Latest news with #Curran
Dublin Live
6 days ago
- Dublin Live
Community rallies to rebuild Dublin family's home that was destroyed in mistaken identity firebomb attack
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Kindhearted Dubliners are rallying together to rebuild a Ballyfermot family's home that was destroyed following a devastating mistaken identity firebomb attack. The Curran family's home was ruined and their beloved dog Zach was killed after careless criminals threw a petrol bomb at the wrong house. Breda and Pat Curran, and their son Luke, escaped from their home on Landen Road in Ballyfermot after the attackers threw the device through their front window in the early hours of May 21. The house was also uninsured, leaving no safety net to recover from the fire. Pat and Breda's son John has set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds for his parents and brother to help them rebuild. The rebuild is being led by Mark O'Neill and his team who have kindly taken on the major project on top of their usual work schedule. The team hope to have the house ready for the family in the coming weeks but are appealing to any suppliers who can offer assistance to get in touch with them. Mark told Dublin Live: "The rebuild is starting next week and we still need lots of suppliers on board. When the build is complete, we'll need some local businesses to furnish the house with beds, sofas, curtains, curtain poles, TVs, etc." If you would like to make a donation to the fundraiser or get in touch to offer help, you can do so here. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Agriland
6 days ago
- General
- Agriland
Co. Galway farmer fronts campaign to retain second teacher
A Co. Galway farmer is working to attract new pupils to his children's national school so that a second teacher can be retained. Paddy Curran, a dry cattle and sheep farmer, lives across from the school, Scoil Naomh Pádraig, An Chloch Bhreac, and is also part of the parents' committee. The school is set to lose three of its seven pupils next September, which would result in the loss of its second teacher. The parents' committee is offering a €2,000 bursary to be paid in two instalments over two school years to the families of seven new pupils who enrol in the school from outside the area, in an attempt to prevent that loss. Five families have already committed to having their children educated through Irish at the school, which is located between loughs Corrib and Masc in north Connemara, approximately six miles from the village of Cong. Two more pupils are required. The school now provides after-school services and plans to introduce a breakfast club from September. Curran – a past pupil of the school – said that not that many children were born in the area in the last four to five years. He said: 'Once you go below 11 pupils, the second teacher is taken.' The irony, he remarked, is that there are about 14 babies and toddlers in the locality who will start in the school in the next few years. 'One of the best things about the school is its low numbers. Historically the school has had between 30 and 40 pupils.' Overall, the reaction to the bursary, which came about through fundraising by the parents' committee and money from the school, was very encouraging, Curran said. 'The response has been very good. We will probably run the bursary for a few years,' he added. The Co. Galway farmer said that there is plenty of work in the area, with a lot of people living locally commuting to work in Galway, Castlebar, and Westport.
The Irish Sun
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘This must be a first?' – Ireland fans puzzled by RTE's scaled back coverage for Luxembourg friendly
LUXEMBOURG vs Ireland was an instantly forgettable match with about the only standout aspect to it being RTE's scaled back coverage. There was no studio coverage before, during or after 2 In the second half Troy Parrott scored with a delicate chip but it was ruled out for offside 2 Some viewers also reported the sound was out of sync with the picture on their TVs Curran and Whelan were on commentary and also filled the half-time break by narrating 'highlights' of what chances were created by both sides. O'Donoghue was at least present in the stadium as he conducted interviews with Heimir Hallgrimsson, Player of the Match But the main talking point generated throughout the entire evening was that there were no pundits in studio talking things over. Among the tweets posted on X about the significant break from the norm, Indo Sport podcast host Joe Molloy posted: "No RTE studio panel for the match?" Read More On Irish Football The replies to his post were broadly critical of the national broadcaster. Barry fumed: "Shameful drop in standards!! Niall Bergin posited: "Surely cost-cutting from RTE but Most read in Football Finally, someone else pondered: "This must be a first?" However, others didn't think it was that egregious of a decision given last night was about as close to a meaningless international game as you're ever going to see. Inside Arsenal's Ibiza holiday as Katie McCabe and teammates pop champagne to celebrate Champions League win Mick Finn argued: "A meaningless, nothing game…lucky to have it shown." Lastly, one fan used what a dreadfully poor spectacle it was to crack an amusing gag. He quipped: "Is it possible they had one and they just all fell asleep? Understandable enough." HEIMIR HUFF Head coach Hallgrimsson The birthday boy admitted: 'Let's be honest, we're not happy with this performance. 'It's good to keep a clean sheet but we all felt that in the first half we were sloppy, the game was boring in the first half. "All the good things we did against Senegal were missing, all the quick movement, the press, the ball speed - so sloppy. 'We were so different from all the things we want to represent. We lost duels, we lost ball, our rotations were slow, our pressing was more individual than collective. 'It was not tactical, I think it was just focus. We were not doing the things we did four days ago. 'We changed in the second half, we had more tempo, and won more duels. 'But it was not good enough. We always like answers to questions and this one is a negative one, so we at least know that. His side will begin their World Cup qualification campaign with a similar double-header in September, hosting Hungary before travelling to Armenia.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Springfield grants $3.5M for 19 preservation projects, rejects 1 housing request
