From the pages of the Down Recorder, January 29, 1980

From the pages of the Down Recorder, January 29, 1980

29 January 2020

DUNDRUM — Anger is mounting in Dundrum over whether a section of a lane in the village, which has been used by generations of adults and children, should remain open.

Residents are beginning to band together in an attempt to keep the lane a right of way. They claim the current owner has plans to have part of it closed.

The lane in question virtually transverses the length of the village, from near the police barracks through to Flynn’s, but the section which is causing concern among residents is between Castle Hill and its junction with the Dromara Road.

Residents say the people for Dundrum always regarded this lane as a right of way, but that the owner of a caravan site in the area intends to close it.

A Recorder reporter went along to the lane and interviewed several residents on the subject. Each was adamant that the lane should remain a right of way.

Local councillor, Mr Jarlath Carey, said many people had expressed their concern at the possible erection of gates on the lane. He said the lane had been used for many years by a wide variety of people.

“Farmers, nearby residents going to church, children going to school and people out walking enjoying the countryside will all be affected if it is closed,” he said.

“It provides a safe and direct route for children going and coming from school and means they can avoid the busy main street.

BALLYNAHINCH — Work has begun on a new £250,000 factory in Ballynahinch which will bring 50 new jobs when it is completed in the summer. The premises are being erected for the thriving Pinewick firm and is believed to be the first cane furniture manufacturing factory in Ireland.

Work started on clearing the Magheraknock Road site let weekend and it is hoped that foundations for the 22,000 sq ft factory will be laid on Monday.

At the moment Pinewick employ 11 people in a small workshop in the town, where all their goods are manufactured. They are then distributed to Pinewick shops in Ballynahinch, Belfast, Ballymoney and at the Co-Op in Belfast.

Such has been the demand in both retail and wholesale that expansion was necessary. Accordingly, Pinewick purchased the site at Magheraknock Road and, providing there are no hold-ups, they will be offering 50 much-needed jobs in the summer.

SAINTFIELD — The closure of Saintfield’s McCleery and L’Amie factory with the loss of 180 jobs has sent shockwaves through the area. The company blames over-capacity in the industry and intense competition from countries such as Taiwan and South Korea.

The closure comes as a big shock, with the company active in the last few months liaising with the Department of Commerce to find a workable solution.

A spokesman for the company said this week that it had become increasingly unprofitable to manufacture and sell the high bulk acrylic yarn in which the factory had dealt mainly.

The future prospects for this field of operation did not justify new capital investment despite substantial assistance from government in the form of capital grants, the spokesman added.

The closure continues a black period for the area on the industrial front, with 200 jobs being lost at Ballygowan and then 100 laid off at Castlewellan.

KILLYLEAGH — A Killyleagh man was guest of honour at a special presentation function in Belfast on Saturday night. Colonel James Cunningham, from Ballytrim, was presented his portrait in oils to mark the 40th anniversary of the regiment of which he is president.

Col Cunningham led the Belfast Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment on the Royal Artillery Supplementary Reserve in Burma in World War 2 and has been the Association president since its formation after the war.

CARRYDUFF — USPCA workers at the animal shelter in Carryduff have launched a new appeal this week — a home for the donkey which nobody seems to want.

Earlier this week they asked the owner of the piebald donkey found wandering on lands at Clough to get in touch with them. He did and he told them he was not interested in taking the wayward donkey back because he had too much trouble with it.

And so the shelter have launched this latest appeal for a new owner. “Although he has been causing a shelter problem and has some bad habits, he is quite an attractive donkey and would be ideal for anyone prepared to work with him,” a shelter spokesman explained.

DOWNPATRICK — A Downpatrick councillor is waging a one-man campaign to clean up Down District. Mr George Flinn is trying to draw attention to illegal dumping along roadsides and believes his fellow councillors are not doing enough to stamp out the problem.

His first step came last week when, with some difficulty, he persuaded councillors to enter Down District in the 1980 Keep Britain Tidy competition. However, there was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm on the part of most councillors and no final decision has been reached.

Many councillors feel that the district is in such an appalling state that they could be embarrassed at the results of the competition.

MOURNES — A 14 year-old schoolgirl who collapsed from the early stages of exhaustion in the Mourne Mountains on Tuesday was brought down safely by rescue teams.

The girl was one of a party of ten Belfast schoolchildren with two instructors and she collapsed on the Brandy Pad, near Hare’s Gap. One instructor and the remainder of the group were taken back to a rendezvous point where they raised the alarm.

The Mourne Mountain Rescue Team set out immediately to the girl’s assistance, but on their way up the mountain met the girl and the instructor in the company of two climbers. She had recovered sufficiently to walk with help.

After a hot shower and some hot food at the NI Mountain Centre, they were staying, the girl soon recovered.

KILLOUGH — Mid-summer should see work commence on a new sewerage scheme for the village of Killough.

The Department of the Environment project involves the construction of a new sewage treatment works and outfall and the construction of new gravity sewers, pumping station and pumping mains.

The scheme will replace the existing raw sewage outfalls. The new treatment works and outfall will be located some distance from the village.

PORTAFERRY — A project by pupils at St Columba’s High School in Portaferry won praise in the recent Aer Lingus-sponsored Young Scientists exhibition.

The project drew the attention of the judges who gave a highly commended verdict and awarded a certificate of merit to the school, as well an engraved pen to each group member.

The school’s project was to discover which areas of the electromagnetic spectrum were most beneficial to plant development. From the results of the research, the group found that the red end of the spectrum was best, while ultra-violet radiation killed them.

The group consisted of Michael McGovern, Mary Bryce, Bernadette McNamara and Anne Marie Lynch, under the supervision of Mr P Hanna and Mr R Bradley.

CASTLEWELLAN — Five sheep were killed and a further 11 injured when dogs attacked flocks of sheep in the Castlewellan area on Monday night.

Mr Patrick McDowell, of Burrenbane, who has land taken in Burrenbridge, had four sheep killed and three injured. Mr James McCartan, of Lower Burren Road, had one killed and eight injured.

Police, who are investigating the attacks, have appealed to dog owners to ensure their animals are kept under control.

SPA — Spa Young Farmers’ Club held its annual gents’ night recently when the venue was Ballynahinch Rugby Club for a meal and disco. Miss Caroline Dodds, a former member, was responsible for the catering.