Residents of a private rural road in south Armagh are outraged at what they say is a highly organised waste dumping operation being carried out on land adjacent to their homes over the last two months.

  The angry residents of Station Road in Jonesborough say the suspected illegal dumping has become a major cause for concern in recent weeks with the stench created by the dumped waste material – which has been arriving at the field in convoys of 10 to 20 trailer loads each day  – leaving the locality “smelling like a landfill site.” 

“Families here have been like prisoners in our own homes, unable to open windows or doors or allow our kids outside to play the smell is so bad,” a concerned mother who lives along the narrow country lane said.

“This recent hot weather has made the situation worse and we are plagued with swarms of flies.  Lorries and tractor-trailers have been arriving in convoys each day to dump the waste material on the land and the drivers are rude and aggressive if tackled about it,” said the disgusted resident.  Shockingly, neighbours claim one particular driver insists on relieving himself in full view of residents’ homes, in “an act of intimidation and defiance.”

As the situation came to a head on Thursday last during a visit to the site from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), the local woman revealed that a similar waste dumping operation at the location was investigated by NIEA two years ago.  

“The Council, NI Environment Agency (NIEA), the Rivers Agency and the PSNI were all involved in the investigation two years ago when the same thing was happening.  Our narrow lane was besieged by trucks and tractors from 7am each day carrying waste to the fields,”  

She claims landowner, Stephen Donald, who lives in Loughbrickland, fobbed off enquiries from residents as to the nature of the dumping in 2016, advising them it was compost material he was transporting to the land to enrich the soil. 

“The situation was intolerable and only stopped after we residents alerted NIEA who carried out investigations at the site along with the Rivers Agency,” she added. 

The dumping is said to have started again around eight weeks ago, with the convoy of trucks and tractors carrying waste to the site – which is nestled in south Armagh’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – on a daily basis.  

“We are all highly concerned as to what’s going on here and about the potential health risks to ourselves and our children, not to mention the possible contamination of the land and the waterways. We want all agencies to come on board and help to stamp this out. We’ve had enough of living beside landfill.  It is an unbearable situation and we can’t simply sit back and allow this to happen again,” the worried resident added.  

Neighbours say NIEA agents witnessed the dumping of the material for themselves during their visit to the Station Road land on Thursday and they claim that a female NIEA agent was verbally abused by an aggressive lorry driver who objected to being questioned about his activities. 

Having spoken extensively to concerned residents on Thursday, NIEA agents advised them that soil samples taken suggest the waste is “brown bin waste” which does not meet the required grade.  The environmental body said further investigations will be carried out. 

According to residents, the trucks returned on Friday, undeterred by the NIEA visit. 

Local political representatives have slammed those responsible for the dumping and say  Station Road dwellers are “at breaking point” over the situation. 

Sinn Féin Councillor for the Slieve Gullion Area, Mickey Larkin urged “prompt and effective action from all the agencies involved” in order to end the dumping, while his colleague, Newry & Armagh MLA Megan Fearon, described the situation as “totally unacceptable and intolerable.”

“Local residents are at breaking point as rather than see their complaints and fears allayed they have watched them grow,” said Ms Fearon. 

“The local community need to feel that all Agencies including, the NIEA, Newry Mourne & Down Council and the PSNI are taking their concerns seriously and working to address them. I will be liaising with all involved to ensure that this unsatisfactory situation will hopefully be brought to an end.”

SDLP MLA Justin McNulty, said he had been contacted by the Station Road residents “who are very concerned for their own health and for the health of their children.” 

“It is outrageous to think that during the best spell of weather we have had in decades that parents would be reluctant to let their kids play outside because of health concerns related to the dumping of materials near their homes,” said Mr McNulty. 

“I have written to the NIEA seeking immediate action to ensure there are no health risks to the local families and to ensure that the appropriate licences are in place to facilitate dumping large quantities of materials.”

An NIEA spokesperson confirmed the agency has received complaints of alleged waste disposal at the site in Jonesborough and that the matter is currently under investigation. 

“As such no further comment can be made at this stage,”  added the NIEA representative. 

Police have not yet confirmed if any criminal investigation is being undertaken in relation to the matter. 

Police were called to the scene of a suspected illegal dumping operation in south Armagh on Tuesday last (24 July), days after the site was closed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).  

Angry residents of Station Road in Jonesborough had vented their outrage through the pages of The Examiner last week at being subjected to “living among the stench of landfill” emanating from the tonnes of waste material they claim is being dumped on a daily basis in fields adjacent to their homes by convoys of trucks and tractor-trailers over the last two months. 

The concerned families, whose homes are nestled in the heart of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Jonesborough, with Slieve Gullion mountain and Forest Park just a kilometre away, told The Examiner they were “like prisoners in their own homes” unable to leave doors or windows open or let their children out to play.  

At breaking point over the situation and concerned about the potential health risks for themselves and their children,  residents called in the NIEA, who visited the site on Thursday 19th July and witnessed the dumping operation for themselves.  Having taken soil samples, the environmental body closed the site for further tests to be carried out. A similar waste dumping operation at the location was investigated by NIEA, the Rivers Agency and the PSNI two years ago, say residents.

On Tuesday morning, a Station Road mum encountered a tractor-trailer travelling along the narrow country lane to the field and, after questioning the driver about his activities and discovering that he did not have any appropriate paperwork, she contacted police who arrived in a fleet of cars to the scene. 

“Five carloads of PSNI officers arrived. They surveyed the dumped waste material and spoke to the tractor driver,”  said the angry resident, who added that “everyone living here has had enough of this intolerable situation.”

“The rolling green fields we were promised when we bought our houses have never materialised.  Instead we are living with the most unbearable stench of waste and the land has been turned into boggy marshland.  We can’t let our children out to play.

“We are all so concerned as to what’s going on here and about the potential health risks to ourselves and our children, not to mention the possible contamination of the land and the waterways. 

“The NIEA have apologised to us and told us these activities ‘have just fallen through the cracks’.  What’s going on here right under everyone’s noses is unbelievable! 

