The Limerick Blogger: latest Limerick news and Limerick events

Sky News’ west of Ireland office at the Dock Road in Limerick will be closing after it was announced that Sky News Ireland is to be scrapped.

Staff were told the news this morning. Live 95FM reports.

The station also says that there will be job loses as a result of the Sky News Ireland wind-up.

Attempts to increase viewership of the Irish news bulletins included it being carried on Sky One in Ireland, however it seems to have failed to attract viewers.

UPDATE: Adam McGuire has more

Hopes of finding a Castletroy based Polish fisherman are fading fast as searches continue along the Clare coastline.

Piotr Bedzlowicz (41), a father of four, and who worked as a factory worker in the Annacotty Industrial Estate, was swept out to sea by a freak wave at Tullig Point in the Carrigahold area of County Clare on Sunday whilst fishing.

Another man who was with Mr. Bedzlowitz was also washed out to see, but was thrown back onto the rocks by the wave, after which, we raised the alarm.

According to the Limerick Chronicle, a friend of the missing man broke the news to his family in the town of Laskowice in Northern Poland, while Gardai at Henry street informed his housemates in Castletroy.

His family are also believed to be making preparations for a trip to Ireland to assist in the search effort.

Yesterday, rescue workers had to abandon a planned sea search due to unfavorable weather conditions, and only a search of the coastline could be carried out.

Those participating in the search include Aran and Fenit RNLI offshore boat, the Kilkee and Doolin coastguard, Kilkee marine rescue and a forty-strong team from the Kilkee diving club.

A spokesperson for Kilrush Gardai said that while alot of Polish people like to fish in the area, they may not be aware of the danger spots which Irish fishermen would know about. Tullig Rock is not much of a fishing area.

In July, a Latvian photographer was killed at the nearby Loop Head when he fell 80 feet to his death while trying to take pictures of the local Lighthouse.

The Limerick Chronicle reports that Gardai are treating as suspicious, a fire which took place at the Geraldines bar on Gerald Griffin Street.

It took three units of the fire brigade to extinguish the fire which was started at approximately 0230 hrs this morning. While no one was injured in the blaze, there was extensive smoke damage to the pub.

Speaking to the paper, Det. Sgt. Kevin McHugh said that Gardai believe an excellerant was used in th incident. He also urged anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward to Gardai if they have any information.

A forensic examination of the scene was ongoing this morning, reports the paper.

Gardai recovered an assortment of drugs including Ecstacy, heroin and cocaine with a street value of €100,000

The raid on the O’Malley park house took place at around 1230 hrs yesterday. No arrests were made and an investigation is ongoing.

A new Limerick blog is being added to the list of local blogs.

Darren Shan, is the author of the series of children’s horror stories “The Saga of Darren Shan” which have proved highly successful internationally.

Universal Studios has bought the movie rights to the first three of the books in the series.

You can read the full story on the Universal movie deal from limerick.com.

Limerick’s Regional hospital Radio is one of three hospital radio stations who are believed to be seething over having to move frequencies to make way for newstalk.

RHR had to change frequency from 107.2 to 94.2 after the BCI allocated 107.0 to Newstalk in Limerick. The three stations, Regional Hospital Radio, Cork University Hospital Radio, and South Tipperary General Hospital Radio have complained about the “abrupt and rude attitude” of the BCI.

Full Evening Herald article at Radiowaves.FM

A Moyross man was before a special sitting of Limerick District Court facing four charges relating to an attempted arson attack on a house in the area.

A woman and two children had to flee their house on College avenue following the attack.

Today Kenneth Slattery, with an address of Sarsfield Gardens was before the court charged with three counts of causing criminal damage, and one count of threatening to cause criminal damage. Judge Tom O’Donnell reserved a decision on bail in the case and remanded Slattery in custody to apear before the court at a later date.

Controversial solicitor and election candidate, John Devane intends to sue St. John’ s Hospital as he claims that he is suffering from the superbug MRSA, after he received treatment there six years ago.

He has told the Limerick Leader that his 80-year old mother is healthier than he is, and that he fears passing something on to his children if he gives them a hug. “My immune system is shot, so what will it do to them.” he told the paper.

He is also calling for the hospital to either close down or clean up it’s act. He says that regaining his health would be like winning the lotto. Right now, he says that he has to sleep with a ventilator machine and has missed out on the bones of €500,000 worth of work due to ill-health.

Despite this ill-health, it would appear that Mr. Devane isn’t turning down any more work, and is taking on the rigours of an election campaign as well. If he is afraid to go near his kids for fear of passing it on to them, how will he manage the close proximity of others in the Dáil chamber. Actually forget that, If all our TDs ended up being infected, they might get up of their arses and do something about the various nasties going around our hospitals.

This is the man who will be given all sorts of access to government ministers and departments in an effort to sort out Moyross as well as other troubled areas in Limerick.

Former Dublin City Manager, John Fitzgerald (59) and originally from Galbally in Limerick, is a widower with four children. Both Willie O’Dea and Tim O’Malley have described him as “not a talking head,” and “a man who likes to get things done.”

There has been some criticism however from some Liemrick City Councillors, particularly from Independent John Ryan who is quoted in today’s Liemrick Leader as saying the government is “very very short on specifics.”

“I am concerned that John Fitzgerald comes from a local authority background, and i think the emphasis will be on bricks and mortar. I don’t think bricks and mortar are going to solve the problem.” Said Mr. Ryan, who has a local authority background as a member of Limerick City Council.

Meanwhile, a recent survey found that the majority of childrens playgrounds, community centres and schools were found to have bricks and morter as a vital component in their structure.

I say give the bloke a chance to get here before knocking his efforts. If he can do for the likes of Moyross what has been done for the area of Tallaught then it can only be a good thing.

For reasons which are out of my control, I am neither able to add substantial posts or edit a previous post. This is down to the those who host the blog and their inability to either fix a problem promptly or respond to requests to do so.

Hopefully it will be fixed by tomorrow or I am going to have to move the whole blog somewhere else.

UPDATE: It seems to have been corrected. but for how long, is anyone’s guess. Expect more interuptions as they move everyone over to this new fangled blogger beta.