Recent Excavation Discoveries at the Diamond, Ballycastle

November 2009

Excavations by the Water Service close to the old castle site and across the Diamond from Holy Trinity Church have revealed some interesting discoveries - according to local historian, Danny McGill.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Read Danny's report on Scribd

DRD, Translink and Beyond Beyond the Pale

Zones of Inequality

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) currently has a Public Transport Reform Consultation, Equality Impact Assessment document [pdf format] out for consultation.

3.10 .. to provide additional transport services across our vast rural communities in line with the Minister’s objective of tackling regional disparities and promoting equality of service.


Perhaps the Minister ought to have a look at the iLink 'smart' card scheme:

iLink is the new integrated smartcard from Translink which provides unlimited day, weekly or monthly bus and rail travel within 3 specified zones across Northern Ireland.

The Pale or #1 Zone is essentially Belfast. Those who wish to venture out into the jungle north of Glengormley are in Beyond the Pale or #2 Zone. Those with more money than sense have entered Beyond Beyond the Pale or #3 Zone as they've sped beyond Antrim. The zones are Belfast centric and Translink have provided a simple calculator to help the traveller work out how much they will be stung.

A card for unlimited daily travel in the comfort of #1 Zone costs £5, for a little less comfort #2 Zone costs £9 and for the rocky road/track experience #3 Zone costs £15.

To get a measure of the inequality Derriaghy to Dundonald and back via the Belfast City Hall is a distance of about 22 miles for £5 in #1 Zone. The less fortunate who do the three mile round trip from Holywood to Cultra are in #2 Zone so they may have a cheaper option than the £9 one. Give a thought for those circling the 11 miles Coleraine triangle all day long, clockwise or anti-clockwise, for the princely sum of £15.

Folks in Derry/Londonderry are paying up to three times as much for a similar but possibly worse public service. Forty years ago there would have indignant protests against such blatant discrimination but not now.

Mallow, County Cork, and the Pig Farmer

Nevin's tale about the whiskey factory reminded me of an encounter my friend Marie and I once had in Co Cork.

Many years ago on my first trip to Ireland (1992) I was driving down around Mallow with my friend and we were trying to find a farm. And why we were actually looking for this particular farm was that my friend Marie and I had stopped at the East Clare Heritage Centre to do some research into her family history. At the centre we were told about the farm and that descendants of the family (that Marie was related too) still farmed there.

So off we drove to search out this farm, and getting hopelessly lost, we saw a pig farmer and stopped to ask more directions to the farm. The more he tried to explain the less we understood (mostly due to his accent and decision to keep giving us the shortest way to the farm). In the end he said, “What the hell I’m not doing anything?” and got in the back of the car to guide us there. We certainly knew he was a pig farmer - from the smell in the back of the car I was really sure he had a couple of pigs under his coat! - and opened all the windows but he guided us to the farm and wouldn’t stay and let us drive him back, choosing to walk back instead!

The owners of the farm walked out their door and we assumed just to see who had arrived at their home, but we were greeted with, “So you be the girls from Australia!” Apparently the lady at the East Clare Heritage Centre that we had originally spoken to had phoned ahead and told them to expect us. We were flabbergasted. They immediately took us inside where we found they had laid a table of tea and sweets in preparation for our arrival!!

Marie still keeps in touch with her distant family and, honestly, if the farmer hadn’t helped us I’m sure we would never have found the place. I’ve never forgotten the help this farmer gave us so I know that the tourists you helped will always remember what you did.

Cheers,

Jennie Fairs.

NALIL co-ord, AU

Rathlin and Cape Clear Ferry Problems Continue

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) in Belfast and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (DCRGA) in Dublin as well as other government agencies cannot be too comfortable with the negative publicity that continues to surround Rathlin Island Ferry Limited (RIFL) and its sister company, Tithe Saoire Chléire Teo, in Cape Clear, Co Cork.

News emanating from DCRGA sources indicates that Tithe Saoire Chléire Teo is pulling out of the Cape Clear Ferry contract from 28 February 2010. I understand that RIFL may also be facing an industrial tribunal in the spring. I'm told that the DCRGA could find itself in the High Court in 2010 following a legal challenge to another ferry contract award.

The much vaunted Rathlin Express catamaran seems to have spent much of its time tied up in Rathlin harbour; it's also been to Moville twice, Coleraine once and on recent overnight trips to and from the Arklow dockyard where it was built. Perhaps proper assessments should have been made prior to the acceptance of a tender about the suitability of such a vessel for the year round operation on the turbulent waters of Rathlin Sound.

One year on and the Committee for Regional Development has yet to scrutinise the December 2008 report into certain aspects of the awarding of the Rathlin ferry contract. Perhaps the hold-up is caused by the associated EU Commission inquiry into the same contract. The December report has been found not to be water-tight so that could also have added to the delay. Some of the documentation being processed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Department for Transport looks a bit dodgy to say the least. Shadows on copied documents would indicate that perhaps key information has been deliberately blanked out. Perhaps all will become clearer when the EU Commission and the CRD have done their work.

Update

This story has also been published in emara News.