“This a huge operation involving tonnes of waste material being transported here and dumped right out in the open on a daily basis.  We want to know how this can possibly be allowed to happen and we will not stand for it continuing.  

“We want all agencies to come on board and help us. We’ve had enough of living beside landfill.  It is an unbearable situation and we can’t simply sit back and allow this to happen again,” the worried mum added.  

Police have advised the residents that under no circumstances should any more vehicles be travelling to the site and that they should be contacted immediately should the convoys return.  The PSNI confirmed they had spoken to a number of individuals after being called to the Station Road site at around midday on Tuesday 24 July. A PSNI spokesperson said responding officers obtained information “which will be forwarded to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) in due course.” 

A new government report has revealed that Crossmaglen has the lowest income ranking of the whole of Northern Ireland.

The Multiple Deprivation Measures report, published on Thursday, found that residents of the border town are worse off financially than those living anywhere else across the north.

The report ranked all 462 electoral wards in terms of seven distinctive types of deprivation including income, employment, living environment and crime. Each ward helps make up the 80 district electoral areas for the 11 councils across Northern Ireland.

Its findings are based on information from multiple government departments and agencies as well as from the census and from other official statistics and used 38 separate indicators, such as incidents of violent crime, burglary and anti-social behaviour disorders.

The north Belfast Water Works area was found to be the most deprived area in Northern Ireland while the Hillfoot ward in east Belfast is the least deprived.

The grandmother of a missing Belfast woman  who was last seen in Omeath in April 2017, has issued a plea to anyone with information who can help to find her so that she can be given a Christian burial.

Twenty-eight year old Saoirse Smyth from west Belfast, has been missing for more than a year. Her last known movements have been traced to Omeath where she was living. She was last seen there in April 2017.  Ms Smyth had been reported missing in December 2017 – but she has never been found.  

Earlier this month, detectives launched a murder investigation into her disappearance. A 40-year-old man from Newry and a 48-year-old woman, have been questioned by detectives and released on bail.  A house in Omeath was also searched as part of the investigation.

During a press conference last week, Saoirse’s grandmother, 72 year old Vera Smyth said the last 16 months have been very hard for the family.

“No-one deserves this, we just want to get closure on it,” she said.

“We have heard she is dead and we want to find out where her body is so we can give her a Christian burial, and get closure for myself and the rest of her family.

“It is heartbreaking, someone out there knows something.

“If you know anything, come forward to give us peace of mind because she doesn’t deserve the death she has.”

Mrs Smyth said when police told her they believed her granddaughter had been murdered, she felt like a “ton of bricks” dropped from her heart to her feet.

“I couldn’t take it in, I still can’t accept it, it’s hard to take in,” she said.

“I pray to God she didn’t suffer, that it was an easy death, not that death is easy, but I hope she didn’t suffer.

“We knew there was something going on but we couldn’t put a finger on what was going on until the police told us she had been murdered, then it started to sink in, what had happened, where it had happened.

“The last 16 months have been very hard, I put up a front like nothing is going on, but I feel it inside.

“As a family we are always talking about her, sometimes I think she is going to walk through the door but she hasn’t.”

The West Belfast grandmother cared for Saoirse from the age of four after her mother died.   She described her as “a good child, but when she got up a bit, into secondary school, she became a bit out of control.” 

“She lived in a hostel when she turned 16, she wasn’t doing too bad, but I lost contact with her more often than I saw her.”

Appealing to young people to stay away from drugs, Mrs Smyth said “Drugs are a curse. Saoirse took drugs, it changed her life.”

PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Boyce said a large team of detectives were investigating Saoirse’s disappearance.

“Earlier this month there were a number of individuals arrested and a house searched with the assistance of An Garda Siochana in the Omeath area,” he said.

“The information is gathered at a pace, there are individuals who have been released on bail but they are to come back next month for further interview.

“The family are obviously devastated by the loss of Saoirse so my appeal is around Saoirse’s movements in April 2017, any snippets of information around whose company she was in around that time or where she is now would give the family some closure.”

A South Armagh man who was part of a criminal gang responsible for smuggling more than 17 million non-UK duty paid cigarettes and 1.4 tonnes of rolling tobacco into the UK from Southeast Asia, has been jailed for five years.

Forty three year old Sean Dolan, from Annaghmare Road, was sentenced along with three other gang members from the Northwest of England for evading duty and VAT on the smuggled goods to the tune of £4,308,832.

Mr Dolan, 51 year old Ian Pritchard of Church Green in Merseyside, Paul Smith, 47, from Rutherup Lane in Liverpool and Ian Hindle, 39, of Edge Lane in Merseyside used a rented flat in Liverpool as their base to plan the 20-month smuggling scam.

The operation was rumbled in September 2014 when two Border Force officials stopped two shipping containers at the Port of Felixstowe and discovered the smuggled cigarettes and tobacco inside. The goods were described as furniture on attached paperwork in an attempt to evade detection.

During a later search of Mr Dolan’s home, almost one million American Legend brand cigarettes were also found hidden in the garage. The gang laundered the proceeds of their illegal tobacco sales by purchasing high-value vehicles and selling them on. 

The fraudsters set up and fronted a UK-based business, and hijacked the identity of a legitimate business, in order to launder the proceeds and evade VAT.

The court heard how the gang paid more than £500,000 in cash for 102 vehicles totalling £1,138,029.  The money was then deposited into the bogus businesses. One of the businesses, headed by Pritchard, is said to have received a further £308,000 in cash over a seven-month period in 2015.

During Mr Hindle’s arrest, a carrier bag containing £41k in used notes was found under a mat in his car.  The cash was seized and forfeited.

Antony Capon, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said the gang were “foolish” to believe they could get away with committing such a large-scale fraud.  

“They thought that by setting up a fake business and funneling cash through it they would somehow stay under HMRC’s radar,” said Mr Capon.

“Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clamp down on the illicit tobacco market. This is theft from the taxpayer, denying public services much needed money.  We urge anyone with information about this, or any other tax evasion to contact HMRC online or our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”

The gang was sentenced to more than 25 years in total at court on Friday, with South Armagh man, Sean Dolan, sentenced to five years in prison.  Ian Pritchard received a ten year sentence while Ian Hindle was sentenced to five and-a-half years in prison and Paul Smith handed a five year term.