SPRINGFIELD — The city will help replace leaking roofs on five historic buildings, fix the Buckingham Fountain that has been dry for years and make Marshall Roy playground handicap accessible, but will not assist an affordable housing project with units earmarked for people with mental illness. The City Council approved spending $3.5 million in Community Preservation Act funding to be divided among 19 projects to help preserve historic churches, build affordable housing, and boost open space and recreation. This year, the act raised more than $2.5 million from a surcharge of 1.5% that has been added to taxpayers' bills since voters adopted the law in 2016. In addition, the state is expected to match the contributions with nearly $400,000, and there were additional funds from interest and money allocated but not used from last year from projects that were not done or came in under budget, said Robert McCarroll, chairman of the Community Preservation Committee. 'It was a very difficult year for the committee,' McCarroll said, about the body that vets the projects and recommends them to the City Council. 'Although we had $3.5 million to recommend to you, we had 35 projects — the most we have ever had — asking for more than $8 million.' About half the grants recommended were less than the amount requested, but those organizations can return next year for additional funds, McCarroll said. The City Council passed 19 of the recommendations without a concern but narrowly rejected a proposal to continue to support the efforts to convert the historic Kavanaugh building on State Street into 35 affordable housing units, some of which will be leased to clients of the Department of Mental Health. 'The location is just about on the front lawn of (the High School of) Commerce, and I don't think it is an appropriate location,' said City Councilor Sean Curran, who has opposed the project in the past. In addition, he argued that the city granted developer Donald Mitchell, owner of Renaissance Development LLC, $2.8 million in federal pandemic money, and the Community Preservation Committee awarded him $210,000 for the project in past years. 'I think that is a significant contribution to this project and to come back tonight for an additional $300,000 of additional taxpayer's dollars, I think is a bridge too far,' Curran said. City Councilor Malo Brown agreed, saying he does not want to put more money into a project that has stalled and added that the building has been sitting vacant with no activity for some time. Mitchell said there were some design flaws in the $10 million project that caused him to part ways with the original architect. The company now has a new designer on board and hopes to begin construction in the fall. To speed up the time when people can move in, his company has now decided to do the work in two phases, so 25 apartments will be built and occupied first, and the remaining 10 will be completed later. In responding to Curran's concerns, Mitchell said he did talk to officials at the High School of Commerce when proposing the project, and the educators did not object to it. Other councilors said they did support the project, especially since Springfield faces a shortage of affordable housing and lacks apartments for people with mental health illnesses. 'I think it addresses many needs (for) the city of Springfield, and I'm not in favor of having another empty building on State Street,' City Councilor Kateri Walsh said. 'It will help a lot of people.' There were no objections to the remaining projects. City Councilor Jose Delgado called the proposals a good mix of improvements that will affect 10 different neighborhoods. He said he was happy that several other projects will help the city address the affordable housing crisis. Among the grants is one for $250,000 that will be given to Habitat for Humanity to help build a home for a low- or moderate-income first-time homebuyer on Hancock Street. The committee also continued its annual contributions to a program that helps first-time homeowners with down payment assistance and another that helps residents improve historic homes. 'We had many applications this year for (a) leaky roof and, of course, the worst thing for a historic building is water penetration,' McCarroll said. The committee recommended assisting the new owners of the historic Paramount Theater and Massasoit House with their $1.2 million project to replace the roof with a $300,000 grant. It also awarded the Ecumenical Church on Eastern Avenue $151,000 and Daniel's New Bethel Church $94,000 each for roof replacement. The historic Ames House on Maple Street, owned by Commonwealth Academy, also will receive a grant to replace the roof. 'This is one of the still-damaged historic homes on Maple Street from the 2011 tornado. We are recommending $155,000 … to rebuild the roof to the appearance it had prior to the tornado.' Read the original article on MassLive.
Otago Daily Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Night of booming action set to rumble into town
Road to the Rumble is coming to the Gore Town & Country Club next Saturday, with world-class talent ready to show some high flying entertainment later in the month. PHOTO: SUPPLIED BY JOSH CURRAN There is a rumble coming to Gore — high-flying action, bone-breaking intensity and entertainment for everyone as Pro Wrestling comes to town. Southern Pro Wrestling New Zealand is based in Invercargill and has been a fan-favourite organisation since its inception 10 years ago. To celebrate a decade of wrestling action, the ring is on the move, and will be heading to Gore for the first time. Gore Town & Country Club will host the Road to the Rumble next Saturday. Southern Pro Wrestling committee member and wrestler Josh Curran wrestles as the faux cult leader JK Moody as a heel — a designated villain for audiences to root against. His crew were excited to bring the show to Gore, knowing how cool a travelling show could be. "Out in the country, where I grew up, it was rugby or nothing on a Saturday, so offering a different type of entertainment to other people in towns which generally wouldn't have it is great. "Our brand is Southern Pro Wrestling too, so if we can encapsulate the entire South, I think it's good as we're very proud to be Southland based." Wrestling fans could expect a well-polished product. Mr Curran said they knew what fans want to see. "We don't play around with what this is — it's entertainment. "Expect lights, music, big characters, a lot of acrobatic moves, showmanship and pageantry. "It's a family friendly thing, so we try [to] cater as much to the 10-year-old kid in the front row who wants to be a wrestler as the dad who took them there." The art of the heel came naturally to Mr Curran, who said his persona JK Moody and his group of troublesome wrestlers came as a focal point for audiences to cheer against, which he did not mind. "A controlling, manipulative goon would be the best way I could sum [JK Moody] up. "I got told many times when I played rugby I had a punchable face. "I just leant into that when I became a wrestler. "The crowd likes seeing me get a hiding so it's good to lean into that cathartic release, I suppose," he laughed. Mr Curran, who trained in England and has travelled around various promotions, said Southern Pro Wrestling was nothing to sneeze at — a big show was on the way. "We're lucky enough to be one of the biggest promotions in New Zealand, and some of our talent are legitimately world class."
