As the family of Newry businessman, Pat McArdle, attempt to come to terms with his tragic death on Wednesday, the fatal crash on Newry’s Fathom Line has turned attention to safety issues on the notorious stretch of road.

The car which Mr McArdle was driving left the road and plunged into the canal shortly before 2.00pm.  A major search and rescue operation was immediately launched involving emergency services from both sides of the border.

Mr McArdle’s remains were recovered by police divers from his submerged vehicle some hours later.

Originally from County Louth, Pat McArdle was the proprietor of Snaubs boutique on Monaghan Street and Nan Rice’s bar, located on Francis Street in Newry.

Highly respected and popular among the city’s business community, local solicitor Margaret Elliot, who has known the family for more than forty years, said his tragic passing is a great shock to the many who knew him well.

“Pat and his family are held in such high regard. He was a devoted husband and father.  Pat had been in business for 36 years. He was always known for being such a hard worker, was very honest and always helpful. We are all just shocked by this tragedy,” Ms Elliot said.

Safety

The tragedy has prompted renewed pleas for more stringent safety measures to be implemented on the road, which is the main cross-border route between Newry and Omeath, Co. Louth, and deemed to be an accident blackspot.

Five years ago a Belfast woman and three of her family members, including her two-year-old son, narrowly escaped death when their car left the road and plunged into the water at the same spot.  Having swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle, the family’s car plummeted into the water and quickly submerged upside-down, trapping the occupants inside.  Geraldine Rice and her son, Caolan, were trapped in the rear of the vehicle until the front passengers escaped and managed to free the mother and son through the broken rear window.

Speaking on Radio Ulster on Thursday, Ms Rice said she was “shocked and angry” at the latest tragedy, and extended her thoughts and prayers to Mr McArdle’s family who, she said, “should never have had to experience this”.

The young mother had lobbied for safety barriers to be erected following her own harrowing ordeal, and had drawn attention to the lack of speed cameras and speed bumps on the road. She also called for a lower speed limit to be introduced.

To date, a 100m long barrier has been erected, which, according to Miss Rice, is woefully inadequate protection on such a stretch of road.

“What I went through still haunts me and knowing that another family has to go through it, because the department responsible won’t put more money into the safety of this road is awful. Is it going to take another life lost to make them invest in proper safety measures?” she asked.

Mayor Charlie Casey agreed with the comments calling for the current barriers to be extended. He said he would be asking Councillors to lobby the appropriate departments to re-examine the area.

Expressing his sympathy to Mr McArdle’s family, Mayor Casey added, “There is a history of deaths and accidents on this road and people in power need to be mindful of that. Serious consideration should be given to implement whatever measures necessary to prevent this happening again.”

SDLP MLA Dominic Bradley also questioned the safety of the road: “The stretch of road on which the accident happened is extremely treacherous and this road, sadly, has claimed other lives in the past. There is clearly a need to draw greater attention to the danger which this stretch of road presents to motorists and that is something which I will be raising with Roads Service.”

Mr Bradley said his thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr McArdle at this time.

In response, a spokesperson for the Department for Regional Development said: “Roads Service has no immediate plans to erect barriers at this location, however we will consider the outcome of the PSNI investigation.”

It was reported that shortly after 8pm, two men entered the premises carrying firearms. One of the males threatened a female member of staff before making off with a sum of money.

One of the males is described as being approximately 5’4″ tall, of medium build, in his mid-30′s. He was wearing dark clothing, dark hat and a scarf covering his face.

The second male is described as being tall, of thin build, wearing dark clothing and a balaclava.

The member of staff was not injured but was left badly shaken following the incident.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact CID in Ardmore on 0845 600 8000.

Windsor Day Centre is a £3.7million purpose-built facility providing day care for 39 adults with learning disabilities. Carrickore Children’s Respite Unit is a £2.5million facility providing respite care for eight children and young people with a disability and/or challenging behaviour from ages 4 to 18 years.

