News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)

August 22, 2005

Hain Pressed To Act On UVF

To Index of Monthly Archives
To August 2005 Index
To receive this news via email, click HERE.
No Message is necessary.
----

News about Ireland & the Irish

BT 08/22/05 Hain Pressed To Act On UVF
BB 08/22/05 Rival Groups Clash In Ardoyne Riot
NL 08/22/05 Opin: Using Army To Curb Trouble Is Wrong
BT 08/22/05 Attacks Threaten Economy
BT 08/22/05 Irish Catholics Hear Pope's Message To Young
LP 08/22/05 Limerick Performing Strongly In Fáilte Awards
BB 08/22/05 Finding The Craic In How We Speak

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=658013

Hain Pressed To Act On UVF

Victim of 'vicious' killers is buried

By Ashleigh Wallace
22 August 2005

Murder victim Michael Green was being laid to rest today as
police stepped up their hunt for his "vicious" killers.

Moving tributes were paid to the 42-year-old delivery
driver today as police released a picture of the murder
gang's getaway motorbike.

Political pressure on the Secretary of State was
intensifying, too, with the leader of the SDLP accusing
Peter Hain of shirking a decision on the state of the UVF's
'ceasefire'.

The senior police officer investigating the murder launched
a fresh appeal for information - one week after the father-
of-three was gunned down as he made his way to work.

A small red 125cc Hartford was found abandoned in Abingdon
Drive after the murder.

From 7am until 8am today, officers were out on the Sandy
Row stopping vehicles using the busy road in a bid to glean
fresh information.

Speaking from outside Gilpins Furniture Store, where Mr
Green was employed for 22 years, Detective Chief Inspector
Ian Gilchrist branded the murder of the Ballysillan Avenue
man as "brutal and vicious".

The motorcycle - which police believe was stolen from the
North Street area on the afternoon of Saturday 13th - was
later found abandoned in an entry at the railway footbridge
at the rear of houses at Abingdon Drive.

Mr Gilchrist said: "The gunman was not wearing a crash
helmet. I am in no doubt there are people out there who
know the identity of these people.

"This was very well planned. The people that murdered Mr
Green knew exactly what time he was going to work. They
were well aware of his movements."

When asked if Mr Green's murder was linked to the ongoing
loyalist feud - which has now claimed the lives of four
people - the senior officer said: "One line of inquiry is
that it was linked to the loyalist feud but I have no
information to suggest Mr Green was involved in any
organisation."

Last week Mr Green's family refuted suggestions he was a
member of an organisation, saying he was killed because of
the area he lived in.

Police have appealed for anyone who saw a man standing
beside the hoarding at Wellwood Street prior to the murder
to come forward.

Floral tributes left at the scene of the murder by friends
and family remained outside the furniture store today.

One tribute, from Mr Green's partner Anne, said: "To my one
and only husband. You are the love of my life. No-one will
ever take your place."

Mr Green was being buried after a service at the family
home at Ballysillan Avenue this morning.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the PSNI's
Incident Room on 90700305.

Other men murdered in the feud since the start of July are
Stephen Paul (28), and Craig McCausland (20), both shot
dead in north Belfast, and Jameson Lockhart (25), in east
Belfast.

So far no-one has been charged with any of the murders.

Meanwhile, SDLP leader Mark Durkan has accused Secretary of
State Peter Hain of failing to adequately respond to
escalating UVF violence.

His attack came after it emerged Mr Hain may await the next
report from the Independent Monitoring Commission before
making any decision on the recognition of the UVF's
'ceasefire'.

Mr Durkan said: "The Secretary of State - and he alone -
has the power to determine whether a paramilitary group is
on ceasefire.

"He does not have to wait for the IMC to report on this -
and he should not."

******************************************

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/4172246.stm

Rival Groups Clash In City Riot

Loyalist and nationalist youths have clashed during rioting
in north Belfast.

