Survey reveals local priorities Preliminary findings from a survey of Ballyhaunis’ population suggest local disquiet over the continued conversion of retail properties into residential spaces as well as worries over the long-term employment ...

Students of Ballyhaunis Community School impressed judges from Schools of Sanctuary Ireland who visited recently for an inspection of efforts to make the school a welcoming place to its diverse population.

Mayo County Council is to hold a civic reception in honour of the late Irish Defence Forces Private Billy Kedian, who was killed in May 1999 while on United Nations peacekeeping duties in the Lebanon.

Opel’s all-new Grandland SUV, already a Golden Steering Wheel award-winner, has added to its trophy list, honoured with a prestigious Driving Vision News Award 2025 in the 'Best Front Lamps' category.

Multi-agency raids of Ballyhaunis premises Several Ballyhaunis business premises were visited on February 20th by a group of officers from multiple state agencies including the Gardai, Revenue Commissioners and welfare authorities.

The recent intervention by US President Donald Trump in Ukraine’s fight against invading Russian armies may have made Mayo-based Ukrainians less willing to return to their homeland, with some telling the Western People that Trump’s recent overture ...

Parenting when separated Ballyhaunis Family Resource Centre (FRC) is facilitating a parenting course, starting on March 5th, for parents who are going through or have gone through separation and divorce.

Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns planted an orchard of Irish apple trees in the Friary Grounds on Saturday last, writes Mark Godfrey. The trees were sourced from Burren Beo as part of its 'Hare's Corner' grants.

A firewood processor near Ballyhaunis is angry that local authorities don’t clamp down on unlicensed vendors of timber who sell products that don’t meet national standards.

The chief consultant hired to draft a report on Ballyhaunis’ future development said he’s very satisfied with a series of public consultations held last week at the Community Hall and at other venues around the town.

"Delivering apprenticeships within the community so that people do not have to travel can result in many positive externalities"

A Mayo councillor has requested that Uisce Éireann urgently convene a meeting with elected representatives over a group water scheme that cost €2 million but is yet to be connected to the main public water supply.

It wasn't just householders who were left without power after Storm Éowyn.

Ballyhaunis branch of St Vincent de Paul is set for a boost in funds with the opening of a new Vincent’s charity shop on Bridge Street in the town.

It’s 7am on Saturday morning, a day after the storm and a cold grey-blue pallor shrouds the town, unpunctuated by any of the normal lights of commerce and residence.

The destruction of the Connacht GAA Air Dome during Storm Éowyn is a devastating blow and it’s impossible not to feel deep sympathy for John Prenty in particular, the man who made the impossible possible.

Queen’s University to join public consultation for Town Centre First Residents of Ballyhaunis will be invited to give their views and ideas on the town’s development on February 7th and 8th during a public consultation run by the Town Centre First ...

A Tractor and Truck Run took place in Brickens on December 27th last, organised by the local community and spearheaded by Eoin Delaney.  More than 70 tractors and other assorted vehicles assembled at 4.

A Ballyhaunis man volunteering in India helped to save the lives of two people who were drowning and has had a lasting impact on the young Indian students he worked with.

Social housing bodies, also known as approved housing bodies, are becoming central to solving Mayo’s housing needs but even as the sector has greater access to financial support than ever an increasing level of regulation will mean many will have to ...

After a four-year delay, work has resumed on the Ballyhaunis Primary Healthcare Centre with an expected completion date this year.

A company based in Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim has been appointed by Mayo County Council to draw up the Ballyhaunis Town Centre First Plan. The contract was secured by TBLA through a procurement process.

A Ballinlough-based transport company is grappling with longer trips to get goods to and from Contintental Europe in the wake of the closure of Holyhead port in Wales.

My final Western People article of 2024 was not in keeping with the spirit of ‘Happy Christmas’ or indeed a ‘Happy New Year’, but one I felt compelled to write as a social historian, but also a proud native of this part of Ireland.