HMRC has now begun proceedings to reclaim the stolen tax.

The name ‘Bannon’ is well known, indeed legendary, in Irish climbing circles. Terence ‘Banjo’ Bannon was the second Irishman to conquer Mount Everest, reaching the summit in 2003. He was the first person to be awarded the freedom of his native city of Newry, and a monument to his achievement, evoking the silhouette of a mountain, stands proudly outside the City Hall.

Banjo’s wife, Lauren O’Malley, whom he first met on the slopes of Everest, is also no stranger to adventure and extreme events, having completed the gruelling 156 mile Marathon des Sables in the blistering heat of the Sahara Desert in 2017.

Now though, there is a new kid on the block. The adventurous couple’s son Conor,  has just turned 11 years of age, and in October, will become the youngest person from Northern Ireland to climb the 19340 feet to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Indeed he will become the youngest ever to scale the iconic mountain by the gruelling Lemosho or ‘Wild West’ route – where the final climb to the summit takes around 16 hours. 

Adventure and a desire to challenge himself are clearly in Conor’s blood, and he is relishing conquering the daunting mountain.  The young mountaineer also has his own health issues to take into account.  The superfit 11 year old lives with Common Variable Immune Deficiency, which requires fortnightly blood infusions at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

With this in mind, Conor, a P6 pupil at Killean Primary School in Jonesborough, chose the NI Children’s Hospice to benefit from the ambitious challenge, which he will undertake in October with his mum Lauren, along with Newry fireman Barry Duffy and the world’s first ice Triathlete, Camlough man, Padraig Mallon. 

Speaking to The Examiner about the charitable challenge, mum Lauren said Conor is relishing the climb and is “so excited to get started.”

“Conor is very driven and loves a challenge so as soon as I raised it as a possibility he was all for it,” said Lauren.

“We actually didn’t realise that he will officially be the youngest person to take on the Lemosho route but he has jumped at the chance to do it and he’s definitely ready and prepared for it,” says the mum-of-two who, along with husband Terence has instilled a life-long sense of adventure in Conor and his brother Rowan, travelling all over the world with their children to places like Vietnam and Borneo.  

The family just returned from jungle trekking in Belize in April – an experience Lauren says will be useful for Conor in acclimatising to the hot temperatures over the first few days of his Kilimanjaro climb, before the temperature drops at higher altitudes.

“Conor’s done a lot of training in the mountains around Ireland and he knows the challenge he’s taking on. The one unknown for him and for all of us is the altitude,” explains Lauren.

“It’s one of those variables that you just have to go with it and see how you do,” says Lauren who adds that, “There is a method in my madness in choosing the longer route though as my hope is it will allow Conor and I more time to acclimatise to the altitude.”

Living with the boys’ condition has clearly not stopped the Bannon family from their travels and adventures and Lauren agrees that they have certainly challenged the whole mindset around living with a medical condition such as Common Variable Syndrome. 

“We transferred to home treatments so we could travel with the boys and their treatments,” says the undaunted mum.

“We travel with medical supplies, pumps, blood product and everything the boys need. We just said from the very beginning that it wasn’t going to be an issue. Terence and I vowed we would make having the condition something that the kids normalised and it was never a barrier for them.  I think it has paid off because it really hasn’t been a barrier for the boys and hasn’t stopped them embracing life and adventure.”

Lauren says she is delighted that her intrepid son will also get to spend time with fellow adventurers, Barry and Padraig – “people of the same mindset who’ve done and continue to do exceptional things and who believe that nothing is impossible.” 

The Kilimanjaro challenge has been entirely self-funded by Lauren, Barry and Padraig so every penny raised will go to the NI Children’s Hospice. 

“We are doing this entirely out of our own pockets, in such a small group and as basic as we can, so everything raised goes to NI Children’s Hospice.”

Conor and his climbing party will embark on the ambitious expedition on October 23rd, arriving to start the trek on October 25th.  The team will be away for just under two weeks and will spend 8 days getting to the summit of the iconic mountain. 

Commenting on behalf of the charity, Regional Fundraiser Johnny Breen said,

‘That a young man like Conor is undertaking to fundraise on behalf of the children who desperately need this help is wonderful. So many will benefit from Conor and his climbing teammates’ efforts, and we are more than grateful for their support.’

‘There will be plenty of opportunities for the people of the area to support Conor’s efforts, and details will be available in due course. It is important to note that all proceeds will be gong to Children’s Hospice – the climbers are all paying their own expenses.’

‘Conor has set up a Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Conor-Bannon19340  and all donations will of course be gratefully received and put to very good use helping children all over Northern Ireland who desperately need all of our support.’. 

Congratulations are in order for Culloville teenager, Fergal Gregory who has been selected to compete in the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi next March.

The World Summer Games, which are being hosted by a Middle East-North Africa region for the first time in its 48-year history, will feature seven days of competition in 24 sports, and will see an estimated 7,000 Special Olympics athletes and their 2,600 coaches arrive in the UAE capital early to acclimatise to the time zone and temperature.

Fergal will make the trip to the middle east along with fellow Newry City AFC Special Olympics athletes, Peadar Connolly and Connor McClorey, in March 2019.  All three qualified for the games after taking home gold medals at the Special Olympics Ireland games in June, with Fergal scooping two golds for Kayaking at the Dublin games.  

Nineteen year old Fergal is well known for his sporting prowess as a gold medal winning swimmer and for his open water swimming achievements over the last number of years.  He also hit local headlines in March this year when he was named Inspirational Young Person of the Year at the Youth and Future Talent Achievement Awards (YAFTAS). 

Proud Newry City AFC Special Olympics coach Esther King, extended a massive congratulations to the winning trio, praising them and the entire club’s dedication to training, that has helped them make it to the World Games. 

“The team that we have in Newry is just second to none,” said Esther.  “We’re so proud beyond words. It’s the pinnacle, everyone is over the moon.”