Mr Poots said: “Improving services for those with a learning disability has been one of my top priorities since I became Minister for Health. It has been my Department’s policy for a number of years to encourage and support people with learning disabilities to live in a community setting such as provided by Windsor Day Centre.

“The Centre not only offers a welcome and modern environment for users and staff in the new building, it also provides a range of activities which may lead to other opportunities for users, including workforce training.”

Referring to the new Carrickore respite unit, the Minister added: “Respite care is the most important thing we can offer to families and carers supporting dependent relatives at home. This is doubly important in the case of young people and adults with learning disability who need opportunities for social interaction, for stimulation and for improvement in independence.

“The Carrickore facility does just that and, moreover, allows parents and carers the necessary respite, knowing that their children are being looked after in a warm and caring professional environment.”

Windsor Day Centre places emphasis on a person centred approach providing a range of activities which aim to meet the personal, developmental, emotional and social needs of its service users.

The Carrickore respite unit ensures that individual and flexible care plans are in place for each young person. Also the unit offers short breaks for children with a disability and their families for up to 90 days per year.

Minister Poots concluded: “These two facilities are an excellent example of co-operation between professionals and service users and what can be achieved when we work together for the good of our clients.”

Reports emerged from the Public Health Agency recently confirmed that traces of the potentially deadly bacteria Pseudomonas had been found on the skin of an infant in Daisy Hill hospital’s neo-natal unit.

The baby, who had been transferred from the neo-natal unit in the Royal Jubilee Hospital, Belfast, was confirmed as colonised and remained in isolation until being discharged, free from infection, late last week.

Pseudomonas bacteria found on the skin does not cause any problems in itself, only becoming harmful when if it breaks through the skin and gets through to mucus membranes, into the lungs and bloodstream, where it can cause infections in the chest, blood and urinary tract. It was this infection which proved fatal for three babies diagnosed at the Royal Jubilee neo-natal facility in recent weeks.

The news that a potential case had been discovered in Daisy Hill caused concern amongst mothers in the locality due to give birth, as well as those with babies in the unit. However, both the Southern Trust and the Public Health Agency confirmed with The Examiner on Friday, that the infant had been discharged after being kept in isolation and infants requiring care in the neo-natal unit will not be exposed to risk.

The baby in Daisy Hill was one of three infants within the Southern Trust’s neo-natal service to have tested positive for pseudomonas on their skin.

In a statement the Trust said all three babies were being monitored closely and moved to reassure the public.

“Having this bug on the skin is not affecting the health of these babies and all are being closely monitored. The Southern Trust has no babies with the pseudomonas infection in either of its neo-natal units, however, as a precautionary measure all babies are being screened.

“We can reassure parents that the service is operating as usual and they should not be concerned if their babies need neonatal care.  All necessary infection prevention and control precautions are being taken and in line with normal practice, we will continue to isolate all babies transferred from other Trusts until we are reassured that they are free from infection.

Southern Trust hospitals continue to have some of the lowest rates of infection in the UK,” the statement added.

The recent announcement that Crossmaglen L:ibrary has become one of the hardest hit in the area, with opening hours being slashed by almost 10 hours a week, was met with shock and anger by local political representatives.

Sinn Fein Councillor Terry Hearty described the cuts as “devastating” and another example of the neglect experienced by the South Armagh community, while SDLP Councillor Geraldine Donnelly said the facility is of particular importance in the rural area and has called for the hours to be restored.

The reduction in opening times represents almost a third of the library’s total operating hours, which will undoubtedly impact on staffing levels and is feared may lead to job losses.

Councillor Hearty said the cuts were “the latest in a long line of services to be lost in the area.

“The library is an absolutely vital service to an area already acknowledged as the most deprived ward in Northern Ireland.  To cut back on yet another service in Crossmaglen is actually a sin. It’s just another example of this area being overlooked, underfunded and neglected. This is an area that needs services, investment and facilities put into it – instead the opposite is happening.”

He has urged the public to make their voices heard in support of the library.

“It is vital that we start a campaign to stop cuts to Crossmaglen Library. Sinn Féin activists will be calling to people’s doors to gather a petition of names over the coming weeks and petitions will also be left in shops in the town. I would encourage everyone to become a member of the library or to renew membership if it has expired.”

