Harty Secures Maiden Indoor Title In Style
Harty secures maiden national indoor title in considerable style
(Newcastle AC notes by Joe McCann)
Kerry Harty improved dramatically on her 2010 performance at the Irish Indoor Championships where she finished in bronze medal position and was crowned 2011 Irish Indoor 3000m Champion at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast.xa0 In the 15 lap race, in front of local partisan support the Newcastle athlete found herself racing against the clock after establishing a commanding early lead.xa0 Her winning time of 9 minutes, 31 seconds was a massive 8 seconds outside her PB for the distance indoors, but history will record that Harty has at last obtained the title that she has pursued for many years.
De La Salle Pupils Visit Stormont
Pupils from Downpatrick’s De La Salle High School on a visit to Stormont.
[caption id="attachment_20578" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Pupils from the De La Salle High School in Downpatrick enjoyed a tour around Parliament Buildings at Stormont with South Down MP Margaret Ritchie accompanied by the their Form Teacher Joe McStay."]
[/caption]
]]>
[/caption]
]]>Book Early For Willowstone Festival
Willowstone Arts & Music Festival on the 1st & 2nd July 2011
1st act to be announced for Willowstone 2011 is one of the world’s finest beatboxers Shlomo. Our headliner will be announced soon along with the rest of the eclectic line up of quality local acts, interactive art, award winning food and drink!
All this, set in the idyllic walled garden of Delamont Country Park, is just 40 minutes from Belfast. Head down for the day or camp and wake up with a view of Strangford Lough and the Mourne Mountains, there’s a family area (kids under 12 go free) and real toilets!
Early Bird tickets now on sale!! Early Bird Camping tickets will be on sale for a limited time at last year’s prices!! £32 for weekend camping ticket. Full price will be £38 when full line up is announced. Day tickets remain at £26 and remember if you we don’t charge a booking fee!!
Click below to purchase via paypal
Weekend Camping £32 – Willowstone 2011 EarlyBird camping ticket
Day £26 – Willowstone 2011 day ticket
Family Weekend Camping £64 – Willowstone 2011 EarlyBird family camping ticket (Two adults and up to four kids under 12)
Family Day £52 – Willowstone 2011 family day ticket (Two adults and up to four kids under 12)
Contact: Stuart Campbell at TRC Promotions Ltd.
[email protected]
Willowstone Festival]]>
Kilkeel Harbour Safety Scheme Announced By Gildernew
THERE was more more good news for the Northern Ireland fishing industry as Fisheries Minister Michele Gildernew MLA announced plans for new measures to enhance safety at Kilkeel Harbour and to hold harbour landings charges at current levels.
After careful consideration of the recent independent appraisal of options for improving navigational safety at the entrance to Kilkeel Harbour, the Minister has accepted the recommendation that an Enhanced Safety Management System be developed at a cost of £192,000.
DOJ Community Safety Consultation Continues
Building Safer, Shared and Confident Communities’ document and said the level of engagement underlines the importance local communities place on identifying local solutions to problems, ranging from anti-social behaviour to rural crime.
He added, xa0“In launching this consultation, I was interested in hearing the views, ideas and solutions from people on how we can collectively reduce crime and anti-social behaviour across Northern Ireland. I am very encouraged by the response to date and the willingness of attendees to identify tailored solutions to meet the needs of their local communities.
Slieve Donard In Tap Deal For Tennent's NI And Hastings Group
[/caption]
Announcing the new deal, Tom McCusker, Managing Director of Tennent’s NI, said, “The Hastings Hotels Group has long been recognised as the outstanding champion of quality in Northern Ireland’s hospitality sector and has, in particular, focused on delivering consistently excellent service.xa0 That is an approach which mirrors our own corporate and brand priorities and we are delighted, through this latest association with Hastings, to position our draught beers and ciders portfolio as the choice of the sector leaders.
