Derry Journal (Derry, Northern Ireland) back issues from March 2008:
Special Criminal Court in Dublin told: Strabane man masterminded INLA kidnap 'plot'.
Mar 03, 2008 ... A e1.6 million ([pounds sterling]1.2m.) kidnap and extortion plot was masterminded by a disabled republican leader from Strabane, a court has heard. Wheelchair user Eddie McGarrigle, of Melmount Gardens, Strabane, is alleged to have orchestrated the botched ransom bid on an ...
City's top women honoured in style!
Mar 03, 2008 ... A local community worker has been named as Derry's top woman in the 2008 Woman of the Year awards. Pauline McLaughlin, who has worked in women's development for many years, scooped the overall award for her services to the women's sector at a glitzy ceremony on Friday night. ...
'Evil mastermind' and gang jailed for drug offences.
Mar 03, 2008 ... Four members of an organised drugs gang from Limavady were jailed at the Crown Court in Derry yesterday following a four month long undercover surveillance operation involving one hundred police officers. Four other members of the same gang, among them a mother of three and a ...
Positive pre-season.
Mar 03, 2008 ... Derry City 3 Dundalk FC 2 Derry City conceded two totally avoidable goals during their game with Dundalk FC at Brandywell on Friday evening. With goals from Clive Delaney, Gareth McGlynn and Barry Molloy, the 'Candy Stripes' won the game 3-2. Speaking ...
Derry bound train involved in collision.
Mar 03, 2008 ... A Derry bound passenger train collided with a car near Antrim this morning. The collision occurred at a level crossing near Ballymena when the Belfast to Derry train collided with a car at around 7.45am. Train operator Translink says 71 passengers were on board and ...
Chamber lobbies for end to Belfast investment divide.
Mar 04, 2008 ... The president of Derry's Chamber of Commerce says the city cannot be overlooked at the upcoming US Northern Ireland Investment Conference. Chamber President, Mr. Ian Crowe, was speaking at a lunch in the city's Beech Hill House Hotel this week which was attended by Dr. Paula ...
New user book launched.
Mar 04, 2008 ... A new book released by a group who raise issues that affect families of disabled children, has just been launched. "The Way I See It" by the Family Information Group, which contains a variety of views on the subject of user involvement, was launched on Friday at Derry's Central ...
Musical diversion for Paddy's Day Patrick's Day.
Mar 04, 2008 ... This year's St.Patrick's Day celebrations include a colourful and varied concert of traditional and world music to celebrate the city's diversity. The event, organised by Holywell Trust in association with Derry City Council, will take place at St Columb's Hall on Saturday, 15th ...
'Off the streets' has success in Creggan.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Moves to get Creggan's young people off the streets and into a safe, secure and fun environment at the weekends have proved successful, said Sean McMonagle, of the Neighbourhood Management team. Sean said: "The initiative to extend the out-of-hours service went ahead on Friday ...
Altnagelvin cleanliness satisfactory - but room for improvement.
Mar 04, 2008 ... A report carried out by consultants KPMG has found that standards of cleanliness at Derry's Altnagelvin Hospital are "generally satisfactory" but that there is still room for improvement. Facilities at the Derry acute hospital fall into the second band of environmental ...
Support meeting for stroke victims.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Two leading charities are asking those in the community who have been affected by stroke to come to a meeting today, March 4, to share their experiences. The meeting will also enable stroke survivors to discuss how the Health & Social Care ...
Shock at sudden death of well-known Derry solicitor.
Mar 04, 2008 ... There was widespread shock in the city yesterday following the sudden death of local solicitor Fergus McCafferty. He was aged 49. Mr. McCafferty, who owned his own practice, passed away at the City Hospital in Belfast. While he had been ill for some time, it's ...
Local centre told as Padre Pio is exhumed.
Mar 04, 2008 ... A Derry man, who runs the local official Padre Pio Centre affiliated to San Giovanni, last night told the 'Journal' that he had received official confirmation that the body of Padre Pio had been exhumed. Sean Mulrine said he received a call from the Our ...