With the games just eight months away, the hard working coach says the team will put in some tough training and are making the most of open water and kayaking season to get in as much practice as possible.  Between now and then a number of fundraising events will also take place across the district to raise vital cash to fund new Kayaks for the team to compete on the world stage, as well as to pay for the delegation of coaches and volunteers needed to attend the games with the local athletes. 

The first of these fundraisers is a charity walk taking place prior to the Bessbrook Duathlon on Friday 3rd August. 

For more information or to help out as a volunteer for Newry City AFC Special Olympics Club, go to the club’s Facebook page. 

The man accused of the murder of Bessbrook father-of-two Brian Phelan is currently on prison release licence having been convicted of the kidnap and sexual assault of a young woman in December 2012, The Examiner has learned.

Twenty-seven-year-old Daniel Carroll appeared before Newry Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning charged with the murder of Mr Phelan (33) who was stabbed to death in an incident on the Carrivekeeney Road, Corrinshego on Thursday afternoon. 

The alarm was raised at around 3.15pm and a rapid response unit carrying a paramedic was despatched to the scene along with an A&E crew and the charity air ambulance, however Mr Phelan is understood to have died of his wounds at the scene.

Carroll was arrested just hours after the murder, which has rocked the local community, and on Friday, detectives said they had located a car they believe was used in the attack, after appealing for the public’s help in tracking it down.  

Mr Phelan has been described as “a gentle giant” by family and friends, with the mother of his two young children breaking down at the scene of the stabbing, where anguished relatives continued to lay floral tributes in the days after the murder.

There were emotional scenes at Newry Courthouse on Saturday morning as murder-accused Daniel Carroll was remanded in custody charged with the murder of father-of-two, Brian Phelan. An angry mob – which included Mr Phelan’s ex-partner and mother of his two children, Amanda O’Riordan – hammered on the police prison van transporting Carroll to court, screaming abuse at the defendant.

Inside, as a stoney-faced Carroll appeared in the dock fixing his gaze on the public gallery where Mr Phelan’s distraught relatives sat, Ms O’Riordan lurched towards the dock in an attempt to reach the accused.  PSNI officers stepped in to restrain the sobbing mother, with Judge Eamonn King threatening to clear the court if there were any further outbursts.

“Out of respect for the deceased, his partner, his family and his children, this process will be conducted in a dignified manner,” warned the Judge. “Please allow justice to be done.”

During the brief hearing, Carroll, with an address of Edward Street in Portadown, spoke only to confirm his date of birth and that he understood the charge of murder being put to him.  At the conclusion of the brief hearing, Judge Eamonn King announced Carroll’s prison release licence “involving another criminal matter” was being revoked and he was remanded in custody to appear before the court via video-link on August 8th.

Relatives continued to shout abuse at the defendant as he was led from the dock and there were further angry scenes outside when Ms O’Riordan threw herself onto the bonnet of the police landrover carrying the murder-accused back to prison.The Examiner understands the revocation of Carroll’s prison release licence relates to a conviction in June 2014 when he received an eight year jail sentence after admitting a litany of crimes including kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual assault.  The offences occurred on December 21st 2012 when Carroll  – whose address at the time was Francis Hughes Park, Belleek – subjected a young woman to a “night of horror” after abducting her off the street in Dundalk.  Helped by a female accomplice, he drove the victim to his home in Belleek, from where the young woman’s ordeal only ended when she managed to flee the house and seek help from neighbours.

Following his trial in June 20-14, Carroll received an eight-year sentence – with his term split into 4 years in custody and the remaining four on licence.

Meanwhile, funeral arrangements for Mr Phelan had not been announced ahead of printing deadline.

Information is being sought from the public to help identify those behind the illegal dumping of hundreds of waste tyres along a pedestrian walkway, close to the roadside off the motorway at Carrickarnon last weekend.

The discovery of the huge pile of tyres on the Ravensdale Towpath, the entrance of which is located south of the border, close to the former Customs weighbridge at Junction 20, was made early on Saturday last.

Louth County Councillor Antóin Watters visited the scene and hit out at those responsible, pointing out that the illegal dumping of waste tyres has occurred in the area “on multiple occasions” this year.

“There was a massive load of hundreds of tyres blatantly dumped on the side of the motorway road.  To say I was incensed is an understatement, I was speechless. It is like Groundhog Day but this time they didn’t even bother to hide up a mountain road, they pulled up along a busy motorway and they had to have had a truck of some kind.”

Having contacted the Gardaí, Louth County Council and Motorway Maintenance, the councillor called on anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.

“Somebody must have seen something. I am asking everyone to please try and recall if you were driving along that stretch of the motorway last Friday night [27th July] if you saw a lorry or truck pulled in. Please check your dashcams, you never know, maybe you were driving behind a truck last night carrying tyres. I have asked Gardaí to check any CCTV along that route, be it from businesses or the motorway itself.”

Last month Councillor Watters placed a motion before Louth County Council calling for cross border co-operation with Newry, Mourne and Down Council on the issue of illegal dumping of waste tyres.

 “These people are using the border to their advantage and that needs to be addressed. We need a cross border joined up solution to this cross border problem,” he said.  “The dumping of heavy duty waste has become rampant in this part of the county and I believe it is from the same small number of criminals, and that is what they are.” 

Promising that the issue “will be resolved”, Councillor Watters revealed how his Sinn Fein party colleague in the north, Councillor Mickey Larkin, is also working to address the issue.

“Councillor Mickey Larkin in Slieve Gullion is fighting the same battle on his side of the border. It’s time for investment into this problem before it’s too late. It’s not good enough to spend money cleaning up after these dumpers, we need to take a pro-active approach to this and stop citing economics as a reason to do little or nothing,” he said.

Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact Dundalk Gardaí on 042 93 88 400.

An attack by vandals on the Kingsmill memorial last weekend has been met with abject anger and condemnation from all sides of the community.

Wreaths were torn from the roadside monument and flowers were strewn across the road, while a Tricolour was nailed to the structure in the attack, which was discovered early on Monday morning last.

Since it was erected in 2014, this is the fourth reported attack on the memorial dedicated to the ten victims of the Kingsmill Massacre of January 1976. 

