Utilising the EU-supported THRIVE programme – Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme Limerick City and County Council are preparing an Integrated Urban Strategy for Newcastle West Newcastle West is the largest town in County Limerick (population 7,209 in 2022) It attracts people from a wide catchment to live The population of the town has grown and it is now a multi-cultural town with many nationalities just under 30% of the population of the town were not born in Ireland Maintaining the town’s strength as a market town since the 18th Century the local economy has a strong manufacturing base and quality jobs a thriving retail sector and services in education providing for people living in the town and its wider rural and agricultural hinterland Newcastle West’s function as a strong market town its early history and heritage centred on the Castle and its cultural and arts offering are also key to its identity This strategy focuses on the town centre and will be developed with citizen engagement and in consultation with local businesses public and voluntary and community organisations in Newcastle West we will identify a small number of key heritage-led physical projects that have the potential to revitalise the Town Centre The Integrated Urban Strategy and identification of key projects for the town centre will draw on the local heritage and culture of Newcastle West and engagement with people from the diversity of cultures and backgrounds present in the town as well as the businesses and voluntary organisations It will build on existing local authority plans and strategies for the town This strategy will align with the principles of government’s Town Centre First policy and the Newcastle West Local Area Plan 2023-2029 Limerick City and County Council successfully secured €199,116 of funding to prepare this Integrated Urban Strategy as part of Strand 1 of the THRIVE Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme The scheme has been co-designed by the Regional Assemblies in Ireland and the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage to address European THRIVE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union THRIVE adopts the practice and principles of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) methodology The NEB is centred on delivery of sustainable solutions for transforming the built environment and fosters change in lifestyles needed for the “green” transition The NEB methodology involves three strands which shall be incorporated into any potential future project:  Together                                 Sustainable                              Beautiful This new Integrated Urban Strategy will be formulated taking account of existing plans that have been developed by Limerick City and County Council This will allow the Integrated Urban Strategy to build on analysis and research from other periods of work for Newcastle West Our first public engagement events took place on the 3rd and the 5th of October in the Square This was a public information event for the people of Newcastle West where we introduced the project discussed the potential of an Integrated Urban Strategy for the Town Centre and heard people’s opinions and feelings about the Town Centre People we met on the street completed surveys at the event and spent time talking to us about the town - what’s good about it, what issues are presenting and what we can do to improve the town centre. Others took our information leaflet with the  link to the online version of the survey. This online survey is still open and we invite people who live, work in or visit  Newcastle West to share their thoughts and ideas with us - Have your say!  Throughout the month of October we have built on this initial engagement and continued by meeting with different groups weekly to get a good cross-section of views on local issues and priorities In parallel we have also held one-to-one meetings with people that have a stake in the town and a good knowledge of it culture and arts and community so were are aware of the different perspectives On the 7th of November we held a feedback meeting with stakeholders in the Newcastle West Municipal District Office to share the journey of our public engagement process present the information gathered and ideas emerging to progress the revitalisation and development of the town See details of future public events and how you can engage in the process in the Latest Updates sectionBack to top we co-hosted an online ‘Think Tank’ with BUSarchitektur the Austrian consultancy firm assisting in the engagement process to develop the Integrated Urban Strategy The Think Tank was an opportunity to engage with local businesses representatives from public bodies and industry as well as community and voluntary representatives across arts and culture to re-imagine and re-design the town landscape The discussions were structured around ‘4 Dreams’ - each focused in different areas of the town centre and addressed to different themes For more details on the ‘4 Dreams,’ please refer to the Draft Integrated Urban Strategy we ran a Co-design and Co-creation engagement project titled ‘Spaces and Places’ with the Desmond College Transition Year students The aim of the project was to look at Newcastle West and the unused forgotten and empty spaces and buildings in the town centre and to come up with ideas to re-use these spaces and places in the eyes of young residents The engagement and learning from this project with the students fed into the development of the Integrated Urban Strategy For more details on the ‘Spaces and Places’ project please refer to the Draft Integrated Urban Strategy Preparation of an Integrated Urban Strategy for Newcastle West  After the last few months of public engagement the draft Integrated Urban Strategy has been completed observations and submissions between Saturday 29th March 2025 to Tuesday 6th May 2025 inclusive This strategy is focused on Newcastle West town centre and its revitalisation The aim is to make Newcastle West a great place to live for all age groups and sections of the community Please share your thoughts and observations on the Draft Integrated Urban Strategy here; Draft Integrated Urban Strategy for Newcastle West | Limerick City & County Council's Online Consultation, Survey and Application Form Portal We invite you to share your thoughts on the strategy. There are different options and opportunities to do so. You can see the document ONLINE by visiting our MyPoint consultation page. Printed copies of The Draft Integrated Urban Strategy for Newcastle West are also on public display during normal office hours from Saturday 29th March 2025 to Tuesday 6th May 2025 inclusive at the following locations: Submissions or observations on the Draft Integrated Urban Strategy may be made between Saturday 29th March 2025 to Tuesday 6th May 2025 inclusive Online via MyPoint: Draft Integrated Urban Strategy for Newcastle West | Limerick City & County Council's Online Consultation, Survey and Application Form Portal Community and Tourism Development Directorate Sign up for our newsletter © 2025 Limerick City and County Council https://www.limerickleader.ie/section/1195/advertise-with-us weather & more in Limerick and County Limerick All the latest breaking local news from Limerick and County Limerick Keep up to date with the latest sports news Read all the latest Irish news and updates from around Ireland Find whats happening in and around Limerick and County Limerick Enjoy our award winning photos and picture galleries taken in Limerick and County Limerick Catch up on all the latest business news in Limerick and County Limerick Read about the latest properties available in Limerick and County Limerick Enjoy our latest and up to date motoring review and news in Limerick and County Limerick Limerick and County Limerick Met Eireann Weather Forecast Recent death notices and obituaries from Limerick and County Limerick Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter Support our mission and join our community now you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism Singer-songwriter Jerry Fish will headline the diverse festival in Newcastle West THE annual Newcastle West Music Trail Festival will return later this month where multi-platinum selling Jerry Fish will headline the festival with a rooftop performance an outdoor bar and pizza truck.Highlights include nine year old Indian piano prodigies performances in the local Courthouse by John Spillane and a salsa vibe in a local pharmacy.The event will take place in the county town on Saturday April 26 and will see Newcastle West turn into a vibrant festival site for the day where 100 people meander from one venue to the next to hear a variety of performances.These venues are not your ‘standard’ venues to help celebrate the businesses in the town " + $(".testo_articolo").html().replace(//g, ' To continue reading this article, please subscribe and support local journalism! Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles. To continue reading this article for FREE,please kindly register and/or log in. Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news! Michael Sweeney, managing director at Select Forest Ltd Join Slimming World Ireland and donate your clothes to charity when you lose the weight! Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles. Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm. This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie. Fáilte chuig gaa.ie - suíomh oifigiúil CLG Newcastle West players Diarmuid Lyons and Andrew Lyons Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Senior C Hurling final Newcastle West 2-13 Boyne Community School West Limerick continues to see its hurling stock rise Further evidence of this came on Friday afternoon when Scoil Mhuire agus Íde collected a maiden All Ireland Colleges crown thanks to a five-point victory over a determined Boyne Community School Goals from the hugely influential Conor Hough and Gavin Dorgan gave the Treaty school a sweet success this was the culmination of heard work all season who has continued to drive the sport in the school and Kevin O’Brien Captain Diarmuid Lyons lifted the Michael Cusack cup before the majority of the school with six different clubs in west Limerick represented in their starting XV the first real blow of the contest was struck by Hough who found the net after a couple of neat passes found him in space close to goal The bright opening from Niall Regan’s Royals was thanks to points from Leon Harris Dunderry’s Barron looked a real threat throughout for his school the west Limerick outfit collected the next two points Diarmuid Mullaney clipping over before Dorgan showed his real quality with a point from near the sideline with the breeze having favoured the Limerick men in the opening half An immediate Boyne point looked to ignite their efforts but Dorgan was at the end of a superb team move to dispatch to the net to open up a six point buffer the Meath men couldn’t get closer than two-points A goal from a Christie free on 50 minutes gave them hope but the accuracy from SMI down the closing stretch was noteworthy They had late points from captain Diarmuid Lyons as well as efforts from Monagea’s Hough before his clubmate Liam O’Connor arrowed over a beautiful effort in stoppage time The pitch invasion that followed saw the contrast in emotions that these competitions bring Heartbreak for a formidable Meath outfit but pure joy for the victorious Limerick outfit Each of the thirteen scores from the winners came from play with their unrelenting work rate undoubtedly the foundation of this historic breakthrough Trim: Joey Christe 1-2 (1-0 free); Shane Jordan 0-4 (0-2 frees Newcastle West: Darragh Tierney (Newcastle West); David Moloney (Knockaderry) Diarmuid Lyons (Newcastle West) (Capt); Diarmuid Mullaney (Kileedy) Gavin Dorgan (Monagea); Conor Hough (Monagea) Kieran’s) for S Lyons (both 45); Jack O’Sullivan (St Trim: Conor Cummins (Na Fianna); Aron Doherty (Rathmolyon) Ed Dunne (Kildalkey); Kosei Kirwan (Rathmolyon) Dan Quinn (Kildalkey); Seán Howley (Rathmolyon) (Capt) Joey Christie (Rathmolyon); Robbie Johnson (Kilmessan) Subs: Charlie O’Connor (Dunderry) for Doherty (37); Ruairí McCaffrey (Trim) for Kirwan (57) Laois and Dublin through to oneills.com Leinster U20 hurling semi-finals10 hours ago Munster SHC: Limerick assert themselves against Waterford 2 days ago Round-up: Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Hurling Championship2 days ago Cork and Waterford to contest Electric Ireland Munster Minor Hurling Final3 days ago Official Sponsors of the GAA Football All-Ireland Championship Official Sponsors of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Championship 1) 0ms,border-color 250ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;transition:background-color 250ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;color:#1976d2;padding:0px;min-width:0;}.css-1sgza6o:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;background-color:rgba(25 0.04);}@media (hover: none){.css-1sgza6o:hover{background-color:transparent;}}.css-1sgza6o.Mui-disabled{color:rgba(0 1) 0ms;color:#1976d2;padding:0px;min-width:0;}.css-w5p45x::-moz-focus-inner{border-style:none;}.css-w5p45x.Mui-disabled{pointer-events:none;cursor:default;}@media print{.css-w5p45x{-webkit-print-color-adjust:exact;color-adjust:exact;}}.css-w5p45x:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;background-color:rgba(25 0.04);}@media (hover: none){.css-w5p45x:hover{background-color:transparent;}}.css-w5p45x.Mui-disabled{color:rgba(0 0.26);}PrintShareSaveThe death has occurred of surrounded by his family in the wonderful care of the staff at Milford Hospice Pre-deceased by his parents Daniel and Mary his grand-daughter Mia Sadly missed by his loving and caring wife of 59 years Mary his loving and devoted daughter Mary (Riordan) this Wednesday 16th April from 6 o'clock to 8'clock Arriving at Monagea Church on Thursday morning for 11.30am liturgy of the word Liturgy will be live streamed on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1uGBdna-ws Rip.ie, The Irish Times Building, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2, Ireland Emergency Public Lighting Repairs will take place in Newcastle West tomorrow (Thursday 27th March).  The works will be on Maiden Street (L-1341) & Lower Maiden Street (L-1341) from 6-10am.  A local signed diversion will be in place while the emergency lighting repairs are in progress. Diarmuid Lyons and Andrew Lyons ahead of their Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools C Hurling Final against Boyne CS Trim during the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Finals Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin in Friday’s Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Michael Cusack Cup (Senior C Hurling) Final suggests the rising tide of Limerick hurling is lifting all boats The school draws its players from the traditional football heartland of West Limerick but in recent years hurling has gotten stronger and stronger in clubs like Newcastle West It’s clear Limerick’s continued success since winning the 2018 All-Ireland Final has really risen the profile of hurling throughout the county very much from a hurling stronghold himself as a leading player with Patrickswell has been struck by the changing demographics in the county “I definitely see the domino effect of the success the Limerick county team has had,” he says “In clubs like my own club Patrickswell it's always been there and you take it for granted but there has been parts of Limerick that didn't have hurling clubs that actually do now “That's happened since the breakthrough of the Limerick senior hurlers and it's been great to see “I actually did my placement in Newcastlewest before I went back there and even the change since I did my placement until now in terms of the interest in hurling has definitely been significant “There's still a lot of work to do to climb up through the grades but hurling is definitely on the right path in that part of the county.” Scoil Mhuire against Íde boast some very promising individuals who have already represented their county such as Diarmuid Lyons but it is the collective work-ethic of the entire group that has been the key to reaching Friday’s Final “The most positive thing has been that we have 42 lads on the panel and they've all really bought into it and gelled together as a group,” says O’Brien “We've two teams in the Limerick colleges competitions and our 'B' team had a good win there recently It's been a big squad effort and I feel like all 42 of them have developed and come on which is great “Most of the team is there again next year 13 of the starting 15 in the Munster Final are all eligible again next year so we probably weren't envisaging this level of success this year “It just came from a pure buy-in and a push from the lads We scraped through the group stages where we won one but we've gotten on a bit of roll since and the year really took off.” Whatever happens in Friday’s Final against Boyne CS O’Brien is hopeful that the foundations are now in place in the school to raise their standards more and more in the coming years “We're hoping that will push on the first years and the second years coming in and looking at it and seeing it," he says "If they can see it ahead of them then they can aspire to it themselves “What we're ultimately trying to do is create a hurling school in West Limerick that people can come to and play the game at a high level “From what I can see and from my own experience hurling at schools level can give lads an extra chance to make county panels and that sort of thing Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Michael Cusack Cup (Senior C Hurling) Final Scoil Mhuire & Ide Newcastle West v Boyne Community School You can watch a live stream of the match here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WL9dAgNiQg Limerick City and County Council is seeking local views on the future of Newcastle West Almost €200,000 (€199,116) in funding has been secured to develop an Integrated Urban Strategy for Newcastle West Town Centre will enable the Council to work closely with the local community to shape the future of Newcastle West.  Building on Newcastle West’s Strengths  is a vibrant market town with a rich history and a diverse The town boasts a strong manufacturing base The strategy will enhance these existing strengths ensuring Newcastle West continues to be a hub for living Community Engagement and Strategy Development  The strategy for Newcastle West will be developed collaboratively involving key stakeholders and citizens to create a delivery-focused plan comprising a pipeline of potential future projects These projects will align with existing plans and policies such as the NCW Local Area Plan and Local Transport Plan with the aim of revitalising the Town Centre a Town Team will be established in Newcastle West supported by funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development.  “The THRIVE funding presents a tremendous opportunity and it's one of our big key growth towns for the next 20 years or so We've started a consultation so we can hear how the people of Newcastle West would like to see us thinking about some of the buildings that have either got into dereliction or just need repurposing I encourage everyone to get involved in the consultation process to help us create a vibrant and sustainable town centre.”  Culture and Community Development at Limerick City and County Council highlighted the importance of community engagement “The success of this strategy hinges on the active participation of our community We are committed to a collaborative approach ensuring that the voices of all stakeholders are heard we can build a future for Newcastle West that is inclusive THRIVE is designed to support larger urban settlements It complements other national funds targeting smaller urban areas only Limerick City and Newcastle West qualify for this scheme Co-designed by the Regional Assemblies and the Department of Housing It is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.  The engagement process commenced in early October and the strategy is expected to be completed by early 2025.   Find out more on Limerick.ie  Have your say at mypoint.limerick.ie  We look forward to your active participation in shaping the future of Newcastle West.  Rehearsals in full swing for the upcoming production NEWCASTLE West Musical Society will be kicking off its 2024 production The timing of this show to begin on Halloween is no coincidence as the Addams family are “creepy and they’re kooky The Broadway musical sensation will be presented by the Newcastle West Musical Society over the course of two weekends.  