Top of the Hill Celtic close gap on leaders.
Mar 04, 2008 ... TOP OF the Hill Celtic moved within a point of current league leaders, Abercorn following a last minute winner against the 720 in the Derry & District Premier Division on Sunday. The Waterside men moved into second place in the league ahead of fellow title hopefuls, Three ...
Romanian family targeted in paint bomb attack.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Paint bombs have been thrown through the window of a Romanian family's home. The front window of a house in Lisnagowan Court, belonging to Malin Rostas and his three children, had two bottles of paint thrown through it at around 10pm on Sunday. The family's three ...
Money Men.
Mar 04, 2008 ... BRANDYWELL boss, Stephen Kenny, found the official launch of the 2008 eircom League season in Dublin last weekend very interesting, especially when all those involved in the various panels spoke only of the eircom League's so called 'big four' clubs. And the wry smile which ...
Crozier furious as league run ends.
Mar 04, 2008 ... DERRY'S UNBEATEN league run came to an abrupt and controversial end at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney on Sunday afternoon, a pointed free by top scorer, Bryan Sheehan, deciding the destination of the points after what was a fascinating tussle. However, long before referee ...
Booze as bad as Troubles.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Alcohol is having the same effect on Derry's health as the Troubles did 25 years ago, according to a city G.P. Great James Street doctor, Anne Doherty, was speaking following the launch of 'Respect the Shamrock, Respect Yourself' charter, which will be displayed in bars across ...
'Consider yourself' in the finals!
Mar 04, 2008 ... There was drama as well as football at Brandywell Stadium on Friday when the city's latest televsion star took centre stage before the game. It was all too much for 12 year-old Waterside boy Gareth Borrow when he found out that he's made it onto a massive TV talent show with ...
Church bans chain letters.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Parishioners at a Derry church have been asked to stop leaving chain letters on pews. In the weekly parish bulletin of St. Columba's Church, Long Tower, Mass goers were warned that the letters have "no validity in Church teaching." The chain letters are traditionally ...
'Derry won't accept crumbs'.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Derry isn't prepared to "accept crumbs" in the battle to secure significant investment, Sinn Fein's Martina Anderson told her party's annual conference at the weekend. The Foyle MLA told delegates at the Ard Fheis in Dublin: "Derry is a city where 34 percent of children are ...
Platinum Fun Day for Macmillan.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Platinum Gym in Springtown Industrial Estate is working with Macmillan Cancer Support to offer a fantastic way to get fit but also raise funds for the local charity. Macmillan and Platinum Gym have been encouraging local people to participate from the warmth of the gym and ...
Anne is 'Learner of the Year' - official!
Mar 04, 2008 ... A Derry girl has been presented with the coveted CCEA Performance Skills Learner of the Year Award at a ceremony in Belfast. Anne McGinty completed a Performance Skills course with the Workers' Educational Association (WEA) at Reach Across, a cross community youth project. ...
Woman's Aid 'Day of Action' this Friday.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Derry's annual 'Day of Action Against Domestic Violence' this Friday, March 7, will see senior members of the PSNI and the Garda Siochana addressing the seminar on domestic violence at the Guildhall in Derry. Entitled 'Back To The Future - Policing and Domestic Violence', the ...
50,000 ways of helping people at risk of suicide.
Mar 04, 2008 ... A group of friends, bereaved by the suicide of one of their pals, were so determined no one else would suffer similar anguish they set about definitive action. The group printed a helpline card. In a deeply personal reaction to first hand tragedy, Conal Griffith, Michelle Coyle ...
Destruction of Tara a "ruthless desecration", says Heaney.
Mar 04, 2008 ... The construction of a motorway by the Irish Government through one of Ireland's most historic areas has been condemned by Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney as "a ruthless desecration". Criticising the M3 motorway project which is now well under construction through the lush green and ...
Creggan flooding.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Sinn Fein Councillor Kevin Campbell said he has been inundated with complaints about flooding at the back of the Creggan shops on Central Drive following last week's heavy rain. Councillor Campbell said residents are "fed up" with the lane behind the shop flooding every time it ...