MP Conor Murphy says he has requested an urgent meeting with the Chief Executive of Libraries NI to address the issue.

Mr Murphy said: “People in Crossmaglen are surprised and somewhat angered by this news, but I am hopeful of making a good case to Libraries NI during my meeting with the Chief Executive next Friday for re- examination of these savage cuts.

“For Libraries NI to base their decision solely on numbers of people through a library door is fundamentally flawed against those libraries which opened fewer hours to begin with.  Crossmaglen Library hours of operation were 27.5 per week to begin with so to compare its footfall against a library open 60 hours per week is wrong.”

He added that Crossmaglen ward has the second highest unemployment figures in the Newry and Mourne area, and that to strip services in an already disadvantaged area is “unconscionable”.

“As well as employment issues, Crossmaglen and its hinterland has historically suffered a lack of investment due to its peripheral location and the current public transport provision is disgracefully scant. This, coupled with a rising birth rate, makes a clear case for retention of services.

Voicing her concern about this cut to the library services, Crossmaglen SDLP Councillor, Geraldine Donnelly, expressed her disappointment at the decision.

“Libraries are a key service in our communities and are particularly important in rural areas such as Crossmaglen. The decision by Libraries NI to reduce the opening hours by a third is a terrible decision and will hit the local community hard,” she said.

Councillor Donnelly revealed that her colleague, Dominic Bradley, has written to the Minister requesting a review of the situation.

“I will be asking Newry and Mourne District Council to write directly to Minister Ní Chuilín asking her to personally intervene to restore the hours and services in Crossmaglen Library,” she added.

A spokesperson from Libraries NI responded: “Libraries NI regret any reductions in opening hours, and the impact this will have on library users.  Though additional funding was announced recently, Libraries NI still needs to reduce opening hours in order to deliver the savings targets results for the Comprehensive Spending Review. In order to be as fair as possible, library usage figures were analysed right across Northern Ireland and then libraries were allocated into bands, resulting in Crossmaglen Library being placed in band six. We will engage with local customers in Crossmaglen to establish the best pattern of opening hours to suit their needs.”

After months of speculation regarding the retention of staff at Newry’s Custom House in Carnbane, the announcement came last week that all 140 posts were safe and Custom House will remain open.

Fears arose last September that the Newry office was pegged for closure when HMRC announced streamlining measures for future locations that did not include the Newry site.  Since then, local politicians have lobbied to safeguard the jobs, arguing that the Newry office could become a cost effective “one-stop-shop” of HMRC services.

The Carnbane office of HMRC is one of the largest public service employers in the region and is the construction industry processing centre for the UK.

SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh, Dominic Bradley, who, along with Margaret Ritchie, met with the Treasury Minister to seek assurance about the retention of the office, welcomed the confirmation that the tax office staff will retain their jobs until a further review in 2015.

Following last week’s announcement, Mr Bradley said,

“Newry is the location for processing of Construction Industry Returns but we believed that it should also be the registration centre and that, in order to provide improved customer service and accountability, a telephone call centre should also be located at the Newry site.

“We felt that this would create a one-stop-shop for all those people in the construction industry and, on behalf of local workers, we presented a strong business case on the issue.

“We have seen public sector jobs haemorrhage out of this city over the last decade. This is a trend that has to stop and the retention of the tax office jobs will herald, not only the start of that process, but will also raise the profile of Newry as much more than a retail centre.

“The SDLP will continue to lobby for Newry to be retained as a strategic location within the proposals for 2020. Newry is a regional economic hub within the regional development strategy.

“We need a diverse economic base – that means fighting to protect the public sector jobs we have and fighting for more public sector jobs.

“I trust that our representations will bear fruit. But both Margaret Ritchie and I, and indeed all our councillors and MLA’s, can assure staff of our continued commitment to the retention of local jobs.”

