14/12/2011 BBC Newsline


14/12/2011

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Good evening. The headlines: The Miami Showband

:00:21.:00:25.

murders come up families they an investigation shows an RUC agent

:00:25.:00:31.

was involved. Heavy snow fall brings destruction,

:00:31.:00:35.

is there more to call? Torrential rain is thought to have

:00:35.:00:41.

cost his landslide in Londonderry. A former priest is found guilty on

:00:41.:00:49.

19 charges of sexual abuse. Violence Mars last night's local

:00:49.:00:54.

football as this man is attacked by a supporter.

:00:54.:01:02.

And we are expecting icy conditions on our roads and pavements.

:01:02.:01:07.

The murders of three musicians by loyalists in 1975 raised disturbing

:01:07.:01:14.

questions about collusive and corrupt behaviour. According --

:01:14.:01:18.

that is according to a report by the historical inquiries team.

:01:18.:01:23.

They were carried out by a UVF gang posing as an army patrol. A band

:01:23.:01:28.

member who described the -- the sick -- survived the attack

:01:28.:01:35.

described the findings as mind- blowing.

:01:35.:01:40.

Good morning everybody. Almost four decades after the Miami Showband

:01:40.:01:45.

murders, survivors and relatives of the dead gathered to release the

:01:45.:01:48.

findings of a report by the Historical Inquiries Team. Three

:01:48.:01:54.

band members were murdered when a UVF gang planted a bomb in a car

:01:54.:02:00.

near Banbridge in 19th and defied. The explosion and gun attack cost

:02:00.:02:07.

the lives of Tony Geraghty, Tony Neate -- Brian McCoy, and two of

:02:07.:02:16.

the UVF gang involved, as well as Brian Toon, the lead singer.

:02:16.:02:23.

-- Fran O'Toole. It was devastating for us. There was a devastating

:02:23.:02:29.

effect on my grandparents and my father. The report details the role

:02:29.:02:34.

of May then leading loyalist, Robin Jackson. His fingerprints were

:02:34.:02:37.

found on a wet been linked to the murders and when questioned by

:02:37.:02:43.

police he told them he had been tipped off prior to be a rest by a

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senior RUC officer and told to lie low. -- prior to the rest. If he

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was involved in the Miami murders, who else was aware of his

:02:55.:02:59.

involvement? Was he debrief by Special Branch or army

:02:59.:03:04.

intelligence? What did they know about the attack and why was

:03:04.:03:09.

nothing done about it? At least two of the ten-man gang involved were

:03:09.:03:17.

UDR soldiers later convicted. This man survive the night. He says he

:03:17.:03:21.

is still haunted by it. Francis and I were like brothers so it was sad

:03:21.:03:27.

to lose him. It was just about music. One of the things I find

:03:27.:03:31.

hard to understand is why we were picked out. We were just a band of

:03:31.:03:37.

musicians whose job was to entertain people both North and

:03:37.:03:40.

South, especially in the north, during those terrible times, to

:03:40.:03:45.

bring a smile to people's faces. The Historical Inquiries Team says

:03:45.:03:50.

it will pass this to the Police Ombudsman's office. Many people are

:03:50.:03:54.

now dead who were in Bob and his case. The families of the Miami

:03:54.:04:01.

Showband may have got as much information as they were going to.

:04:01.:04:06.

The worst snow of the winter's the bar has caused disruption in many

:04:06.:04:13.

parts. Counties in the north and west were worst affected. It is not

:04:13.:04:17.

just the snow that has caused problems. Heavy rain led to

:04:17.:04:26.

flooding and eight wall collapsing. -- a wall collapsing.

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They were struggling to get up this road near Krul Island this morning.

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-- this road this morning. It was not an easy drive on the way down

:04:38.:04:45.

either. Several inches of snow fell overnight, coating the road and the

:04:45.:04:50.

fines on high ground. They gritting lorries were hard but it would take

:04:50.:04:55.

time for the thought to do its job. In the meantime, some motorists had

:04:55.:05:03.

fallen victim to the conditions. Driving over a little on the

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outskirts of west Belfast was also treacherous first thing this

:05:05.:05:12.

morning. So far, the snowfall has not been as heavy or as widespread

:05:12.:05:15.

as they were during the big freeze of last winter but if you are stuck

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in the middle of it, that is little in the way of confirmation.

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-- consolation. The snow affected many parts of County Londonderry,

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not least in the Sperrins. Driving on the Glenshane Pass was

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particularly difficult early this morning but by around 11, the worst

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was cleared, leaving the road passable with care. In the City,

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the weather caused a range of problems. Homes, cars and a church

:05:45.:05:50.

were damaged. A landslide, just missing the

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houses below. But not the cards. So much damage to see and also, the

:06:00.:06:06.

stench of oil in the air. Other damage also do not use the...

:06:06.:06:09.