Crew rescued from stricken vessel.
Mar 04, 2008 ... The crew of a 50-feet crabbing vessel had to be rescued from Lough Swilly in the early hours of this morning. At 3.45am Lough Swilly's All Weather Lifeboat and Atlantic 85 Lifeboat were tasked by Malin Head Coastguard to assist a boat in difficulty South East of Saldanna Head. ...
Man guilty of murdering drinking pal.
Mar 04, 2008 ... A 42-year-old Derry man was yesterday found guilty of murdering his drinking friend just hours after they'd been out celebrating the nineteen year-old's birthday. A jury of nine men and three women unanimously rejected Paul James Morrin's defence of non-insane automatism because ...
Traffic chaos after pole collapse.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Traffic chaos ensued at Bishop Street yesterday after a telegraph pole was pulled down during the night. Cables from the pole which is located behind the wall in Lumen Christi College were strewn across the road forcing motorists to turn back their cars, fearful of driving ...
Women asked to walk on Wednesday.
Mar 04, 2008 ... Grannies, mammies, daughters, (in-laws) aunties, girls, (friends) and women have been asked to take part in an interactive walking tour of the 'Historical Derry Walls' on Wednesday to celebrate International Women's Day. Finola Faller and Eilish Quigley of Tours n' Trails will ...
Deadline passes for airport families.
Mar 04, 2008 ... The ten remaining families at Donnybrewer Road whose homes are to be demolished to make way for a runway extension at City of Derry Airport are set to meet with Council enforcement officers. The residents of all 17 homes on the road, which sits next to City of Derry Airport, ...
11 Plus replacement plan:Where you live is where you learn.
Mar 05, 2008 ... Children's post-primary education in Northern Ireland will depend on where they live, it's been revealed. It was announced yesterday that a central group and five area groups are being set up to bring forward proposals on the future of education after the end of the 11-plus this ...
Paisley resignation 'end of an era' - Durkan.
Mar 05, 2008 ... Foyle MP Mark Durkan has described the announcement that Ian Paisley is to retire in May as "the end of an era" for Northern politics. The First Minister announced yesterday that he intended to step down as DUP leader and First Minister in May, shortly after the first ...
Danny Boy and St. Patrick's Day:.
Mar 05, 2008 ... Two US pubs are set to go head to head in a St. Patrick's Day battle over one of Derry's most famous songs. AJ's Cafe, in Michigan, and Foley's New York Pub & Restaurant have very different ideas on how they'll be using the Derry anthem to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year. ...
Derry man spearheads Trocaire campaign.
Mar 05, 2008 ... Derry man, Lawrence McBride, is Trocaire's Campaigns Officer and, as such, is central to the organisations 2008 Lenten Campaign. This year Trocaire is focusing on climate change and how it is affecting small rural communities in the Third World. Former St. Columb's College ...
[pounds sterling]50 wedding fee to meet costs - PP.
Mar 05, 2008 ... A Derry priest last night defended his decision to charge [pounds sterling]50 per wedding in his parish, saying it was a "token" amount compared to the overall amount spent on tying the knot today. Father Michael Canny, P.P. of St. Eugene's said that the majority of weddings in ...
Ramsey and me!
Mar 05, 2008 ... A Derry chef who has worked under Gordon Ramsay has brought his new found skills home for future cooks. John Crowe, who spent a placement at Ramsay's Claridges Restaurant in London gave a demonstration this week for his pupils at the North West regional College. ...
Kind-hearted Derry girls win caring awards.
Mar 05, 2008 ... Two kind-hearted Derry girls have won awards for their caring work in the community. The pair, who both attend St Mary's College, have been rewarded for their charity work in the city beating thousands of other hopefuls across Ireland. The girls were encouraged to ...
Search is on for Rose of Tralee 2008.
Mar 05, 2008 ... Girls in Derry are being reminded that the search is on for this year's Rose of Tralee Festival. This year every county in Ireland will again select a Rose. Thirty-two Roses will contest in the International Festival in August, six of which will be chosen from the 30 Irish Roses ...