The production is starring Susan Browne as Morticia Addams and Colman Deely as her loving husband Gomez Addams.  Eamon O’Connor will be playing the role of Uncle Fester Molly Sparling and Shauna Normoyle will feature sharing the role of Wednesday Addams with Padraig Doherty and Adam Noonan sharing the role of Lucas Beineke.  Charlie O’Connell and Anne Marie Murphy will take to the stage as Mal and Alice Beineke The cast is completed by Tiernan Burke and Róisín O’Sullivan as Pugsley Addams A spokesperson for the show said: “In the kooky and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams” READ MORE: Limerick band Kingfishr to perform Live at the Docklands is all about the power of love to triumph over even our greatest differences” The shows will begin at 8pm this October 31 and 9 at Feohanagh Castlemahon Community Hall Tickets are cash only and available at the door The Adamses have lived by their unique values for hundreds of years and Gomez and Morticia would be only too happy to continue living that way.  The magnificently morbid family is put to the test when outsiders come to dinner hurling them into a night that will change their lives forever.   beloved daughter Wednesday is now an eighteen-year-old young woman who is ready for a life of her own.  is all grown up and has a shocking secret that only Gomez knows.  respectable Ohio family — the most un-Addams sounding person one could be she has invited the Beinecke’s to their home for dinner.  and the Addams family must face up to the one horrible thing they’ve managed to avoid for generations: change Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before — keep a secret from his beloved wife Will Gomez manage to keep his daughter’s secret until the two families meet for a fateful dinner with hilarious consequences?  Fans love the Addams Family for their unconventional spirits and ways of affection which are highlighted in the musical Each iteration of The Addams Family finds its own voice and brings forth another aspect of the beloved family.  " + $(".testo_articolo").html().replace(//g please subscribe and support local journalism Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles To continue reading this article for FREE,please kindly register and/or log in Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news Join Slimming World Ireland and donate your clothes to charity when you lose the weight Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie Newcastle West town centre | PICTURE: Adrian Butler A HOUSING estate in Newcastle West has been completed but its first residents are unable to move in because the homes cannot be connected to the sewerage network That’s according to two of the town’s councillors crisis talks have been held between council bosses and Uisce Eireann with a view to having temporary sewage facilities installed to enable the homes to be occupied - and new ones built against the backdrop of the housing crisis READ MORE: Limerick clubs urged to apply for national awards with chance to win over €25k Cllr Tom Ruddle saw a notice of motion passed calling for Government to intervene with Uisce Eireann still up to five years away from opening a new sewerage plant in Newcastle West development in the town is potentially on hold until then “I know there are places where people are trying to build houses and they are being held up because sewage is the issue it’s a place growing at a very fast rate,” he said “We cannot continue with nothing happening.” Cllr Liam Galvin added: “It’s a sad state of affairs in 2025 in the county town of this local authority that we cannot build a house.” He took a swipe at campaigners who forced the abolition of water charges “The people out there shouting and roaring ‘not a penny for Enda Kenny’ and ‘no way It’s a clear result of Uisce Eireann being underfunded,” Cllr Galvin Cllr Collins said the fact some housing estates are ready and unable to be used is causing “immense cost” to developers who owe money The Fianna Fail man also said some developers have secured planning permission they will need to go again and spend more money doing so Cllr Stephen Keary warned some builders could go out of business and said that the installation of temporary sewers should be fast-tracked Council director in Newcastle West Vincent Murray said it’s important this issue is prioritised An Uisce Eireann spokesperson said a planning application is due for a new system in the first quarter of 2026 Newcastle West senior hurling management team following their Munster final success Newcastle West are sixty minutes away from All-Ireland final success The west Limerick school take on Boyne Community school in the All-Ireland Senior ‘C’ post-primary hurling final in St Rynagh's GAA club in Offaly on Friday afternoon at 1pm make up the management team of the Newcastle West The school has never been in a position like this before in the entire history of the school Everyone is very much looking forward to the occasion,” said team manager Jeremiah Moroney Moroney said there was always talent within this group the group hadn't set the world alight in terms of collecting silverware There was always a really talented group of players there It was nice to get over the line and put a cup on the table in the Munster Championship.” The West Limerick native remembers a time when the school were unable to field a team “I'm in the school 12 years and I've never had a team to win a Munster championship at any grade up until this year we actually pulled out of Munster at ‘D’ level we actually couldn't field a team.”Moroney feels the clubs in West Limerick have played a big role in the school's success “You've seen how far the school has come this year We have 42 players on the panel and all of them are chomping at the bit to try and get minutes on the field They're delivering into us some exceptionally good hurlers and it's up to us to try and bring them on.” SMI recorded victories over Coláiste Iosaef Kilmallock and Scoil Ruain Killenaule in the group stages of the Munster championship Despite losing their final group to Glanmire SMI had done enough to reach the knockout stages Presentation Ballingarry and Clonkaility College saw them into the Munster final SMI defeated St Mary's Newport 0-10 to 1-5 in the Munster decider The Munster champions comprehensively got past St Patrick's “We were extremely fortunate to get out of the group in Munster They've really driven on since the group stages anything can happen on the day especially when it comes to schools hurling That also brings an enjoyment factor with a lot of off the cuff hurling,” added Jeremiah Moroney Newcastle West Junior Ladies football squad Newcastle West Junior Ladies Football team are gearing up for an historic Lidl All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Junior 'C' Championship semi-final clash against Ballyhaunis Community School this Friday captained by Isabelle and Olivia O’Brien from Feohanagh Castlemahon have had an extraordinary journey to this stage from August defeating Hazelwood College Dromcollogher Joseph’s Spanish Point in the North Munster Cup Final before a Munster semi-final Carrick-on-Suir and a provincial final success against Presentation College Mitchelstown This set the stage for their historic qualification for the All-Ireland series - the first team from SMI to achieve this feat and the first Limerick school since 2009 to make it this far in the competition have been tirelessly preparing for this weekend’s semi-final including having the the privilege of training with David Clifford the girls have kept sharp with challenging practice games that have helped them fine-tune their skills Scoil Mhuire & Ide Junior Ladies Football Squad: Newcastle West have appointed a senior football manager NEWCASTLE West have appointed a new senior football manager ahead of the 2025 season Liam Weir has been announced as the new manager of the west Limerick club.  Weir replaces Liam Keane as manager of the Newcastle West senior football team The Kerry native has previously been in charge of Ballydonoghue Weir guided Ballydonoghue to the North Kerry senior football championship.  The Magpies were defeated by Adare in the Limerick senior football championship semi-final last year Newcastle West completed a historic three in-row winning three Limerick SFC titles between 2021 and 2023 Liam Weir will be aiming to guide Newcastle West back to the top of Limerick football.  Liam Keane who has stepped down as manager was also involved in Jimmy Lee's backroom between 2021 and 2023 Newcastle West were narrowly defeated by Kerins O' Rahilly's in the Munster SFC final.  Newcastle West will be without Diarmuid Kelly this year It will be a hectic schedule for Newcastle West this year who will have both of their football and hurling teams competing in the senior grade.  "We fell at the last group game last year and two semi-finals before that We were up by six or seven points and they came back and only for a diving block at the end we would of missed out again We're just delighted to be there" said Newcastle West captain Brian Hurley.  Bryan Nix and Brian Hurley proved crucial as the Magpies defeated Effin 3-13 to 2-13 in the premier intermediate hurling semi-final in Kilmallock on Saturday afternoon.  Newcastle West will now face Garryspillane in the premier intermediate hurling final at the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday Newcastle West have been balancing football and hurling this year The West Limerick side face Adare in the Limerick SFC semi-final against Adare on Saturday October 19 at 4pm in Sean Finn Park.  