Gardaí and immigration officials have targeted residents of Ballyhaunis in recent months as part of a ramp-up in deportation orders.

A deluge of Chinese e-commerce into Irish homes is leaving some locals feeling shortchanged in the wake of Christmas, writes Mark Godfrey.

Ballyhaunis estate agent Kevin Kirrane is prepared to cut his fees in order to hold onto what he sees as a dwindling number of properties coming to a market characterised by high demand.

Mayo County Council’s record when it comes to enforcing fines levied on the owners of derelict properties is among the worst in the country. In 2023, the council imposed charges on 126 sites totalling €709,000.

Derelict property numbers continue to fall The number of officially derelict buildings in Ballyhaunis continues to fall, with 11 properties with a Ballyhaunis address on the latest list compiled by Mayo County Council compared to 12 in June of this ...

The 40-year history of Eastern Gaels, one of Mayo’s youngest GAA clubs, was recounted at a special launch event for a booklet documenting the events and figures central to the rise of a club that serves the parish of Bekan.

The local Supermac’s outlet is expecting a 5% to 10% increase in sales in 2024 compared to 2023, with passing trade from the GAA Centre of Excellence key to the performance, according to franchise owner and manager Dinal Swaris.

Fine Gael Cllr Alma Gallagher has said she wants to seen an increase in social and affordable housing in Mayo in the coming years.

Life with Ballyhaunis Brazilians There are no vestments, no incense and not much ritual at the Agape per Nation church.

Opel’s new Grandland flagship is available in both Hybrid and Electric with first units of the Hybrid arriving in dealer showrooms last month, followed by the fully Electric version in December.

He is spending €1.7m on acquiring and refurbishing the shop.

The HSE has acknowledged that construction work on the long-delayed primary healthcare centre in Ballyhaunis has been "intermittent" since it resumed earlier this year.

House prices in Westport are almost twice as expensive as Ballyhaunis, data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed.

A Ballyhaunis-based couple has set up a thriving business delivering hot meals to local schools out of their own personal experience of school meals for their autistic son.

Ballyhaunis could in many ways be a microcosm of Irish society as the population goes to vote: there’s plenty of employment locally but not enough housing.

The recent TG4/Ipsos opinion poll on the upcoming general election in the Mayo constituency put Aontú candidate Cllr Paul Lawless in contention for one of the five seats.

Ballyhaunis’ revolutionary women in the spotlight Inspirational women from the Ballyhaunis area who were involved in the War of Independence and the Civil War will be the focus of an exhibition and lecture on November 30th at the Community Hall.

Consulting engineers have been appointed to undertake upgrade works on a long-awaited crash barrier and footpath under the bridge in Ballyhaunis, writes Paul O'Malley.

Ballyhaunis property price dataThe average price of a house in Ballyhaunis at €148,250 is less than half the national average of €350,000, according to the most recent batch of data on property prices from the Central Statistics Office.

A man who left another male with lacerations to his neck and head has been found guilty of assault causing harm. Eddie Cleary, aged 25, of Headford Road, Galway City, contested the case before a jury at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.

 Ballyhaunis native Austin Boyle celebrated his 100th birthday on October 15th in the UK city of Coventry.  Austin was born in Ballinphuill on October 15th, 1924, and left Ireland at a very young age, eventually settling in Coventry.

Stylish and dynamic, spacious, and versatile, and offering a wide range of electrified drivetrains from battery-electric to plug-in electric hybrid and 48-volt hybrid technology, the first units of the new Opel Grandland arrive in Ireland in ...

Major rise in train passenger numbers Two new train services have lifted the number of passengers using Ballyhaunis train station.

An organic dairy farm located near Aghamore has been awarded a bronze medal in the Blas na hÉireann awards, an all-island annual competition for food producers.

