From the pages of the Down Recorder, November 13, 1973

From the pages of the Down Recorder, November 13, 1973

13 November 2013

ARDGLASS — Offers in the region of £65,000 are expected for King’s Castle, one of the most picturesque buildings in Ardglass. It has been owned by Mr. and Mrs. Louis Gilmore for the past six years and it has been their intention to convert it into a hotel.

Mr. Gilmore is a retired building and civil engineering contractor. He had plans drawn up and given planning approval, bit his failing health has prompted him to give up development of the property and none of his grown-up family is interested in it.

The castle stands in more than six acres of elevated grounds on the highest part of Ardglass and looks across the harbour and out to sea. A century ago it was the home of the Russell family. The Russells had substantial property in the Ardglass and Killough area and one of them Monsignor Russell, born in 1812, became president of Maynooth College. Another, Lord Russell of Killowen, was Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

It is believed that the Russells sold the property prior to the First World War. Since then it has been used as a hotel, a residence and a monastery. The castle contains three reception rooms, ten bedrooms and three bathrooms.

NEWCASTLE — A gang of youths firing steel staples from catapults is terrorising people in Newcastle. A police spokesman told the Recorder yesterday: “We are getting complaints about this roughly every other night.”

The staples are described as being “demonstrably sharp” and almost an inch in length. The complaints are coming in from all parts of the town and the police are seeking public co-operation in an effort to track down the youths.

A spokesman said: “Quite apart from the very serious injury that could be caused people, this comes under the classification of carrying an offensive weapon and the penalty can be a substantial jail sentence. We ask parents to be especially vigilant in making sure their children do not possess catapults.”

KILLOUGH — The little village of Killough was named on Monday night as a place where residents are afraid to walk the streets at night during the summer months. The claim was made at Down District Council when a delegation from the village committee said that outsiders visiting Coney Island caravan park seemed to be bringing with them the rowdyism and vandalism which had plagued the area last summer.

The delegation said they had already met the owners of the park who agreed they wanted to avoid bring vandalism to the town. They (the owners) denied that there were any troublemakers on the site, but they did admit that they were not attracting the type of holiday-makers they were looking for.

The delegates suggested that when the caravan park licence was due for renewal the council could perhaps point out that complaints had been received and that better control could be exercised over holiday-makers.

It was also pointed out that the site had been in existence long enough now to have cultivated trees and similar camouflage to “hide the ugliness of site fittings,” but this had not in fact been done.

SAINTFIELD — Dr. J. S. McKelvey, who retired from his general practice in Saintfield at the beginning of this year, had served the people of the town for almost 45 years. The esteem in which he is held was amply displayed when a fund for a retirement gift was subscribed to by 1,150 people.

In fact, there were so many subscribers that it was impossible to find a hall large enough to hold them all for the presentation and it was finally decided that the organising committee should hand over the gifts in the local health centre last Thursday night. A letter to subscribers from the committee explained that the amount was far in excess of that required for the portrait originally suggested.

The portrait was formally presented by Col. Perceval-Price, who said: “I couldn’t say what it is that most of you give absolute priority to, but I do know what Dr. McKelvey has given top priority to in all the years that he has been GP at Saintfield and that is the welfare of his patients.”

STRANGFORD — The recent overhaul and refit of the Strangford ferry. A new German propulsion unit costing £30,000 is currently on order and maintenance bills will continue to rise at an ever faster rate.

This gloomy picture of the financial and technical difficulties ahead for the ferry service was painted by district roads executive, Mr. J. D. Kirk, at a Down District Council meeting. he told members that when the ship went to Harland & Wolff for a recheck it was discovered that a crank in one of the main engines was out of alignment and this had delayed the vessel’s return to service. The engineers had also discovered many other faults which were not apparent in the day-to-day servicing the ship received from council engineers.

DOWNPATRICK — A Downpatrick headmaster has warned parents that the type of secondary education their children will get will depend very much on their own effort to reshape the system.

Buckley, headmaster of Down High School, told parents at yesterday’s prize-giving that unless they made their opinions known in the coming discussion on the future of secondary education they could not blame anyone fort ignoring their views.

“If by changing the organisation of schools we can get significantly nearer to the state of affairs in which all children get the sort of instruction that suits their needs best, then we ought to set about planning such a reorganisation,” Mr. Buckley said.

STRUELL — The property business should shortly be booming at Struell, near Downpatrick. Investors in a two-acre site near St. Patrick’s Well are hoping to attract Americans with a hankering to own a piece of the ‘old country.’

At £20 per square yard per customer the St. Patrick Property Co. (Holywood) Ltd. should be able to cater for an awful lot of heritage hunters. For their money, the Americans — or anyone else who is interested — will get an official Government of Northern Ireland Land Certificate, a map and photograph indicating their site and a copy of the Government Ancient Monuments of Northern Ireland booklet. One condition of the sale is that purchasers cannot build on the land or mark it in any way.

CASTLEWELLAN — More than 1,000 people packed St. Malachy’s Secondary School, Castlewellan, on Thursday last for the Kilmegan Parish’s guest tea and social evening. Marjorie Rea, the well-known singer/comedienne, topped a bill of artistes drawn from all over Northern Ireland and Joe Thompson on rhythm organ provided the background for dancing. The show was compered by Eddie McLaughlin.

Fr. S. McGrady, C.C., welcomed the guests in the absence of Fr. A. McNabb, who is at present in hospital recovering from an illness. Fr. McGrady thanked the board of governors of St. Malachy’s school for the use of the premises.

KILLINCHY — The Killinchy Singers have handed over a cheque for £40 to Downe Hospital’s bicentenary fund. The group has raised nearly £150 in its first year for a number of charities, including Cancer Research, Christian Aid and save the Children Fund.

The Rev. T. C. Burrowes, rector, is administrator, his wife is the accompanist and Miss Margaret L. Johnston is the director. Included in next year’s engagements is a visit to Saul Parish Church where they will lead the singing at a service to mark the 40th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone.

CROSSGAR — A four year-old child alerted a Crossgar family to a fire at their home at Lough Road, Ballywillan, early on Sunday morning. Mr. and Mrs. J. Cleery were awakened by one of their children, who was choking in his smoke-filled bedroom and were able to escape from the building. Downpatrick fire brigade raced to the scene and prevented the fire from causing extensive damage.