REVIEW OF THE YEAR - JULY

Major hospital extension

THE HSE submitted ambitious plans for a major five-storey extension to Cavan General Hospital. The latest drawings, lodged to Cavan County Council for approval, added two more floors of bed space on top of what was previously granted in 2022.

The 7,588 sq m accommodation development will comprise of an Emergency Department and Endoscopy Unit at ground floor level, with inpatient ward accommodation spread across the first, second and third floors.

The new endoscopy unit will include three procedure and two recovery rooms. Meanwhile, the relocated and enhanced ED will contain two resuscitation bays, 10 major injury treatment bays, six minor injury treatment bays, as well as three paediatric and three isolation rooms.

The 54-single person en-suite rooms will also include two isolation rooms.

A link corridor will connect the new extension to the existing hospital building at lower ground floor level.

In addition, the plans provide for 37 car parking spaces, four EV charging spaces, vehicle and pedestrian accesses, landscaping, and associated site development works.

Quinn chasing Russell deal?

Speculation around the sale of The Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell continued. The Celt revealed that Sean Quinn Snr had formally backed a bid by entrepreneur, Sean Gallagher, to purchase the hotel, which was on the market with a price tag of €35M. Mr Quinn exclusively confirmed to this newspaper in July that he had personally secured “agreement in principle” from “a number of cash-rich individuals” to support the Ballyhaise man’s bid for the four-star hotel - once the jewel in the crown of Sean Quinn’s business empire.

Leona strikes again

Golfer Leona Maguire (29) became the first Irishwoman to win on the Ladies European Tour, adding this victory to her two previous outright successes on the LPGA Tour. Heading on to the 18th tee at the Aramco Series tournament by PIF at the Centurion Club outside London, Leona needed a birdie to force a play-off – but she went one better than that.

A majestic hybrid approach shot from neatly 190 yards to inside 10 feet gave her an eagle putt. The Ballyconnell woman, renowned for her nerveless poise, grabbed the opportunity and nailed the resulting putt to take the title. Afterwards, an emotional Leona dedicated the shot to her family and her country.

Sod turned on Shannon Pot centre

The sod was formally turned on the €10 million Shannon Pot Discovery Centre, a flagship project for the northern part of Fáilte Ireland's Hidden Heartlands.

The two-fold enhancement consists of a brand-new flagship tourism attraction at the source of the River Shannon, The Shannon Pot, as well as the provision of additional facilities for visitors to the already hugely popular Cavan Burren Park site.

The plan is to have it opened to the public by early 2026

Belturbet Bomb investigation

Gardaí were examining "a number of lines of inquiry" in finalising a file before it is sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether there is enough evidence, more than 50 years on, to finally charge an individual or individuals in relation to the Belturbet bombing.

Two teenagers - Geraldine O'Reilly (15) from Staghall and Patrick Stanley (16) from Clara, Co Offaly, were killed when the 100lb car bomb exploded at 10:28pm on December 28, 1972.

NUMBER OF THE MONTH

300

The number of dwellings within 200m of the proposed North South Interconnector set to receive ex-gratia payments of between €30,000-€50,000