The area’s MP Mickey Brady condemned the attack, describing it as “inexcusable and repugnant”.  “Everyone must have the right to remember their loved ones with dignity and respect,” he posted on his Twitter account.

Ulster Unionist councillor David Taylor said he is “truly appalled” at the attack.

“The Kingsmil’ls families have suffered enough anguish and pain over the last 42 years and it is clear that the perpetrators of this heinous crime have sought to further compound their heartache by carrying out such an action.  It is truly horrifying that an incident so sinister in nature has taken place at the Kingsmill’s Memorial,” he said.

“My thoughts first and foremost are with the Kingsmill’s families who are understandably very distressed at this attack on the memorial. They should not have to contend with such despicable behaviour from those with a very obviously cruel and sectarian mind-set.”

Appealing for anyone with information to report it to the PSNI, he added: “There is no possible defence or justification for this. The individuals who perpetrated this shocking crime must be brought to justice.”

SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh, Justin McNulty described the attack as “totally reprehensible”.

“These perpetrators will not succeed in the dragging us back to the past. This was not only an attack on a memorial, but on the bereaved families of the victims.  The nailing of the tricolour to the memorial shows how little respect they have for their own national flag,” he said.

Sinn Fein’s Megan Fearon condemned those responsible saying it was “a despicable act designed to hurt the families of the victims”.

“There is absolutely no place in our society for desecrations of monuments which commemorate those who died during the conflict.  Monuments and memorials are important places in communities and should be respected.  And those who placed a national flag on the Kingsmill monument clearly have no respect for the meaning of that flag which is about peace and harmony between the main traditions on this island,” Ms Fearon said.

Police are treating the incident as a sectarian/hate crime and have appealed for information to help identify those responsible.

An Ombudsman investigation has been launched to look into claims that police failed to properly deal with abuse allegations made by a former altar boy against paedophile priest Malachy Finegan more than two decades ago.

Hilltown man, Sean Faloon, waived his right to anonymity earlier this year, to reveal the abuse he endured as a 10 year old altar boy at the hands of the disgraced cleric.  The police watchdog will look into alleged failings by the then RUC to investigate the abuse allegations made by Mr Faloon in 1996.

Finegan, who died in 2002, was accused of systematically physically and sexually abusing young boys throughout his time as a teacher and President of St.Colman’s College in Newry, spanning 20 years from 1967 to 1987. He was also accused of sexual and physical abuse against boys on church premises.  

The first of a dozen abuse allegations is understood to have been reported to the Diocese of Dromore in 1994.

According to Mr Faloon, the grooming and abuse began in 1989 and continued for another eight years, only coming to light when he was 17 years old and confided in his GP.  The Hilltown man’s family and police were later informed.

The PSNI have also set up a dedicated team to investigate the circumstances of the child abuse carried out by Finegan.

KRW Law partner, Claire McKeegan, who represents several of Fr Finegan’s victims revealed that a submission was forwarded to the Police Ombudsman on behalf of 30 known victims and survivors of the paedophile priest.

“It is difficult for victims to understand how repeated offences against children occurred in an educational and institutional context, particularly these offences which are of the highest gravity, where there was complaints made as to abuse, but there seems to have been no adequate investigation addressing the abuse”, Ms McKeegan said.

“Clearly given the role that Finegan played throughout his time at St Colman’s, including as principal of the school, allegations of this nature should have been investigated promptly and thoroughly.

“Systemic clerical abuse of this nature over a long period of time has yet to be the subject of a public inquiry in Northern Ireland and nor have victims and survivors had any form of redress that offers the possibility of closure and resolution or care they so greatly need.”

A father-of-two from Bessbrook who was stabbed to death on a rural road outside Newry two weeks ago has been laid to rest.  The funeral of 33 year old Brian Phelan, took place on Tuesday last in St Peter and Paul’s Church in Bessbrook, with burial in the adjoining ceremony.

Friends of Mr Phelan had organised an improvised car and bike rally to follow the motoring enthusiast’s funeral cortege as it made its way through the south Armagh village. 

At his Requiem Mass, mourners heard the popular dad of six year old daughter Georgia and three year old son Brian, described as “a wonderful and compassionate” person who will be sorely missed by his heartbroken family and friends. 

His parents Angela and Paddy said their son – “our life, our soul, our rock” –  had “the most wonderful smile which always lit up the room” and had been a protective brother and a devoted father. 

An emotional tribute read out on behalf of Mr Phelan’s children said,

“You have given us the most precious gift of all: time. You showed us what laughter really means. We love you daddy.”

Mr Phelan was killed during a stabbing incident on the rural road in Correnshego outside the city on July 26th. A rapid response unit, A&E crew and the charity air ambulance attended the scene, however the 33 year old died of his wounds at the scene.

Twenty seven year old Daniel Carroll, who was arrested just hours after the murder, has been charged with Mr Phelan’s murder.  He remains in custody to appear by videolink on August 8th. 

A Newry mum and her 10 year old son have sought to highlight the need for increased support for young carers in the north by sharing the story of their own struggle with the demands of a household caring for children with a disability.

Young Alex Tavey is one of around 6,500 children under 16 in Northern Ireland who help care for their families. He and his mum Martina, spoke to BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire last week about the challenges the summer can bring to young carers. 

Describing her son as a “little superhero,” Martina told the BBC show that she relies on her him constantly to help with his four year old twin sisters, Zoey and Ruby who both have special needs.  Zoe has severe autism, is completely non-verbal and requires round-the-clock care, whilst sister Ruby has learning difficulties. Seven-year-old brother, Podraig, also has vision problems.

The single mum admits feeling “constant guilt” for the burden her ten year old is shouldering and says he has been her “rock”, taking on extra responsibility at home with his siblings after the break up of her marriage. 

“He’s my rock. Everything I do he’s there with me, he’s my little shadow,” said the proud mum of the P6 pupil, whose support for his mum was recognised earlier this year when he received a Special Recognition Award at the Sunday Life Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards.

“From feeding time, breakfast time, lunch, dinner, appointments, trips in the car shopping, Alex has to be there with me as Zoey is so difficult that I need an extra pair of hands,” she added, calling for more support for young carers like Alex.

