From the pages of the Down Recorder, August 3, 1994

From the pages of the Down Recorder, August 3, 1994

31 July 2024

SAINTFIELD – A Saintfield man has proved he has got “watt” it takes to be a bright spark.

David O’Hare, from Middle Road, beat off 3,000 rival electricians to scoop first prize in a nationwide competition.

The 21 year-old won a gold medal in the national “Skill Electric” contest, held in Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, and is now recognised as the best young electrician in commercial wiring in the United Kingdom.

David, who is a former pupil of St Patrick’s Grammar School in Downpatrick, completed a one-year course at Dundonald Training Centre, before attending Down College for day release training where he was taught by lecturer, Jim Grant.

He is one of 12 people from all over the UK who won a place in the final after submitting a written test. As part of the final David, who works for Belfast firm, Stothers, had to undergo a gruelling 20-hour practical and then face a four-man interview panel before being declared the winner.

NEWCASTLE – The sixth sense of an off-duty RUC officer almost certainly saved his life last week after he left a hotel in Newcastle, it has been confirmed.

The officer had just got into his car which was parked in the grounds of the Brook Cottage Hotel when he thought twice about driving off.

Instead of turning the key in the ignition and driving off, he got out of the car and checked the underside of the vehicle to discover that terrorists had attached a semtex device close to the driveshaft.

He immediately raised the alarm and the area was sealed off before army technical experts were called to make safe the device.

Guests at the hotel, including American, English, German and Republic of Ireland visitors, were wakened from their sleep and taken to St John’s Church Hall nearby.

DRUMANESS – Drug dealers may have been responsible for starting a full-scale brawl at a house in Drumaness last weekend after a rave party got out of control.

Police investigating the incident are believed to be working on the theory that violence erupted at the Old Park Road after attempts by drug dealers to sell ecstasy tablets were rejected by local people.

They were called to the scene just before 4am after fighting broke out between a number of people, some of whom were wielding baseball bats, and discovered walls and parts of the road smeared in blood.

The brawl spilled on to the street and several teenagers were taken to the Downe Hospital to receive treatment for a variety of injuries and one youth is still being detained.

Over 300 people are believed to have been at the premises which has a pizza carry-out facility on the ground floor and local teenagers were told that if they paid £5, they could have all the pizza they wanted.

BALLYNAHINCH – Residents who live in a block of flats at Ballynahinch’s Hillcrest Drive area will not be provided with a fire escape, say Housing Executive officials.

People living in the flats, which are four storeys high, have also demanded that the wooden fronts on their homes be removed because they regard them as a fire trap.

On Monday morning, a petition signed by residents was handed over to their local councillor, Mrs Anne McAleenan, who is to forward it to Executive officials in Downpatrick.

The fire escape issue came to light last week after a blaze swept through a top floor flat at Hillcrest Drive, prompting residents to issue their call for action.

However, despite the petition and the genuine concern voiced by local residents, Housing Executive officials say they have no plans to provide them with a fire escape.

LOUGHINISLAND – The Loughinisland pub, where six men were gunned down by loyalist terrorists in June, is to reopen.

But no date has yet been set to open the doors of the Heights Bar, according to Kieran O’Toole, whose brother, Hugh, owns the pub.

The news comes in the wake of a charity gaelic football match last week, which raised over £5,000 for the Loughinisland Appeal Fund, set up to help the families of the murdered men.

Although Mr O’Toole, appeal fund spokesman, said the bar would be back in business, there were no dates set for its opening.

“It will be opened, but the time has not immediately been decided upon,” he said.

Mr O’Toole added that the response to the appeal fund had been very good and a “fairly substantial amount” had been raised.

This sum has been swollen thanks to the support of over 2,000 people who turned up to watch Ulster champions, Down, play a select team from Loughinisland, Drumaness and Teconnaught on Thursday night.

ARDGLASS – Campaigners spearheading the fight to save Ardview House residential home from closure are “quietly confident” that the Ardglass facility will remain open.

With just a matter of weeks to go before Health Minister, Baroness Denton, gives her ruling on the future of the home and its residents, campaigners believe the tide has turned in their favour.

And on Monday, during a visit to Seeconnell outside Castlewellan, the Health Minister confirmed that she still has to make a final decision on the future of Ardview and two other residential homes in the Lisburn area.

“I  hope to be able to make my final decision soon,” she told reporters.

“From the beginning, I have looked at this matter very closely indeed and I am well aware of the strain being placed on residents in all of the homes affected,” she said.

“However, I am not going to move too quickly and make the wrong decision.”

CASTLEWELLAN – Around 100 invited guests gathered in Castlewellan Forest Park on Saturday to mark the silver anniversary of the demesne’s opening to the public.

The park, which was formerly the Annesley estate, was opened as a state forest park in 1969 by Lord Moyola, and at the weekend, the peer joined other guests, including forestry officials and local councillors, to celebrate 25 years of growth and development.

The official ceremony began with a reception and buffet lunch in the visitor centre in the forest park courtyard.

SEAFORDE – A major peace vigil will be held in Seaforde tonight to remember, among others, the Loughinisland pub victims.

The event, which will be held outside the village’s Young Farmer’s Club, has been organised by Newcastle woman, Mrs Anne Carr, a leading member of the Province-wide Women Together for Peace movement.

Starting at 7.30pm, the Seaforde venue was chosen as a midway point between the two major atrocities which have occurred in Down District – the Loughinisland massacre and the murder of four UDR soldiers near Downpatrick.

“This vigil is being held to give the people of Down District an opportunity to stand up and be counted and declare loudly that this wanton, senseless violence is not carried out in our name and we want an immediate cessation of all sectarian violence,” said Mrs Carr.

DOWNPATRICK – Housing Executive officials are to unveil their plans for flats at English Street in Downpatrick.

A number of options are presently being put under the microscope and an investment appraisal is also being carried out as Executive chiefs bid to cure the rising vandalism problem in the area.

For the past number of months an unruly mob has been gathering in the vicinity of the flats and some of the residents are petrified to leave their homes at night.