From the pages of the Down Recorder, March 21, 1978

From the pages of the Down Recorder, March 21, 1978

21 March 2018

NEWCASTLE — In a major boost for holiday facilities in Newcastle, the Government has given the go-ahead for a new £500,000 tourist centre in the resort — the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.

The centre will be housed in an extended Annesley Mansions building and is expected to open its doors in the summer of 1980.

Work is expected to begin this summer and when it is completed the new complex will provide a wide range of indoor facilities for holiday makers. These will include a new tourist information office, a large multi-purpose hall, a sun deck and coffee and snack lounges.

Giving the go-ahead for the centre, Mr Don Concannon, Minister of State, said that it would be a very useful boost to the existing facilities and attractions in the Newcastle area.

“I hope that this new development will increase the popularity of the district as a holiday base for visitors,” he added.

Mr Bryan Coburn, Down Council’s tourist and recreation officer, said he was “absolutely delighted” that the centre was to go ahead.

“This is the culmination of four years of work for the council and it will be an important addition to the town’s facilities.

Local councillor Paddy O’Donoghue also welcomed the news. “It is great to see this project finally going ahead after such a hard slog,” he said.

KILLYLEAGH — Plans to clean up the shore area in Killyleagh — described by local people as an eyesore — are to be investigated by Down councillors.

The council’s recreation officer is to meet Killyleagh councillor Sam Osborne on the site and a number of proposals are expected to be put forward.

The council move follows a petition from residents which was presented by Mr Osborne at a recent meeting of the council’s recreation committee.

Mr Osborne explained that the area had become extremely untidy and that there was a need for public toilet facilities, car parking, landscaping and perhaps a bowling green.

DOWNPATRICK — A Downpatrick youth organisation, which caters for more than 300 local young people, is to meet later this week to decide whether to continue to operate.

The Downpatrick Youth Football League, which runs a minor, junior and senior programme every Saturday morning, finds itself in the unprecedented position because of the continued unavailability of pitches at Dunleath Park.

The league has had its programme seriously curtailed this season, mainly due to a bad winter, but angry officials claim their cause is being further aggravated by Down Council, who have declared the pitches unplayable when they are clearly in good condition.

The matter seems to have been brought to ahead on Saturday when the grass pitches at Dunleath Park were dry and in good condition, but had been ruled unplayable by the council two days earlier.

A league spokesman told the Recorder: “This is the second time in three weeks that we have had the pitches closed by the council — yet they are in good condition.

“How can we be expected to complete our league programme when the pitches are closed, even at the whiff of a rain cloud?

“We shall have to meet to discuss the problem. 

We don’t want to deprive the boys of football, but 

it’s getting to the stage where we don’t know whether it’s worth our while continuing, especially if we are going to be continually frustrated by the council.”

CROSSGAR — A hundred years ago on March 18, Mrs Rachael Copeland was born into a world where there was no electricity, no motor cars and Queen Victoria was on the throne. It was a much-changed world that Mrs Copeland, of Westland Gardens, celebrated her 100th birthday.

Over 30 birthday cards and two greetings telegrams, including one from Australia, poured through the letterbox from well-wishers.

Mrs Copeland spent the day at home with her daughter, Gertie, and in the afternoon the Rev and Mrs Cecil Menary visited her, bringing 

with them gifts of a beautiful Bible and a cake baked and iced by Mrs Menary.

Mrs Copeland was born in Glasgow on March 18, 1878, and moved to Ulster when she was four. She worked in the mills in Belfast when she was a teenager and in 1911 became the wife of  Crossgar tailor John Copeland.

How does it feel to be 100 years old? “When I was coming up too 20 or 30 I felt terribly old,” she said. “Nowadays I never think about my age.”

BALLYNAHINCH — More than 60 bands competed in the Scottish Pipe Bands Association’s quartets contest in Ballynahinch on Saturday — and over 200 people turned up to watch the event.

Local bands from Upper Crossgare, Carryduff, Ballynahinch and Dromara competed and others came from as far afield as Co Tyrone.

The only local band to gain a place in the competition was a quartet fro Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band which came third in Grade 2 with 50 points.

SAINTFIELD — The Bishop of Down and Connor, Dr William Philbin, conducted a service of confirmation of 110 children in the Church of Mary Mother of the Church, Saintfield, on Monday.

The children came from three parishes — Crossgar, Saintfield and Loughinisland — and the church was crowded with their many relatives and friends.

A concelebrated mass was celebrates by the parish priests of the three parishes — Rev D P McHugh, of Crossgar, Rev J McCarroll, of Saintfield, and Rev C Bready, of Loughinisland.

After the church service light refreshments for the newly-confirmed children and their sponsors were served in the Rowallane Inn, while Dr Philbin was entertained at the parochial house.

MURLOUGH — Two Second World War smoke bombs, found in the dunes at Murlough Nature Reserve, turned out to be harmless. The bombs, found in the dunes off Keel Point, Dundrum Bay, were examined by an army technical officer and declared safe.

CARRYDUFF — An acute housing shortage in Carryduff, where there are 155 names on the waiting list, is to be brought to the attention of the Director General of the Housing Executive.

However, Housing Executive representatives, who attended a recent meeting of Castlereagh Borough Council, informed councillors that 117 new houses had just been completed.

They also pointed out that Carryduff, one of the province’s most popular residential areas, suffered from a lack of available housing space.

HILLTOWN — A Hilltown family had to leave their home in the early hours of Monday morning when it was gutted by fire.

Mr Gerry Hughes, his wife and seven children were asleep at 3am when they were roused by a passer-by who noticed that the house was ablaze.

The occupants managed to get to safety and firemen later brought the fire under control. It isn’t known yet how the fire started.

CASTLEWELLAN — A new vice-principal has been appointed at Castlewellan High School. He is 34 year-old Mr David Hunter, of Ardenlee Gardens, Downpatrick.

Mr Hunter began his teacher career in the Boys’ Model School in 1966 and the following year was appointed to the staff of Castlewellan High School. He organises and assists with school sports and is actively involved in various youth activities.

ST PATRICK’S DAY — Irish men and women were challenged on St Patrick’s Day to make use of lessons from the past for their common good.

The challenge came from the Very Rev Victor Griffin, Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, who brought greetings to shamrocked worshippers at a pilgrimage service in Down Cathedral.

His listeners in the very representative gathering, included church leaders off all denominations, councillors and youth groups from the locality as well as Belfast.

He asked all of them to think of their responsibility and less of their rights, more of self-discipline and less of self-indulgence, more of service to others and less fo affluence or grabbing all they could for themselves.