From the pages of the Down Recorder, October 23, 1979

From the pages of the Down Recorder, October 23, 1979

23 October 2019

BALLYNAHINCH — Ballynahinch’s first every triplets took their first bow in front of the camera on Tuesday — just four days after being born at the Lagan Valley Hospital in Lisburn.

Mum in a million, Mrs Mary Doyle, of 59 Loughside Drive, gave birth to the three boys just after 9.30am on Friday and all four are doing well and hoping to get home soon.

The children were delivered by Caesarian operation, carried out by Mr Bill Sproule, the consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the hospital. The first boy weighed 4lb 15oz and the other two were 4lbs each.

One of the boys was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital over the weekend but was returned to his brothers in the incubators at the Lagan Valley on Monday.

Mrs Doyle was naturally pleased with the triplets. “It was a bit of a shock at the time, but I am indeed very pleased. Oddly enough I was unaware that I was going to have triplets until three weeks ago.

“There is no history of triplets in our families, so when my husband Michael and I were told of the possibility of three new arrivals we found it difficult to believe,” she said.

Mrs Doyle already has three children — Eamonn (6), Madaline (5) and Michelle (3) — and husband Michael is taking care of them until his wife returns from hospital.

“It seems strange that I’m at home looking after one half of the family while Mary is in hospital with the newly born other half,” joked Michael. “Seriously, though, we’ll have to prepare a nice welcome for all four.”

Mrs Doyle has already decided on the names for the triples — Michael, Gerard and Paul — but at the moment doesn’t know who will be who.

Meanwhile, congratulatory messages and presents have been pouring into the hospital for Mrs Doyle — and the Down Recorder joined in the celebrations.

Staff photographer Bill Hamilton and reporter PJ Lennon visited her at the hospital on Tuesday and handed over a bouquet of flowers to mark the special occasion.

Mrs Doyle, looking pale and tired by extremely happy, expressed her delight at the gesture and sent a message of thanks to all who had sent her congratulations, and all those at the hospital, who had been ‘absolutely wonderful’.

“It’s unusual to find myself the centre of attrition, but I’ll be glad to get home when everything settles down and have a rest — if that will be possible now. Everyone seems so helpful, and especially the nursing staff who have taken care of the babies and myself so well.”

DOWNPATRICK — A young Downpatrick mother told this week week of her nightmare life in a Housing Executive bungalow.

Mrs Paula Sharvin who lives with her grandmother at Lower Stream Street, explained that she was living in terror of rates coming into her home.

This week she found a rat sitting in the coat along with her nine month old daughter, Lesley, and that proved the straw which broke the camel’s back for Mrs Sharvin who called in public health officials to try and get something done.

She also called in Downpatrick councillor Mr George Flinn to help her in a battle with the Housing Executive to 

get a new home, 

safe from the disease 

carrying rats.

Life for Mrs Sharvin has been a nightmare since workmen moved onto the marshland 

behind the pre-fabs 

at Lower Stream Street and started to fill the area in.

The rats have swarmed around the pre-fabs with one resident finding seven rats in the kitchen and another discovered them crawling up the toilet in her house.

But the conditions which Mrs Sharvin has had to endure are more primitive and because of her fears for the health of her baby daughter life in the pre-fab has become unbearable.

The back door at the house has not been opened for over a week, Mrs Sharvin and the rest of the family can not go out the back at night, and windows in the house cannot be opened because of the rats.

While there are several bricked up pre-fabs in the area, the Executive have flatly refused to re-house Mrs Sharvin, saying that the homes are not condemned.

A spokesman for the Executive explained that their hands were tied, but they were sympathetic with the plight of Mrs Sharvin.

SAINTFIELD — Fears that up to 90 employees at Saintfield’s McCleery & L’Amie factory would be paid off this week, have been avoided.

Instead there has been an 80% in the number laid off, with only 17 men walking out through the factory gates for the last time on Friday.

Two months ago the company announced that between 80 and 90 men were expected to be laid off, although the managing director of the Saintfield company, Mr R A McKinnon said at the time that they would be trying to save as many jobs as possible.

The layoffs on Friday came after several months of discussion between the Trade Union and the management and the general basis for them was ‘last in, last out’.

A spokesman for the firm said yesterday that they were pleased that the ‘mass exodus’ which had been feared, did not materialise. He explained that the cutback had been considerably reduced because of ‘natural wastage’.

The spokesman added that they were ‘working actively’ on trying to save as many jobs as they possibly could but he stressed that the situation changed every day.

He also admitted that there were still employees at the factory on redundancy notices, although the company, he said, was hopeful that attempts to revitalise the Saintfield factory would be successful and they pay-offs would not be needed.

The lay-offs have been blamed on cheap imports flooding the market, but the company is now concentrating on a new mixed yarn, which they hope should prove more profitable.

DRUMAROAD — The death took place last Tuesday of Fr James Maxwell, at the Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home, Dublin.

Father Maxwell was born in Christmas Day, 1901, in Mullanabane, Ballynahinch. A former Parish Priest of Ely, in the Diocese of Edinburgh, he had been in poor health for quite some time.

After leaving his Edinburgh parish Fr Maxwell lived in Portaferry before moving to Blackrock.

At his funeral in Drumaroad, Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated by the Most Rev P McFerran, PP, Newtownards.

Concelebrants were Fr G Park, PP Drumaroad; Fr G Mary, GP Crossgar; Fr J Cosgrove, retired of Motherwell Diocese and Fr S Cahill, Diocesan Adviser.

The chanters were the Very Rev Dr Joseph Maguire, PP Downpatrick and the Very Rev P McKavanagh, PP Holywood.

Speaking of Fr Maxwell’s missionary work, Bishop Monaghan said he joined the Saleian Brothers before taking up residence in the Scottish Diocese.

As a curate he had a great influence on the young and had represented many others who had joined the great Irish mission to Scotland in the earlier part of the century. 

KILLYLEAGH — The residents of Killyleagh received a huge pat on the back on Monday evening — and it came from two Killyleagh scouts who thanked them for the support they had been given to send them all the way to an International Scot Jamboree in Canada.

Clive Scoular, who had the jamboree contingent, and Gordon Jackson, a member of the contingent, were retelling the experiences of their journey of a lifetime to a big audience at a public meeting in the Lecture Hall, Killyleagh, on Monday evening.

With the help of coloured slides and static displays, Clive and Gordon reminded the audience of the 12 months’ preparation leading up to the trip, including a parade to Belfast Cathedral and a visit to Lord Elton at Stormont.