News, too, ain’t what it used to be! The following were extracted from the local papers of 100 years ago.
‘The myriad of blue hyacinth in bloom in the long stretch of the Narrow Water Wood between Newry and Warrenpoint formed a lovely picture, which garnered the admiration of travellers between Newry and Warrenpoint especially those on the Great Northern Railway Company’s line.’
Or could it just be that the literary standards of journalists were higher?
Crime too, seems to have been much less brutal!
‘The bicycle which mysteriously disappeared from the barracks was recovered by the police and handed over to the rightful owner Lieutenant Halfpenny.
This satisfactory condition of things was due to Sergeant McBride and Constable Leonard of Canal Street Barracks.’
Ah, but it wasn’t just bicycles!
Other modes of transport caused problems too for the police!
‘An Aughavilla man was summoned to Warrenpoint Petty Sessions for having been such a distance from his horse and cart as not to have proper control over it.
The Constable said that the defendant was in Reid’s Public House and he (the policeman) had to stop the animal from running away.
‘The horse wouldn’t have gone more than a lamp post!’ contended the owner.
‘Sure, he doesn’t know the way home!’
The defendant continued that he had left the animal in the charge of his daughter.
‘Not so!’ said the policeman.
‘The animal was walking away all on its own!’
Is it any wonder fewer and fewer people are buying or reading local papers, when they refuse to publish such weighty matters in their pages?
‘Miss Lecky Brown-Lecky whose marriage was to take place at Fintimara, Warrenpoint was (writes the social affairs correspondent) considered a ‘very sporting young lady’ who ‘rides uncommonly well’.
She was also an excellent
I still cannot decide for myself whether or not the latter entry was ‘taking the Michael’!