Leader Sport caught up with Newcastle West captain Brian Hurley Junior Assistant Restaurant Manager at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal from Newcastle West NEWCASTLE West woman Isabella Condon has secured a place in a prestigious hospitality competition Isabella is the Junior Assistant Restaurant Manager at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and has become one of just ten finalists in a contest recognising the UK's best restaurant staff She grew up in the industry working with her Dad and family at Marguerites Bakery & Restaurant in Newcastle West Isabella graduated from the Shannon College of Hotel Management and since then has been exploring luxury 5 star hospitality at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London Isabella is competing in the final of the 2025 Gold Service Scholarship – a competition for young food and beverage service professionals in the UK – at Corinthia London today where she will serve high-profile guests from across the hospitality sector and serve a three-course lunch to a table of four guests They will be judged on their ‘mise en place’ wine and beverage service; and most importantly The winning Scholar of the 2025 Gold Service Scholarship will be announced at an awards ceremony taking place at Claridge’s in London on Monday said: “This has been another exceptional year so much so that we had to extend the number of semi-finalists and now the final itself includes more candidates than ever before My fellow judges and I are extremely excited for the upcoming final and would like to wish a hearty congratulations to all of the winning finalists READ MORE: 'Major setback' for Limerick service station as burglars ransack store on fourth attempt “Making it to the quarter and semi finals in the competition is already an exceptional achievement and these candidates have all demonstrated great skill and passion to reach the final The finalists were selected from what was the Gold Service Scholarship's biggest ever semi-final Fifty candidates made it to that stage of the competition following quarter-finals in October at the Langham and Hotel Café Royal in London where they were tested on their food and beverage knowledge through interviews written assessments and a table layout test Each year’s finalists and winning Scholar receive a range of prizes tailored to support their professional development a bespoke development programme at EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne and the opportunity to work a garden party at Buckingham Palace The scholar and a commended finalist also benefit from work experience at prestigious hotels and restaurants such as the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and Hong Kong and the three-Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray as well as a trip to Laurent-Perrier in Champagne All finalists also receive a host of professional development opportunities and automatically join the Team Gold alumni network The Gold Service Scholarship was launched in 2012 with the aim of inspiring the UK’s up and coming front of house talent through mentoring Paul Shaughnessy; Pictures Kieran-Ryan Benson FOR MORE PHOTOS PRESS THE ARROW OR NEXT ON THE SLIDESHOW NEWCASTLE West are celebrating winning the Lyons of Limerick premier intermediate hurling title following their 2-12 to 1-11 victory over Garryspillane at the TUS Gaelic Grounds on last Sunday afternoon.  The 'Magpies will now play senior hurling in 2025.  Photographer Kieran Ryan-Benson was on hand to capture all the colour and excitement from the premier intermediate hurling final for Leader Sport.  Newcastle West will host Cashel King Cormacs in the Munster intermediate hurling championship quarter-final on Sunday at 1:15pm The Scoil Mhuire agus Ide squad celebrate their All-Ireland post-primary schools senior hurling success in Banagher on Friday Newcastle West’s courthouse could be converted into a theatre under new proposals | PICTURE: Adrian Butler A NEW strategy for Newcastle West proposes the courthouse be used as a theatre instead with legal proceedings moving elsewhere in the town The facility at Bishop Street has been widely criticised for its condition retiring State solicitor Aidan Judge condemned the “completely unacceptable” conditions there “We are left in this courthouse with little or no facilities and we have regularly had to decamp to the court in Kilmallock READ MORE: Gardaí issue urgent TV appeal following spate of burglaries in Limerick and Clare the Newcastle West plan envisions a new footbridge across the River Arra and also provides for pop-up markets near Desmond Castle plus the removal of vehicular traffic from part of the Square The new urban strategy for Newcastle West has gone on display this week Members of the public are being invited to have their say on the far-reaching plans which the council hopes will see major improvements to Limerick’s county town Newcastle West is the largest town in the county outside the city and its suburbs the local authority has been able to prepare a 126-page long integrated urban strategy for Newcastle West “The aim of the Draft Integrated Urban Strategy is to make Newcastle West a great place to live for all age groups and sections of the community to run a business and to visit,” wrote Stephane Duclot the director of services in the council’s rural three drop-in sessions will be hosted in Newcastle West to give people a better idea of the changes proposed for the town from 5pm to 8pm at the council’s offices at Gortboy The second is in the same venue the following Tuesday Newcastle West will be “economically stronger as a centre of employment” with more jobs and enterprises across different sectors Local outdoor markets are proposed at new locations in the town centre for example at the Market Yard and in the shadow of Desmond Castle Other events including fashion shows and a food festival showcasing west Limerick producers are also being mooted “Newcastle West will have a designated cultural quarter of historic buildings at the centre The Square and adjacent streets,” the strategy states Out-of-use buildings could host pop-up shops supported by Limerick City and County Council The blueprint for the town’s future also proposes a wider use of Desmond Castle there is a suggestion that high-frequency around-town bus services could be introduced for Newcastle West to cut the use of cars Assumpta Park is proposed to be “beautified” For more information on the strategy and to have your say, telephone 061-556000 or click here Newcastle West's Brian Foley and Brian Hurley celebrate after the premier intermediate hurling final NEWCASTLE West captain Brian Hurley produced an inspirational display in last Sunday's premier intermediate hurling final Hurley played a key role in setting up crucial scores in Newacstle West's victory over Garryspillane The midfielder also chipped in with a point from midfield There's probably no words but that was one of the hardest matches It's everything a premier intermediate final should be.” but Newcastle West went in 0-6 to 0-4 ahead at the break They were probably happy enough only being two points down and coming into the wind we've worked too hard to leave it behind us,” reflected Brian Hurley The victors outscored their opponents 2-6 to 1-6 in the second half Goals from Diarmuid Kelly and Eoin Hurley were crucial I think what makes them so good is their work rate You can score all you want but when the tackles are going in like that you're not going to get the chances to score It was all work rate this year and it came out on top.” Ruadhan O'Connor missed the premier intermediate hurling final decider through injury “We were missing Ruadhan there who was probably our best player all year John Whelan came in and gave an unbelievable game It's just that heart and you can't teach that.” Hurley believes the Newcastle West management team deserve massive credit in their side getting over the line He'll kill me for saying this but Chris Sexton I can't believe how good of a coach is.“Every single training we met on January 5 and we trained three times a week every single week All five or six of them have been at everything.” West Limerick has been on a rise in terms of hurling in the past year Feenagh-Kilmeedy and Newcastle West all won county titles last weekend Adare finished their senior hurling championship on a high and Granagh-Ballingarry performed excellently in the premier intermediate hurling championship Reflecting on how well teams from West Limerick had performed in the 2024 championships “Everyone says it's (West Limerick) a football stronghold I think we have to get rid of that stigma in West Limerick The Limerick hurlers started out in 2018 and anyone that was 12 or 13 years old at the time is coming on the scene now It's predominantly hurling in a lot of places now there'll be more up in senior and premier intermediate grade I don't think we will be having this conversation in a few years The SMI Newcastle West squad which has qualified for the Masita Post Primary Schools All-Ireland Senior 'C' hurling final Newcastle West's senior hurlers powered their way into the Masita Post Primary Schools All-Ireland Senior 'C' hurling final after recording an emphatic 3-24 to 1-6 semi-final victory over St Patrick's High School The Newcastle West side will now face Boyne Community School Trim in the All-Ireland decider for the Michael Cusack Cup on Saturday SMI started their semi-final with intent as captain Diarmuid Lyons pointed straight off the throw-in and quickly took firm control of possession in the opening five minutes despite some excellent movement from the inside line the shooting was erratic during the early stages with SMI shooting five wides in succession before their next score Patrick’s capitalised on SMI’s lack of efficiency in front of goal with Jack Loughran levelling proceedings after ten minutes SMI’s early missed chances appeared to have only delayed the inevitable as points from Meehan Cagney and Dorgan began to get them in the flow A fluid counter-attack movement put Dorgan in space to fire over his second before he followed up with a free just 30 seconds later to put his side five points up after 16 minutes dry ball supply was aptly suited to the lightning dynamism of Hough and Dorgan who combined for their side’s next three scores Loughran tapped over a free for his side before an ambush of goals descended on the Heywood playing surface A one-two between Lyons and Long knifed open the St Patrick's defence before the ball was flicked in the direction of Dorgan who sedately side-stepped the keeper and finished to the net the St Patrick’s defence were startled by the heavy pressure applied by the SMI forward lineand as a result coughed up possession The ball fell to Dorgan who zipped it across the square to Hough who flicked the ball up and volleyed home to make it 2-10 to 0-2 to the West Limerick students after 25 minutes Fionn Meehan the burned down the right to slot home a third SMI goal after 27 minutes Dorgan closed out the half with a sweetly