About 100 youths were involved in the violence which began
shortly before 2200 BST on Sunday in the Ardoyne
Road/Alliance Avenue area.

Missiles were thrown and windows in a number of homes were
smashed.

The trouble moved towards the Ardoyne shop fronts. Police
said they worked with community leaders and calm was
restored at about 0100 BST.

Sinn Fein councillor Margaret McLenaghan condemned those
responsible for the violence.

Mrs McLenaghan said that whoever the perpetrators were,
they were not representative of the Ardoyne community.

"What they are doing is wrong and they need to stop it
because somebody is going to be killed here," she said.

Sunday's violence follows clashes between about 400
nationalists and loyalists during several hours of rioting
in east Belfast the previous day.

One man was hurt and up to five shots were heard during
those disturbances.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/08/22 07:34:02 GMT
© BBC MMV

******************************************

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/story/22168

Opin: Deploying Army To Curb Trouble Is The Wrong Tactic

Monday 22nd August 2005

Introducing troops to patrol Protestant areas of Belfast to
counter threats emanating from the ongoing loyalist
paramilitary feud may be a necessary step in the short
term, considering the obvious lack of police resources to
adequately deal with the problem.

The experience of 30 years of the Troubles confirms that
Army deployment in public order situations, however, is not
the best deterrent in upholding the law where criminal
offences are committed.

The PSNI has a statutory duty, as the sole law-enforcement
agency in Northern Ireland, to ensure that peace reigns and
that the law of the land is upheld.

The role of the Army is essentially in defending the
nation's borders in frontier regions such as south Armagh
and south Fermanagh, not in breaking up urban street
disorders or acting as a back-up to criminal investigations
by the police.

Using these parameters, the Government should be providing
the PSNI with enough personnel and resources to firmly deal
with whatever violent situations may arise, such as the
murderous loyalist paramilitary feud and the sectarian
conflict which erupted in east Belfast on Saturday evening.

Deploying heavily-armed soldiers in the middle of a fraught
street confrontation is not the right tactic to resolve
community problems, and the Government needs to place more
reliance on the PSNI and much less on the Army.

Unfortunately, as things stand, an under-resourced PSNI is
too often forced to call in the Army to act as a back-up
when conflict flares up, and that can only be seen as a
serious setback in efforts to bring long-term peace and
stability to this part of the United Kingdom.

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/business_telegraph/story.jsp?story=658039

Attacks Threaten Economy

Carlton Baxter on business

22 August 2005

Well, welcome to a return of the Dark Ages as Northern
Ireland turned back the clock this week in spectacular
fashion with the re-emergence of the evil of sectarianism.

That's not to say that sectarianism ever went away, you
know, but it put its head above the parapet in full view of
the entire population, the media, the wider world and, of
course, those who might seek to invest here.

In one swift move all the work that goes on endlessly and
unsung in our society to encourage cross-community
relations was undone by warped individuals with a pathetic
and incomprehensible agenda.

The notion that this is a 'great wee place' was apparently
well and truly scotched as some thugs tied a kid to a
lamppost and covered him in paint while others have been
trying to intimidate people out of their homes because they
don't like the religion they practice.

It wasn't so long ago that a man was nailed to a garden
fence in Northern Ireland as a so-called punishment for
what he allegedly did in the community.

Intimidating people out of their homes? In Bosnia it was
called ethnic cleansing and, indeed, Northern Ireland has
experienced this sort of craven activity before over the
years.

The bottom line is there is no excuse for sectarianism;
there is no qualification of its activity; there can be no
hiding place for its perpetrators and we demean ourselves
as a society if we take anything but a zero-tolerance
approach to its promulgation.

While it may be practiced by a few, the rise in
sectarianism reflects on us all.

The increase in sectarianism can be added to our
deteriorating record on race relations. We need to ask
ourselves what on Earth is going on that we can't love and
respect our neighbour while at the same time disagreeing
with his or her political, religious or social beliefs?