Behind me is Marlborough Terrace. It had been receiving protection

:06:09.:06:14.

from this wall. It seems to have been there for some time and last

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night it gave way. Underneath where it collapsed you can see a barn is

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covered in debris such as masonry, sold, but what you can see

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alongside it is a taxi. Residents are shocked. They have never seen

:06:32.:06:40.

anything like it. My brother only got out half an hour before this

:06:40.:06:45.

happened. Things could have been a lot worse. Thank God no one has

:06:45.:06:52.

been injured or heard. Elsewhere, families having to leave their

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homes and they may not be back for Christmas. Torrance a border were

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coming around the houses and down the street. -- Paul Ince of water.

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Christmas presents were not so important any more. A short

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distance away, the local church, help is at hand but it is taking

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time. For some, time is crucial. is panic stations. I'm supposed to

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be getting married on Tuesday. I might have to get my mop and bucket

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out and give them a hand! Some clearing up will be done quickly

:07:27.:07:37.
:07:37.:07:38.

but other damage will take much longer to clear up.

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There is more bad weather to come which could cause more scenes like

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this one. This was taken by one of our viewers in Glenelly Valley in

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County Tyrone. It is a worry when even the gritter end up in the

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ditch. We are hearing already reports of black ice in the north-

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west? We have heard that it is already

:08:03.:08:06.

turning icy in places. Hopefully we will not see a repeat of this

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morning over the next few days but there is still wintry weather to

:08:10.:08:20.
:08:20.:08:21.

come over the next couple of days and for the rest of the week. As we

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have heard, it is turning icy in places. There will be our eyes on

:08:25.:08:30.

your car windscreen and also freezing fog. -- ice on your car

:08:30.:08:34.

windscreen. It will be when treated the rest of the week. There will be

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snow showers and round but we will have to wait and see if we get a

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repeat of this morning. A jury at Belfast Crown Court has

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found a former priest guilty of a series of sexual assaults against

:08:49.:08:56.

remain in the 1980s and 1990s. He has been on trial since last month.

:08:56.:09:02.

James Donaghy has been on trial since November, charged with 26

:09:02.:09:06.

offences including indecent assault, serious sexual assault and common

:09:06.:09:12.

assault. There were three victims over a period from 1983 to be a

:09:12.:09:22.

2000. -- the year 2000. The jury had deliberated and returned with

:09:22.:09:25.

verdicts on 19 Afrikaans. He is guilty of indecent assault and

:09:25.:09:31.

serious sexual assault. Three victims, two of them have waived

:09:31.:09:41.

their anonymity, a fellow priest, and James Dougherty, a former altar

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boy who moved to live in England. A former victim is a former trainee

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for the priesthood. There was quiet sobbing from one of the defendant's

:09:55.:10:00.

family members in the lobby. The jury will consider their remaining

:10:01.:10:09.

seven counts tomorrow. Still to come... It's a Christmas

:10:09.:10:14.

favourite but could that. Set up be harbouring a deadly pest? --

:10:14.:10:20.

poinsettia. And to Northern Ireland men qualify

:10:20.:10:28.

for next summer's Olympics. Unemployment has fallen slightly in

:10:28.:10:35.

Northern Ireland during the last three months, down from 7.4% to

:10:35.:10:41.

6.9%, below the UK average. There are not as many jobs around. There

:10:41.:10:44.

are 14,000 fewer people in work here than there were at the start

:10:44.:10:48.

of last year. In this shrinking market even good qualifications and

:10:48.:10:54.

relevant experience and no guarantee of employment. Many are

:10:54.:10:58.

now looking to wider horizons in the search for work.

:10:58.:11:01.

Keith Davidson has just finished his master's degree. Born and

:11:01.:11:06.

raised in Ballinderry, he is going to Australia because even with his

:11:06.:11:10.

qualifications, he cannot find a job here. It is not what he

:11:10.:11:15.

envisaged when he began university. When I went to be the core of the

:11:15.:11:17.

Environment was brilliant and I was told it was the perfect course to

:11:17.:11:24.

do. -- when I went to do the course. The environment now is very Boruc.

:11:24.:11:28.

I find it hard to come across a job I would applied for, never mind get

:11:28.:11:33.

an interview for. I have decided to go to Australia to try and broaden

:11:33.:11:40.

my horizons and securing a job there. Out of a master's course of

:11:41.:11:47.

36 people, about 35 or going to Australia. With �30,000 on my

:11:47.:11:50.

education, I thought I would have got a good job in Northern Ireland

:11:50.:11:55.

or the UK. It does not seem to happen. The ships used to. Right

:11:55.:12:04.

here. But maritime history is remembered in this sculpture. It

:12:04.:12:08.

has been a long time since that but the exodus is happening again today.

:12:08.:12:14.

Unlike earlier years, those leaving are well qualified and they are

:12:14.:12:19.

increasingly when experienced as well. Best recruitment consultant

:12:19.:12:23.

has seen applications from senior managers and chief executives

:12:23.:12:26.

jumped 25% in the last three months are and they are looking beyond

:12:26.:12:33.