“We just feel there should be more support, more time for Alex, a break. During the summer holidays, he’s turning friends away from the door and whilst everyone else is out playing until 7.30 or 8pm, he has to come in earlier to give me a hand to get the twins into their routine for bedtime.”

“So, it’s constant from we get up until we got to bed,” said Martina, who exists on around three or four hours sleep each night due to Zoey’s sleep difficulties. 

Alex gave up his twice-weekly football practice and swimming classes this year to give his mum the vital help she needs with the twins. 

Martina says their home life is a “constant pressure” and that more needs to be done to help families like hers where children are providing care.  

“Alex needs a bit of time with me, a bit of normality, but there’s none of that,” she says.

“Yes, there are fun days when Action for Children Young Carers take him away for one day a month as a wee reward for what he does but there needs to be more for children like Alex. Their childhood is gone I feel.  All we want is a wee bit of normality.”

If you would like help or support from Action For Children Young Carers you can send  a private message to the Facebook page or call on: 028 9046 0500

In an unprecedented show of community support and generosity, more than 2,000 people took to the streets of Bessbrook on Friday evening for a fundraising charity walk in aid of three-year-old Ellen Treanor, who is battling a rare and aggressive childhood cancer. 

The event was organised as part of a campaign to raise funds for Ellen to access treatment that may not be available through the NHS, and the coffers received a massive boost when proceeds from the event amounted to the fantastic sum of £13,523.89.

It seemed even the weather wanted to be part of the fundraiser, as the rain that had fallen for most of the day stopped and the sun shone on the thousands of walkers who had turned up to show their support for little Ellen whose plight has touched the hearts of everyone across the district.

Diagnosed in January with stage four high-risk neuroblastoma, a particularly aggressive and complex cancer, the brave tot has already undergone gruelling treatment over the last six months including eight cycles of high dose chemotherapy, surgery to remove a tumour from her stomach and a stem cell transplant.  

Her family hope following this latest bout of treatment that Ellen will be in remission, however, they are “very aware” that the cancer could return and are preparing themselves for that eventuality.  Almost half of children with high-risk neuroblastoma will relapse and in such cases, the survival rate is low.

To offer Ellen her best possible chance, the family have joined forces with Solving Kid’s Cancer, a neuroblastoma charity, to try to raise the hundreds of thousands of pounds needed that will enable her to take part in a clinical trial in America.

Having put out an appeal for people across the district to come together to support ‘Ellen’s Journey’ , the community responded en masse, the huge crowd that turned out for Friday’s walk a testament to the groundswell of empathy and compassion for the little girl.

Participants described it as “humbling” saying Ellen’s story had touched the hearts of everyone throughout the district and beyond.

Speaking afterwards her parents Claire and Paddy said they were “absolutely blown away” by the outpouring of love and support and vowed to continue the campaign to enable their young daughter access treatment that will offer her the best possible chance of survival.

To further the fundraising campaign, a number of events are currently being organised including participation in the Bessbrook Duathlon, A Night for Ellen in Gorman’s, Mayobridge and quiz nights.

Donations to the fund can also be made by texting ELTR77, following by the amount you wish to donate, to 70070; or visit www.solvingkidscancer.org /ellentreanor or www.justgiving.com/charity/solvingkidscancer/ellentreanor.

For up to date information on planned events follow ‘Ellen’s Journey’ on Facebook, telephone 07810494527 or email: ellensjourney@hotmail.com.

The Commission for Victims and Survivors is hosting a special consultation session in Newry this week to hear from people from South Down and Armagh who have been affected by the conflict.

The event, which will be held on Tuesday 14th August, is part of a campaign by the Commission to hear the voices of those who may never have come forward before who want to understand what is in the proposed Westminster legislation and how it may affect them.   

The Consultation proposes four of the mechanisms outlined in the Stormont house Agreement in 2014 – the Historical Investigation Unit, the Oral History Archive, the Independent Commission for Information Retrieval and the Implementation and Reconciliation Group are designed to address truth, justice and acknowledgement needs of victims and survivors.  

According to Commissioner Judith Thompson, the scheme is “probably the most important public consultation process since the Good Friday Agreement referendum”, and she is calling on government bodies, political representatives, councils and area-based civic groups to support all public events in order to reach the thousands of individual victims and survivors who have never told their story but who have a major contribution to make.

“Consultation questions can often seem overwhelming to answer or people can find it difficult to describe how these organisations would impact a person accessing them,” Ms Thompson said.

“It is the job and wish of the Commission to help people to fully explore what these proposals could mean for them and to have their say.  The Commissioner will then listen to these views and they will inform the advice she will be submitting to the Secretary of State on Legacy matters.  It’s about asking them ‘What should a truth recovery process about the death of a loved one look like to you and your family? How can you be supported when going through an investigative process?  Does the outline of the Implementation and Reconciliation Group go far enough to acknowledge the harm done?  How can we use the Oral History Archive to teach future generations about our past to ensure this level of harm never happens again?’.

“It is also a chance for those victims who feel their needs aren’t addressed in the consultation to voice what else their government needs to do in addition.  This includes a pension for the severely injured and looking at how we can support and address the needs of those victims who have been impacted by non-fatal incidents during the Troubles.”

To register for the Newry discussion group or for further information, please contact the Commission on (028) 9031 1000 email commission@cvsni.org.

Newtownhamilton is set to benefit from a vital lifeline in the form of a First Responder Group to assist the ambulance service.  The project, which emulates the Community and District First Responder Scheme which has been so successful since its inception in Crossmaglen three years ago, will see volunteers trained to offer assistance in certain medical emergencies, bridging the gap between an incident and the arrival of the ambulance service. 

First Responders deal  with emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes, choking/seizures and diabetic coma and are not  deployed to attend trauma calls or dangerous situations. In rural areas, the existence of such an initiative could mean the difference in life and death while a casualty awaits emergency medical help.

Newtown’s Community Association is embarking on a recruitment drive to encourage volunteers to become involved and help to bring the lifesaving initiative to the community.

Newtown Community Centre’s Niall Murray believes the scheme could prove critically important to the town.