struck score over his right shoulder as SMI took a significant 3-12 to 0-2 lead into the half-time break Hough and Dorgan’s continued to torment the full back line as the pair combined for the opening three scores of the second half Charlie Lennon was then fouled inside the penalty area with Loughran sending Darragh Tierney the wrong side with his well struck penalty Sean Lyons responded for SMI before Tom Fox slotted over Sean Long then made a brilliant run along the side-line before firing over as a few of SMI’s main protagonists were given some respite by the management Fox swung over his second point of the game which was followed by another Loughran free two minutes later Jack O’Sullivangot off to the perfect start in his new role as principal free-taker while Andre Lyons overcame a nasty knock to the back to get his name on the scoresheet Loughran then struck a superb free from well inside his own half to further add to his personal tally O’Sullivan nailed two more frees which sandwiched one score from play before Sean Lyons put the furnishings on anoutstanding SMI performance to leave them victors on a scoreline of 3-24 to 1-6 SMI’s brilliant run has continued towards a historic All-Ireland final appearance where they will play Boyne Community School of Trim in two weeks time Newcastle West: Gavin Dorgan 1-8 (0-5 frees) NEWCASTLE WEST: Darragh Tierney (Newcastle West) Diarmuid Mullaney (Kileedy) Seán Lyons (Newcastle West) Fionn Meehan (Feohanagh-Castlemahon)Subs: Shane O’Mahoney for Odhran Kelleher HT Conor McMahon for Diarmuid Lyons (47 mins) Caoimhin Mone for Ronan Gaffney (half-time) Emma Horgan of Scoil Mhuire agus Íde in action against Anna Clarke of Bailieborough CS defeated Newcastle West's Scoil Mhuire agus Íde 9-13 to 4-7 in the Lidl All-Ireland Junior Ladies Football Post Primary Schools final on Wednesday afternoon in Ballinasloe.  The Cavan school were exceptional and clinical throughout Limerick's Scoil Mhuire agus Íde battled hard but they had no answer for them in a goal-packed final in Duggan Park Bailieborough CS made the perfect start to the game McPhillips made a great run before she passed the ball to Lucie Gibson who found the back of the net inside the opening minute The Cavan school were ahead by seven in the ninth minute Munster champions Scoil Mhuire agus Íde got their first score in the 10th minute when Eva Power kicked over a free Emma Horgan fired over a point but Bailieborough replied in terrific fashion with goals from McPhillips and Leila Cooney.  McPhillips stretched the lead to 15 points in the 25th minute with an excellent goal One minute later they were down to 14 when Gibson was sin binned Power and Olivia O’Brien added points for SMI but they were cancelled out by scores from Abby Reilly (free) and Caoimhe Brady as Bailieborough held a 4-7 to 0-4 lead at the break Two minutes had elapsed in the second half when McPhillips grabbed her third goal and her side’s fifth; a stunning finish after a great run from the midfielder SMI keeper Maeve Cussen was called into action shortly after and denied the Cavan school twice in quick succession with good saves SMI grabbed a goal back in the 40th minute when Power got through and fired low to the net One minute later O’Brien raised the green flag for the Limerick school Bailieborough didn’t panic though and scored three goals in a two minute spell; Abby Reilly with one and Gibson scoring two It was all action and the impressive McPhillips followed that up with a point in the 46th minute She was on the scoresheet minutes later when she grabbed her fourth goal of the contest.  At the other end Ciara Lanigan raised a green flag and Power followed that up with a point The scoring didn’t end there and Bailieborough kept the scoreboard ticking over with points from Brady and two from Reilly Power scored a penalty right at the end for Scoil Mhuire agus Íde but the day belonged to Bailieborough CS SCORERS: Bailieborough CS: E McPhillips 4-1 K Browne 0-1 each. Scoil Mhuire agus Íde: E Power 2-5 (1-0 pen L Cooney. Subs: E Hill for Cooney E Horgan. Subs: C O’Doherty for Kelly USE ARROWS OR NEXT BUTTON TO SEE MORE PHOTOS BRITVIC Ireland has marked their ongoing sustainability commitment with orchard planting at Newcastle West Jeff Brennan (above) Ballygowan Marketing Manager pictured at Ballygowan’s Newcastle West facility as staff took part in the orchard planting event Britvic Ireland is one of the leading soft drinks companies in Ireland. Today they are well-known for iconic Irish brands such as Ballygowan READ ALSO: Green Limerick: New e-map to explore outdoor spaces in city and countyty The event in Limerick follows the recent launch of Ballygowan Hint of Fruit Apple flavour which is now available in selected retailers across Ireland and adds to the Ballygowan Hint of Fruit family which already has flavours including strawberry The planting of 16 pollinator-friendly native apple trees is a welcome addition to existing biodiversity and sustainability initiatives at the Newcastle West facility including the use of 100% renewable electricity sourced from a wind farm in Tipperary The Newcastle West site is also an official Area of Conservation for the native black honey-bee following the installation of five colony beehives last May to mark World Bee Day.  Newcastle West have bowed out of the Munster club intermediate hurling championship late revival from Tipperary champions Cashel King Cormacs ended Newcastle West's fairytale season when securing a dramatic 0-20 to 2-13 success in their AIB Munster club intermediate hurling championship quarter-final at Newcastle West on Sunday afternoon Limerick premier intermediate champions Newcastle West were witness to the Eoghan Connolly and Devon Ryan show as the duo notched 17 of the 20 points for the Tipperary outfit something they were made to regret once Connolly started arrowing over frees over the crossbar from all angles netted inside 20 seconds and when he added his second early in the second half the home side were dreaming of a Munster club semi-final Further points from sub Cathal Hayes had them five clear but Newcastle West only managed two points in the closing stages with the Cashel men taking control It ends a superb season for Newcastle West who will end 30-plus years outside of Senior hurling next season they won eight of their ten outings in an entertaining campaign SCORERS: Newcastle West: Bryan Nix 2-2; Cathal Hayes 0-4 (0-2 frees); Eoin Hurley 0-3 (0-3 frees); Mike Quilligan (0-2 frees) Cashel Kings Cormacs: Eoghan Connolly 0-9 (0-6 frees; 0-2 ‘65); Devon Ryan 0-8 (0-4 frees); Cathal Quinn NEWCASTLE WEST: Mike Quilligan; Maurice Murphy 22 mins); Willie Hurley for Foley (half-time); Evan McMahon for Kelly (60 mins) Subs: Ger Browne for R Bonnar (43 mins); Adrian Cummins for R Connolly (49 mins); Dan Moloney for McGrath (59 mins) Adare have dethroned holders Newcastle West after a 2-9 to 0-11 victory in the Limerick senior semi-final in Rathkeale It was a sweet victory for an Adare outfit after losing to Newcastle West in the last three county finals A spell of two goals in the space of 70 seconds did the damage in the first half with Shane O’Connor and Hugh Bourke finding the target for Harry Gleeson’s charges Adare are looking for their first title since 2020 and play the winners of the other semi-final between Fr Casey’s and Mungret St Paul’s in the first week of November it was Adare that landed the first blow thanks to a free courtesy of Hugh Bourke in the eighth minute Paul Maher doubled their advantage moments later through Paul Maher but Newcastle West soon responded by virtue of an Eoin Hurley free Newcastle West squared the game up on 14 minutes when a slick move opened up the Adare defence and Bryan Nix fisted the ball between the posts from an acute angle Bourke put Adare back in front on 15 minutes with a second free and Shane O’Connor then made it a 0-4 to 0-2 score in Adare’s favour after slotting a point following a pin-point Maher delivery either side of a Mike McMahone point for Newcastle then made it a three-point game heading into the final minutes of the half The game then changed on its head in the space of just over a minute A mistake from the kick-out following Collins’ score opened the door for Adare before offloading to his brother Hugh and he hammered a shot into the roof of the net to leave the score at 1-6 to 0-3 Newcastle West were opened up again almost immediately with the Bourke brothers combining to find O’Connor who calmly put the ball beyond the reach of Mike Quilligan and into the net The champions of the last three years needed a response and got it with the last three points of the half with Emmet Rigter Hurley and Mike O’Leary scoring to leave the score at 2-6 to 0-6 at the break Newcastle West would have been hoping for a positive start to the second half but it was Adare that started quicker thanks to a Davy Lyons point from the right flank Rigter and Hurley soon had the gap back to six points but Newcastle were unable to find an opening in a rigid Adare defence to create a much-needed goal The six-point margin remained heading into the final quarter and was added to when Lyons bagged a second impressive score from the right McMahon and Brian O’Sullivan did give Newcastle West hope of a dramatic comeback in the final stages but that goal never materialised Eoin Hurley’s fourth of the afternoon proved to be the final score of the contest with Adare coming out on top by a deserved four-point margin Scorers for Newcastle West: E Hurley (0-4 From as little as €1 a week with our digital introductory offer Already a subscriber? Sign in Kerry will face Clare and Cork play Tipperary By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser You have accepted push notifications for this content. If you would like to manage your push notification preferences, you can do so here USE ARROWS OR NEXT BUTTON TO SEE MORE PICTURES Shovels are in the ground at the site of the new Gardaí District Headquarters in Newcastle West Limerick Ministers Patrick O'Donovan and Kieran O'Donnell were joined by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in the town this week.  They turned the sod on the grounds of what will be a three-storey building sitting on about 0.15 hectares of land on Churchtown Road in Newcastle West.  