The Big Story

Boy George was in Ireland over the weekend to unveil some of his most iconic collection of clothes. The Culture Club singer says he loved the reaction he would get from the other members of the band when he wore the most outrageous clothes on stage. Some of the items are now on display at the Newbridge Silverware Style Museum for the month of May. They will then be flown to LA, where Martin Nolan,...

The Minister for Foreign Affairs is condemning the seizure of vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing to Gaza. Helen McEntee says her department is ready to provide consular assistance, adding the safety and wellbeing of all Irish citizens involved is a clear priority. 180 activists on the flotilla, who were detained by Israeli forces, were left on a beach in northern Crete over...

Former Children TV presenter Timmy Mallet is describing the Hidden Heartlands are a joy and the boglands are a brown jewel.  He has been cycling along the River Shannon since March and has been stopping off at towns and villages along the route from the Shannon Pot in Cavan to its mouth in Limerick.  Along the route, he stopped off in Athlone, Shannonbridge and Birr.  He is best known for his show...

A midlands man has been left paralysed after a freak accident at home. Westmeath's Mark Leader suffered a severe spinal cord injury to his neck and his life changed in an instant. He is now in the Spinal Injuries Unit in the Mater Hospital. The 63-year-old was a passionate supporter of Clonkill GAA club and they are now helping to fundraise for his return home. A cousin of Mark's has also set up a...

The 15th Annual JFK 50 mile challenge is taking place on June 6th. The event is inspired by US President John F Kennedy who created the challenge to test the fitness of soldiers. A committee in Moylagh in County Meath is now using it to raise money for Cancer services. The route will pass through Westmeath, Meath and Cavan and Midlands 103’s Sinead Hubble, has been speaking with committee member a...

An Offaly soccer club is welcoming people of all backgrounds to join their Football For All initaitive.  Gallen United Football For All aims to provide opportunities to people of all abilities to play football and be part of its community.  Applications are still open to anyone who wants to join the club. Cormac Melia is Juvenile Head Coach and Co-ordinator for Football for All and Paul Wynne from...

How do you spot the signs of heart failure? Laois' Nicholas Hines suffered a stroke in February 2020. The 47-yea-old says it led to a diagnosis of underlying dilated cardiomyopathy and sarcoidosis, and to a successful heart transplant operation in 2024. Both conditions came as a surprise to him, Emer Burke, Nurse and Heart Failure Nurse Specialist and President of the Irish Association of Heart Fa...

An Offaly singer is marking 50 years in music, after he quit his goverment job and put 'all cards on the table'. Tullamore's Dave Lawlor rose to fame with his 1991 hit 'Nostalgia Time', and he stars in the 'Reeling In The Showband Years' tour. He says the best piece of advice he ever got was to get singing lessons which he did from Sister Peter in Ferbane. The musician is celebrating the milestone...

An Offaly athlete is heading to the Roller Derby World Cup. Birr's Susan Verney will be representing Ireland in Orléans, France next week. Each game lasts for one hour, and is plated on quad stakes. The two teams of five are battling to score the most points, by ensuring their jammer laps opposing skaters. The team with the most points after two 30 minute halves wins. Susan's Ireland squad will fa...

A midlands pharmacist says medicine shortages are now a “daily issue” across Ireland. Eamonn Brady of Whelehans Pharmacies in Mullingar says low prices for generic medicines are a key factor, making the Irish market less attractive for suppliers. He says shortages are affecting a wide range of treatments, including antibiotics, pain relief and hormone therapies. While pharmacists can usually find...

A Laois Mum says having no ambulance in the county when her daughter was experiencing a serious medical incident was a "punch to the stomach". Ciara called 999 after her daughter began to suffer a heavy nosebleed during her 10th birthday on Sunday because her blood doesn't clot. The nearest available ambulance took over an hour to arrive from Athy to take her to Portlaoise Hospital. She has been s...

A Canadian woman is thanking the people of the midlands for all their support after her mum and step dad were in a serious car crash while on holidays in Ireland. Sandee Rosien and her husband Mike Wurm were visiting for a week when they were involved in a collision between Edgeworthstown and Ballymahon. Mike, who has dementia, is still in hospital. Their daughter Jenn McMillian took a flight from...

