It is the first of its kind to be opened in the south of Ireland and is run by Mary McSharry.

This week, the Sligo Weekender spoke with Mary and her colleague Victoria Stanek who is working primarily in Northern Ireland with Invisible Traffick in the battle against human trafficking.

Sligo’s proximity to the border and the fact that it is a coastal town makes it a desirable location for trafficking.

A case is currently in the process of going through the courts in relation to an alleged incident of human trafficking in Sligo town.

“The north west and Ireland is a place which needs to be watched. There is no doubt about that. I had heard about human trafficking in Ireland a number of years ago and at the time I remember thinking that it was something which you would hear of in the Third World and you would not associate with here but it is something that we have to be mindful of,” Mary said.

The charity that Mary has set up aims to create awareness, show people the signs to look out for and also to act as a support to victims of trafficking.

“Sligo is the first base for something like this south of the border. There is a lot of education and awareness being put forward in the north but not as much here,” Mary commented.

Primarily those who are trafficked are young girls who are being exploited through prostitution but more and more, vulnerable men are also being targeted and sent into labour camps.

“Labour trafficking is just as high. There are all types of trafficking such as domestic servitude, forced begging and even organ trafficking going on. I think people hear about sex trafficking or prostitution and don’t humanise it but it is someone’s daughter or sister.

Ireland, because we have opened our borders to refugees, has so many vulnerable people coming in,” Mary said.

For the full story, see this week’s Sligo Weekender newspaper – in shops now.

A man accused of killing a man in Sligo town was remanded for trial when he appeared at Sligo District Court today.

Richard McLoughlin (31) with an address at the Laurels, Woodtown Lodge, is charged with the murder of Jimmy Loughlin at Connolly Street on February 24, 2018.

Garda Tomas Flynn gave evidence that he met the accused before the court and served him with a copy of the book of evidence.

Inspector Donal Sweeney applied for a return for trial to the next sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

Defending solicitor Gerry McGovern said that he understood that there may be a list for the Central Criminal Court on Monday.

Judge Kevin Kilrane returned Richard McLoughlin for trial to the next sitting of the Central Criminal Court and granted free legal aid.

Judge Kilrane remanded McLoughlin in custody to Cloverhill Prison.

Mr McGovern said that his client had come directly from the Central Mental Hospital.

The judge said that he understood that he would be returned to the hospital directly from the Cloverhill.

Sligo-Leitrim TD Tony McLoughlin has announced his retirement from politics.

The Fine Gael Deputy has said that he will not be seeking re-election at the next General Election, bringing the curtain down on a political career which has spanned five decades.

McLoughlin was first elected to Sligo County Council in 1974 and served four terms as mayor of the municipal district and has been a TD for the Sligo-Leitrim consituency since 2011.

McLoughlin said: “I wish to announce publicly that I will not be seeking re-election to Dáil Éireann at the next General Election.

“I have reached this difficult decision with a heavy heart as it has been the privilege of a lifetime to have served the people of Sligo – Leitrim in the Dáil since 2011.

“After almost 45 years in public office, I believe that the time is now right for me to begin to step away from politics in order to spend more time with my family and my wonderful grandchildren whose support down through the years has been incredible.

“I made a commitment to my family and my close supporters that after the last General Election in 2016 that I would not seek re-election again and I am sticking to this promise. I have given a lot of my life to public service, and I am now looking forward to what the next chapter brings.

“My career in politics began when I was elected to Sligo County Council in 1974 and I have had the privilege to have been returned to serve the people at every election since and to have served as Mayor of Sligo on four occasions and Chairman of Sligo County Council on two occasions.

“Throughout my career, both locally and on national issues, I have always tried my very best, always fought for what was right for my constituents and always did so in a respectful manner.

“The large amounts of support I have received from the general public at election time has been one of the proudest aspects of my career. On that basis, I want to thank the people of Sligo and Leitrim. I am honoured to have served you.

“As a humble backbencher, I will leave office safe in the knowledge that I am leaving a constituency that has improved massively from where it was after the recession in 2011 and with its future development secured as a part of Ireland 2040, I leave with a strong record of delivery for my constituents and also with an ‘Act of the Oireachtas’ on the Statute book.

“It has been an absolute privilege to work in the Fine Gael parliamentary party and with the local constituency in Sligo – Leitrim. My colleagues in Fine Gael are the hardest working people I know and I wish An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and all the Fine Gael team the very best in their good work for this country and their future endeavours. This country faces many challenges in the future but I know for a fact we have the best team at the helm.

“I will continue to represent my constituents in the way I always have, with hard work and integrity, until the current Dáil ends,” he concluded.

By Alan Finn

As long as football has been a professional sport, generation after generation of young hopefuls have often been met with a devastating dilemma of considering their future when it becomes apparant they won’t play first team football.

A 20-year-old Chris Rutherford was forced to think about life after football when Cardiff City opted to let him go after five years with the club, but ultimately he was not prepared to give up on his dream of playing the sport he loved.

While Cardiff decided not to offer the defender a route to first team football, opportunity beckoned with a former teammate who opened a door for both him and another player looking to pick their careers back up after being let go by the Welsh club.

“A lad called John McClelland was released around the same time as me, he went playing for Walsall and ended up going to Leeds and Rangers and got over 50 caps for Northern Ireland and it was that connection that helped because he knew scouts in Belfast who were looking for ex-Cardiff players who might fancy a move to Ireland and from there myself and Graham Fox ended up signing for Sligo Rovers.”

Billy Sinclair was the manager who took Rutherford and Fox under his wing. Despite spending much of the last five years as a forward, Sinclair recognised Chris’s potential as a defender. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Billy played with Chelsea and Linfield and you knew he was a man who knew what he was talking about. He was the type you knew was thinking about football 24/7.

“I played up front and on the wing for Cardiff and it was only in my last couple of months there I switched to centre-back, so coming here I still had plenty to learn about playing there and after every training session Billy would keep me behind for extra heading practice, teaching me how to tackle, all the skills I needed, he really went out of his way to make me the player I was.”

For the full interview with Chris, see this week’s Sligo Weekender newspaper – in shops now!

Alternatively, you can purchase an online edition here

By John Bromley

The winner of the top prize of €15,000 in Sligo Credit Union’s first big draw of the year is convinced that her late father “sent” her the prize.

And for the winner Georgina Hudson the win could not have come at a better time as she is getting married in August.

It is because of the circumstances of her win that Georgina feels that her father Willie, who passed away 13 years ago, had a hand in things.

Georgina told the Sligo Weekender: “I had only applied to the Credit Union on the Tuesday for a wedding loan and the most they will give you for that is €15,000. Then on the Friday evening I won €15,000 in the draw.

“I’m fully convinced my father sent it to me. I know if he was here he would have given it to me”, she said.

It is also the first time that she has won any draw.

Georgina’s father Willie was a very well-known figure in soccer in Sligo, both through Sligo Rovers and Junior Soccer.

Georgina, who is from Garavogue in Sligo town, will be marrying her finance Dean Deering from Doorly Park in her local St Anne’s Church, with the reception in the Sligo Park Hotel.

She said the €15,000 will come in very useful for the wedding.

“It will put a little dent in it anyway”, she said.

Georgina has been a long-time saver with the Credit Union. “I started saving when I was 15 and I’m now 42.”

Apart from Georgina there were 31 other happy winners of cash prizes, which ranged from the €15,000 down to €250.

A spokesperson for the Credit Union said they would like to offer Georgina and Dean their best wishes for their wedding in August.