February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Edited by Stephen McKinleyKeaney’s exotic Sligo “As the strains of Egyptian dance music, wafting from a background tape player, casts their exotic spell, their bodies shimmer, their hips wiggle and in no time at all, they’re into an Arabian rhythm.” Yes, folks, it’s dancing, Sligo style, as reported by former Irish Echo associated editor Harry Keaney. His head must be spinning in his new job on the belly dancing beat at the Sligo Champion.Sub-aqua priest Father Michael Keaveney of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, has revealed his deep, dark secret to the Tyrone Constitution newspaper — he’s an ex-member of Derry Sub-Aqua Club, and a member of the team that discovered the Trinidad Valencera, one of the barques of the Spanish Armada that sank in 1588. Written accounts suggested the warship sank off the coast of Inishowen in County Donegal.The club spent two years searching at the Glenagivney end of Kinnego Bay. “When the wreck was eventually discovered, on Feb. 20, 1971, it was found at the more westerly part of the by completely by accident,” Fr. Keaveney said. “This particular wreck had no treasure on it, as such, but it had an immense number of artifacts.”Too much to do to spend A Tuam army sergeant, Martin Connor, says he’s far too busy to spend his share of a _1 million lottery jackpot, which he won two weeks ago. He’s off to Bosnia, as part of the UN peace keeping force, until February 2002. Connor’s share of the jackpot was _87,000. “I have been so busy at special training workshops with the force in Templemore and Dublin and going through various medical examinations since before we won the Lotto that there has been no time to spend the money,” he told the Tuam Herald.’Hannibal’ eats Irish author’s new book Martina Murphy, a new author from Leinster, was celebrating this week — her new book, “The Onion Girl,” was just beaten from being the No. 1 bestseller last week by Thomas Harris’s creepy cult novel, “Hannibal,” the movie of which is in cinemas now.Coming second behind such a popular work of fiction hasn’t upset Murphy in the slightest. “It’s brilliant. It’s a fantastic feeling. I’m loving it. The publicity side of it all is a bit daunting,” she told the Leinster Leader. “The Onion Girl” is about an unlikely love affair between a school secretary, Meg, and an art teacher, Jack.Slane black spot protest. Several hundred protesters turned up at Slane Bridge last week for a rally organized by the Slane Bridge Action Committee. The protestors are demanding a new bridge to negotiate the dangerous hill leading to the crossing over the River Boyne that is familiar to anyone who has taken that main route through Slane to Dublin. Spokesman Paul O’Brien told the Meath Chronicle that another protest could come within two weeks, and he also mentioned the anguish felt over the recent of death 2-year-old, David Garvey, at the bridge. “Emotions are still running high. It is still fresh in people’s memories and it will be a long time before the grief, anguish and anger goes away,” he said.Bray Head Better news from Bray Head in County Wicklow: Bray’s urban council is hoping to improve access to the summit of the scenic area for hikers and bikers. At last week’s meeting of the UDC, councilors were told that an official had recently walked the new 2-meter-wide path stretching from the Greystones Roundabout to the summit. Councilors applauded the measure, but asked why a parking lot had not been considered at this time as well.Animal magic Emma Colbert’s love of animals has won her a place in the final of the International Fund for Animal Welfare Animal Action Awards. Fifteen-year-old Emma is a student at the Dungannon Integrated College in County Tyrone, and she was nominated by her headmaster, Aidan Dolan. “She helps out in the animal shelters, writes as a voluntary junior reporter for NIPS, a Northern Ireland pet magazine, and takes part in all school activities relating to animals,” Dolan told the Tyrone Courier. Emma added, “We own four dogs and three cats. We also feed a horse across the road from us who is in shortage of food. Be it a dog, cat, mouse, bird or even hedgehog, they can all find refuge at the Colbert residence.”