Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
NORTHERN IRISH WOMAN Michaella McCollum Connolly may soon be left in a Peruvian prison by herself if a bid by her friend’s parents to get their daughter brought back to Scotland is successful.
A number of newspapers in the UK have reported that Melissa Reid’s parents stumped up £3,500 of a fine so she could apply for a prison transfer agreement.
The Daily Mail reports her parents have made a formal request to the Foreign Office in Britain to begin the transfer process so she can serve the remainder of her six-year sentence at Cornton Vale women’s prison in Scotland.
Reid’s father Billy told the Mirror: “We’re in the hands of the authorities but we are hopeful it will go ahead.”
“The prospect of being transferred is the light at the end of the tunnel”.
In December, the two women were sentenced to six years and eight months in jail. They were arrested in August attempting to leave Lima for Spain and some 11.5kg of cocaine was found hidden in food packets in their luggage.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Great news,Longford needs something like this
Forgot Longford was a county in Ireland
The rest of us forgot Longford was a county in Ireland. Some seeked professional help in doing so.
Where will we go on holiday this year kids?
Its not. Its a county in Northern Ireland
With all the homeless in the country, glad that there is money for resorts ! I have a real sense of deja-vu about this. But then we are all supposed to say it’s a great idea. Plenty of resorts in the country already.
Name one please? Go on !! I can think of only one such type of resort and that is Trabolgan in cork.
How come the pictures show sunshine????
They bought the set from the Truman Show
Has nobody told them yet that Longford only has 3 seasons. July, August & Winter
You only get the sunshine if you take the all inclusive package.
Great decision well done to Longford council members should be a huge boost to the region
Councillors don’t make planning decisions
@Tweety. They might not make the decision but from my experience they can be very good at convincing the planners that it would be in their best interest to grant permission for a project.
Well done Longford.
Brilliant news and something like this is so badly needed , for Longford and the tourist industry overall.
Brilliant news for Longford.Great vote of confidence following the marvellous County Development Plan prepared by Longford County Council
Just watch this get caught up in planning appeals from now till year dot.
Don’t worry somebody will find something ridiculous to complain about. They always do.
We do now have two Green Party TDs expect this to be destroyed by this lot
Just like you sean. Be the first. Why not
Well I hope not..its great for the local economy. Its a shame they charge the same as a one week trip to Florida..which one would you opt for?
They’re obviously doing something right, in profit apparently and expanding abroad.
Have stayed in Center Parcs park in Longleat, Wiltshire before and it was an amazing experience but also quite expensive! Wonderful amenities and lots of activities no matter what the weather. Accommodation is 5 star. It’s a safe haven for kids. Cars are only parked at accommodation for unpacking & packing, parked in car parks away from accommodation at all other times. Can’t wait to visit this one in Longford when it opens. No way can this be compared to Trabolgan, they are on totally different levels!
yeah, been on a couple in England. very good facilities and completely middle class outfits – and prices to match.
you’d wonder about the extent of their customer base here because it ain’t gonna be cheap.
Anyone commenting ever been to centreparcs? Judging by the comments , no. Heated outdoor and indoor pools, houses for visitors with heating,cycle tracks in the park no cars, shops, indoor and outdoor activities, it’s an all year round venue. The Brits know how to do things like this. My only worry about this, all profits are leaving the country. Yes jobs and investment in a county that needs economic activity but what’s to stop centreparcs from supplying its own labour, own goods from overseas, in fact just about everything imported.………nothing. And we welcome this with open arms. There should be commitments to the local area, the local community and the country.
Alan any chance you could mention Irish Water, Denis O Brien and Thierry Henry, go on it’ll really complete your rant.
You’d make a bright day, dull
Make that Dutch https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_Parcs
Went there a few times as a kid and with all the stuff you can do, heated pools both indoor and outdoor, activities all over the place, even when the weather is Irish, it will be a good place to go. Not cheap though but it has a lot up offer secularly if you have kids.
Profits go to ‘fat cats’ who don’t give a toss for the people they live amongst and spend it on expensive imports and foreign travel. Who cares whether they are Irish fat cats, British fat cats or from elsewhere as long as they are willing to invest their capital and create jobs and taxes in Ireland.
Like they were ever in danger of turning down €223 million.
Very easy to get planning permission with 220 million, and 2 months after completion we’ll find out it gets flooded twice a decade.
How much of the €223M is taxpayers money ? 2,500 visitors at any one time & 1,000 permanent jobs ?? Thats 1employee to each 2.5 visitors. Somehow, I don’t think so !
It’s similar to the passenger to crew ratio on a luxury cruise liner, so I don’t see why not.
I doubt that ratio exists on a luxury liner – regardless, either the prices to holiday in Longford will be sky high or the wages will be ‘job-bridge’ like.
There’s always one.
Na James – Thats Tayto Pk your thinking of.
It doesn’t mean everyone is working at the same time
@clive hand – Good point. I still reckon 1,000 is a good bit overstated.
Ok who’s going to bring the Sun?
Holiday home?? Next years refugee camp more likely. No disrespect to the locals.
Trabolgan seems like a nice place on the website but the houses are freezing and everything is run down. Really hope this is better maintained over the years!!
“Hup by m’haunt marys house in longford!”
Ya cried.
Like a big child.
Now lets get it on centreparcs!
Ya junkies bastids ya.
Wtf u need meds pal
Joycean poetry pal.
wait for it, some quango will find a rare bit of ‘fauna’ and the whole thing will grind to a halt while quangos pals do an EPA for €5000 to check said ‘rare’ fauna is safe.
Yeah could be a ‘snail’ paced project.
I’ll only go if there is a seesaw.
I wonder will James Bannon send in a CV, I’d say he’d be great at entertaining the kids! Don’t you only know he’ll claim that he single-handedly brought it to Longford!!!!
It rains 165 days a year in Longford so good luck with that. Brown envelopes to people who manage pension funds etc. If it were in west Cork maybe it would survive but to expect a business to make a profit when it only operates at 100%? for approx 4 good months in a year is risky.
They survive in the UK, the climate there is a tad damp.
Yea the thoughts of placing this in the centre of Ireland, rather than the arsehole of nowhere astounds me too
Excellent News for Longford .
Congratulations
It’ll be a great spot for a halting site ..!
This is huge. Brilliant for Longford and the Midlands. And because it’s a British operation it’ll be done properly.
We need more big developments like you get in other countries, not in a way that would destroy our landscape and reasons why people like Ireland. But we could learn for others and make a great balance of both.
Where is Longford?
Just down the road from Shortford.
Does anybody remember that big casino that was going to be built in Tipperary. When I see it I’ll believe it. Hopefully the Longfords newly elected Westmeath TD’s will get all the credit for bringing it to Longford
Yes, I remember that, and I also remember plans for a sort of theme park planned for Lusk, Co Dublin, back around ’03.
looks like a idyllic location for a piranha attack
Jurassic park?
CAn we have the same photos with it bucketing rain?
Whats the point if there is no summers in this region?
great render looks very slick, just a bit optimistic with the sunshine
have your say