“Newtown is a rural area so this sort of service is essential,”, he explained, adding that the Crossmaglen First Responders Group had actually approached the Newtown Community Association to recommend setting up a trained group of volunteers in the south Armagh town.

“It takes about half an hour for an ambulance to get to Newtownhamilton from Daisy Hill Hospital and that’s if they’re not busy,” said Niall.

“There’s a golden hour for those who have a stroke or heart attack so a service like this is very essential. That’s really why we are forming this group.”

“We are trying to get as many volunteers together as possible and we are going to hold a meeting with the ambulance service to get it up and running.  We would love to get as many people there as possible.”

The meeting will take place in Newtownhamilton Community Centre this Thursday 16th August at 7pm in the Community Centre.  Anyone over the age of 18 can join the First Responders Group and all training is provided.  Volunteers do not necessarily need to become First Responders as people are also needed to help with fundraising for the vital equipment and medical kits required for the team.  Thursday’s meeting will cover all aspects of the scheme, and discuss fundraising ideas to cover some of the costs involved.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has apologised to a Forkhill man who waited for two and a half hours at the roadside for an ambulance to arrive after a bike accident left him unconscious and bleeding.

Local shop manager, Sean Toner, was travelling on his bicycle along the Carrickasticken Road in Forkhill on 27th June when the accident occurred around 6.15pm.  Having gone over the handlebars of the bike, Mr Toner says his head took the brunt of the fall, rendering him unconscious.  A first responder who quickly rushed to the scene, arriving at around 6.45pm, checked Mr Toner’s vitals, injuries and cognition regularly while awaiting paramedics.

In a letter written to the Department of Health outlining his ordeal, the Forkhill man commended the first responder for his actions.

“He continually assessed me and kept myself and my family calm too,” he said. 

“It was clear though that he was worried about spinal damage, a possible brain injury, the severity of my wounds and also the fact that I was very disorientated the whole time.”  

According to Mr Toner, the first responder expressed his concerns about his condition and told him he needed to get to A & E as soon as possible – however the ambulance did not arrive until 8.45pm, some two and a half hours later.

“When the ambulance arrived, I was very swiftly taken to Daisy Hill Hospital and the paramedics and medical team worked quickly and efficiently to assess my injuries. I received full scans to ensure there was no brain injury and my wounds were attended to.”

Despite suffering a broken nose, severe concussion and needing 20 stitches in his face, Mr Toner says he was extremely lucky not to have sustained serious injury, thanks to wearing his helmet, “and also because I had great first responders on the scene immediately.” 

“Due to the mechanism of my injury, it’s clear any number of complications could have arisen in the 180 minutes that the first responder would not have been equipped to deal with,” he added.

“The collision with the road could have caused a brain haemorrhage resulting in a traumatic brain injury or fatality, or how I fell may have resulted in a spinal fracture or spinal cord injury.” 

The store manager said the thought of the same thing happening to another cyclist or pedestrian without immediate medical attention was “terrifying” and added,

“I understand that our health system is under pressure but waiting for an ambulance for 2 and 1/2 hours at the side of the road with a head injury is unacceptable. Emergency services are an essential requirement in my area of South Armagh. Thankfully my injuries were not life threatening, but they could have been and this accident was not a freak accident – these types of accidents happen daily. If the ambulance service continues to be underfunded, under-resourced and understaffed, common accidents like mine or worse will end in fatality.”

Thankfully Mr Toner says his recovery was very good at Daisy Hill and he is back on his feet again.

A Northern Ireland Ambulance Service spokesperson told The Examiner that based on information provided to the call-taker, the 999 call was determined to be Category B, (serious but not immediately life-threatening), which NIAS seek to respond to within 21 minutes.

“NIAS immediately despatched a Rapid Response Paramedic to the scene, who, on arrival, undertook assessment and initial treatment of the patient,” said the spokesperson.

“A conveyancing ambulance was requested to take the patient to hospital. However, due to ambulances being involved in other emergency calls within the area, NIAS was unable to provide this transport until 8.15pm.

“The conveyancing ambulance arrived at 20:49 and the patient was taken to Daisy Hill Hospital.”

The NIAS spokesperson apologised to Mr Toner for the delay in transporting him to hospital, and cited a year on year increase in demand for ambulance services.

“The number of calls to the Ambulance Service has increased from 150,093 in 2012/13, to 220,090 in 2017/18, an increase of 46%,” the statement revealed.

“In order to address this deteriorating position, NIAS has undertaken a detailed demand and capacity analysis which has established the level of additional capacity required to meet demand within the target timescales, and is developing proposals for a new clinical response model to provide the most urgent response to the most clinically urgent patients. This proposed new model is based on similar models introduced elsewhere in the UK which have proved effective and indicate improved patient outcomes. We expect to undertake a public consultation on this proposed new model in the near future.

“NIAS would advise that anyone who has an emergency clinical need for our service to contact us immediately on 999. However, if your need is not immediate, i.e. neither life threatening nor serious, please consider a range of other treatments, including self-care, pharmacy, GP, or self-transport to the Emergency Department.”

Any proposals to introduce stop and search procedures for people crossing the border in the wake of Brexit will be vehemently opposed, nationalist politicians have insisted.  The warning came as it emerged that  proposed new legislation which is currently working its way through Westminster contains controversial powers which mean any member of the public could be stopped, searched and detained within a mile-wide strip of the border.

The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill has already passed committee stage at Westminster and could become law by the end of the year. The proposed legislation could introduce a mile-wide strip along the border where an “examining officer” may question a person to ascertain if they are engaged in “hostile activity” or to establish if they are entering or leaving the north.

The planned new laws will also see stop and search tactics used on passengers in train stations if “it is the first place at which a train travelling from the Republic of Ireland stops for the purposes of allowing passengers to leave”.  Effectively, this means train passengers arriving from the Republic to Newry train station, around six miles away from the border, could be stopped, searched and detained.

Local and national politicians have slammed the introduction of the bill, with Sinn Féin Deputy Leader Michelle O’Neill accusing the British Government of duplicity over the new legislation ‘which is clearly preparing for a hard border in Ireland’.

