Irish News
3 children held over attack on NI school
14 July 2006 20:29
A Catholic school on the outskirts of Belfast has been badly damaged in what police believe was a sectarian attack carried out by children.
41 windows were smashed in St Mary's Primary school in Carnmoney.
Police investigating the attack arrested three juveniles aged between eight and ten.
The school, and the adjoining St Mary's on the Hill Catholic Church have been attacked on several occasions in the past.
The local PSNI chief, Will Kerr, said it was a sectarian attack involving unacceptable behaviour.
Woman claims she was held for speaking Irish
19 July 2006 15:54
A Belfast teacher has contested a charge of disorderly behaviour at Belfast Magistrates Court and claimed she was arrested by the PSNI because she was speaking Irish.
Máire Nic An Bhaird, 24, from Woodside Walk in Dunmurry was detained by the PSNI after an incident on Belfast's Malone Road in May.
This morning's hearing was adjourned after Defence Solicitor Michael Crawford requested that all the papers in the case should be in Irish.
Mr Crawford argued that his client was a native Irish speaker and her whole environment was Irish.
The Resident Magistrate, Fiona Bagnall, adjourned the case until 6 September, giving the defence three weeks to make written submissions in support of the application to have the papers translated into Irish and giving the prosecution a further three weeks to respond.
A large group of Irish language activists, including Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún, staged a protest outside the court.
UK News
Protestant marches in Northern Ireland get off to peaceful start
Jul 12, 2006, 11:12 GMT
Belfast - Tens of thousands of Protestants were Wednesday taking part in traditional parades in Northern Ireland to mark a Protestant victory over a Catholic king 316 years ago.
The marches, in north Belfast and in the town of Dunloy to the north of Belfast, got off to a peaceful start after politicians of all parties had appealed for calm ahead of the controversial anniversary.
The annual marches were, however, overshadowed by a suspected arson attack on an Orange Hall - a place where members of the Protestant Orange Order congregate - in the village of Lavin, in county Antrim north of Belfast.
The parades by the Orange Order, so named after Protestant King William of Orange, are taking place at 18 main venues across the province.
They mark the 316th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne, when the then prince William's men were victorious against the troops of Catholic King James II in 1690. The Boyne river flows through Navan and Drogheda in what is now the Republic of Ireland.
For the first time in recent history, the British Army is not expected to be used to control the marches, with the Northern Ireland police force in charge of handling the processions.
Protestants were quick to blame Catholic Republicans for the fire that destroyed the Orange Hall in Lavin.
'This was people who set out to destroy an Orange Hall, and I am challenging Republican leaders to condemn this with no ambiguity', local Protestant politician Mervyn Storey said.
A flashpoint parade through the Catholic Ardoyne area of north Belfast passed off peacefully early Wednesday. No music was played as more than 100 Orangemen paraded along the Ardyone Road, with some 60 Catholic protestors watching in silence.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
14 July 2006 20:29
A Catholic school on the outskirts of Belfast has been badly damaged in what police believe was a sectarian attack carried out by children.
41 windows were smashed in St Mary's Primary school in Carnmoney.
Police investigating the attack arrested three juveniles aged between eight and ten.
The school, and the adjoining St Mary's on the Hill Catholic Church have been attacked on several occasions in the past.
The local PSNI chief, Will Kerr, said it was a sectarian attack involving unacceptable behaviour.
Woman claims she was held for speaking Irish
19 July 2006 15:54
A Belfast teacher has contested a charge of disorderly behaviour at Belfast Magistrates Court and claimed she was arrested by the PSNI because she was speaking Irish.
Máire Nic An Bhaird, 24, from Woodside Walk in Dunmurry was detained by the PSNI after an incident on Belfast's Malone Road in May.
This morning's hearing was adjourned after Defence Solicitor Michael Crawford requested that all the papers in the case should be in Irish.
Mr Crawford argued that his client was a native Irish speaker and her whole environment was Irish.
The Resident Magistrate, Fiona Bagnall, adjourned the case until 6 September, giving the defence three weeks to make written submissions in support of the application to have the papers translated into Irish and giving the prosecution a further three weeks to respond.
A large group of Irish language activists, including Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún, staged a protest outside the court.
UK News
Protestant marches in Northern Ireland get off to peaceful start
Jul 12, 2006, 11:12 GMT
Belfast - Tens of thousands of Protestants were Wednesday taking part in traditional parades in Northern Ireland to mark a Protestant victory over a Catholic king 316 years ago.
The marches, in north Belfast and in the town of Dunloy to the north of Belfast, got off to a peaceful start after politicians of all parties had appealed for calm ahead of the controversial anniversary.
The annual marches were, however, overshadowed by a suspected arson attack on an Orange Hall - a place where members of the Protestant Orange Order congregate - in the village of Lavin, in county Antrim north of Belfast.
The parades by the Orange Order, so named after Protestant King William of Orange, are taking place at 18 main venues across the province.
They mark the 316th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne, when the then prince William's men were victorious against the troops of Catholic King James II in 1690. The Boyne river flows through Navan and Drogheda in what is now the Republic of Ireland.
For the first time in recent history, the British Army is not expected to be used to control the marches, with the Northern Ireland police force in charge of handling the processions.
Protestants were quick to blame Catholic Republicans for the fire that destroyed the Orange Hall in Lavin.
'This was people who set out to destroy an Orange Hall, and I am challenging Republican leaders to condemn this with no ambiguity', local Protestant politician Mervyn Storey said.
A flashpoint parade through the Catholic Ardoyne area of north Belfast passed off peacefully early Wednesday. No music was played as more than 100 Orangemen paraded along the Ardyone Road, with some 60 Catholic protestors watching in silence.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur