The Mackinnon report’s recommendation of an extension of the Cork City boundary is “nothing more than an attempted rates and land grab”, residents in a Co Cork town have complained.

Muintir na Tíre is planning to organise meetings in small towns and villages in Co Cork to outline its fears that rural communities will suffer if the Mackinnon report is implemented.

Demand for the garda text alert scheme to prevent crime in local communities more than doubled in the past three years.

Community groups using the text alert messaging service have less than a week to avail of a new rebate scheme, a senior Muintir na Tíre officer has advised.

Operation Thor has coincided with a significant reduction in theft and breaks-in in the Waterford region, according to gardai.

People living in a garda region which has recorded the highest rise in burglaries of anywhere in the country are being invited to attend a special crime prevention meeting, aimed at making life more difficult for criminals.

Rural Ireland is in long-term decline principally due to economic forces, writes Michael Clifford

Recently, renowned chef, food writer and TV personality Darina Allen highlighted the need to save our small shops. Which essentially is about saving the very fibre of every local economy, on a national scale.

Many rural communities are battling to stay positive and promote new initiatives, writes Niall Garvey. 

To paraphrase a well-known commercial, ‘every little hurts’.

A major mover behind the Tipperary International Peace Prize has been honoured by his “own people” with a Person of the Year award.

A man tried to intimidate a former president of Muintir na Tíre by presenting him with a fake “photograph” of the community leader with a semi-naked young girl.

Gardaí in West Cork hope to be the first in the country to use Facebook and Twitter to help fight crime.

The closure of 95 garda stations will be carried out to meet today’s policing needs, and not because of the tightening of public purse strings, Justice Minister Alan Shatter has claimed.

It would be very difficult to exaggerate the depth of public revulsion at the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.

When Christy McCormack hung up his uniform for the last time it marked the end of an era for rural policing in Galbally, Co Limerick.

Community organisations in west Waterford are to get live information on crimes and suspicious activity as part of a new text alert system.

Nearly 40% of farmers say they feel less safe in their homes, with one in 10 reporting being a victim of crime.

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Seán Gallagher is among the speakers who will address a health promotion evening tonight.

THE head of a community movement that has helped thousands of elderly and vulnerable people in recent years has pleaded with the next government not to cut its funding.

THE community development movement Muintir na Tíre has never been as relevant as it is today in helping vulnerable and isolated members of society.

Commuters were today warned to slow down to cope with roads affected by black ice.

Three volunteer groups have teamed up to provide a helpline for older people who are house-bound by the current ice and snow and who need a volunteer to bring them essential supplies.

THE AA was receiving a call-out to stricken drivers every 30 seconds at one point yesterday as commuters fought through sub-zero temperatures to get to school or work.

A PILOT GAA project aimed at offsetting the isolation of older men, particularly in rural areas, is to be made permanent.

THOUSANDS of elderly people blocked from accessing a vital government elderly person security scheme “suspended” as part of the budget will receive the care they need from September, it has been confirmed.

RETAILERS have warned that a dozen newsagents and convenience stores are closing down every week, with up to 7,000 job losses expected in the sector by the end of the year.

A nationwide scheme is urging householders to get to know their elderly neighbours and do them a good turn.

ONE-IN-FOUR people over the age of 50 arrive in accident and emergency departments with insufficient knowledge of their medical condition and medication, an A&E consultant warned yesterday.

A PILOT project, believed to be the first in Ireland, was launched in West Cork yesterday aimed at providing 30,000 people with special cards which will contain contact numbers for close relatives or friends in case a person is involved in an accident or medical emergency.

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern last night described Muintir na Tíre founder John Canon Hayes as a man of vision and a pioneer of community development.

A priest who inspired local communities through his Muintir na Tíre organisation will be commemorated today by the Taoiseach.

The national voluntary organisation aimed at promoting community development is calling for a radical re-development of rural post offices.