 “The use of stop and search powers is already a cause of massive concern in nationalist areas and if powers as wide-ranging as these were introduced, it would be disastrous,” Ms O’Neill said, adding that the bill runs counter to human rights provisions and the Good Friday Agreement, as well as contravening the principles of the European Common Travel Area. 

She said it is clear that the government is preparing for the imposition of a hard border in Ireland,”in direct contravention to the assurances they gave to the European Union last December. It is sheer duplicity and the Irish Government and the EU 27 cannot allow them to renege on those guarantees.

Locally, SDLP MLA Justin McNulty branded the border zone proposals an “outrageous assault on border life and on the Good Friday Agreement of which the UK Government is a co-guarantor.”

“The UK government appear to neither care about nor understand the anxiety they are causing through their unwillingness to recognise the importance of no interference with the freedom of movement of people, goods and services here,” said Mr McNulty.  

The Newry and Armagh MLA added that, “despite two years of platitudes, the UK Government and their DUP sidekicks have taken absolutely no opportunities to provide meaningful reassurance on post-Brexit arrangements. To make these provisions at this time is unbelievably tone deaf.”  

Slamming the proposals as “an affront” to the Good Friday Agreement he said people in border counties are again “the casualties of the British government’s incompetence.”

“We have been consistently clear that the North must stay part of the Single Market and Customs Union in order to prevent any border either on this island or down the Irish Sea.”

Politicians have been united in their condemnation of those responsible for an anti-internment  bonfire in Newry which featured a sign mocking prominent loyalist campaigner Willie Frazer and the IRA killing of his late father, UDR member Bertie Frazer.

The sign placed on the bonfire at Parkhead in the city, along with a union jack flag and other offensive slogans, referred to the August 1975 murder of Bertie Frazer and directed at this son Willie asked had he “found his daddy yet?”

Mr. Frazer, who claims he was stoned and bottled when he visited the bonfire on Wednesday night to take a photograph, has called it mindless sectarian bigotry.

“This shows the mentality of these mindless uneducated entrenched individuals. These people are unwilling to move forward their only aim is to provoke and spread their hate filled agenda,” he said.

Political representatives across the main parties have slammed the organisers of the bonfire. Sinn Fein’s Newry and Armagh MP Mickey Brady said his party condemned the burning of flags, emblems, effigies and posters on bonfires.

“This so called anti-internment bonfire has nothing whatsoever to do with the legacy of internment. It is anti-republican, and does not celebrate any aspect of Irish national identity or cultural traditions. Those responsible are under no circumstances acting in the name of republicanism.  Such actions are hate crimes and must be eradicated,” Mr Brady said.

SDLP MLA Justin McNulty said those responsible for the offensive sign should be “ashamed”.

“In 2018 there can be no tolerance for such hate in our society,” he said.  “The SDLP’s message is clear, these actions do not reflect the true meaning of what it means to be an Irish Republican, and I hope they are widely condemned.”

Ulster Unionist Councillor David Taylor said the organisers of the bonfire had committed “a multitude of hate crimes” and “should be roundly condemned for their sickening actions.”

“The Frazer family have suffered greatly at the evil hands of Republicanism terrorism and it is completely unacceptable that they should have to tolerate this despicable behaviour.”

In a statement, the PSNI said: “We recognise the hurt and frustration that this has caused to many in the community.  Should evidence come to light that a crime has been committed and suspects identified, they will be brought before the courts.” 

A Mullaghbawn mum of seven month old twins has managed to juggle the demands of new motherhood (multiplied by two!) to launch her own quirky and unique Irish language t-shirt range – which is already appealing to a global market. 

Despite “being cocooned on the sofa” breastfeeding her twin girls, entrepreneurial Louise Smith, says she was determined to keep her mind active and began to look into a creative home business she could undertake while on maternity leave.  With the idea of a t-shirt printing business suggested by friends and family,  Louise began to search YouTube to get clued up on how to start her own print-on-demand t-shirt business from home. 

In a bid to come up with some innovative designs, the Irish language enthusiast decided to combine her love of the language with her flair for puns and wordplay to develop ‘smigsmig’ (meaning chin chin), a range of funny, stylish t-shirts, which include slogans ‘Fleadh-ed Out’, featuring traditional Irish musical instruments, and Teanga Bheo, meaning a living tongue.

Translations and explanations of the slogans accompany the designs online, and smigsmig has already found a demand among US customers for its Slán a Bhalla t-shirt, which plays on the phrase ‘slán abhaile’ meaning ‘cheerio’ and features President Trump peeking over a wall. 

“Once I put the idea out there, anyone who knows me and my love of silly puns and Irish agreed this could be the perfect business for me!”  Louise told The Examiner.

“While the girls slept or fed, I used whichever hand was free to reach for the laptop and research how to do this,” says the busy mum, who set about designing t-shirts and developing an e-commerce site to access a global market of Irish people at home and abroad.

After months of manic multi-tasking, Louise launched her tees among musicians and makers at the recent SOMA festival in Castlewellan.  Her puntastic offerings proved to be a huge hit, with slogans such as Faoi Lán Cheoil, (Alive with Music) and Fleadh-ed to the Mat well-suited to the festival, as Castlewellan prepared for the Ulster Fleadh and for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann this month.  Some musicians proudly wore their new tees on stage, with world renowned uilleann piper and whistle player,  John McSherry, declaring the smigsmig tees as “really clever” and “a fresh way to show you’re proud to be Irish.”

Adding to her range on a regular basis, Louise’s latest design is Póg mo Shrón, meaning Kiss My Nose and features an elephant with a very long trunk.  The creative business woman hopes to take her fun range of t-shirts to this week’s Fleadh in Drogheda and she reveals she has also been busy networking with international contacts at home and abroad to get the smigsmig brand out there.  

Global shipping is available to over 40 countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most European Countries, offering Irish people at home and abroad the opportunity to choose style with a smile at www.smigsmig.com or via the Smigsmig Facebook page.

Local stockists include Ti Chullain in Mullaghbawn and Good Craic Gifts in Rostrevor.