Louise Hickey

Navan

Journalist at AgriLand

Journalist with Agriland ✍️ @DCU grad 👩‍🎓 Member of John Schofield Trust

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Articles

A festival worth barking about: Dogitude returns to Meath farm with music stage and more

6 days ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

Causey farm in Girley, Fordstown will open its venue to all dog lovers for its fourth year running on Saturday, May, 24 and Sunday, May, 25 from 11.00am to 5.00pm. Marketing manager Peter Smyth said that visitors can look forward to “action-packed days”, with events tailored for dogs, dog owners, and dog lovers. One of the main attractions will be the return of the John Bowe Agility Show, where some of Ireland’s best performing dogs will navigate a jumping and obstacle ring.
Invisible pain: Offaly native calls for government recognition to ‘life-changing’ fibromyalgia illness

6 days ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

In a world where chronic pain is often misunderstood, one woman in Offaly has spent the last three years of her life in agony, exhausted, and mentally drained after developing fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a collection of symptoms and medical problems that tend to occur together without cause. It is characterised by severe musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties often described as ‘fibro fog’.
Laois motor and tyre sales company reports theft caught on CCTV

6 days ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

The theft occurred at around 4.00pm yesterday when a man enquiring about tyre prices stole a ‘milwaukee impact gun’ as he left the premises, with images captured by the business on CCTV. The price to replace the gun is around €600-€700 according to the company, with a photo of a similar drill below. Rathdowney Quick-Fit said that the man was driving a black three door Ford Focus with a registration number of: 09 Roscommon 524, and with two spare wheels on the passenger side of the car.
Government purchased highest number of prefabs for schools in Meath, Dublin and Offaly

1 week ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

Government purchased highest number of prefabs for schools in Meath, Dublin and OffalyThe Department of Education spent over €26 million on the purchase of 173 prefab units for schools since 2020, with schools in counties: Meath, Dublin, and Offaly receiving the most units. A total of 40 previously rented modular prefab units were purchased for schools in Meath, 31 in Dublin, and 22 in Offaly.
Municipal district awards presented to over 20 recipients in Meath

1 week ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

The award winners were nominated by the elected members in the districts: Ashbourne, Kells, Laytown/Bettystown, Navan, Ratoath and Trim. Chief executive of Meath County Council Kieran Kehoe thanked the individuals and groups for their work: “Your efforts do not go unnoticed, and we deeply appreciate your commitment.
Meath gears up for Fleadh na Mí opening this weekend

1 week ago | m.independent.ie | Louise Hickey

Athboy is set to host the highly anticipated Fleadh na Mí, launching in Ráth Chairn this weekend where traditional music will be brought together with dance, and community spirit. Hosted by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the festival celebrates Irish music and culture through offering a diverse range of events for all locals and visitors to enjoy. The Fleadh will commence this Friday, May, 9 at 7pm with the official opening ceremony featuring music, song, and dance.
Meath gears up for Fleadh na Mí opening this weekend

1 week ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

Hosted by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the festival celebrates Irish music and culture through offering a diverse range of events for all locals and visitors to enjoy. The Fleadh will commence this Friday, May, 9 at 7pm with the official opening ceremony featuring music, song, and dance. To kick off the main weekend of event, on Friday, May, 16, there will be a traditional singing concert with special guests at the Darnley Lodge Hotel.
Laois beekeepers invite public to visit reconstructed apiary

1 week ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

The opening on Sunday, May, 25 follows two years of reconstruction and updates on what used to be the local wastewater plant for Abbeyleix. The area was bought and landscaped by the beekeeping group in 2023, when they first turned the patch into a wildflower meadow ideal for pollinators. Bees were brought to the location last year where beekeeping classes have been taking place since.
Public invited to view potential materials for Offaly battery storage site

1 week ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

The in-person viewing at St Mary’s Youth and Community Centre from 2.30pm until 8.30pm marks the beginning of the SSE Renewables three week public consultation for a proposed 120 MW | 240MWh battery storage project. The project was acquired from UK-based renewable energy company ‘Low Carbon’ in November 2024, and the grid-scale project could power over 115,000 Irish homes for up to two hours at a time.
New tertiary degrees available in Laois for upcoming academic year

1 week ago | independent.ie | Louise Hickey

Tertiary degrees are not based on a points system, and provide enhanced access for people of all ages to earn a Bachelor’s Degree, with no tuition fees for the first one to two years. There will be a Bachelor of Science (Honours), Bachelor of Business (Honours), and Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Software Development all available at the Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) (Portlaoise Institute).