Around Ireland Carlow a dry town?

By Stephen McKinley

Splashing through puddles will soon be a thing of the past in Carlow Town, thanks to a £13.1 million grant from the Irish government.

The annual flooding of the River Barrow has been a headache for locals for many years. Minister of State Martin Cullen addressed the problem recently.

"I am aware that the flooding of the areas involved has had a serious economic effect on Carlow Town and the resulting reluctance to invest money in new business or upkeep of existing businesses in the area effectively condemns a section of the town to continual urban blight," he said.

The flooding will be alleviated by several methods: deepening the river to improve flow, building flood walls and digging a bypass channel for peak flow during the flood season.

The plans will be on display in the Carlow town library until July 13, reported the Carlow People newspaper.

FERMANAGH-BOUND BOMB?

A bomb found on Sunday, June 24, on the Monaghan border near Newtownbutler was almost certainly destined for a target in CoUNTY Fermanagh, a Gardai spokeperson has said.

The device consisted of 130 pounds of homemade explosives in a milk churn, which the spokesperson said was almost ready for detonation.

The spokesperson said that security in the East Fermanagh and North Monaghan areas had been stepped up recently as a result of an increase in dissident republican activity.

"Our suspicion is that a dissident grouping was responsible. We have been monitoring the area very closely and giving special attention to this kind of activity. This was a very substantial find and definitely would have done a lot of damage had it gone off. We are very happy to have prevented any attack," he said.

Sinn Fein Councilor Thomas O’Reilly said that it was clear that whoever made the bomb did not have the support of the people in the area, who had shown their support for Sinn Fein policies in the recent elections.

UUP Councilor Joan Carson thanked the gardai for their actions in preventing a bomb attack.

LONGFORD’s TWIN MONSTERS

Horrific news hit Longford recently as residents awoke to the double shock of an alleged monster residing in Lough Ree, and a planning permission application for a drive-through Macdonald’s restaurant.

A Swedish scientist, Jan Sundberg, is said to be heading to Lough Ree with equipment to detect the monster, after a series of reported sightings of a serpent-like creature breaking the surface.

Killinure men Jim McKnight and Peter Quigley have heard numerous rumors about the alleged monster through the years and told the Longford News that there were three priests who are supposed to have witnessed the first sighting in 1996 while fishing on a boat.

Meanwhile, attorneys acting on behalf of Macdonald’s Corporation have lodged an appeal to build a drive-through at the Red Cow Roundabout at Aghadegnan, Longford, according to the Longford News. Red Cow Sea-monster Big Macs, anyone?

CORK KILLER WHALES

Hundreds of excited Cork residents turned out recently at the Lower Harbor area to see a visit by three killer whales, which spent 10 days swimming around the Cobh, Monkstown and Passage West inlets.

Nicknamed Homer, Marge and Maggie, the threesome were initially harassed by as many as 60 boats from the shore, with people attempting to get a close look.

But the Irish Navy intervened and enforced a ban on pleasure craft in the area.

Crowds viewed the creatures from the shore, causing traffic congestion that brought out the gardai to direct the flow of vehicles. At one point the Glenbrook and Carrigaloe Ferry was delayed for an hour, according to the Sourthern Star newspaper.

One Saturday at about 2 a.m., as revelers were leaving Cork city bars at last call, the killer whales had ventured right into the heart of the c

BELFAST — Loyalist gunmen opened fire on two men outside a North Belfast community center last Friday, and though they missed their targets, bullets smashed through windows and into a room housing a children’s playgroup. No one was injured by several workers were traumatized.

Hospital staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital were physically attacked the same weekend.

In Friday’s gun attack, which was claimed by the Red Hand Defenders (a cover name for the UDA), children and staff at a playgroup escaped unharmed when two men opened fire around 9:30 a.m. at the Ashton Centre in the New Lodge area.

In a statement afterward, the Red Hand Defenders, who killed 19-year-old Ciaran Cummings in Antrim town on July 4, said that all nationalists are "hostile" and "legitimate targets."

Aine Connor, one of the center’s volunteers, said that staff and children took cover in a closet until the gunfire stopped.

Nationalist politicians said the notorious Lower Shankill UDA is behind the shooting. This group is led by Johnny Adair, who is now back behind bars after breaking the terms of his early release from jail.

"There is massive anger and shock at this attack, which was against cross-community workers who are trying to bridge