From the pages of the Down Recorder, July 8, 2000

From the pages of the Down Recorder, July 8, 2000

8 July 2020

NEWCASTLE — A double-decker tour bus was taken on an early morning rampage through Newcastle at the weekend, leaving a repair bill totalling thousands of pounds.

The fiasco erupted in the early hours of Saturday morning when a youth broke into the station and tried to start a number of buses parked in the depot yard.

He eventually managed to start the open-top tour bus but struck six others, causing extensive damage before bursting through the locked metal gates.

According to an RUC spokesman, a local resident reported the havoc to police who began a chase just after 5.40am in a bid to stop the driver.

But, he said, before they were able to catch up with the bus, the path of wreckage had grown even longer.

He added that the patrol was able to follow the trail of oil which was leaking from the vehicle throughout the seaside town.

The bus went along Main Street before travelled along the full length of Bryansford Avenue. A garden wall was demolished as the bus turned into Bryansford Road and two telegraph poles near the tennis courts were broken.

Another wall was badly damaged before the bus turned into Tullybrannigan Road and it then entered Shan Slieve Drive, demolishing a hedge.

The bus continued past Bonny’s caravan park and along the full length of the upper stretches of Tullybrannigan Road before becoming jammed into the narrow Priest’s Bridge.

“Police had by that stage caught up with the bus by following the trail of oil which was being thrown out from the engine,” said the RUC spokesperson.

A man was arrested at the scene.

ANNACLOY — A 21 year-old Annacloy student has overcome a lifelong disability to be hailed as one of the best Queen’s University graduates this year.

Bronagh Byrne is deaf, but she has refused to let this be an obstacle in her pursuit of academic excellence.

Her determination proved worthwhile this week when she was awarded a first class honours degree in economics and presented with the McKane medal for proficiency.

But this is not the young student’s first time in the headlines, for just three years ago she delighted staff at Assumption Grammar School, Ballynahinch, when she scooped straight As in her A-Levels.

Bronagh has put the success of her degree down to hard work and lot of help from Sharon Eason of the Joint University Deaf Education group.

“She was absolutely brilliant,” admitted Bronagh’s mother, Angela, following Monday’s graduation ceremony. “Sharon made sure everything ran smoothly for Bronagh who relies totally on lip reading, in informing her lecturers and asking them to face her at all times.”

DOWNPATRICK — Bottles, fireworks and broken fence posts were thrown at police during a controversial Loyalist band parade in Downpatrick on Friday night.

Trouble flared towards the end of the Red Hand Defenders annual parade which has been banned from entraining any part of the town by order of the Parades Commission.

Loyalist supporters, angered by the Commission’s ruling that the parade be restricted to the Belfast Road, threw several dozen bottles, a handful of fireworks and pieces of a ripped up fence before police cleared the road.

Four policemen suffered minor injuries in the operation and one girl had her wrist broken by a police baton.

Downpatrick’s largest ever security operation was put in place in anticipation of two parades on Friday night.

In addition to the band parade, the Down Peace Forum, a residents’ group which wants all Loyalist parades banned from Downpatrick, had signalled its intention to hold a counter demonstration.

However, the residents’ demonstration did not take place, leaving over 160 police officers, 100 soldiers and a police spotter plan to concentrate on the Loyalist parade.

DRUMANESS — Drumaness Primary School has been congratulated by education inspectors for its “clear sense of community’’.

The focused inspection reported highlighted the positive relationships which exist between teachers, parents and children at the local school.

The principal, Mrs Deirdre McCann, was found to place strong emphasis on, “developing the caring ethos of the school,” while teachers were described as, “caring and committed.”

The children were seen to be courteous and spoke warmly about their teachers and experiences of school.

According to the report, the school’s pastoral care policies ensure the safety and well-being of children, while a range of reward systems motivate the children by rewarding effort and achievement.

“The vast majority of parents expressed their confidence in the education their children were receiving,” the report continued.

SAUL – A Saul designer’s hat topped the polls recently at the highly fashionable Royal Ascot race meeting.

Hilary McCool has gone a long way since she first decided to take an artistic path just a few years ago.

But the 37 year-old student has taken no time to make her mark in designer circles, and her hat was recently chosen by the London College of Fashion to be modelled by television celebrity Anthea Turner at Royal Ascot.

The hat was immediately spotted by fashion experts as a “piece de resistance’’, and was awarded first in its category.

Hilary, who is partially sighted, does not let her disability stand in her way. Even though she see the world in black and white, her eye for fine lines and designs is by no means hindered.

DUNDRUM — Details of Dundrum’s millennium festival, which takes place from Saturday, August 5, to Saturday, August 12, were fine tuned last night in the final summer meeting of the village committee.

Organisers of the event have urged local people to volunteer their help throughout the week to ensure that as many events go ahead as possible.

Medieval banquets, children’s fun days, pigeon racing and a variety of competitions look likely to keep residents and visitors entertained throughout the week. 

But the committee’s secretary, Elaine Armstrong, has warned that other events, like the glamorous granny competition, may not be given the go-ahead if there are not enough volunteers on the day.

BALLYDUGAN — History has turned full circle for a forgotten piece of local architecture which will reopen its doors this month, this time as a place of leisure rather than labour.

Over two centuries since the huge wheel at Ballydugan Mill began turning, the gates will open on one of Northern Ireland’s most innovative projects.

The seven floor £200,000 complex includes a restaurant, cafe, hotel, banquet hall and historical exhibition, all set within the area’s most impressive countryside.

It is the brainchild of Noel Killen, a local contractor renowned for his love of traditional Irish buildings, who bought the deserted giant 12 years ago with the dream of restoring it to its former majesty.

According to Noel, the old mill will become just the second venue in Northern Ireland to host traditional medieval banquets in which will be a wholly unique setting. 

PORTAFERRY — A local Assembly member has expressed his disgust after a stretch of shoreline in Portaferry was polluted with oil last week.

Alliance member Kieran McCarthy was speaking following the oil leak which occurred on a stretch of foreshore between the Saltpans and Cook Street last Thursday evening.

“Strangford Lough is our most precious asset, indeed, it is regarded as Northern Ireland’s special area and everything must be done to ensure that the lough and its environs are protected,’’ he said.

“It would appear that the oil leakage may have come from the land side of the Lough and found its way on to the foreshore via a large surface water pipe.’’

GOLF — Seamus Agnew motored to victory in Clement Milligan’s Captain’s Day at Ardglass Golf Club on Saturday. 

The 16 handicapper shot the round of his life for 45 points to pip Stephen McDowell, last year’s winner, on a better back nine.