From the pages of the Down Recorder, June 19, 1979

From the pages of the Down Recorder, June 19, 1979

19 June 2019

NEWCASTLE — Newcastle’s Looney Moon fortnight — the centrepiece of Down District’s holiday entertainment — has been extended this year to place particular emphasis on entertainment for the family.

Over 150 events have been lined up, providing a bonanza of fun and entertainment for the family, ranging from water sports to seaside cabaret and from motocross to brass band concerts.

With this year being the International Year of the Child, the organisers have included many events which will appeal to children. These include new events such as junior talent and junior Sweetheart of Down competitions and twice daily children’s variety shows.

The Looney Moon fortnight swings into action on Friday, July 6th. The traditional big festival parade the following day will provide the launching the pad for the events to make it yet another memorable Newcastle festival.

Sporting fanatics are well catered with events including an open golf week at the Royal Co Down club, a two-day hockey tournament organised by Newcastle Nomads, a variety challenge football match, bowls, yachting and horse jumping.

Other gala events lined up include sand designing competitions, bicycle gymkhana, a little Miss Newcastle competition and story time for children.

A discount scheme will apply during the holiday period to all the council facilities and promotions, including the slippery dip slide, boating lake, crazy golf and evening entertainments.

CARRYDUFF — Farmer John Cairnduff believes in old methods and down Carryduff way he certainly turns the heads of a few passers-by.

Mr Cairnduff’s 42-acre farm snuggles up to one of Northern Ireland’s busiest roads, but over the fence from the Carryduff to Belfast dual carriageway he provides an amazing link with the past.

In place of modern pieces of machinery, he sticks faithfully to a team of horses and reckons he gets the job done just as well.

For many years now he has been using the horses for all his ploughing and field work — and his farm is one of the most successful in the area.

“I prefer to see horses about the place and I have been working with them since long before I left school,” he said. “My horses were also fond of horses.”

“It’s a great pity that horses are not so popular as they were some years ago. Maybe with this fuel shortage they might get a new lease of life, but I doubt it.”

BALLYNAHINCH — A ten year-old Ballynahinch schoolboy flies out to Canada on Monday to visit two of his brothers — and it won’t cost him a penny.

Trevor McNeice, of Langley Road, won a free seat on the flight to Toronto thanks to a draw organised by Enterprise Travel Ltd.

Trevor, a pupil at Ballynahinch Primary School, had decided to visit his brothers in Canada during true summer holidays and they had agreed to pay his fare of somewhere in the region of £165.

The flight was booked through the Lisburn travel agents, Thompson and McAllister, and the fare was paid. Then Trevor’s name came out of the hat for the free trip. He had his money refunded and was presented with his free ticket last week.

Now he hopes to spend some of the money saved with a never to be forgotten trip to Disneyland with his two brothers, who live near Hamilton, Ontario.

Altogether Trevor will be away for nine weeks. He flies out alone from Aldergrove to Shannon airport on Monday and then direct to Toronto where he will be met by his brothers, David and Robert, who have lived in Canada for a number of years with their families.

SPA — An angry councillor has called for the speedy completion of children’s playing facilities at Spa, near Ballynahinch.

At a meeting of Down Council on Monday night, Mrs Ethel Smyth, said it was “absolutely disgraceful” that nothing positive had been done by Enterprise Ulster to provide the village with facilities for children.

“Nothing has been done in the past two years and I have received a delegation from 117 children,” she said. “It is terrible that there has been no work in all that time.”

Mr Bryan Coburn, the council’s recreation and tourist director, said the matter was with Enterprise Ulster and it was estimated that work was likely to get underway in 12 months’ time.

However, Mrs Smyth was clearly not happy with the situation. “I would like express my complete dissatisfaction with the way this matter has progressed. I am disgusted that the scheme is no further on now than when I was elected two years ago,” she said.

DOWNPATRICK — The fine weather at the weekend encouraged thousands of parishioners and friends to turn out for the annual Corpus Christi procession in Downpatrick on Sunday.

In his address Dr Joseph Maguire, PP, said to those assembled that their presence was a strong demonstration of their faith. He thanked all the committees and people who helped in any way to make the occasion such a memorable one and also paid tribute to the sterling work of the police.

Members of the De La Salle community were the canopy bearers and also in attendance were uniformed groups of Brownies, Guides, Cubs and Scouts.

CHAPELTOWN — Helene Elizabeth Gilchrist, an 18 year-old Chapeltown student, is one of only three girls to have been awarded a Caroline Haslett Memorial Trust Scholarship. This is an annual award by the Electrical Association for women and it will assist Helene in her studies for the next academic year.

She attended Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch and is at present at St Patrick’s High School in Downpatrick. She holds 10 O Levels and is studying for four A Levels.

SAINTFIELD — Saturday’s Saintfield Show proved to be a sparkling hit with the big crowd and competitors alike and with several new trophies up for grabs, it turned out to be a day of fierce competition.

The 35th annual show boasted big entries in all classes, trade stands were fully booked up and there were 80 entries for the dog obedience competition.

It was a grand occasion for everyone who attended with the good weather very welcome. Competition was particularly keen for the Young Farmers Cup between members of the local clubs. What must be particularly pleasing for the organisers is the way in which entries continue to increase year year.

TECONNAUGHT — The annual Teconnaught school sports and parish seven-a-side Gaelic football tournaments were held in glorious sunshine in the local park on Sunday afternoon.

The programme began with the fancy dress parade and continued with the various sports races. The highlight of the day was the primary schools’ sevens final in which Legamaddy beat Teconnaught by two points.

STRANGFORD — Mr Arthur Irvine, chief warden of the Strangford Lough Wildlife Scheme, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Mr Irvine joined the National Trust about 12 years ago as a warden. He lives at Castleward, near Strangford, where the wildlife sanctuary is one of the best of its kind in the province. 

So well cared for and protected are the birds that their numbers continue to increase year by year.

BALLYGOWAN — The driver of a Vauxhall Victor car was taken to Ards Hospital with slight injuries after an accident on Tuesday afternoon at Burns’ crossroads, Ballygowan. The driver of the other vehicle involved, a Triumph 2000, did not need hospital treatment.

SHRIGLEY — Down Council is to fence the playground at Shrigley following pressure from Killyleagh Town Committee, but they have turned down a request for additional fencing at Killyleagh playground.

Members of the council’s tourist and recreation committee agreed to the erection of barriers at the Shrigley playground owing to the proximity of the road. However, they decided against fencing the river in Killyleagh where it is bordered by the playing fields.