In a statement, a spokesperson from HMRC said,

“HMRC has been drawing up plans to meet its 2010 Spending Review settlement and in June we made an announcement to staff to share a first look at the size and shape of the department for 2015 and beyond.  Our plans are not yet complete but one thing we could say with certainty at that stage was that the department would definitely be remaining at 16 key locations until at least 2020.  At that time we made it clear that this should not be interpreted to mean that offices outside of those locations were to close or that we could guarantee the future of any office, including all of those within the key 16 towns or cities.

“Since then our plans have developed and in our update on 14 September we could add to those 16 centres 48 other offices where we will maintain a presence for the foreseeable future and at least until 2015.  In the same announcement we identified eight new office closure proposals we are considering for 2013/14.  Custom House in Newry is not among them and the 145 jobs there have not been placed at risk.

“Following our announcement last week, this has been increased to 82 specific locations where HMRC will have a presence at least until 2015, and now includes Coleraine, Craigavon, Enniskillen and Newry.

“Office closures will not lead to any job reductions beyond those already required by the Spending Review.”

While not wanting to get involved in a war of words over the call, and any hidden innuendos raised by it, in trying to put pressure on officials ahead of the up coming semi-final, I see the cheap shot from the Chairman, as a scurrilous attempt to discredit Crossmaglen Rangers Club & supporters. As a Munsterman I am all too familiar with the perceptions that exist with regards to Northern football (not even Ulster) as the ‘them and us’ situation really exists. Tolerance of the Northerners was grand down the years as they only occasionally came to prominence but their arrival as a major regular winning force has seen question marks being put against them for the way they play football, the tactics they employ and now an even lower blow by calling for segregation.

The “SEGREGATION” call goes against and also insults the basic foundations upon which the association has thrived on since its’ formation. The open mingling of rival supporters has been the envy of many a sport down through the years. Thankfully GAA administrator Fergal McGill released a statement saying that segregation at matches was ‘not a part of the GAA’s culture.”The GAA also stated that separating rival supporters at matches is not an issue they will be following through.

There is no doubt that this “call”, even though it was followed by a Crokes statement of mis-representation to dilute the situation, will add fuel to an already eagerly awaited encounter. By the way, you would think that having been in previous finals the Dr Crokes would know that there are family tickets available, and block bookings for groups of supervised juveniles provided requests are made in plenty of time are facilitated where possible by the GAA.

Manager Paddy O’Rourke has a new second in command in Paul Grimley for 2012 and are already resigned to beginning the campaign without the services of the Crossmaglen Rangers players, the absent Stevie McDonnell and the emigrated Kieran Toner. The year began with a McKenna Cup defeat to fellow league opponents Down but wins over St Mary’s and Monaghan with a raft of new players getting playing time under their belts the most important issue during the course of those three matches.

At the time of going to press Armagh have not announced their panel of players for the League campaign but it has all the hall marks of being an experimental outfit as the team is in transition. The League campaign will be all geared at getting the right blend between the tried and trusted and the new before what counts, the June 10 championship meeting with Tyrone at the Morgan Fuel Athletic Grounds. Ironically championship rivals Tyrone have benefited from two outings at the Armagh venue on their way to capturing the first silver wear of the year, the McKenna Cup.

Cork, keen to make amends for a very disappointing 2011 have picked up their first trophy of the year the McGrath Cup with a 0-13 to 0-6 win over Tipperary. The Rebels double champions in 2010 under manager Conor Counihan who will be hoping to get back to those dizzy heights once more has injury concerns with Paddy Kelly and Colm O’Neill who picked up hamstring injuries.

Armagh, on home soil, are always difficult to defeat and are always a danger when written off. As previously stated it is performances not results that the Orchard County should be judged on over the course of this League campaign. A 50% win rate in the League should lead to another year in the top flight and it can be achievable in the three home games with anything picked up on the road viewed as a huge bonus.

With places on the championship squad up for grabs and a fine sprinkling of new talent seeking those places Armagh may yet prove those who think that they are relegation certainties wrong. What better way to start the campaign than with a win over Cork who are not as good on their travels as other teams in the division.