Bushmills PSNI Station - Threatened by Closure

Third of police stations face closure

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Save our station!

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Bushmills Primary School Principal Jack Gault, TUV Councillor Sharon McKillop, UUP Councillor and Vice Chair of Moyle District Council Sandra Hunter and UUP Councillor William Graham pictured outside Bushmills Police Station as they launch their campaign

COUNCILLORS in Bushmills are calling on the local community to show their support for the village police station, which is under threat of closure.
They have joined together to launch a petition - and want to gather as many names as possible to show how important the facility is.
Speaking on behalf of the Causeway councillors, the UUP's Sandra Hunter said: "Local councillors are asking for you to strongly support a petition in local shops and businesses in Bushmills and the rural area to keep our local neighbourhood police and the facility of the station in Bushmills.
“We understand the station is under threat from closure (Estates Strategy 2012/15) and we want to make sure the station is retained and kept open for the community.
“At present we are able to put a name to the face of police officers through community contact and these relationships will be lost forever if the station is allowed to close.
“The symbolism of a local police presence in rural areas gives us all a feeling of safety and security.
“The local police, having familiar knowledge of the local area, means faster response times and more police presence as there is no loss of travel time from further afield stations.
“Having a police station symbolises Bushmills as a safe place to live and the station can be used as a base for local police, an operational base for major searches or a control point for any difficulties that may arise.
“With this being one of the main tourist areas in Northern Ireland we want it to be a safe place for visitors as well as local residents.
“Please sign the petition at a convenient location in Bushmills and the surrounding area.

What's in a Name - Malcolm 'Moltke' Magill?

A few weeks ago a friend mentioned the name Malcolm Magill MM, Malcolm is named in "Three Cheers for The Derrys!", a history of the 10th (Derry) Battalion based on the recollections of veterans Jim Donaghy and Leslie Bell.

Malcolm (aged 18) appears in the 1901 Census in the Townparks in Magherafelt along with his father James (52), mother Eliza (50) and siblings John (31), James (25) and Thomas (16); his occupation is shoemaker.

He appears in the 1911 Census as Moltke Magill (27) in Rainey Street, Magherafelt, along with his father James (64), mother Eliza (65) and siblings Jas P (42) and Thomas (25); his occupation is bootmaker. James and Eliza are 43 years married and have eight children, all living.

A closer look at the handwritten census shows that Jas P is Jno P - Jno being an abbreviation for John. John P Magill appears in the 1910 Ulster Towns Directory for Magherafelt:

Orange Institution—O'Hara Purple Guards L.O.L., No. 310—John P. Magill W.M.; W. J. M'Cart, D.M.; Samuel Porter, jun., sec.; Wm. Hutchinson, treasurer. Meetings, first Monday in each month

Can anyone shed any light as to how Malcolm acquired the Moltke* nick-name? Are any family relations still living around Magherafelt? How did he achieve his Military Medal?

[* Moltke is the surname of two high ranking Prussian/German army officers of that era: Helmuth von Moltke the Elder was a Field Marshall and Helmuth von Moltke the Younger served as Chief of the General Staff.]

If you can add additional details please get in touch: nalilblog@gmail.com

Moyle District Council - Carry On Up Torr 5

E/2011/0257/F - Torr plan for a new 'infill' dwelling received by Planning Service 29.12.11 - validated 30.12.11.

Planning Service permitted #72 (b) to be retained as a store for one of the new builds (c) in an earlier application for a replacement dwelling. 'Store' is now to be replaced by new L-shaped 2-bedroom single storey dwelling right on the bend.

One of the conditions for (a) was that the old dwelling (d) beside the demolished monument/'mound' be, er, demolished prior to (a) being occupied, if I remember correctly.

Retrospective approval granted for House c seems to be quite clear: there is to be no additional dwelling ie no dwelling on the site of #72 (b)

Just how arbitrary is the planning process? The Torr site - outlined PQRS - is apparently owned by a developer. Why has the planning service accepted proposals for individual dwellings when it was fairly clear that this was to be a multi-dwelling site? The plans for (a) and (c) were processed at the same time. Planning application Form P1 is clear:

So where is the appraisal/analysis, concept plan and statement for site PQRS?

Letter to neighbours

Moyle District Council - Carry On Up Torr
Moyle District Council - Carry On Up Torr 2
Moyle District Council - Carry On Up Torr 3
Moyle District Council - Carry On Up Torr 4

Google Docs - official and other document archive

Notting Hill Carnival - Belfast Style

Notting Hill Carnival - Belfast Style

Derry~Londonderry and the Culture Wars

The current exchanges on Slugger O'Toole - here and here - and elsewhere illustrate the need IMO for a greater separation between envigorating culture and corrosive politics.

I have no musical or dancing accomplishments but forty years ago I helped establish JCSS, an inter-schools group in Coleraine; I also got involved with Corrymeela in Ballycastle around the same time. JCSS, amongst other things, put on 20-30 concerts a year for Corrymeela and about 10 in Coleraine. On one occasion at Corrymeela a group of Irish dancers couldn't perform because another group had already taken part. Apparently they were affiliated to two different dance bodies who just happened to be at daggers-drawn against one another. I was very annoyed that one group of youngsters had had their evening ruined because of dance 'politics'. At that point I decided I would drop national tags from cultural events where they would prove to be controversial.

In the bad old days when war was waging and (mostly other people's) blood was being spilt Corrymeela and other settings were places of tranquility where acts of common decency broke out:

Thank you for directing to us young people of such unselfishness and reliability. Each in his own way made a valuable contribution to the holiday. I personally learned a tremendous amount from their unselfishness. I only wish more people in our divided communities could experience how easy it is to love and live together once the will to do so is there .. the late Sr Souboris, Loreto Convent, Coleraine, following a 1973 summer camp for children hosted by the convent.