Boyzone's Keith Duffy will perform in the midlands next month. He's be joining Bryan McFadden on stage in Shannonbridge on May 3rd. The singers formed Boyzlife 10 years ago. He's been speaking with Midlands 103's Roy Jennings about life since he left Boyzone.

The Westmeath woman in charge of Ireland's operations for the digital bank Monzo says so much of our day to day living is online so banking needed to keep pace with that. Elaine Deehan says people want to be able to access their bank out of 9 -5. Monzo, which was launched in Ireland this week, had a 100,000 user waitlist and five consecutive weeks as the most downloaded Finance App in Ireland. Ms....

More than 5,000 STI cases have been recorded in the first three months of this year, a sharp rise compared to the same period last year. 5,160 cases of sexually transmitted infections were recorded in the first 13 weeks, 293 more than the figures recorded in 2025. Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis are the most common viral infections since January, according to latest figures from the Healt...

A Laois man and his friend have travelled 20,000km in 20-year-old OY Mitsubishi Pajero. Brendan Bergin from Cullohill and Max Lavelle from Galmoy set off from Ireland to South Africa. They have travelled through 14 African countries after ferrying to Spain and crossing into Morocco. They converted their second hand jeep into a camper and are documenting their journey online. They have been speakin...

'Everytime there's a death on the road you relive it'. Westmeath's Donna Price is reflecting on the 20th anniversary of her son Darren's death. He was killed in a crash and the end of March in 2006. Following the tragedy, she established the Irish Roads Victim Association to support others facing similar situations, as well as those living with the physical and psychological effects of road collis...

A carpenter, from England, has quit his job after his dog went viral on social media and started to earn more than him. TJ the Frenchie has 700,000 followers on TikTok - with his videos racking up tens of millions of views, and has done sponsorship deals with P&O Ferries and DFS furniture. His owner, 33-year-old Duncan Tout, says he originally set up an Instagram account when his French Bulldog wa...

There are calls for better supports and services for people with Parkinson's Disease in the midlands. Stephanie Connor, Chair of the Offaly Branch of Parkinson's Ireland and a caller for her husband David says they have to travel outside of the county for appointments. The group is holding a "Walk in the Park", which is sponsored by Dovida, tomorrow in Lloyd Town Park,Tullamore, to raise funds for...

17 years ago a young mother of four from the midlands died from cervical cancer. Maria Fitzpatrick left behind her sons, 12-year-old Niall, Darren who was 10, eight-year-old Eric and Sean who was four. Her family later found out there was an missed opportunity to diagnose her earlier. Her husband Kevin and along with their sons have received an apology after a long legal battle. Kevin has been spe...

The Tánaiste is being urged to come and examine the impact of rising fuel prices in the Midlands. Convoys have been gathering this morning across the country enroute to Dublin. A significant demonstration is causing delays on the Tullamore Bypass on the N52. Country Music star Robert Mizzell from Mullingar is taking part in that protest and says Simon Harris needs to listen to people properly:

A Laois family is aiming to give back to a charity that's provided massive support to them. Gordan Gee's five-year-old daughter Maddie lives with a very rare brain disorder GNAO1, and was diagnosed before her first birthday. The family receives support from the Jack and Jill Foundation. A special open day and raffle draw is taking place in E.C Pratt and Co in Abbeyleix this Saturday from 2 o'clock...

A new 40-thousand euro Taylor Swift wax figure has been unveiled in Dublin. The National Wax Museum Plus spent nine months designing and creating the pop star's lookalike. It comes after a Sinéad O'Connor figure was removed to be updated to look more like the singer. Owner and Westmeath's Paddy Dunning has been speaking with Will Faulkner about ensuring that the figure was up to their standards: P...

A midlands chocolatier says it takes three days to make an Easter Egg. Daniel Linehan from Bon Chocolatiers in Tullamore. says they normally come up with the flavours first and then plan out what they need to do to create it. He has been showing Midlands 103's Zoe Ryan how to make the perfect Easter egg:

Clear cut guidelines on women slowly returning to exercise postpartum are being aided by a new study at a Midlands university. The SHE Research Centre at TUS Athlone and the Regional Hospital Mullingar are partnering up for MAMAMOVE, a practical focus group based project. It will aim to find out what prevents women from returning to exercising after giving birth. Dr Emma Cowley from TUS Athlone is...