We look at the stories that were making the headlines this week in the Andersonstown News in 1980
NI Snooker squad at the ‘Tasmania’ fundraising event in Castle Sports & Leisure Centre
SAS men flushed out
AFTER the flushing out of four SAS undercover agents from the Eastern Health and Social Services offices at Mulholland Terrace on the Falls Road, the social workers are considering taking industrial action to prevent the same thing happening again.
The SAS men were discovered on Monday morning last when the chief maintenance officer of the Royal Victoria Hospital and his assistant went to inspect renovation work that was being carried out on the offices.
When they opened the door they were confronted by four stockinged soled SAS men carrying haversacks and sleeping bags and were promptly arrested and held incommunicado in the building while their captors radioed for a Saracen to take them all out of the building.
The maintenance chief and his assistant were held for a time in Springfield Road barracks before being released.
The social workers are very angry that their lives were put in jeopardy in such an irresponsible way and when representations from their union and the hospital management failed to get an assurance from the NI Office that this type of thing would not happen again, they are now considering taking industrial action.
Defeated finallists St Teresa's GAC in the County Senior Football Final at Casement Park
Campaign for Irish on television
A NEW Irish language group calling itself Gaeil an Tuaiscirt (Northern Gaels), has been formed to pressurise the BBC and ITV into broadcasting Irish language programmes.
The new group feels that the Broadcasting Authority here, have for too long operated a veto on the use of the Irish language on radio and TV and have been actively discriminating against all Irish-minded people in the Six Counties.
“For too long Irish speakers have acquiesced the deliberate discrimination practised by ITV and BBC as regards the Irish language. Irish has been spoken here without a break for 2,000 years,” a Gael spokesman said, “And the census of 1911 was the last time that language was entered on a census form here and it showed that almost 12.5 per cent of the population of the Six Counties had a good knowledge of Irish. We estimate that this percentage has remained stable since then, allowing for the decrease in native speakers and the increase in people who have learned the language. Irish is the most widely used language in the Six Counties outside of English, and it is about time Irish speakers cast aside their inferiority complex and demanded justice and fair play for their language from the broadcasters.
“ITV and BBC are not reluctant to broadcast in a second language in Scotland and Wales, but when it comes to Northern Ireland they operate a policy of deliberate discrimination. We are determined that this will end before long.”
The new group have already started to collect signatures for a petition which will be sent to ITV and BBC. “We are completely non political and non-sectarian group,” said a Gael spokesperson, “but we are proud of our Irishness and determined to proclaim it. The response to the petition so far has been overwhelming and anyone wishing to help us with the petition should contact us through the Andersonstown News.”
Presentation by Fr Hynes and the Andersonstown Social Club Pool Team at a farewell party for Gerard Twomey, who was off to be a clerical student in Cork. Prionnsias Mac Airt presided
Joe Casement taken to task
Joe Casement taken to task I WOULD like to add my voice to the views expressed by last week’s correspondent ‘Disgusted Davitt supporter’.
Some of Mr Joe Casement’s comments have been almost hysterical in defence of his beloved St Johns’ GAC. He seems to be under the impression that everyone and everybody is out to get St John’s, ie umpires, referees, other teams who play rough, tough, hard football as he is often heard to say. I think Mr Casement is kidding himself.
Everyone in Antrim knows that when it comes to dishing out the hard stuff, St John’s excel. As you know, at present St Teresa’s are the current Antrim champions. Why not a photograph of them instead of St John’s and their first round opponents which your paper published a few months ago.
It seems strange to me that a match like St Galls v St Teresa’s did not warrant a picture of the teams. As for his report of St John’s v Kickhams, anyone I spoke to after the match thought it a very dull game, yet Mr Casement thought it a good game with ‘good championship football being played.’ So please, Editor, your paper has got great reputation for telling the truth. Let’s have some in your GAA columns.
CONCERNED OBSERVER
Marie Clarke, Margaret McClure, Molly Kelly and Mary Rooney at Short Strand senior citizens’ night
