Proposal for erection of bus shelter

A lot of work has been carried out in the Meadow area recently with the help of the local cumann and the councillor for that area Marian Mathers. One ongoing piece of the work is the proposal that a bus shelter be erected at the top end of the Meadow to accomodate both local residents and school children alike. Cllr Mathers met with the council official responsible for bus shelters some time ago to ascertain if funds were available for this. At the time all the funding had been used up but we have since learned that a bus shelter is available now. It was hoped that the bus shelter would be of a modern design with perspex sides and roof, but, after meeting with the council again we learned that the shelter available was one of the old type concrete bus shelters similar to those on the Camlough Road. We have begun a survey of the area to get a sense of how the residents would feel about this. It would be our hope to hold out to try and get one of the more modern type shelters which the residents and school children deserve. The older type shelters have in the past become an attraction for young people to congregate and engage in anti social behaviour, so all of this has to be taken into account before a final decision can be made.

Election in Full Swing

With only two weeks remaining until the 2010 Westminster election Sinn Fein members and activists have been engaging with the Newry electorate on a nightly basis. The response from local people has been overwhelming. It is fantastic to hear Newry people raise issues that Sinn Fein elected reps are dealing with on their behalf day and daily. It is clear to see that people fully understand Sinn Fein's strategy and they are applauding the leadership that is being shown.
View all of this with what the micro groupings are offering the people of Newry. The centre of Newry was targetted on Easter Saturday night by so called republicans armed with stencils and their sole target was Sinn Fein and the Republican Movement. Another Strike for Irish Freedom.

Sinn Féin demand Maghaberry prisoners be treated with respect

Sinn Féin Assembly Member Mickey Brady MLA has called on the prison authorities to treat Republican prisoners in Maghaberry prison with respect and dignity.
Mickey Brady stated:
“Regardless of why anyone is in prison they are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity. It is clear that the regime in place for republican prisoners in Maghaberry falls well short of this.
“Prisoners should not be held in 23 hour lock up, they should not have been denied the right to wear Easter Lilly’s and the decision to remove 28 men to the punishment blocks as a result of the weekends protest is wrong and counterproductive.
“There is a widely held belief that many of the problems in Maghaberry are directly linked to a POA which is still firmly wedded to the past. The Prison Service is one of those institutions that have to date escaped widespread scrutiny and much needed reform. This needs to be a priority for a new Justice Minister.”

Easter Events in Newry 2010

Wednesday 31st March - "From proclamation to present day" Talk hosted by Sinn Féin National Chairperson Declan Kearney will take place in Newry Arts centre at 7.30pm sharp everyone welcome.

Friday 2nd April - Republican Tour of Newry hosted by lifelong Republican Micky Collins will leave from the Sinn Féin Centre at 1pm.

Saturday 3rd April - Ceremonial event by Republican Youth re-enacting the reading of the Proclamation will take place on the steps of Newry Town Hall followed by Republican tour of Newry.

Easter Sunday 4th April - Assemble at 12 noon at Sinn Féin centre for annual parade to St Mary's Cemetery (Main Speaker Conor Murphy MP MLA).
Easter Sunday Lunch in Bellinis Newry at 2pm tickets available from office at £10 for adults, £5 for children followed by Republican Talent Contest.
Easter Sunday Night Irish Ballad Night in Nan Rices commencing at 7.30pm.

Easter Monday Night 5th April - Irish Ballad Night in McCoys Bar commencing at 9.00pm

Everyone welcome to come along and partake in any of the above events.

Important Passport Information

Please read statement below in relation to Irish passport applications:

Ó Caoláin advises holiday travellers to get passports in order now Sinn Féin Dáil Leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD has advised those who are planning to travel abroad on summer holidays to ensure now that their passports are in order. This warning comes at a time of growing industrial action in the public service, including the Passport Office. The Cavan-Monaghan Deputy said, “Because of the work-to-rule in the public service, passports are taking longer than usual to be processed and consequently a significant backlog is developing. The Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government’s intransigence in refusing to reverse the cuts to low-paid public sector wages means that the industrial action is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. “I have already been contacted by constituents who have had to cancel travel plans because their passports were not ready in time. However, staff in the Passport Office are currently refusing to deal with elected representatives, regardless of their politics and where they stand on the issues involved. With the summer holidays approaching there are likely to be many more people affected. The ten-day turnaround offered under the Passport Express service is no longer guaranteed. Therefore, anyone planning to travel abroad this summer should check now to make sure their passports are in order. If a passport needs renewing this should be done at the earliest opportunity possible.” Deputy Ó Caoláin concluded by reminding travellers that some countries require passports to be valid for at least six months after the intended date of departure and that this should be taken into account when considering whether a passport needs to be renewed. ENDS

Cowardly Attack

Sinn Fein councillor Marian Mathers has condemned yesterday's attack on a motorist who stopped his car on the Camlough Road to answer a phone call. The man's car was attacked by up to three men in their late teens with stones and bottles. When the man got out of the car he was assaulted by one of the men while another one tried unsuccessfully to steal the car keys from the ignition. Speaking about the incident last night Cllr Mathers stated;
"On behalf of myself and Sinn Féin I want to strongly condemn this cowardly attack and attempted car hijacking. The thugs responsible for this attack must be brought before the courts. I would call on anyone who has any information about this incident to come forward, there should be no hiding place for those responsible. This type of activity brings a bad name to this estate where many people have worked hard to redevelope the area and make it a safe an enjoyable place to live. There have been a number of incidents over the past few weeks whereby so called joy riders have returned. The PSNI must be more pro active to ensure that these anti social elements are removed from society before some one is killed."

Writing on the Wall???

I read recently that Dominic Bradley has been chosen to stand for the Stoop Down Low Party in the upcoming Westminster election in Newry/Armagh. This aptly named party who congratulated the hated RUC on the execution of Derrybeg man Colm Marks some years ago.

The Hughes Grant Watters cumann is looking forward to this election as we have no doubt that the people of Newry/Armagh will send a clear message to Dominic and his cheerleaders.

Conor Murphy has shown clear leadership down through the years unlike Dominic who appears to be at odds with himself especially on the education issue. Sinn Féin continues to grow from strength to strength and they are the party that people are putting their trust in.

Maybe Dominic sees the writing on the wall for his assembly seat and is hoping against all odds that he can retreat to London to hide from the real issues in this constituency just as his former leader has clearly done. Time will tell.