Cabbie in river rescue.
Mar 05, 2008 ... A Derry taxi driver has been praised for rescuing a man from the River Foyle. The PSNI has commended the driver after he rescued the man from mud flats near the Craigavon Bridge on Monday night. The cabbie radioed police before climbing over the river emankment's ...
Strabane firm target of crane protest.
Mar 05, 2008 ... A Strabane construction firm has fired an employee who climbed a crane in a protest over builders' pensions. Union official Paul Hansard climbed a 52-metre crane on a building site in the East Wall area of Dublin because he claims his employers - Gmac scaffolding - were not ...
"We will go to our graves heartbroken" O'Hagan family speak out.
Mar 05, 2008 ... The father of murdered Derry man Gerald O'Hagan has told the 'Journal' he will go to his grave "heartbroken." Patrick O'Hagan was speaking after his son's killer Paul Morrin (42) was jailed for life on Tuesday. "We've got justice in a sense, no amount of time anyone ...
Jury sworn in in 'sham' wedding trial.
Mar 05, 2008 ... Two Nigerian men, one with an address in Dublin and the other with an address in Derry, are among a group of ten women and three men who are to stand trial charged with fifty-four offences of taking part in sham weddings with Chinese and Nigerian immigrants. A jury ...
Derry's Una in fitness race.
Mar 05, 2008 ... Derry girl, Una Harkin, faces a race against time to be fit to face England in Northern Ireland's first European Qualifying game against England on Thursday evening. The match is being billed by the IFA as the biggest game in the history of women's football within Northern ...
Decisions cost Derry dear as unbeaten run ended in Kingdom.
Mar 05, 2008 ... AS THE rain sleeted down from the McGillicuddy Reeks that towered over Fitzgerald Stadium, and the curvaceous and aptly named Punch Bowl completed the backdrop to the picturesque Killarney venue, even the Kerry fans sympathised with the disconsolate Derry support as they exited the ground ...
Job fears as factory stops production.
Mar 06, 2008 ... The North West manufacturing economy has been dealt another blow following the announcement that engineering firm Calcast is to temporarily close. The Campsie car part manufacturer, which makes aluminium cylinder heads for Ford cars, has informed its 100 workers that it will be ...
Connolly tickets on sale on Monday.
Mar 06, 2008 ... Tickets for Billy Connolly's stand up gigs in Derry will go on sale on Monday. Billy Connolly, widely regarded as "one of the greatest stand up comedians this generation," will make his Millennium Forum debut in the 'Too Old to Die' tour ...
Forced Oncoming Ambulance To Swerve.
Mar 06, 2008 ... The Magistrate's Court in Derry was told today that an ambulance driver rushing to Altnagelvin Hospital with a drugs overdose casualty on board wasforced to swerve to avoid colliding with an oncoming car being driven on the wrong side of the Caw roundabout. The car ...
Ivory Coast Footballer In Court In Derry.
Mar 06, 2008 ... A twenty-four years old father of two from the Ivory Coast, who currently lives with his wife at Glendale Road in Derry, was yesterday fined [pounds sterling]200 at the city's Magistrate's Court when he admitted driving a car without insurance, without a driving licence and with defective ...
Magistrate Rules That Male Rape Accused Can Be Named.
Mar 06, 2008 ... A Resident Magistrate yesterday ruled that a man charged with raping a young boy could be named. Barney McElholme overturned an earlier court ruling which banned the defendant from being named by the media. "I am very loath to restrict the freedom of the press to report ...
Candy Stripes off to winning start.
Mar 07, 2008 ... UCD . . . . .2 DERRY CITY . 3 DERRY City limbered up for Monday night's Setanta Sports Cup clash with a late, late winner against UCD in the North-West side's opening game in the eircom League season. Long standing captain, Peter Hutton, produced the goods ...
The Undertones celebrate 30 years of Good Vibrations.
