan Police say two men have been charged in connection with the robbery and murder of Limerick priest Jeremiah Roche.

Appearing in a court in Kenya this week, the two men were charged with ‘robbery with violence’ of the 69 year old Athea man, with reports saying they would not be charged with murder with prosecutors arguing it would be harder to prove than the robbery charge.

The charge of robbery with violence is a capital offence in Kenya for which the maximum penalty is death. Prosecutors told the court the items stolen in the robbery totalled just over €1,600.

Police say five other men still remain in custody in relation to the investigation. Those who appeared in court were remanded to appear again in March.

More on the story can be found further down this blog.

Two more arrested over murder of Limerick priest

2009-12-24T17:26:08Z

A further two people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a Limerick priest in Kenya earlier this month.

68 year old Fr Jeremiah Roche, a member of the Kiltegan Fathers and a native of Athea in West Limerick, had been working as a missionary in Kenya since 1968. He was murdered by intruders at his home near Kericho on the 11th of December. His throat had been cut during the violent attack.

The latest arrests bring to five the number held in relation to the murder.

“We have managed to arrest two other suspects during our investigations and we are now holding five of them in custody”, a senior police chief told the Reuters news agency Christmas Eve.

The chief said charges may brought in the case as early as next Monday.

Fr. Roche was buried last Sunday in Holy Cross cemetery, Athea.

Power outages hit Castletroy, Annacotty areas

2009-12-23T21:50:46Z

Thousands of people were without electricity following a power outage north east of the city Wednesday evening.

The ESB said power was lost in the Monaleen and Castletroy along with the Milford and Annacotty areas at around 5.30pm. Emergency repair crews were dispatched as the ESB said it was trying to locate the source of the outage.

Power was restored to most residents just after 6pm. An ESB spokesperson said investigations are ongoing into the cause of the outage.

Snow, ice hamper transportation in Limerick

2009-12-21T10:45:55Z

Roads riddled with black ice as Gardai advise against non essential travel.

Officials were warning people not to travel unless it was necessary Monday after snowfall overnight left many roads in the county and city in extremely dangerous condition.

Traffic was at a crawl in the city and county due to severely icy roads as people made their way to work Monday morning. The N21, the N69 Foynes Road and N20 Cork road are all said to be very icy and secondary roads are in even poorer condition.

Due to the adverse weather and road conditions, Bus Eireann says they are experiencing disruption and delays on Limerick city services and some inter-city services via Limerick. Expressway services from Tralee to Limerick and Cork are also currently cancelled.

Heavy snow was also falling again in West Limerick during the morning.