Latest news with #Mitchelstown-based
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Motors: Eyeing title, Mitchell returns to happy hunting ground in Cork
The decision to concentrate on gravel events is paying dividends for Strabane's Jason Mitchell (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), who sits atop of the Sligo Pallets Irish Forest Rally Championship leaderboard. Looking forward to his journey to Cork for Sunday's fifth round of the campaign, the Kanturk based J&M Distributors Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, he knows that the title race is far from over and he's prepared to measure his title bid to land the Doc Jackson Memorial Trophy. The Rebel county is a happy hunting ground for Mitchell, who won this event 12 months ago and more recently popped the champagne on the Mitchelstown-based Tipperary Forest Rally. "I always like going to Cork. I have competed on that event last year and the year before and I enjoyed it." Switching to a Skoda this year has resulted in a rich vein of form. "I feel very comfortable in the car, which always makes it easier." In terms of the championship (that including Cork, has four rounds remaining) Mitchell admits there's still a lot of driving to be done and he will tailor his approach rather than getting involved in battles with those not registered for the series including fellow Tyrone driver - Omagh's Cathan McCourt (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), who starts behind him on Sunday. "He (McCourt) is one of the fastest men in the country both on tarmac and gravel and I have to keep a sensible head. If Cathan is going very fast, I have to be sensible and not try and race him and then maybe throw it all away." Mitchell is targeting to build a strong championship lead as he wants to use the bigger restrictor (not eligible for the championship) on the Bushwhacker Rally later in the year. On the switch to the Skoda, he added, "Yes, it's very good on gravel, but so were the Polo GTi R5 and before that the Ford Fiesta Rally2. To be honest, it was more on tarmac that I struggled with the Polo and that was the main reason for switching but the way this championship went - after the few wins, I decided to have a full season on gravel." With maximum points from the three events he's contested, Mitchell is 10 points ahead of Waterford's Andrew Purcell, who is not competing in Sunday's eight-stage event leaving another Tyrone driver Stephen Dickson (Ford Fiesta R5) as his closest rival - twelve points in arrears. However, Mitchell is the only one of the trio to miss one of the previous four rounds. "I coach the Strabane U-14 rugby team and we had a really good season, reaching the final that was on the same weekend as the Moonraker Rally, unfortunately, we lost to Virginia late in the game." Unlike other countries, Mitchell won't have to sweep the loose gravel from the stages as the J1000's and two-wheel drive cars will run ahead, but that's not without its dangers as he explained, "What I have noticed and it almost caught me out on the last two rallies, is the lines they are taking, different lines and they can draw you in and that is something I have to be conscious of on Sunday." Others on the championship trail on Sunday are Clones driver Derek Mackarel, Ballygawley's Vivian Hamill, Cashel's Pat O'Connell and Omagh's Gareth Mimnagh, in variants of the Ford Fiesta. Fivemiletown's Shane McGirr (Lada) is the top seeded two-wheel drive competitor and Bailieborough's Kyle Drury tops the J1000 category. The first of the day's eight stages starts at 9.13am. Meanwhile, Moira's William Creighton and Welsh driver Meirion Evans, both in MEM prepared Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars and who share the lead of the Probite British Rally Championship return to the series later today (Friday 6.09pm) on the Voly Grampian Forest Rally near Aberdeen. Creighton said, "The stages can get quite rough in places and a number will only be run once. It'll be important to find a good rhythm with the car and the pacenotes right from the start.' The Ford Fiesta Rally2 duo of Callum Black and reigning FIA Junior WRC champion Romet Jurgenson are only four points in arrears with the latter posing a real threat.
Irish Examiner
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
'It's crazy': Mother and her newborn without water for six days in North Cork village
A Co Cork mother and her newborn baby were discharged home from hospital to discover the water supply in their home had been cut off for six days. And a neighbouring farmer was forced to constantly draw water for his 200-strong herd of cattle during the same period in the North Cork village of Ballyhooly. The cases have been highlighted by local councillors who claim that Uisce Éireann is letting potentially hundreds of thousands of litres of water leak daily as a result of its decision to reduce the number of repair crews in the region. Senior county council officials have agreed to write to the utility as a matter of urgency. In particular, councillors are pointing to Uisce Éireann's decision to halve the number of repair crews, from two to one, in the Fermoy Municipal District Council area which covers Ballyhooly. The North Cork village has been dogged by water outages for many months, primarily due to an ageing water main which is constantly fracturing. Water cut off for five days A recent leak left residents without any water supply from a Thursday to the following Tuesday. Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O'Flynn claimed the crew reduction is leading to the three main towns in the district — Fermoy, Mitchelstown, and Doneraile — getting priority, with other areas forced to wait if there are leaks. He raised the issues in Ballyhooly, and both he and Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson described it as 'ironic' that the utility has introduced a hosepipe ban when it has been ignoring leaks for months on end. 'None of this[hosepipe ban] makes any sense when these leaks aren't being fixed. This is where the water is being wasted in huge quantities,' Mitchelstown-based Ms Dawson said. Mr O'Flynn said. 'Having just one [repair crew] is absolutely crazy. It isn't good enough and not fair on the existing crew. They are working above and beyond call of duty.' Repair crew 'can only cover major emergencies' Northern Division chairman Independent councillor William O'Leary said he had spoken with the only crew left in the Fermoy municipal area and was told they couldn't even travel to the region's second-largest town, Mitchelstown, unless there is a major emergency there. As a result, he said that villages like Ballyhooly are way down the pecking order when it comes to carrying out repairs. Labour councillor Ronan Sheehan said a similar issue is happening in the Duhallow region in the North-West of the county. Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan, who lives in that region, said the utility is struggling to cope with the problems. 'There's huge issues with leaks in Boherbue and Freemount. It's brutal. There are fewer teams on the ground to repair them. It's an absolute disaster,' he said. Northern Division manager Niall Healy said he would raise the issue with the utility as a matter of urgency.
