Discovering Mosside - J D C Marshall

A book for all the villages in Ireland
Review

For years many people have passed through Mosside on the main Coleraine to Ballycastle road with hardly a glance. Recently I came across a new book called Discovering Mosside. I wondered what there was to discover about Mosside that could fill 170 pages. Jon Marshall, the well-known local archaeologist, historian, broadcaster and author has shown that this little place has enormous importance and has featured in the history of Ireland at many of its most significant moments.

Quite rightly (and not surprisingly, given Mr Marshall’s archaeological background) the book begins in the deepest past, with the story of the first settlers in Ireland who provided themselves with food and shelter with nothing except their intelligence, the wood and stones of the place. Some sites at Mosside have been dated to the time of Mountsandel, almost 10,000 years ago.

Despite our modern sophistication, I wondered how many people today could begin to build a life with nothing but the countryside and their wits. The book describes their progress, how they tamed the land and how the population grew as they began the first farming and permanent settlements, shaping the countryside we see today.

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Discovering Mosside is available from outlets local to Mosside at £10.00 or from J Marshall, Clegnagh House, Mosside, Armoy, Ballymoney BT53 8UB at £13.00 UK post paid. Overseas enquiries are welcome to clegnagh at btopenworld dot com

"Discovering Mosside" - J D C Marshall

A book for all the villages in Ireland

For years many people have passed through Mosside on the main Coleraine to Ballycastle road with hardly a glance. Recently I came across a new book called Discovering Mosside. I wondered what there was to discover about Mosside that could fill 170 pages. Jon Marshall, the well-known local archaeologist, historian, broadcaster and author has shown that this little place has enormous importance and has featured in the history of Ireland at many of its most significant moments.

Quite rightly (and not surprisingly, given Mr Marshall’s archaeological background) the book begins in the deepest past, with the story of the first settlers in Ireland who provided themselves with food and shelter with nothing except their intelligence, the wood and stones of the place. Some sites at Mosside have been dated to the time of Mountsandel, almost 10,000 years ago.

Despite our modern sophistication, I wondered how many people today could begin to build a life with nothing but the countryside and their wits. The book describes their progress, how they tamed the land and how the population grew as they began the first farming and permanent settlements, shaping the countryside we see today.

Freedom of Information Disclosures Have Been 'Googled'

You might imagine that when documents have been released, following a Freedom of Information request, that personal details would always be blanked out. Not so.

Sometimes civil and public servants take the trouble to blank out personal details using, say, non-transparent ink; sometimes they just photocopy the complete document in its original state and pop it in the post or scan it electronically and despatch it as an email attachment.

Sometimes they use software to blank out/redact information electronically before they publish documents on the internet; sometimes these files then go into Google cache unredacted and clicking on 'View in HTML' reveals the document intacta, personal details and all.

You might wonder how widespread these problems are and it's possible that no one can tell you. It's quite likely that many Government and Information Commission officials are blithely unaware of the power of Google and other internet search engines!!

PS Sometimes official documents are sent out by mistake, including documents you wouldn't expect a particular department or, indeed, a particular government to have. But that's a story for another day ...

Adds October 1

Commissioner warns of identity fraud danger

Speaking from the ICO's new office in Belfast city centre, Mr McCrory said that recent blunders – particularly the loss last year of 25 million taxpayer's records by on two discs posted by HMRC – had increased awareness of why it is crucial to protect personal information.

But he said it was concerning that many were still somewhat blasé about to whom they give personal information.

News Letter, 24 September 2008

FoI files are to be 'made public'

ASSEMBLY departments and public bodies will soon be forced to reveal their Freedom of Information (FoI) disclosures on their website.

At present, information released to an individual is not seen by anyone else – unless it is passed to a journalist.

But Aubrey McCrory, who heads up the Information Commissioner's Office in Belfast, said that he now expects public bodies to publish responses to every FoI request on their websites.

News Letter 25 September 2008

Presumably the 'accidental' release of personal information will increase as disclosures are made more widely available.

Rathlin Ferry Contract - The Investigations Begin

The investigations are under way. Paul Priestly has described one of the investigators, Steve Rowsell, as an independent procurement consultant. It would appear that he was 'liberated' from his post as Director of Procurement of the Highways Agency:

Highways Agency faces costs onslaught

16th Feb 2007

A big shake-up is on the cards at the Highways Agency as it prepares to face two damning repaorts due out shortly on massive road building cost overruns.

The Agency has already moved to head-off some of the criticism by making staff changes at the top. It has revealed that major projects director Keith Miller is to leave and procurement director Steve Rowsell left the Agency shortly before Christmas

The changes were provoked by a Commons transport select committee attack in July last year which expressed horror at the agency’s inability to control costs.

Photos and documents;

Adds September 9

Why were the first Rathlin ferry tender documents pruned and who benefited? Which of the two Government departments - DRD and DFP - initiated the pruning and which acquiesced?

Will the investigators be checking out the roles of Ministers and senior Civil Servants or will they limit themselves to the actions of minor officials? Will they be communicating with the Scottish and Irish governments on matters pertaining to them?

Did DRD officials carry out a feasibility study on the suitability of a catamaran on the turbulent seas of Rathlin Sound? Did they read Calmac, catamarans and rough seas?

"It is rarely noted that we already operate a small catamaran between Gourock and Dunoon, and all our experience and that of some Irish Sea operators is that a monohull will continue to run in bad weather when a catamaran has long been tied up due to MCA wave height restrictions."

"These views also seem to ignore the running costs of faster vessels because fuel consumption over water increases exponentially with speed."

The monohulled St Sorney, I'm told, missed an afternoon crossing from Rathlin on Tuesday, September 9, due to rough seas.

Does DRD really intend to introduce two new (£6.3m) monohulled ro-ro ferries on the route and, if so, is the short-term introduction of a catamaran merely a promotional gimic?

Adds September 11

The garbage trucks and yellow ponchos have (re)appeared out of the mist. Do they mirror their predecessors in every respect?

And there are other problems in the world of government tendering ...

Adds September 13

Both visits come after pledges by Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy that the island ferry is not under threat - News Letter

Government ministers and officials may be feeling a bit queasy but I'm unaware of any threat to the life-line ferry service.

[Search blog with 'rathlin ferry' for earlier stories]