Page 41 - Simon Bourke News Today

Recent cocaine seizures valued at more than €20m represent just “the tip of the iceberg” in Wexford’s local drug trade, according to local sources. In July, approximately €11.4m worth of the drug was located inside a horsebox at Rosslare Europort, and earlier this month a further €9m worth of cocaine was uncovered by the port authority.

After years of appointments, years of consultations, examinations, and surgeries, Zara O’Brien (8) can no longer afford to wait for the Irish health system to catch up. She is now in a race against time, in a race to save her hearing, a race which her mam, Grace, fears she is losing. Since first noticing there was an issue with her daughter’s hearing five years ago, Grace has been fighting for answers, going from her GP to University Hospital Waterford (UHW) to Beacon Hospital as Zara’s co...

Such is the popularity of the Wexford Dip in the Nip it has become a challenge to estimate how many are taking part. Now in its ninth year, the event took place in an unspecified location in south Wexford in the early hours of Sunday morning last. While organisers did their level best to count those arriving in towels and flip-flops, they eventually had to abandon the abacus.

Once you say it there’s no turning back. You realise that by uttering those words you are willingly subjecting yourself to torment, turmoil, and inevitable tragedy. But that comes later, in a future so distant it might as well not exist. All that matters is the here and now; the moment, the passion, the romance, and the love.

Initially TJ Owens and Mark Kavanagh had intended to run 17km to help raise funds for the Hope Cancer Support Centre and The Children's Health Foundation but, after careful deliberation, they decided this wasn’t enough, that it wouldn’t pose a big enough challenge.

The community throughout Bunclody was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing, following a very brief illness, of George Raleigh from St Mary’s Villas.

Figures showing that 49 family units were in emergency accommodation in Wexford in the last week of June have been questioned in the council chambers in Carricklawn. Querying the accuracy of those figures, Rosslare councillor Jim Codd said the extent of homelessness in the county was not being fully documented by the council.

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne has welcomed the launch of a new scheme which will help older farmers to plan for the future. The Succession Planning Advice Grant (SPAG) will encourage and support farmers aged 60 and above to seek succession planning advice by contributing up to 50 per cent of vouched legal, accounting, and advisory costs, subject to a maximum payment of €1,500, and Minister Browne said it will address “generational imbalances” in the industry.

Since its inception in 2015 the Tomhaggard Women’s Shed (TWS) has seen its membership grow to almost 50 members. This increase in numbers has led to the creation of An Tigín, the group’s new creative workspace and a venue which will accommodate the many varied interests of the TWS members.

While the pandemic deprived many artists of a source of income, forced the cancellation of millions of gigs, it did provide those same artists with ample time and space to get creative. It also provided them with enough source material to inspire several albums, books, films, and artwork.