From the pages of the Down Recorder, January 1, 1979

From the pages of the Down Recorder, January 1, 1979

1 January 2019

DOWNPATRICK — Public pressure mounted this week, in the aftermath of Co Down’s worst flooding for 50 years, for a new emergency service to be established embracing all local and central government agencies.

Criticism has been rife about the lack of action by government agencies to deal early with floods, particularly in Downpatrick where townspeople and public representatives want to ensure that it does not happen again.

Downpatrick’s flood problems began last Thursday and ahead lay 72 hours of anguish for dozens of families. The danger signs had been apparent hours earlier as heavy rain swelled the Quoile River to a level that threatened disaster.

The flooding in Church Street has left more than just a trail of desolation behind it. In the homes that have suffered all that remains is a heap of discarded carpets, floor coverings, arm chairs, furniture, kitchen and domestic utensils and bric-a-brac that any family could gather in the course of years.

A home is never the same after it has been sullied by a flood. There are no tears in the eyes of those who have suffered such damage, but there is that unmistakable sense of loss. For within hours they have whipped from under them the homes that have taken years of patient building.

“The water was in here from Thursday night until some time early on Sunday morning,” said Mr Sean Mullan. “You can imagine what it was like when the water was at times higher than the step of the stairs.

“We have lost thousands of pounds worth of furniture and carpets and £200 worth of food from the freezer.

Mrs Mullan said: “I’ve phoned the sanitary people and I’ve endeavoured to get in touch with the medical officer of health and so far no-one has been here. We want our homes disinfected.”

UFO — The New Year seems to be creating havoc on the heavens — for local sky watchers have recently been reporting UFO sightings. Reports have been coming in from Castlewellan, Ballynahinch and Newtownards, and similar strange objects have been seen in Newtownabbey and East Belfast.

Mr Ken Patterson, spokesman for the Belfast-based UFO Research Centre, said more than 60 sightings have been reported in the past three months. He stressed that the sightings have been increasing rapidly with the latest being in the Castlewellan, Ballynahinch and Newtownards areas.

Callers report seeing a fiery object with a pointed nose and smoke coming from its tail speeding through the sky. Their claims coincide with recently claims made by a New Zealand journalist to have seen and filmed flying saucers.

NEWCASTLE — Police in Newcastle have issued a frightening warning that local children could be in great danger if they come into contact with a deadly poison which has been scattered about the area.

A police spokesman stressed that more than 15 dogs in the Newcastle district, mainly from the Tullybrannigan area, were killed last year by the indiscriminate laying of poison. He pointed out that the people responsible seem to have put it on land near homes and not solely where roaming dogs can contact it.

He said several pets have been poisoned close to homes and one Alsatian was actually poisoned in the owner’s back yard. Police are concerned that children could eventually pick up the poison.

Murlough Tenants Association have now taken up the disturbing matter and have approached Down Council’s Health Officer with a request to urge the USPCA to investigate the situation.

Newcastle councillor, Mr Norman Bicker, has asked the council to arrange the carrying out of an autopsy.

Mr Frank Hunter, USPCA inspector, is baffled by the situation. He said he cannot recall a similar spate of indiscriminate poisoning and wants to see an immediate post mortem carried out on the next dog which falls victim to the substance.

KILLINCHY — A Killinchy farmer lost much of his stock and 1,500 bales of hay when fire swept through two of his buildings in an early morning fire.

Altogether seven sows, 67 young pigs, a pony and a sheepdog were burned to death in one building and hay destroyed in the other.

The farm belonged to Mr John Graham, Killyleagh Road, and it is believed the fire was caused by an electrical fault. Downpatrick firemen spent four hours fighting the blaze.

ARDGLASS — The Ulster Liberal Party has adopted an Ardglass man as its prospective candidate for Northern Ireland in the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament. He is Mr James E Murray, a 29 year-old schoolteacher who has held various offices in the ULP and is currently its secretary.

In 1975 Mr Murray acted as secretary of ‘South Down for Europe’, part of the successful ‘Yes’ campaign in the referendum on EEC membership. Since then he has become increasingly involved in local affairs.

He is secretary of the Ardglass Herring Festival Committee and chairman of a local youth club committee. Among his other interests he lists chess, swimming and reading.

Mr Murray recently represented Northern Ireland at the third Congress of European Liberals and Democrats in London. He intends to conduct his campaign very much as part of the ELP movement as one of its main aims is to increase Northern Ireland’s awareness of itself as part of the European Community.

TYRELLA — A Downpatrick woman has been appointed as the new vice-principal of Tyrella Primary School. She is Mrs Dorothy Walsh, of Kilbride Road, Knocknashinna, and she will take up her appointment later this month.

Mrs Walsh, who taught for a year in St Joseph’s Primary School in Killough and two years in St Nicholas’ Primary School in Ardglass, is particularly interested in music and is a member of Down Choral Society and Down Drama Club.

PORTAFERRY — Portaferry amateur photographer Ernest Elliott clicked his way to success recently by snapping up a £500 prize in a national competition. Mr Elliott, who is 73 and secretary of Portaferry Camera Club, took second place in the ‘Hello Happiness’ competition, sponsored by Amateur Photographer magazine.

Mr Elliott travelled to London to collect the coveted prize of a Canon A1 camera with flash unit and power drive, which was handed over to him by pop star Cliff Richard, who is also a keen photographer.

KILLYLEAGH — Killyleagh Castle, built in the late 12th century by John de Courcy, is the 3,000th building in Northern Ireland to be listed as being of special historic or architectural interest by the Department of the Environment. The effect of listing is that no-one may demolish, alter or extend the buildings without the consent of the Department.

The castle was partially destroyed during the Cromwellian wars, rebuilt in the 17th century and subsequently remodelled in the 19th century. Archibald Hamilton-Rowan, a prominent United Irishman, lived there from the date of his pardon in 1806 until his death in 1834.

DUNDRUM — Dundrum has been chosen as one of the locations for a new BBC TV series on the natural resources of Northern Ireland.

The series, which begins on January 12, will be concentrating on the National Trust’s nature reserve at Murlough, outside Dundrum, and on the upper reaches of Strangford Lough, near Castle Espie.

The title of the series will be Countryside and will be presented by Richard Nairn, who is a warden at the Murlough reserve.

CARRICKNAB — Student nurse Bernadette Clark (22), of Ardmeen Green, Downpatrick, was the winner of the ‘Take Your Pick’ jackpot at the Four Roads Inn, Carricknab, over the Christmas period. The jackpot, worth £200, was the biggest ever at the inn.

LISTOODER — There 89th annual ploughing competition, under the auspices of Listooder and District Ploughing Society, took place on the Saturday before Christmas with more than 40 entries.

Virtually all of the entries from the original competition, which was scheduled for the beginning of December, but had to be cancelled, turned up on the new date and the panel of judges found the task of separating the work on the plots an arduous one.