Latest news with #CoAntrim
BreakingNews.ie
28-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Investigation into loyalist murder of Peter Gallagher ‘wholly inadequate'
The investigation into the murder by loyalists of a man in Belfast in 1993 was 'wholly inadequate', the North's Police Ombudsman has found. Peter Gallagher (44), a father-of-seven from Toomebridge, Co Antrim, was shot and fatally wounded by a loyalist gunman as he arrived for work at the Westlink Enterprise Centre in west Belfast shortly before 8am on March 24th. Advertisement The UFF admitted responsibility in a call to BBC. No one has been convicted in relation to the murder of Mr Gallagher. Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson outside her office in Belfast. Photo: PA Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson said her office found that there had been 12 people who should have been of interest to the murder investigation, but none were arrested. She said some of those were linked by significant, and on occasion corroborative, intelligence and other information. Advertisement She also criticised the police decision to 'cease surveillance of members of the UDA/UFF two days before the murder, given that they had received multiple intelligence and other reports indicating that the group were actively planning attacks'. It was found that surveillance of the Shankill-road based C Company of the UDA/UFF was paused on March 22nd, with resources reallocated in response to intelligence about Provisional IRA activity. Both Mr Gallagher and 17-year-old Damien Walsh were killed before surveillance resumed on March 30th. However, the Police Ombudsman probe found no intelligence that, if acted upon by police, could have prevented Mr Gallagher's murder, and neither was there any evidence that security forces provided information to paramilitaries to facilitate the attack. Advertisement Mrs Anderson found the initial police response to Mr Gallagher's murder had been appropriate and comprehensive in nature, with a pistol found near the scene and more than 50 statements obtained. However, she said it was difficult to understand why potential persons of interest were not arrested. Mrs Anderson noted that the investigation of complaints about historical matters is challenging due to the passage of time and unavailability of relevant witnesses and documentation. However, she said her investigators had 'gathered substantial evidence and other information during the course of this investigation' and said she was grateful for the co-operation of a number of former police officers who had assisted her inquiries. Advertisement 'I believe Mr Gallagher was the innocent victim of a campaign of terror mounted by loyalist paramilitaries against the nationalist community,' she said. 'The UDA/UFF alone were responsible for Mr Gallagher's murder. 'I conclude, however, that the family were failed by a wholly inadequate murder inquiry and in particular the failure to link the murder of Damien Walsh to that of their loved one.' The victims group Relatives for Justice (RFJ) welcomed the ombudsman's report. Advertisement 'We are privileged to have supported the Gallagher family in this long and challenging journey for truth and accountability,' they said. 'While the report sheds some light on the circumstances surrounding Peter's murder, it also highlights the scale and depth of state failure. 'What emerges is not closure, but a compelling argument for a full, independent, and human rights-compliant investigation, which the state has so far failed to deliver. 'That this report may be among the last to emerge under the Police Ombudsman's now-dismantled powers is a sobering thought. The Legacy Act has shut down future investigations, closed hundreds of similar cases, and sent a clear message to families: the truth will not be tolerated. Ireland Crowd backs calls for public inquiry into 1997 mur... Read More 'The Gallagher family's long campaign reflects the experience of so many across the North – families failed not just once by the violence that took their loved ones, but again and again by the state's refusal to investigate and to tell the truth. 'RFJ stands with the Gallagher family and all families who continue to fight for justice. 'This report is not the end. It must be the basis for further action which the family will now actively consider.'
