Our
deepest and sincerest sympathies are extended to the husband, Sean, the
children, Cian, Moya and Rory, the parents Willie (McGivern) and Bernadette
(formerly Kane) and all the other relatives and friends of the beautiful
Anne-Marie O’Connell of Highfields Avenue, whose remains will be interred after
11.00 Requiem Mass in Cloughogue Church tomorrow morning.
Your
editor was fortunate to befriend Anne-Marie in the last year of her life on
earth.
Also
condolences to Brian (husband) and all the relatives of Sylvia Dodds whose
remains are being interred this week in Birmingham. Brian has been the backbone of Newry Journal
for some years past.
Also to the relatives of Maura
Cunningham of Ardfreelin (formerly Connor of High Street) whose remains were
interred after noon Mass in the Dominican this morning.
Father
Peter McVerry of Newry has again been honoured for his work with the homeless
in Dublin.
At
a ceremony held today at the site of the former Maze prison, community and business
leaders and politicians will present him with the Harry McKillop Irish Spirit
Award.
As
noted elsewhere on this site (search .. McVerry) Peter opened the very first
Centre for the Homeless in the Republic in 1979.
The utter shame and disgrace of the
worst attendance of any person serving on the FIVE Education and Library Boards
in Northern Ireland (as reecords released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal) is held by local Sinn Fein Councillor and former Mayor of Newry, Mr Pat Maginn
– who attended a mere six of twenty-two important meetings.
His
party colleague, Councillor Brendan Curran was, in relative terms, no better at all, present at less than half of the
meetings he was due to attend.
Yet
these people – and other politicians on the Boards - will be certain to contact
all local papers in a furore of protest when the imminent announcement is made - by their party colleague amd local (well, Mayo actually) MLA Catriona Ruane - in her capacity as Minister of Education - of
the widespread closure of rural schools and further cutbacks to Library
Services.
Electors
have the right to ask where all these people were when the issue was debated and before the decisions were made!
…………….
Those interested in news of the ongoing controversy of 'Bagenal's Castle ... or not' may like to follow this link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/17/ncastle117.xml
News 