Speaking to Live 95 News Minister Patrick O'Donovan welcomed the plans as he says the old grounds were not fit for purpose "The previous Garda Station here for the Newcastle West District was really not fit for purpose and it had gone through some minor modifications over a number of years but really it didn't get the level of investment that it needed" The Minister continued saying: "When I became minister for the Office of Public Works a number of years ago one of the projects that I committed to was a new replacement district headquarters for the Garda one of the biggest guard stations in the state outside of Dublin and about 15 and a half thousand square feet it's gonna be a huge improvement for Gardaí...for the public who want to come and get a passport stamped it'll transform the policing element here in West Limerick Minister of State for the Office of Public Works gave a brief rundown of the plans for the site "It's a milestone project from Newcastle West in that it's "...we'll see a brand new state-of-the-art Garda Station in terms of being environmentally friendly and be used on many other new Garda Stations that are built throughout the country into the future." GAA: TUS Munster Post-Primary Schools Senior ‘C’ Hurling Final Player of the Match: Diarmuid Lyons (Scoil Mhuire & Íde SCORERS – Scoil Mhuire & Íde Newcastle West: Conor Hough 0-6 (5 frees); Diarmuid Lyons 0-3; Leon O’Flynn 0-1 Newport: Charlie Tobin 1-2; Cillian Collins 0-3 (2 frees) never got motoring as they fell to a two-point defeat against Scoil Mhuire agus Íde in the Munster Post Primary Schools Senior ‘C’ Hurling Final on Saturday Last year’s Munster & All-Ireland ‘D’ champions have been on an upward march over the past eighteen months but they couldn’t add a second Corn Risteard Uí Mhathúna to the school’s collection They simply weren’t allowed to work the scoreboard enough going scoreless between the 20th & 37th minutes and again from the 40th minute until Charlie Tobin’s 59th-minute goal That lifeline put St Mary’s within a point of an SMI side who had only scored once against the breeze in the second half the Newcastle West school came up with the clincher through inspirational captain Diarmuid Lyons The Limerick U20 hurler had starred at midfield for Newcastle West in their charge to the county Premier Intermediate title and he was the outstanding player here despite pulling up injured at the end of the first half Charlie Tobin was a towering puck-out option at wing-forward and scored 1-2 from his three shots at the posts Cathal Hannan also excelled at the heart of their defence They had enjoyed a brilliant winning streak against schools from four different counties to reach this final while picking their entire 34-student squad from two clubs; Newport and Murroe/Boher They lined out without injured corner-back Luke Kennedy while both teams set up with centre-backs Tommie Cusack and Patrick Cagney in free roles they couldn’t evade the sweeper as Limerick U20 panellist Cagney hoovered up the ball their efforts kept dropping short of the target A series of early hooks and blocks made it clear this game would be a battle on the heavy Kilmallock sod while a section of the Fitzgerald Park stand’s roof was missing having been ripped off during Storm Éowyn Lyons opened the scoring for SMI when picking up a loose clearance in the fifth minute St Mary’s equalised after an Eoghan Flynn intercept who fed Cillian Collins to point on the turn Tobin and Cathal Sheridan blocked down a couple of SMI clearances and full-back Hannan charged out with the sliotar from his first three duels pushed SMI in front although St Mary’s initially responded in style Jack McCarthy twirled into space to deliver the pass and Tobin turned inside to spoon the sliotar between the posts off his left A clever passing move resulted in a point for Leon O’Flynn and Lyons won the subsequent puck-out returning it with interest for double scores With spare-man Cagney off the field for the next play having received treatment and he cut in off the right to nip the deficit back to the minimum SMI pressed on with four points in the final six minutes before half-time Lyons regained possession to win a free for Conor Hough to convert before the corner-forward added a point from play to his collection Hough was then fouled for two further frees which he dispatched over the bar although it was unclear how many half-time changes they would have to make with point-scorers Lyons and O’Flynn both injured in the closing moments St Mary’s switched Darren Collopy into midfield and he won a free from the throw-in which fell short Darragh Meaney was showing up well to cut off the SMI supply while Fintan Sheridan blocked their next shot at goal There was no doubting St Mary’s resolve as Charlie Tobin blocked down the Newcastle West keeper but his pull across goal was collected and cleared by Seán Long Two Cillian Collins frees made it a one-score game with Collopy fouled for the first before SMI were bizarrely penalised by Ciarán O’Regan for attempting to make a substitution during a throw-ball which isn’t classified as an official break in play Conor Hough pointed a free to settle SMI and so it stayed for sixteen scoreless minutes as the clock whittled down but his unselfish pass was intercepted by Cathal Hannan Evan Duffy would also deny Hough in similar circumstances at the death Oisín Kennedy made an impact off the bench with a couple of steals but St Mary’s struck four wides on the spin and Charlie Tobin got the touch to the net The goal stood after O’Regan consulted with his umpires over a potential square ball They needed one more point for extra-time and Diarmuid Collopy got back to execute a superb hook on Lyons to prevent a tap-over point When the sliotar came again to the man of the match Newcastle West: Darragh Tierney (6); David Moloney (7) Diarmuid Lyons (Capt 8); Diarmuid Mullaney (6) Subs: Paul Logue for Mullaney (22-24 blood); Conor McMahon (6) for O’Flynn (HT Newport: Evan Duffy (Murroe/Boher 7); Conor McLoughlin (Newport 7) Fintan Sheridan (Murroe/Boher 6); Darragh Meaney (Newport 7) Adam Power (Newport 6); Jamie Long (Murroe/Boher Eoghan Flynn (Newport 6); Charlie Tobin (Newport 8) Cathal Sheridan (Murroe/Boher 6); Callum Poole (Newport Subs: Oisín Kennedy (Newport 7) for McCarthy (37); Cormac Sheehan (Newport 6) for Flynn (52) NEWCASTLE West have bowed out of the AIB Munster Senior Camogie Club Championship semi-final after losing out to Waterford champions Gailltír After the opening 10 minutes it looked like Gailltír would be impossible to stop scoring two goals and eight points in those twenty minutes before half-time Despite starting well the Newcastle West squad struggled with fouls and were ultimately beaten by a side with a different class.  Gailltír will now go on to face Truagh Clonlara of Clare in Sunday week's Munster senior camogie final.  Straight off the throw-in Rebecca Delee was fired in a fabulous ball from midfield as she sprinted down on goal her shot was bravely saved by the Gailltír goalie Despite this effort the ball was not dealt with well as Karen O'Leary got her side the first free of the game with Delee popping over the score after one minute of play.  Newcastle West looked determined from the outset winning all the 50/50 balls ahead of their Waterford opponents in the opening minutes After two missed shots from frees the Magpies finally got their second score on seven minutes from Ella Whelan after the ball dribbled out from the full-forward line.  It took until this score for Gailltír to kick into gear with full-forward Mollie Comerford flying threw the defence to score the first point for her side.  This point awoke the Waterford team as Newcastle West struggled to get to grips with the strong runs being made by Gailltír A foul from one of these runs resulted in a fabulous free taken by Emma Fitzgerald from a hard angle levelling the game after 10 minutes at two points a piece.  The pressure was well and truly on the Limerick side who started brightly in the opening ten minutes as Gailltír fired a shot off from Alannah O'Sullivan from distance Newcastle West goalie Aoife Corbett thought she had dealt with the problem as she batted down the sliothar but she took her eye off the ball with the shot ending up in the back of the net leaving Gailltír 1-2 to 0-2 up after 11 minutes.  This goal was complimented by three more frees from Emma Fitzgerald who made no mistake with her free taking in the first-half leaving the Magpies chasing the game.  Iris Kennelly eventually got a score for Newcastle West to put them back on track after 18 minutes but it was the Waterford side who had now found their stride with the home team struggling to get the ball out of their own half.  This constant pressure left Newcastle West's goal wide open as Gailltír went on the attack once again with free taker Emma Fitzgerald firing the ball into the back of the net for their second goal of the game on 21 minutes Newcastle West tried their best to claw back the deficit in the closing minutes of the half with a well worked score finished off by Roisín Ambrose Full-forward Rebecca Delee completed the home sides scoring in the first 30 minutes with a free from distance Gailltír looked strong in the closing 10 minutes as they pushed on once again with some fabulously worked scores all the way from one side of the field to the other with Laoise Forrest and Annie Fitzgearld finishing off the half for the Waterford team An exchange of pointed frees from both sides opened the scoring in the second-half as Gailltír looked to push on again winning frees inside in the full-forward line As she had done throughout the contest Emma Fitzgerald slotted over two more frees before Laoise Forrest stepped up to the mark to put them well ahead Newcastle West were gifted an opportunity for a goal as Roisín Ambrose was taken down inside the box with the referee awarding a penalty on 45 minutes Rebecca Delee stepped up to take the penalty but the shot never looked like it connected right with her hurley as Gailltír's goalie Strong tackles were being put in from both sides as the game began to stop and start in the last 10 minutes of play Despite missing her penalty Delee fired over her next free from the right hand-side of the goal.  Compared to the scoring blitz in the first-half Gailltír were reasonably quite in the second with Newcastle West's Karen O'Leary adding the final score for her side from play but at this stage the damage was done.  