100 years of the Fermanagh Herald

25 YEARS AGO/1983

Election Day is June 9

Two candidates have been named to date for the Fermanagh-South Tyrone Constituency in the forthcoming British General Election which will return 17 Northern Ireland MPs to Westminster. Polling day is Thursday, June 9th.

Named locally for the new-look constituen­cy which will have a smaller traditional Na­tionalist majority than in any previous elec­tion are-The outgoing MP, Owen Carron, who will be the Sinn Fein candidate, and Davy Kettyles who has been selected by The Workers' Party. A big feature of the forthcoming elec­tion campaign will be the clash in the tradi­tionalist Nationalist areas between Sinn Fein and the SDLP and the latter party will meet tonight to select their local candidate.

Shooting at Donagh

Police fired several plastic bullets at a crowd they estimated to number between 100 and 200 outside the Donagh Bar, on Friday night.

Local people claim that a young man had to have several stitches in a head wound after he was struck by one of the bullets, and that he was personally taken by police to a doctor.

The RUC have denied however, that any­body was hurt or that they took care of any­body. A spokesman said one of their patrols was attacked by an angry crowd and that the order to fire was given to make the crowd dis­perse.

Local people and in particular a man who was inside the pub, alleged that when the first plastic bullet was fired, the police were ab­solutely in no physical danger.

50 YEARS AGO/1958

Rumpus among Unionists

Official unionism in Fermanagh is on the horns of a dilemma and the horns are sharp and may inflict permanent injury.

The Executive of the Fermanagh unionist association probably little thought a few weeks ago, when it was decided to write to Frederick Patterson, Lisnaskea, telling him that approval would not any longer be given to him as Unionist candidate in parliamentary or local government elections, the kettle of fish it was cooking for itself.

Mr Patterson does not seem to be have been greatly concerned about the letter or about his political fate, but the unionists of Lisnaskea re­acted with more vigour than Mr Patterson himself. They did nothing for a week or two, and during that week or two, resentment grew at the treatment of Mr Patterson.

Nylon workers reduced

Taylor Woods nylon stocking factory in Enniskillen which has during the past two years   J reduced the numbers of its workers by 90 to   - m 450, is to reduce its staff further. ^

Last week it had only a three day week in­stead of the usual five days and this week it will have a four day week. Future weeks de­pend on the market and demand. Mark Hugh­es, managing director said that they were do­ing some reorganisation in the knitting department. They are employing, he said, a lot more people than English or American factories of a similar kind. They were running pro­portionately the same number of workers for production that were employed in America ten years ago.

75 YEARS AGO/1933

25 foot dive into Slaney

An Enniskillen student of 17 years, had a marvelous escape from death while cycling, she fell 25ft into Slaney River.

Miss Cullen lost control of her bicycle coming downhill, and ran straight over the parapet. There was only a foot of water where she fell. To the amazement of a number of people standing on the bridge, she stood up almost immediately, and freeing herself from the bicycle, walked out of the river.

Milk, butter and cattle prices

The Grogery Branch of the Ulster Farmers Union met in Grogery PE School near Fivemiletown on Saturday evening, the President James Hamilton, presiding.

The chairman John Sommerville, George Little and John Kidd spoke on milk, butter and cattle problems, urging the subsidising of creameries and the fixing of the higher prices for milk and butter.

A resolution was passed on the motion of David Ross, seconded by John Sommerville, protesting against the dumping of foreign but­ter in the six counties, and, especially, against the preferential terms given to butter import­ed from the Free State to be sold at a price less than it could be produced for in Northern Ire­land. The resolution appealed to the Northern Government to give the creameries in the north some assistance to prevent their having to close down, as no farmer could produce milk at 3d per gallon at the present time.

100 YEARS AGO/1908

Newtownbutler Mission

A mission conducted by two distinguished members of the Redemptorist Order will open in both catholic churches in the parish of New­townbutler on Sunday.

This mission is expected to be well attended by the faithful as Redemptorist fathers are preachers of merit and uphold the high stan­dard of pulpit oratory for which that eminent order is so famous. The mission being a time of special graces and blessings it is the duty of the faithful to be up and doing and show by their re-kindled Zeal and quickened faith that they sincerely desire to gain the abundant graces and special favours of holy mission time.

Alleged robbery at Muckna

A robbery is reported to have taken place at Muckna, along the Lough Melvn shore.

From information it would appear that a man had been at the fair in Kiltyclogher the previous day. When returning from the fair he went into a private house at Muckna, where he had some drinks with a man from Derryherk. It was four o'clock in the morning when they left, and Keaney alleged that while he was out­side sitting on the ditch, this man asked him for a smoke and when he had given his pipe to him, the latter put his hand in Keaney's pocket and took out a pocket book containing £810s. He further states that he ran away and jumped the ditch. Keaney went to Garrison and got a car on which he drove to the accused's house but the mother said her son had not been there since 17th March.

« Back to the Latest Local News & Events