IT'S official Bandon is bouncing back. In addition to a number of new businesses recently opening and revitalising the town centre, Bandon heads into Christmas with a 8.54% drop in live register figures.

YET another positive event in the Bandon area took place last weekend with the official naming by the woman herself of the Clare O'Leary Walk, a three-kilometre section of walk along part of the former West Cork railway, parallel to the N71 highway and overlooking the River Bandon.

The Irish National Seismic Network (INSN) has confirmed that an earthquake measuring 2.6 magnitude occurred off the coast of County Cork, at 7.57am today (Wednesday, December 4th 2013)

CLLR Mary Hegarty has welcomed the news that West Cork Music's three festivals were worth more than 2.2m to the Bantry economy this year.

EACH and every one of the 107 pupils at Rath National School took part in an exciting fundraising project on November 14th last when they recorded a two-track CD in the Church of the Sacred Heart.

Ballingeary Pipe Band recently launched a book 'Ballingeary Pipe Band Past and Present' to celebrate their 85th year anniversary.

Presented by the National Parents Council at Abbeystrewry Hall, Skibbereen, on Tuesday, December 10th, from 7 - 9pm

Garda are investigating a fatal road traffic collision on the Bandon to Kilbrittain Road, close to Bandon, this evening, Monday 2nd December, after 6pm.

AN 8.8m wastewater treatment plant in Castletownbere must be completed by the end of 2015, Cork County Council has confirmed to Fine Gael councillor Jerry Sullivan.

CHAIRMAN of the Kilmichael-Crossbarry Commemoration Committtee Con O'Callaghan declared to sustained applause that there will be no Crossley Tender or auxiliary acknowledgement area included when the proposed redevelopment of the historic Kilmichael Ambush site is completed.

Over 12,000 mobile phones, the majority of which are smart phones, worth an estimated 5m have been stolen from people in the last year, according to latest figures from An Garda Sochna.

Cork consumers are spending 350,300,000 online ever year on purchases from companies outside Ireland.

VIDEO CLIP: DOWN & DIRTY IN SKIBBEREEN VIDEO 1: Some 270 competitors took part in the inaugural Down & Dirty 6K Adventure Challenge at Liss Ard Estate, Skibbereen, on Saturday. On a day that was borrowed from Spring, the event was an outstanding success.

Construction work on 70 major projects have been given the green light to proceed to construction in 2014, which includes a both the Skibbereen Post Primary School Amalgamation (Mercy Heights, De La Salle, Rossa College) and the long overdue extension works at Kinsale Community School

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