Logboy National School, near Ballyhaunis, recently installed a bike shed at little more than one percent of the cost of the now notorious cycle shed for TDs, Senators and Oireachtas staff at Leinster House in Dublin.

The 'Bring Billy Home' concert, headlined by renowned musician Gerry Carney, was a resounding success, attracting a large and enthusiastic audience while raising significant funds for the Private Billy Kedian Air-Ambulance Base.

Barbara Rick, a recent and frequent visitor to Ballyhaunis, has one of the bigger jobs on American television while also attending reunions of the American arm of the Morley family.

The principals of two of the fastest-growing primary schools in Mayo fear that basic funding is not keeping pace with inflation and that this risks eroding progress made on inclusion and modernisation in national schools.

A completion date of late 2025 has been announced for the new Ballyhaunis Primary Health Care Centre.

There were heartwarming scenes at a Mayo nursing home earlier in the summer when some four-legged friends came to pay a special visit.

Ballyhaunis’ unique geological heritage was the subject of a fascinating talk and walking tour organised by Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns for Heritage Week.

Abbey Pattern cancelled The organisers of the annual Abbey Pattern traditional day out have called the event off after the passing of Stephen Grogan, administrator at Ballyhaunis Family Resource Centre who was also chairman of the Pattern organising ...

The war in Ukraine may have led to a surge of refugees to Ireland but it’s also created economic challenges for Eastern Europeans who are driven to seek jobs in Ballyhaunis and surrounding areas.

A downpour didn’t dampen the spirits of the large crowd that attended the annual Urlaur Pattern on the August Bank Holiday Weekend. The event drew a fine crowd on Sunday, August 4th, to the village by a lake in East Mayo.

Rochford Motors in Ballyhaunis, main Opel dealer in Mayo, demonstrated its strong commitment to local rugby recently by making a significant contribution to Ballyhaunis RFC.

A school in Mayo has scooped a prize in this year's Woodie's Budding Gardeners competition.

Sustainability and income diversification have become watchwords for the state’s various agricultural agencies like Teagasc, which routinely encourage the country’s farms to diversify their incomes to survive while also being kinder to nature.

A man could have died after he was attacked by his friend following a drinking session.

This weekend the official christening ceremony for a US warship named after a heroic young Mayo man takes place. The US navy has named the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer after Lance Cpl Patrick Gallagher.

‘Founding father’ of Galway RTC remembered Local man Dr Gay Corr has been eulogised by management of the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) as a “pioneering figure” in the development of higher education in the region.

A Ballyhaunis-based councillor has said she expects to see a timeline for delivery of the town’s stalled primary care centre by the time the next meeting of the Regional Health Forum West is held in September.

Aisling Flanagan is a powerhouse. Pure and simple. Aisling and her husband Michael run the very successful Velvet Cloud brand – a selection of products made from sheep’s milk.

Officer recalls Keadin repatriation Retired army officer Earnán Naughton has recalled an emotional journey to Knock Airport in May 1999 with the body of Ballyhaunis soldier Billy Kedian who will be remembered at a special commemoration on July 20th.

Mayo county councillors have paid tribute to the “unsung hero” of Ireland West Airport. John Dillon, who was one of the original and founding board members of the airport, passed away last month.

Career paths aren’t always linear, but more often than not, when a person is drawn to a particular area, they end up working in that field in some shape. That’s true for Lisa Finn, owner of Enhance Consulting.

The Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District’s first woman councillor has made further history by becoming its first woman Leas-Cathaoirleach.

Carroll MacNeill to unveil Kedian memorialMinister for European Affairs, Jennifer Caroll MacNeill is expected to attend the unveiling of a monument on July 20th.

Ballyhaunis Defibrillator Group has expressed gratitude to the family of Tommie Carroll, Knox Street, Ballyhaunis and formerly of Erritt, Castlerea, for a bequest made to the voluntary group in the memory of Tommie, a popular and much-loved member ...