Mar 07, 2008 ... Derry punk band The Undertones will headline a unique concert at Belfast's Mandela Hall on April 25, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Belfast based record label, Good Vibrations. The legendary label was founded by Terri Hooley in April 1978 and was based in his record shop on ...
Mixed feelings over Paisley's role in history.
Mar 07, 2008 ... DERRY politicians have aired mixed feelings over the role of Ian Paisley in the recent history of Northern Ireland. The announcement of the retirement of the First Minister and DUP leader - whose divisive career spanned almost half a century - has drawn both tributes and ...
Elderly Lifford dogtrack bookie robbed.
Mar 07, 2008 ... It has been claimed that a "Police free zone" in the village of Sion Mills enabled two culprits to escape with thousands of pounds in cash from an elderly bookmaker on his return home from Lifford dogtrack. The pensioner who does not wish to be named, works as an independent ...
Bogside 'eyesore' transformed.
Mar 07, 2008 ... Work is to begin on cleaning-up an area once branded one of Derry's dirtiest. The scheme - involving the removal of graffiti and a general clean-up - will take place at Lecky Road, underneath the flyover. With a community-based mural project nearing completion, Roads ...
'Journal' reporter storms best-seller list.
Mar 07, 2008 ... 'Journal' reporter Claire Allan has been celebrating this week after the paperback edition of her debut novel 'Rainy Days and Tuesdays' stormed into the Irish charts at number six. "I'm over the moon. I was shaking when I heard the news and I'm still overwhelmed now," she said. ...
Foyle MP's tribute to St Columb's 'good character'.
Mar 07, 2008 ... Foyle MP Mark Durkan has paid a glowing tribute to the "good endeavour and good character" of the current generation of pupils at St. Columb's College. The SDLP leader - who made his comments at the school's annual prizegiving ceremony this week - said that, at a time when "we ...
Nine put forward as city's worst buildings.
Mar 07, 2008 ... The nominations for Derry's worst buildings are in and ready to be put to the public vote. For the past week 'Journal' readers have been sending in their suggestions for Derry's Worst Building and it is now time to reveal the contenders for the unfortunate accolade. ...
Mary's in the running for New York.
Mar 07, 2008 ... A Derry dinner lady is swapping her pots and pans for a pair of running shoes to take on the New York marathon in November. Mary Downey from Amelia Court took up running two years ago to help ease the pain of her arthritis. The mum of two is now so hooked on walking ...
'Bored' teen stole woman's car.
Mar 07, 2008 ... A car thief with fifty-nine previous convictions, thirty-five of them for motoring offences, was jailed for nine months at the Crown Court in Derry this week when he admitted stealing a woman's car and causing [pounds sterling]1,000 worth of criminal damage to the vehicle. ...
Cops not to blame for man's death: Ombudsman.
Mar 07, 2008 ... THE FAMILY of Derry man Harry Jack who died after going missing from Altnagelvin Hospital just over a year ago say questions surrounding his death still have to be answered. Mr. Jack's brother, Mehawl, spoke out as a Police Ombudsman investigation cleared police of any blame for ...
Wetherspoons barred from St Patrick's launch.
Mar 07, 2008 ... A delegation from pub chain Wetherspoons were barred from entering the launch of the St. Patrick's Day 'Respect the Shamrock, Respect Yourself' initiative. The three representatives were turned away from the door of the Delacroix Bar yesterday morning by members of the Civic ...
Mum wants justice for Raychel.
Mar 07, 2008 ... Derry mother Marie Ferguson last night demanded a meeting with Chief Constable Hugh Orde to explain why none of the doctors and nurses who cared for her dead daughter were interviewed in the course of the criminal investigation. Mrs Ferguson claims the PSNI has admitted to her ...
"Gerald's killer was sick and evil".
Mar 07, 2008 ... The father of murdered Derry teenager Gerald O'Hagan has described his son's killer as "sick and evil." Paddy O'Hagan said there was a "sickness" in a man who could take a trophy picture of his son lying dead. Mr O'Hagan said he believed that after Paul Morrin murdered his son, ...