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Around Ireland Vanished in Wicklow

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Stephen McKinley

In Bray, Co. Wicklow, a beloved grandmother of 13 has been missing for more than seven weeks. Brigid "Betty" Bourke went missing 24 hours after disturbing an intruder at her house. Gardai and Civil Defense volunteers have combed the area surrounding Bray but so far to no avail. The case was even mentioned on RTE Television’s "Crimeline" program, according to the Bray People newspaper.

Sailor blues

A judge in Middletown, Co. Cork, reached into his own pocket and gave £50 to a defendant who had been accused of begging and driving while intoxicated. David Kinahan impressed the judge with his story of mistreatment and unemployment, after serving eight years in the Irish navy.

"I am absolutely appalled," Judge Michael Pattwell told the court and the Corkman newspaper, "that this man spent eight years in service to the state and is now out begging for accommodation."

A further £200 was offered from the court’s charity box, if the defendant felt he needed it.

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Drogheda hero

While waiting in traffic on St. Mary’s Bridge, Seamus Monaghan saw a man fall into the freezing River Boyne and then struggle for his life. Monaghan leaped to the rescue, and despite the strong currents, managed to bring the man to the river’s edge, and held on to a railing until further help came, reported the Drogheda Independent. Police and the rescued man hailed Monaghan as a local hero.

Web wears out in Kerry

The internet shakedown reaches even as far as County Kerry, where the Dingle-based company Dingle Web employed 12 people. Last week, the Kerryman newspaper reported that the last six employees have been laid off.

"It’s related to funding issues," technical director Keith Buchanan explained. The company also ran an Internet Cafe on Dingle’s Main Street.

Mob Moy madness

The pretty village of Moy, Co. Tyrone, was the scene of a mob riot at 3 a.m. last Saturday. Thirty people from local bars attacked policemen and vandalized cars and property, said the Tyrone Courier, noting that as many as 200 young people may have been present at the chaos in the village square.

One unnamed resident of Moy pointed out that this was only the worst example of an ongoing, orchestrated Friday night/Saturday morning disturbance.

"People come into the Moy to terrorize and cause mayhem, urinating into pensioner’s letterboxes. Most residents barricade themselves in at the weekends," he said.

Bye bye Mandy

The Larne Gazette reported that Peter Mandelson’s last act as secretary of state for Northern Ireland, was a visit to Larne, where he discussed the rising sectarian attacks involving deadly pipe bombs in the town. The harbor town has seen a huge increase in such attacks recently.

Mandelson was forced to resign in disgrace over his actions involving a millionaire Indian tycoon and his application for British citizenship.

Harbor Gateway

"Gateway of the Southeast" — that’s what Regional Development minister Gregory Campbell called pretty Warrenpoint harbor in County Down. Visiting the town last week, Campbell gave the local harbor authority a second chance to move ahead with plans to install deepwater port facilities and continue with developing the area. Earlier plans had been unsuccessful.

Campbell met with Quintin Goldie and Dennis Connolly of the harbor authority, and praised their work in rejuvenating the town in the southeast of Northern Ireland, said the Outlook newspaper.

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