“We have enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Hastings through the changing face of Northern Ireland.xa0 The new contract is a tangible endorsement of both the quality of our brands portfolio and our commercial approach.xa0 We are looking forward not only to continuing to build sales and presence for our brands, but also to partnering Hastings Hotels Group in developing innovative promotions and initiatives across its outlets.xa0 It takes us another step closer to our stated aim of being recognised as the number one premium drinks company in Northern Ireland and the preferred supplier to the licensed trade.”
Howard Hastings, Managing Director of the Hastings Hotels Group, shares this belief in the mutual benefits of this long and successful relationship. He said, “Hastings Hotels Group is delighted to be continuining its long association with Tennent’s NI. xa0Our companies’ connections stretch back to the time of The Ulster Brewery of which Sir William Hastings was a director and shareholder.xa0 We are delighted to be offering Tennent’s and Magners Draught in all our outlets and to be enjoying the service and support that Tennent’s NI offers us.”
The Tennent’s NI portfolio which includes Tennent’s, Magners, Beck’s Vier, Stella Artois and Hoegaarden will be pouring in The Europa and Stormont in Belfast, the Culloden at Cultra, Slieve Donard in Newcastle, Ballygally Castle on the Antrim coast and the Everglades in Londonderry.
Pictured in The Europa Hotel’s Piano Bar raising a glass to the new contract are (left) Tom McCusker, Managing Director of Tennent’s N.I. and Howard Hastings, Managing Director of Hastings Group.]]>Language Call To Governments
A call for goverments to give pro-active encouragement to Irish and Ulster Scots languages,
by Méadhbha Ní Bhaoill.
“THE members of the South Down Fianna Fáil forum have expressed their disapproval of the recent position taken by the Fine Gael party in the Republic on the Irish language issue. The leader of Fine Gael, Mr. Enda Kenny, has outlined his party’s plan for the Irish language, which would include the abolishment of the language as a core compulsory subject for the Leaving Certificate examination.
“The Down members of the Fianna Fáil party are in agreement with their leader, Mr. Micheál Martin who believes that such action would lead to the extinction of the language in the future. ‘Making Irish optional is not a consideration,’ according to Mr. Martin, if we are to press on with the expansion of Irish speakers.Whilst not denying the need to revise the methods of teaching the Irish language in the Republic in primary and second-level schools, and the need to put more emphasis on the spoken element, most language enthusiasts officials in Wales with increasing success.
“The Twenty Year Strategy for the Irish language which has been advocated by the Fianna Fáil government is the most radical and comprehensive plan for the promotion of the Irish language since the foundation of the Free State and it aims to increase the population of daily Irish speakers to 250,000 by the year 2030.
“As an Irish teacher, the PRO of the South Down Fianna Fáil forum, I believe that most people who have received thirteen years of schooling in the Republic are actually equipped with a considerable knowledge of the language. I always notice that Irish is saved on their mental computer, but there seems to be a lack of confidence or motivation for using the language in everyday communication.
“Ní Bhaoill is asking the govermental authorities and politicians to take action in order to help people bridge the gap between the knowledge of the language and its practical and communicaton usage. That is the basic problem, which simply requires the state authorities to make a commitment to act as leaders in promoting the language. The effects of colonial suppression of the language are still with us. There has been too much talk about the Irish language and very little practical and pro-active measures taken in getting the citizens to use it.”
“I believe that any other course of action is just a waste of time and money, and that people will not begin using the Irish language in the Republic until the government makes an official declaration that people begin to use the language every day. That is all that is required to encourage people. It has been done in Wales and it can be done here too.
“We must be the only people in the world who do not have the confidence for their native language,” she declared. The members of the South Down forum are keen to emphasise the close connection between the Irish language and the language of the Ulster Scots. An example of this link is that they share the linguistic word for porridge, which is ‘brachan’ in both languages. Irish Language Revival began in Belfast in the nineteenth hundreds amidst the Presbyterian congregation. Perhaps we need another such movement to emerge in the Wee North”.
]]>