The Waterford champions solidified their victory with four frees from centre-back Laoise Forrest to give them the 2-16 to 0-9 win and progress them onto the Munster Senior Camogie final.  SCORERS NEWCASTLE WEST: Rebecca Delee 0-5 (0-5 frees) Iris Kennelly 0-1, Roisín Ambrose 0-1 GAILLTÍR: Mollie Comerford 0-2 Roisín Ambrose. SUBS: Mia Smith for K Foley (36 minutes) Isabelle O'Brien for K Ambrose (51 minutes) Ciara Sherlock. SUBS: Ciara O'Sullivan for C Sherlock (46 minutes) Orlaith Walsh for S Fitzgerald (58 minutes) Aoife Fitzgearld for C Carroll (61 miuntes) A LIMERICK businessman has announced his intention to run for the upcoming general election Jim Barrett from Glandarragh,  Newcastle West is running as an independent candidate for Limerick county.  Having ran in the local election in June but ultimately coming out unsuccessful Mr Barrett is not letting it deter him from declaring his candidacy for the general election An Iarnród Éireann employee for the past 25 years Mr Barrett currently works as a competency assessor He is also a small dry stock farmer and runs a bicycle hire business Mr Barrett reckons he has a suitable track record to try his hand once again at politics but this time READ MORE: October new car registrations rise by almost 4% in Limerick with a very good work ethic,” Mr Barrett said.   “I have cross-sectional experience on many disciplines from serving as a fitter to working in railway and also farming which my family and I have done all our lives “I have a practical view on issues and will use these skills to represent my constituents if elected I have shown that I'm a genuine hardworking individual and have a deep desire to help my community and have shown this for years and since the local elections highlighting many issues near and far.” Mr Barrett believes strongly in bettering the public transportation system in county Limerick as well as working with farmers on sustainable practices builders and developers on developing new homes and assessing possibilities to better the healthcare system in his constituency The father-of-two also wants to see tourist tidy towns groups and community organisations promote the county He promises to work with An Garda Siochana in every location to identify policing improvements if elected.  The general election is speculated to take place sometime at the end of November with Taoiseach Simon Harris saying he would like to see it take place on a Friday Ex Limerick County Council and President of NCW GAA Mort died peacefully at home on 27th March 2025 surrounded by his loving family Very deeply regretted by his loving wife Winnie brothers Pat and Billy and sisters Mary and Helen other relatives and a wide circle of neighbours and friends Special thanks to the many wonderful carers and special mention to devoted pets Rosie and Poppy Newcastle West on Friday 28th March from 6 pm to 8pm Arriving at the Church of The Immaculate Conception Newcastle West on Saturday morning for Requiem Mass at 11.30am Funeral mass will be live streamed on: https://youtube.com/live/s8cRh0hTKC4?feature=share Family flowers only please. Donations if desired to the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. Funeral Service.css-h76uj{display:inherit;margin-right:-4px;margin-left:8px;}Date Published: CondolencesDonate to CharityWould you like to mark a birthday memorial mass or anniversary for a Loved One?You can now create a family notice on RIP.ie to remember your loved one at Croke Park for the Captains Call ahead of this Friday's Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools ‘C’ hurling final IT HAS been a memorable couple of months for Scoil Mhuire agus Ide senior hurling captain Diarmuid Lyons Lyons was part of the Newcastle West Premier Intermediate county final winning team in October Lyons will aim to become the first Scoil Mhuire agus Ide captain to lift an All-Ireland title I would have never seen myself winning my first Premier Intermediate championship with Newcastle West and getting promoted to senior for the first time in 30 years,” SMI captain Diarmuid Lyons said winning a Munster championship with my school Now being in an All-Ireland final and being able to say it's my second final in a year.” Lyons says it is a massive honour to captain his school “It's a huge honour and I'm very privileged it's not just a one man effort and everyone on the team has contributed massively It's a massive honour to try and lead fellas in the right direction and so far everything has gone reasonably well.” Eleven of the SMI squad are part of various Limerick hurling squads Lyons and Patrick Cagney are members of Evan Loftus' Limerick U20 hurling squad Fionn Meehan and Diarmuid Mullaney are part of the Limerick U19 hurling squad Cathal Kiely and Conor Hough have been included in Donal O'Grady's Limerick minor hurling squad Liam O'Connor and Shane O'Mahoney are part of the Limerick U17's Celtic Challenge panel “It's massive being able to bring players back from Limerick and everyone brings back new skills and it helps with the training Everyone training is committed to both Limerick and SMI It's showing with the hurling and we're all training to a very high level You can see that when we come back to the school.” Lyons admits it has been tough to balance both his commitments with the Limerick U20's and SMI “We are inside with Limerick three or four nights a week We do our best to be up at SMI training and if we're not training with SMI you would be here training on the pitch and then you would head into Limerick for six o'clock but it's worth it when you get to an All-Ireland final.” Lyons said it would be a special feeling if SMI can get over the line on Friday afternoon against Boyne Community School “It would be one of the best sporting moments of my career so far anyway We never won a Munster before this year and never got to an All-Ireland final It would be a huge honour to lift that trophy for the school SETTING THE TONE: Limerick panellist Ethan Hurley got Newcastle West on their way Newcastle West are Premier Intermediate champions in Limerick They are heading back to Senior hurling in the county after over 30 years outside of the top tier Second-half goals from Diarmaid Kelly and Eoin Hurley were the difference in a slow burner of a final at Limerick headquarters with a late Hugh Flanagan goal only papering over the cracks in this Garryspillane performance The Bouncers were looking to make the immediate return to Senior having been relegated in devastating fashion at the hands of South Liberties 13 months ago but they turned in a most underwhelming display at a rain-soaked Gaelic Grounds Early scores from Bryan Heavey and Colin Ryan sandwiched a tap over free from Hugh Flanagan to give the men from the south a 0-3 to 0-1 lead after eight minutes Limerick panellist Ethan Hurley had opened the Newcastle tally with a long-range effort Some poor shooting from both sides meant it was 0-3 to 0-2 by the quarter hour with four wides from the Magpies and three from the Bouncers Newcastle forged two ahead at the interval very scrappy second quarter saw them outscore their opponents four points to one Eoin Hurley found his range with a brace of frees Goalkeeper Michael Quilligan landed a monster free from inside his own ’65 and when captain Brian Hurley landed a point from play with the final act Derry McMahon’s charges looked like they were believing They added two more points at the start of the second half to make it a 0-8 to 0-4 with Con Hayes and Quilligan on target once more The replies from Aaron Considine’s men weren’t enough with Eoin O’Mahony and Dylan O’Shea both on target The crucial first goal came from a Garryspillane mistake and it was Diarmaid Kelly who pounced and buried low from 12 meters Kieran Hickey caught a ball just outside the square immediately after being introduced from the bench but the Garryspillane man was unable to get a strike away as it suddenly looked near certain where the silverware was headed with late scores keeping their interest all the way to the end when Hugh Flanagan buried a rebound in stoppage time Another score from Cathal Hayes sealed the deal with Bryan Heavey’s consolation score leaving four between the sides at the end of the contest "THAT was one of the hardest matches I've ever played It was low scoring but I'd say it was unbelievable to watch We tried to improve every day this year," said Newcastle West captain Brian Hurley following their deserved county final success at the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday.  Newcastle West defeated Garryspillane 2-14 to 1-13 in the Lyons of Limerick premier intermediate hurling final The Magpies will now play senior hurling in 2025 Leader Sport spoke with Newcastle West captain Brian Hurley The Scoil Mhuire agus Ide senior hurling team are aiming to reach this year's All-Ireland Senior ‘C’ hurling final The Newcastle West school take on St Patrick's High School Keady Co Armagh in the All-Ireland Senior ‘C’ Hurling Championship semi-final on Saturday afternoon at 2:30pm in the Heywood Community school in County Laois.  who was part of the Newcastle West premier intermediate winning team is captain of the Scoil Mhuire & Ide senior hurling squad Lyons is also part of the Limerick U20 team who is also part of the Limerick U20 hurling panel is a member of the Scoil Mhuire agus Ide squad Diarmuid Mullaney and Gavin Dorgan are also key members of the West Limerick side's panel have all been called into Donal O'Grady's Limerick minor hurling panel All three players have featured for the Limerick school Scoil Mhuire agus Ide narrowly defeated St Mary's Newport 1-5 to 0-10 in the Munster final.  