Why do some elements resort to violence every time to
express their viewpoint?

Have the people of Northern Ireland not endured enough over
the last 30 years; have we not all made sacrifices (some
personally and some collectively) in an attempt to move
forward; have we no sense of vision in terms of what this
part of the UK, Ireland or whatever you call it, could be
in the next few years if we gain the stability that's
needed?

It is time to catch a collective grip and 'out' the
sectarian thugs among us as a duty to our fellow citizens.
The consequences of inaction are intolerable, both socially
and economically.

This economy is growing, but it is on a knife-edge as it
competes with the rest of the world. It is always just a
couple of percentage points away from remaining stagnant.

Right now there is a reasonable level of confidence in the
business community and the outlook remains optimistic in
terms of growth, but any marked resurgence of sectarian
activity jeopardises our economic future.

Companies have worked hard to rid the workplace of
sectarianism and things are by no means perfect, but they
are so much better than they were 30 years ago. Community
workers have done wonders with limited budgets and
resources and churches have largely worked together for the
betterment of the communities they serve.

Yes, there is still some way to go, but Northern Ireland
has been moving in the right direction.

This latest recurrence of sectarian madness must stop
immediately - if it doesn't we'll be counting the cost for
years to come!

Carlton Baxter is a director of Stakeholder Communications
and a former editor of Ulster Business magazine.

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=657970

Irish Catholics Hear Pope's Message To Young

By Alf McCreary

22 August 2005

More than 2,000 young Irish people, including over 100 from
Northern Ireland, have been making their way home after
attending Papal Mass in Cologne yesterday at which Pope
Benedict XVI officiated.

Nearly 1m people attended the Mass on World Youth Day,
which was a highlight of the Pope's visit to his native
Germany, and his first foreign visit since his election on
19 April.

During the visit, there were important clues about his
positive attitude to ecumenism, despite his earlier
reputation as a theological hardliner when he was Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger.

He emphasised to German bishops that while Christian
standards should not be watered down, and while young
people did not want the Church to pander to them, they
wanted a Church that was " young in spirit".

In Cologne he met major political players, including
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, as well as Muslim and
Protestant leaders, and he also visited a synagogue, a
particularly symbolic atonement, as the young Ratzinger had
been forced to join Hitler Youth - something he has
repeatedly repudiated.

Some 110 young people from the Armagh and Down and Connor
dioceses attended World Youth day celebrations last week.

Eight Irish bishops, including the auxiliary bishop of Down
and Connor, also attended.

******************************************

http://www.limerickpost.ie/dailynews.elive?id=6616&category=Daily-Mon

Limerick Performing Very Strongly In Fáilte Ireland Welcome
Awards

OVER half of the 1,000 nominations received so far in the
Irish Welcome Awards are from the Munster region with
Limerick performing very strongly alongside Cork and Kerry.

This is according to Fáilte Ireland Chairperson Gillian
Bowler who also pointed out that the overall winner of last
year's award was Limerick woman Pauline Hamill.

Ms Hamill from Rosbrien scooped the overall award by acting
as a good Samaritan to a young American couple stuck
without accommodation during a busy summer festival.

Seeing them stuck in Ballybunion during a thunder storm on
their cycling tour of Ireland Ms Hamill gave them the key
of her caravan to stay in as she was returning to Limerick.
And she brought them around the town explaining local
history and attractions before her departure.

She was therefore nominated by the couple for her
"extraordinary generosity and remarkable trust in a time of
need".

The Fáilte Ireland Irish Welcome Awards invites
international visitors and domestic holidaymakers to
nominate those who made a special difference to their stay
in Ireland by demonstrating the traditional Irish welcome.

And although a member of the public won the award in 2004,
this year almost 75 per cent of all votes are split between
bed and breakfast operators and tourist information
offices, highlighting the ongoing importance of personal
interaction with our visitors throughout the country.