Three of Mayo’s most talented young athletes were recipients of this year’s Martin Sheridan Bursary Awards last Thursday.

Residents of local nursing home Brookvale Manor were excited to be guests at a wedding staged recently with all the ceremony and excitement of matrimonial celebrations.

No of Seats: 6 Candidates (13): Michael Burke (Fine Gael); Árón Ceallaigh (The Irish People); Tom Connolly (Fine Gael); Mark Devane (Independent Ireland); Richard Finn (Non-Party); Alma Gallagher (Fine Gael); Geraldine Kelly (Non-Party); Paul ...

Mayo GAA SFL Division 1A – Round 4  Castlebar Mitchels 3-18  Ballyhaunis 0-5  Maggie Chambers at Josie Munnelly Park  Castlebar Mitchels have made it four wins from ...

Opel has announced enticing 242-registration customer offers across its passenger car range.  With a choice of 0% APR Hire Purchase or 2.

In what was a first for the parish of Ballyhaunis, five couples celebrated a joint wedding service in St Patrick’s Church last Saturday.

The HSE must not walk away from the Ballyhaunis Primary Care Centre as it is vital for the future healthcare of the community in the area, said local election candidate Alma Gallagher.

Keadin memorial event The Defence Forces will be out in force for the dedication of a monument to fallen local soldier Billy Kedian, who died on service in the Lebanon 25 years ago this summer.

An Bord Pleánala has overturned a decision by Mayo County Council to grant planning permission for the proposed development of an entrance and access road to a forestry located near Ballyhaunis, writes Paul O'Malley.

A leading organiser of the Ukrainian community in Ballyhaunis and Claremorris has described plans by the Government to reduce welfare payments as “concerning”.

Ink & Imagination, a collection of poems, short stories and songs written by 20 creative writers in Ballyhaunis Community School, was recently launched in the school. The atmosphere at the launch was very special.

Certa has launched HVO pumps at three more of its forecourts in Ireland, bringing the total of HVO-ready Certa outlets to six.

Community Investment Fund for hall paths Cllr John Cribbin has secured funds through the local authority’s Community Investment Fund for the upgrade of paths and safety exits around the Community Hall, known locally as the parochial hall, off Upper ...

Tooreen National School in East Mayo was recently named the Northwestern Region’s Travel School of the Year at a ceremony in Dublin on Thursday.

There were warm tributes to two Mayo councillors who are retiring from politics after 25 years. Fine Gael councillor John Cribbin and Independent councillor Seamus Weir recently attended their final meeting of Mayo County Council.

Two Mayo projects in Mayo are set to receive more than €11 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), according to Fine Gael Minister Alan Dillon. He said Ballyhaunis Community Vision project will benefit from almost €5.

Ballyhaunis-based local election candidate, Stephen Nolan, told this column of his “deep concern” about the future of small businesses in rural towns due to rising costs.

Warm tributes were paid to Cllr John Cribbin last Wednesday by fellow councillors and the Mayo County Council executive during his final Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District meeting after 25 years in local politics.

A man was arrested in Ballyhaunis last week following a "disturbing" incident of vandalism at a premises in the town, prompting calls for the local Garda station to be fully reinstated.

Locals can cut their waste disposal bills while also nourishing their gardens, an internationally-renowned horticulturalist told a well-attended composting workshop at the Community Garden in the Friary on April 20th.

A talented young Mayo singer-songwriter is celebrating winning a highly-respected song contest. Ethan Henry, aged 17, from Tooreen, triumphed in the school aged category of the Night and Day 2024 competition when he sung "Lost in Space".

What: Four bedroom detached house Where: Doctor Road, Ballyhaunis Price: €260,000 {element}This exclusive four bedroom family home located in the most desirable part of Ballyhaunis town is being brought to the market by APP Kirrane Auctioneering.

Deputy Michael raised the issue of the lack of progress on Ballyhaunis Primary Care Centre during a Dáil debate this morning.