From the pages of the Down Recorder, May 6, 2000

From the pages of the Down Recorder, May 6, 2000

6 May 2020

DOWNPATRICK – Downpatrick’s senior police chief has issued an appeal for calm in the wake of a series of serious assaults and attacks in the town.

Superintendent Brendan McGuigan has appealed to local people not to react to rumour or innuendo and to ensure common-sense prevails at all times.

The police chief’s comments come after a second week of serious assaults which left one local man requiring hospital treatment for sustained severe head injuries, inflicted during a vicious attack at the Bishopsbrae area.

Mr McGuigan has also highlighted an incident when a family were forced to flee their Leaside Gardens home in the Flying Horse estate after a malicious blaze.

In addition, two other young men were bundled into a car and taken to the Steamboat Quay area at the Quoile River where they were assaulted.

Two weeks ago, an ongoing feud between two Downpatrick families was blamed for a shooting incident at the Vianstown Park area in the town and an assault on a woman in Church Street.

Mr McGuigan says he is concerned at the number of recent events, which include a local family having to be rehoused in emergency accommodation, and claims they paint a very wrong picture of the county town.

The police chief said the sequence of recent events does nothing to enhance Downpatrick’s reputation and said people who live in a civilised community must accept the rule of 

law.

DUNDRUM – A Dundrum man confronted a skinhead burglar in his home during the early hours of Monday morning and forced him to flee the Church Avenue house.

The owner was asleep at 4am when he was disturbed by the intruder whom he chased out of his home.

But the burglar, who is described as five foot 10 inches tall and believed to have been wearing a grey sweatshirt and jeans at the time, made off with the keys of the man’s Peugeot car which he stole.

The car has still not been traced and detectives investigating the incident have issued an appeal for information.

In particular they want to hear from anyone who was in the Church Avenue area during the early hours of Monday morning and witnessed any suspicious activity.

Police also want to hear from anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing Peugeot car.

SEAFORDE – A Seaforde woman has been appointed to chair Northern Ireland’s conservation body.

Environmental consultant, Dinah Browne, has been named as the new chairwoman of the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside, a powerful advisory body to government.

Mrs Browne revealed that as chairwoman she wants to make the council more open and has invited the public to contact the council through its secretariat.

“If people want to contact us with their ideas they can do so by writing to Syril Francey, CCNC secretariat at Hill Street in Belfast.”

The CCNC is an advisory body which advises the Department on matters affecting the natural beauty of Northern Ireland.

Mrs Browne, who has an OBE for her work in the commercial environment sector, said: “The statutory duty of the council is to look after nature reserves, such as the Quoile Pondage and other areas of natural interest.”

BALLYHORNAN – A recent lucky escape for two stranded jet skiers off Ballyhornan coast has once again drawn attention to the need for safety precautions on local beaches.

The pair, who spent more than half an hour in the water without wet suits or lifejackets, were only saved by a quick thinking passer-by who raised the alarm and contacted the Coastguard.

With incidents like this in mind the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has re-launched ‘Sea Smart’, the campaign aimed at reducing preventable deaths and accidents on coastlines every year.

Down area boasts a host of beaches, including Tyrella and Murlough, which are particularly popular with holidaymakers, whilst fishing spots along the Newcastle coastline attract fishermen from far and wide.

CASTLEWELLAN – This year’s Castlewellan regatta has been hailed as one of the biggest and best yet.

Local councillor and Assemblyman, Mr Eamonn O’Neill, was the guest of honour at the annual event and distributed medals to those who took part in the boating races.

Students from as far away as Limerick were among those competing in the races which are fast becoming one of the highlights of Castlewellan’s social calendar.

“Not only is the park a beautiful setting for the event, but the Castlewellan Lake in unique as it is the only natural venue in Ireland where there are no crosswinds which would evidently affect the races,” said Mr O’Neill.

“The regatta is fast gaining popularity and brings many tourists to the town.”

TECONNAUGHT – A young Teconnaught schoolgirl, who wrote to the Prime Minister on behalf of the Downe Hospital, has received a reply.

Twelve year-old Dearbhla O’Rourke wrote to Tony Blair appealing for him to intervene and protect acute services at the local hospital.

In her letter, Dearbhla told of how much the Downe means to the people of the district and further afield, and explained that if it had not been for the medical attention hospital staff gave her grandfather, who suffers from a heart complaint, he would not be alive today.

However, in the short letter Dearbhla received from one of Mr Blair’s secretaries, she was told that the Prime Minister “was grateful for her views” and that the letter would be passed on to the Northern Ireland Office.

It read: “The Prime Minister has asked me to thank you for your letter. He is grateful to have your views and will take careful note of what you say.”

BALLYNAHINCH – Almost 300 brave hearts took part in last week’s annual 10k and fun runs organised by Ballynahinch Lions Club.

And each and every one of them was praised by Lions president Bob Bradford for braving atrocious weather conditions to take part in the annual charity fundraiser.

The Lions President said all the people who took part were “absolutely magnificent” and their contribution to the charity fund-raising project is very much appreciated.

As usual, the event attracted the young and old and 70 year-old Hugh Turner, from Nottingham, used the Ballynahinch run as a warm-up to Monday’s Belfast Marathon.

Another veteran pounding the streets was 66 year-old James Sweeney, from Darragh Cross, who has taken part in all the runs which have been organised in the town to date.

KILLYLEAGH – One of Ireland’s oldest equestrian events is to be staged this weekend in Killyleagh.

Killyleagh Show, which dates back to 1816, is one of the oldest existing shows in Ireland and will kick off at 10am this Saturday at The Commons off Shanes Road, by kind permission of Mr Oliver Priestly.

To celebrate the show’s entry into the new Millennium, a special commemorative booklet has been produced.

Show president Robert Morrison explained: “We thought that for a show which has taken place since 1816, it was only fitting that we mark the show’s entry into the new millennium in a special way.”

In what is the first official charting of the show’s history, records dating back as far as 1824 were uncovered.

Originally, the event featured cows, pigs, sheep, poultry as well as home industries, in what is understood to have been the forerunner to the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society’s Balmoral Show.

Nowadays, the show features a range of equestrian competitions and a vintage tractor display. Proceeds of this year’s event will be donated to the Northern Ireland Hospice and Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Jenny Adams, the show’s joint secretary, says the commemorative booklet is a good account of how the show has evolved over the years.

“It is certainly interesting to see the role it originally played in improving the standard of farming in the Killyleagh, Killinchy, Kilmood and Tullynahill areas.”