Meanwhile, Coláiste Éinde face Boyne Community School Trim in the other All-Ireland Senior 'C' Hurling Championship semi-final on Saturday afternoon Scoil Mhuire agus Ide squad: Darragh Teirney (Newcastle West), Diarmuid Lyons (Newcastle West), Andrew Lyons (Newcastle West) Sean Lyons (Newcastle West) Leon O'Flynn (Newcastle West), Paul Louge (Newcastle West), Rory Vaughan (Newcastle West) Darragh O'Grady (Newcastle West), Jack Gallagher (Newcastle West), Jack Horgan (Newcastle West), Liam O'Connor (Monagea), Conor Hough (Monagea), Gavin Dorgan (Monagea), Cathal Kiely (Monagea), Cormac Kelly (Monagea), Sean Lee (Monagea), Jack Collins (Monagea) Dylan Browne (Monagea), Fionn Meehan (Feohanagh Castlemahon), Patrick Cagney (Feohanagh Castlemahon), Eoin Roche (Feohanagh Castlemahon), Christian Murrihy (Feohanagh Castlemahon), Gavin Fitzgibbon (Feohanagh Castlemahon), Zach Field (Feohanagh Castlemahon) Evan Lynch (Feohanagh Castlemahon), Shane O Mahoney (St Kieran's) Sean Long (St Kieran's), Gavin Thompson (St Kieran's), Eoghan Sheehan (St Kieran's), Conor McMahon (St Kieran's) Jack O Sullivan (St Kieran's), David O Connell (St Kieran's) Derry o Connor (St Kieran's), Dylan Kennedy (Tournafulla), Jack Sheahan (Tournafulla) Darragh O'Callaghan (Tournafulla), Odhran Kelleher (Killeedy), Diarmuid Mullaney (Killeedy), Darragh Lynch (Killeedy), David Moloney (Knockaderry) and Cillian Moloney (Knockaderry).  NEWCASTLE West have reached their first Lyons of Limerick premier intermediate hurling championship final The victors defeated Effin 3-13 to 2-13 in their semi-final clash on Saturday afternoon in Kilmallock.  Newcastle West finished in first place after the premier intermediate hurling championship round-robin series The Magpies won six of their seven group games Effin narrowly secured their place into the semi-finals the South Limerick side and Granagh-Ballingarry both finished on eight points Effin got through on the head to head after they defeated Granagh-Ballingarry in the group stages.  The sides met in round six of the premier intermediate hurling championship where Newcastle West defeated their opponents 2-19 to 0-19.  Newcastle West raced into a 0-9 to 0-2 lead Eoin Hurley was proving to be vital in that period where the Newcastle West sharpshooter landed 0-5 Con Hayes and Diarmaid Kelly were also on target for the West Limerick side Newcastle West were using the breeze to their advantage in the opening period.  Effin trailed 0-3 to 0-2 on 14 minutes but the South Limerick side didn't score again until 29 minutes.  Effin's Patrick O'Donovan and Jack Quaid responded with quickfire points to narrow the gap to four points Tommy Quaid raced through the Newcastle West defence and played a clever handpass to Patrick O'Donovan O'Donovan spectacularly drove the sliotar into the top corner of the net.  The Magpies played a short free to Brian Foley Foley slotted the sliotar into the back of the net Derry McMahon's side led 1-9 to 1-5 at the break.  Eoin Hurley and the lively Jack Quaid traded scores Newcastle West captain Brian Hurley cut inside and raised his sides second green flag of the day on 37 minutes Ruairi O'Connor and Patrick O'Donovan hit back to keep Adrian Barrett's side within touching distance.  Effin came thundering back in the contest when Thomas Quaid made it 2-11 to 2-8 Newcastle West had response every time Effin raised a green flag the lively Brian Hurley set up corner forward Bryan Nix for Newcastle West's third goal of the afternoon Effin regrouped once again through Jack Quaid and O'Donovan as they trailed 3-11 to 2-10 with 12 minutes remaining Another Hurley free pushed the Magpies into a five point lead.  Last year premier intermeidate semi-finalists threw the kitchen sink at their opponents O'Donovan and Ewan Dillon made it a two point game as the full time whistle approached Effin had two scoring chances which tailed wide and that proved to be costly.  Subsitute Cathal Hayes hit the insurance score late on Patrick O'Donovan was through on goal but Newcastle West corner back Maurice Murphy came out of nowhere to pull off a terrific block and deny O'Donovan In the end that proved to be the difference between the sides Effin battled back tremendously in the final quarter but they could never the goal they desperately needed Newcastle West will now face Garryspillance in the premier intermediate decider on Sunday Newcastle West: Eoin Hurley 0-8 (0-5 frees Effin: Patrick O’Donovan 1-5 (0-4 frees); Jack Quaid 0-3; Ruairi O’Connor 0-2; Thomas Quaid 1-0; Cillian O’Riordan Newcastle West: Mike Quilligan; Maurice Murphy SUBS: Cathal Hayes for Foley (41); Willie Hurley for O’Connor (inj – 49); John Whelan for Lyons (61) Fergal O'Connor: Nickie Quaid (joint-captain) Ewan Dillon: Patrick O'Donovan (joint-captain) SUBS: Robert Cagney for Byrne (8 minutes Newcastle West junior ladies footballers will look to complete a memorable week for the West Limerick school by claiming a second All-Ireland title Hot on the heels of the school's senior hurling side claiming All-Ireland ‘C’ final glory last Friday the SMI junior ladies footballers take on Bailieborough Community School from Cavan in the Lidl All-Ireland Post Primary School Junior ‘C’ Championship final at Duggan Park in Ballinasloe this Wednesday Scoil Mhuire agus Íde got the better of Mayo opponents Ballyhaunis Community School on a scoreline of 3-7 to 2-5 in their semi-final as Bailieborough Community School defeated Loreto College representing Dublin to reach this week's showpiece football final SMI’s road to the All-Ireland final has been spectacular The West Limerick side stormed through the North Cup group stages with commanding victories over Hazelwood and Coláiste Mhuire before edging a high-scoring North Cup final against Spanish Point producing a breathtaking display in the semi-final against Scoil Mhuire Their biggest statement came in the Munster final where they dominated Presentation Mitchelstown with a clinical 3-10 to 1-4 triumph cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting teams in school football Following their All-Ireland semi-final win over Ballyhaunis CS under the expert guidance of Ciara Brosnan and Evan Murphy As part of their preparations for their recent semi-final the team had the privilege of training with Kerry senior footballer and back-to-back Footballer of the Year Clifford's training session with the Scoil Mhuire agus Ide junior Ladies squad took place at the Newcastle West Astro Pitch NEWCASTLE WEST JUNIOR LADIES FOOTBALL SQUAD: Feohanagh Castlemahon: Isabelle O’Brien Aoibhinn Kelleher; Old Mill: Aoibhinn Dore who scored six points for Newcastle West against Effin on Sunday pictured here in action against Granagh-Ballingarry in the Limerick Premier IHC | PICTURE: Keith Wiseman GOALS from Bryan Nix and Cathal Hayes proved to be the difference as Newcastle West secured a well-deserved but hard-fought 2-19 to 0-19 victory over Effin in their Lyons of Limerick premier intermediate hurling championship clash in Feenagh on Sunday evening Level on five separate occasions in the opening half hour it was the Magpies that held the narrowest of leads at the half-time break before Derry McMahon's charges outscored their rivals by five points in the second half to secure the victory Eoin Hurley topscored for Newcastle West with six points watched on by Limerick manager John Kiely in the crowd gave Effin a fighting chance with a return of 0-10 It was Effin who started brighter in this top of the table Lyons of Limerick County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship clash inside eight minutes thanks to early points from O'Donovan thanks to quick-fire scores from Con Hayes and Brian Foley Two minutes later it was advantage Newcastle West when Bryan Nix found the net after a Brian Hurley point had point the eventual winners ahead for the first time Effin responded well however and were level three more times before half time before a late Hurley free gave Newcastle West a one-point advantage at the break both sides were level twice more before Newcastle West opened up a three-point lead midway through the half When Cathal Hayes turned his marker to find the back of the net off the far post with just four minutes to go it was the Magpies game to lose as the West Limerick men opened up a comfortable looking six-point lead against a tiring Effin side Both sides exchanged late points as Newcastle West held onto their six-point win to stay top of the Premier Intermediate round-robin table Newcastle West earn senior status with exciting Limerick Premier intermediate hurling final win over Garryspillane: NEWCASTLE West’s time away from the top table of Limerick club hurling came to an end with a richly deserved 2-12 to 1-11 victory over Garryspillane in the Lyons of Limerick County Premier Intermediate Hurling final at a wet TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday afternoon The winners had heroes all over the pitch with the second half goals from Diarmaid Kelly and Eoin Hurley proving the major difference at the Ennis Road venue The slippery underfoot conditions meant this game was lower scoring than many would have predicted but a strong 25 minutes in the middle of this contest swung the silverware west It was the early 1990’s since the Magpies were at the top table while 2025 will mark 100 years since they were county senior champions the present team had plenty to like about them while Brian Hurley collected the Man-of-the-Match award after a most consistent display in midfield He was also captain and once his side forged ahead in the second quarter they didn’t allow the black-and-amber of South Limerick back level It was 0-6 to 0-4 at half-time with Eoin Hurley Brian Hurley and Con Hayes on target for the winners with Garryspillane only adding a point to their early three which they had amassed by the eighth minute Bryan Heavey and Hugh Flanagan were on target but they failed to get much change from their inside men who had been potent earlier in the championship This could have been the catalyst for ‘the Bouncers’ but instead the breakthrough goal arrived for the winners inaccurate clearance before firing low to the net from a tight angle There was a stubbornness to the Magpie defence The substitute expertly caught a dropping ball but was swarmed by Derry McMahon’s charges Eoin Hurley racing onto a long ball and neatly drilling to the net despite Adam Sheehan getting a hurley to stop the bullet A late Garryspillane fightback wasn’t enough a goal from Hugh Flanagan coming too late with the final say for Newcastle West arriving from the stick of Cathal Hayes SCORERS: Newcastle West: Eoin Hurley 1-5 (0-4 frees M Quilligan (both frees) 0-2 each; Ethan Hurley Garryspillane: Hugh Flanagan 1-6 (0-5 frees) Bryan Heavey 0-2 (0-1 free); Colin Ryan Substitutes: Cathal Hayes for McMahon (46 mins); Willie Hurley for Foley (51 mins) GARRYSPILLANE: Adam Sheehan; James O’Sullivan Subs: Kieran Hickey for O’Mahony (46 mins); Peter Morrissey for S Ryan (46 mins); Riobeard Donovan for Dineen (56 mins)