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Giant's Causeway visitors causing damage to ancient landscape by wedging coins into cracks
Visitors are damaging the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim by wedging coins into the cracks of the basalt columns, causing the rocks to stain and crumble. The coins rust and expand to three times their original thickness, corroding and fracturing the world heritage site, authorities said on Wednesday. They appealed to the public to end the tradition that has left coins from all over the world embedded in the world-famous landmark. 'We are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations,' said Cliff Henry, a National Trust nature engagement officer. The causeway's 40,000 near-perfect hexagonal columns drew 648,000 visitors last year, confirming it as one of Northern Ireland's most popular attractions. Legend says the columns were built by the Irish giant Finn McCool as a crossing to confront a Scottish rival, Benandonner. READ MORE But coins from the UK, Europe, the US and elsewhere that are wedged into joints and cracks as tokens of visits are harming the basalt rock aesthetically and physically, according to a British Geological Survey report. 'The coins are rusting and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock, causing it to crumble. Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding,' said Mr Henry. 'The coins here also have accelerated corrosion because they are often soaked in saltwater spray and the mixture of metals means they break down faster.' The National Trust, in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, hired stone conservation specialists to remove coins without causing further damage at 10 test locations. The trial was successful and it is hoped all the remaining coins will be removed, costing an estimated £30,000 (€35,700). The Giant's Causeway formed between 50 and 60 million years ago when molten basalt erupted through chalk beds and formed a lake of lava. As this cooled and contracted, cracks propagated across the plateau to form hexagonal stepping stones. Signs are to be erected urging visitors to keep coins in their pockets and not leave a legacy of additional cracks. 'We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive,' said Mr Henry. Authorities in Paris made a similar appeal after a tradition of leaving padlocks on the Pont des Arts was blamed for a partial collapse in 2014. - Guardian
ITV News
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- ITV News
Two car fanatics take on charity rally in second-hand banger
The pair from Co Antrim will take part in a rally called 'Monte Carlo or Bust' in a car which must cost less than £500.
Belfast Telegraph
18-05-2025
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
Work starts on Northern Ireland's largest bonfire ahead of Twelfth celebrations
The site at Craigyhill in Larne has earned a reputation for being the tallest and most spectacular celebration on the night. Watch: Northern Ireland's tallest bonfire at Craigyhill collapses Last year organisers claimed they had broken the world record again, with the bonfire rising to just over 205ft. However, the claim remains unofficial — the Guinness Book of World Records still lists the Hofstalder Funkenzunft in Lustenau, Austria on March 16, 2019 at 198ft, 11ins as the record holder. Nevertheless, the Co Antrim organisers are claiming theirs as the world's tallest, and insist the bonfire is built in accordance with health and safety rules, and after taking advice from authorities. The bonfire at Craigyhill will rise over the next two months, helped by hundreds of volunteers who descend on Larne from across Northern Ireland to assist in stacking wooden pallets. Last year the Craigyhill bonfire organisers gained even more publicity after allowing a parachute jump from the construction. The stunt was performed by professional base jumper Stephen Magennis. In 2022, local man John Steele died after falling 50ft from a bonfire in nearby Antiville with the site at Craigyhill serving as a gathering point for a vigil in his memory.
BreakingNews.ie
14-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Immense potential of former Maze site needs to be unlocked – O'Neill
The 'immense' potential of the site of the former Maze prison needs to be unlocked, Michelle O'Neill has said. The First Minister was speaking during a visit to the Balmoral Show, which takes place at Balmoral Park near Lisburn, which occupies the site of the former prison. Advertisement Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly stressed that the site could only be developed when political consensus is reached. What remains of the former Maze prison is on the site near Lisburn. Photo: Niall Carson/PA. Plans to develop the grounds in Co Antrim, which held scores of paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles, have not progressed in several years. While some of the site has been utilised for the annual agriculture show and by the Air Ambulance charity and the Ulster Aviation Society, a large part of the grounds – including where the former prison buildings stand – remains derelict. The DUP blocked plans to build a peace centre at the Maze in 2013 over claims it would become a 'shrine to terrorism'. Advertisement The former prison only comprises part of the 347-acre site that falls under the remit of the Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation, established in 2011. Ms O'Neill said the 'social, economic and reconciliation potential of the site is immense'. She said: 'You only have to look at this event. It brings people from all quarters who come together to celebrate something fabulous about our society. 'I think the potential of this site is something that we need to unlock. Advertisement 'Obviously that is only going to happen with a political agreement. 'I hope we can get to that point. Certainly, I am determined to try and get us to that point.' Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the site would only be developed with political consensus. Photo: Niall Carson/PA. Ms Little-Pengelly said: 'Ultimately the site will move forward with consensus. 'That consensus will have to be obtained before it can move forward. Advertisement 'But we have got some great organisations here on the site. 'We are right beside the Air Ambulance, they have set up here and been here for a number of years. 'We are working with them looking at the possibility of a permanent presence here. 'The Ulster Aviation Society, absolutely fantastic, I have worked quite closely with them, a really great collection attracting many, many thousands of visitors every year. Advertisement Ireland Campaigner seeks urgent action to address lack of... Read More 'And of course the show and other activities that happen here as well at the Eikon Centre. 'There is a lot of really good things that are happening, sometimes people do talk that down too much, but I am here to really be a champion for them.' More than 100,000 people are expected to visit the site over the next four days of the Balmoral Show.
