More new in brief
A man who raped an American student in Galway on St Valentine's night two years ago has been jailed for seven years by Mr Justice Barry White at the Central Criminal Court.
Dennis Kovalenko (25), a Latvian national, Newcastle Road, Galway, met the woman in Shop Street in Galway city centre at about 3am and bought her a rose from a street seller. He later raped her at Upper Canal Road. Kovalenko was convicted by a jury in May.
He had pleaded not guilty to rape and oral rape and gave evidence they had consensual sexual activity.
Waste incinerator oral submissions
Opponents campaigning against the building of a waste incinerator in north Monaghan, including Monaghan County Council, are today making oral submissions on the project to An Bord Pleanála at a public hearing in Monaghan town.
The hearing was arranged by the planning board as a result of an appeal by Monopower Limited against a decision by the council to grant planning permission for the combined heat and power plant close to the Co Tyrone border, at Killycarran near Emyvale.
Tenders sought for ethanol study
Cork County Council is seeking tenders for a feasibility study into the production of ethanol at the Mallow sugar factory.
Ethanol is raw alcohol which can be mixed with conventional fuels at rates of between 5-15 per cent and using sugar beet is one of the most successful ways to make it.
When the plant closed last month with the loss of 324 jobs, Greencore, which controls Irish Sugar, told Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan that it was not interested in producing ethanol at the site.
Tenders must be received by the council by 4pm on June 30th. Further information is available on www.etenders. gov.ie
€500,000 for Irish language support
The cross-Border language body, Foras na Gaeilge, has announced funding in excess of €500,000 for Irish language education initiatives, following a board meeting in Gaoth Dobhair, Co Donegal.
Included in the funding was €235,000 to Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta in Northern Ireland, a trust which identifies funding sources to support the Irish language education sector in Northern Ireland.
Diploma in Irish music studies
The Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway has announced details of a new diploma in Irish music studies. The diploma will trace the progress of Irish music from the kitchens of rural Ireland to concert halls and festivals worldwide, from Madagascar to Mali, from Miltown Malbay to Memphis.
The diploma will investigate the connection between music and poetry in Ireland from the 18th century through to the work of contemporary poets such as Thomas Kinsella, Seamus Heaney, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and Cathal Ó Searcaigh.
The diploma is a two-year part-time programme, with classes to be held one evening a week during term time. The closing date for applications is August 1st. For further details, e-mail irishstudies@nuigalway.ie