"At a time of change and evolution in our industry it is
important to note that it is still the instances where
tourists have one-to-one interaction with Irish people that
make the biggest impact on their stay and encourage the
stories of warmth and welcome we are renowned for. This is
still our greatest calling card internationally and is to
be greatly encouraged. For bed and breakfasts particularly
it really highlights the fundamental importance of their
business offering", said Ms Bowler.

So far 64 per cent of all nominations received are for the
bed and breakfast sector with Tourist Information Offices
at 10 per cent and tour guides and drivers at nine per cent
also performing very strongly.

And with over one month to go before the closing date for
entries, the authority said it is on target for a record
number of entries since the competition was established in
2001.

"We are noticing a greater trend towards online voting this
year which suggests many people are leaving it until they
get home before voting. But we are still expecting many
more votes for tourism workers and indeed members of the
public in all sectors and regions before the entry deadline
at the end of September. It was a member of the public that
won the competition last year and we always hear great
stories of the welcomes extended to tourists from ordinary
citizens," said Ms Bowler.

Fáilte Ireland head of enterprise development Tony Lenehan
also said that he would like to see some more votes coming
through from the rest of the accommodation sector -
particularly hotels, and also from visitor attractions
throughout the country.

Nominations have been received from more than 35 countries,
including the Philippines, Czech Republic and South Africa.
However, the bulk of voters reflect the strength of our
most important markets with the USA, Great Britain and home
holidaymakers accounting for the majority of votes and
France and Germany also featuring prominently.

According to the latest Fáilte Ireland Visitor Attitudes
Survey, nine out of 10 overseas visitors said that friendly
and hospitable people were an important factor in choosing
their Irish holiday. Ireland performs very strongly in this
regard with 90 per cent of visitors declaring themselves
very satisfied with the friendliness encountered during
their stay.

The closing date for nominations is the end of September
2005 and you can place your vote by e-mailing
http://www.irishwelcomeawards.com

******************************************

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4172986.stm

Finding The Craic In How We Speak

In Northern Ireland, you mitch, in Yorkshire you twag and
everywhere else you skive.

Playing truant from school has spawned a wealth of words -
from bunking off, to wagging or nicking off.

And the infinite variety of words, dialect and accents is
what is being celebrated in Voices, an ambitious new
project from the BBC.

From 20-28 August, BBC radio stations, national and local,
are celebrating the way we speak.

BBC Radio Ulster presenter Gerry Anderson is taking to the
road in a Big Yellow Bus across Northern Ireland with
expert linguist Loreto Todd to listen to how people "tell
them".

----
NI Colloquialisms

Gutties - trainers
Poke - ice cream
Starving - freezing
Mitch - play truant
Beak off - play truant
Snicket - alleyway
Mucker - friend
----

At the heart of the project is a collection of ground
breaking recordings of 1,000 voices from around the United
Kingdom.

In Northern Ireland, the Armagh Rhymers - a group of modern
day mummers - as well as Ballycastle's Aquaholics Dive Club
and residents of Annalong, had their voices saved in the
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

Visitors to the museum will be able to listen to Rathlin
islanders, women from the Travelling Community in Belfast,
Ulster Scots speakers and Irish language speakers from west
Belfast.

An online survey of the words we use, called the Word Map,
found that "mutton dummies", a term for soft shoes, is
unique to Northern Ireland.

"Snow coned" and "tweddle", both meaning "cold" were only
submitted in Northern Ireland, although "freezing" was the
top choice in every region.

And the 10 most popular words for "friend" included mate,
pal, butty and dude.

Visitors to Yorkshire should be aware that "oppo" is a non
threatening term, as it also means friend.

However the word "boyo", meaning friend, is out of fashion.
It was submitted by one single person in all of Wales.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/08/22 11:33:07 GMT
© BBC MMV

----
To receive this news via email, click HERE.
No Message is necessary.
To August 2005 Index
To Index of Monthly Archives
Posted by: Unknown / 7:46 AM
Comments: Post a Comment

<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?