Northern Ireland as well. Managing directors and top level people are

:12:33.:12:36.

losing their jobs and they are very experienced. There are less

:12:36.:12:41.

opportunities for them. For every one or two senior managers there is

:12:41.:12:48.

maybe 20 or 30 or 100 employees. There are no official figures for

:12:48.:12:51.

emigration for Northern Ireland but when people with years of

:12:51.:12:54.

experience cannot find work, there is evidence of a job situation

:12:55.:13:03.

Tomorrow night Jim will be looking at the changing face of the High

:13:03.:13:07.

Street in these austere times. A former British agent who worked

:13:07.:13:10.

undercover in the IRA has begun giving evidence to the Smithwick

:13:10.:13:14.

Tribunal in Dublin. It's investigating allegations of Garda

:13:14.:13:17.

collusion into the murders of senior RUC men Harry Breen and Bob

:13:17.:13:20.

Buchanan in 1989. Our Dublin reporter Julie Kirby joins me now

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live. Julie, this is the agent known as Kevin Fulton. What did he

:13:25.:13:35.
:13:35.:13:37.

have say about these murders? Kevin Fulton was giving evidence

:13:37.:13:42.

behind a screen today to protect his identity. He was told its - -

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he told how he had joined the British Army and infiltrated the

:13:48.:13:56.

IRA in 1980. He said he was in the House of mute player when new

:13:56.:14:01.

skimming on - - of the two murders of the RDC officers and he was told

:14:01.:14:06.

that our friend the gardener was involved, and he took that to mean

:14:06.:14:12.

that the Garda had tipped off the IRA about their whereabouts. He

:14:12.:14:17.

said it was the worst kept secret that this policeman was helping out

:14:17.:14:27.
:14:27.:14:28.

the provisional IRA. He gave one example of a car being fountain

:14:28.:14:32.

discard or removed fingerprints from it. Did he say who the Garda

:14:32.:14:42.

was? He said he believed that the man was 01 Corrigan. He said he

:14:42.:14:52.
:14:52.:14:55.

could not imagine he else it would be. Key said he was told that an -

:14:55.:15:05.
:15:05.:15:06.

- that's a County Louth farmer or hides turns into an informer for

:15:06.:15:16.
:15:16.:15:16.

the IRA. He was later shot dead. Kevin Fulton said that he was proud

:15:16.:15:20.

of his work, but he did have an demons that he was having to live

:15:20.:15:23.

with. Well, a day of treacherous road

:15:23.:15:27.

conditions is not perhaps the best time to be reminded that drivers in

:15:27.:15:30.

Northern Ireland are still paying more for car insurance than they do

:15:30.:15:32.

in Great Britain. Typically, 11% more, according to the Office of

:15:32.:15:38.

Fair Trading. Here is our consumer correspondent, Martin Cassidy. For

:15:38.:15:45.

motorists across the United Kingdom, the cost of car insurance and isn't

:15:45.:15:51.

celebrating - - is accelerating. It went up 9% in 2011. In Northern

:15:51.:15:58.

Ireland motorists are paying even more. On average, 11 % more. The

:15:58.:16:02.

Consumer Council says some motorists in country areas here

:16:02.:16:08.

face significantly higher premiums. What is shocking is that we're

:16:08.:16:13.

paying in will communities up to 70 % more than our counterparts in

:16:13.:16:16.

rural communities in group Britain. That prohibits many people from

:16:16.:16:23.

working, from accessing social activities and it is a form of

:16:23.:16:28.

exclusion. Sir like his cards - - car insurance more expensive here?

:16:28.:16:32.

But, according to the Office of Fair Trading, car accidents are

:16:32.:16:39.

more frequent here. And then there are the personal injury claims here,

:16:39.:16:44.

they tend to be more generous. Legal fees are also higher in

:16:44.:16:49.

Northern Ireland. Consumers here could do more to help themselves.

:16:49.:16:52.

The Office of Fair Trading report says that just over half of

:16:52.:16:58.

motorists here compare car insurance quotes. In Britain, three

:16:58.:17:01.

out of four driver shop around. The Association of British Insurance

:17:01.:17:07.

says that for a minor whiplash came and individual in England to Wales

:17:07.:17:11.

might get between �500 and �2,000. Here, the figures are very

:17:11.:17:15.

different. The association says a person in Northern Ireland might

:17:16.:17:21.

get as much as �8,000. We have a history were personal injury awards

:17:21.:17:27.

were awarded by juries, which would be higher than those across the

:17:27.:17:33.

water. We still tend to follow the same pattern. We do have problems

:17:33.:17:38.

that record system as law. Tougher penalties for motorists who drive

:17:38.:17:44.

without insurance would also help. They add around �30 their

:17:44.:17:54.
:17:54.:17:55.

everyone's annual premium. - - to been a lot of reaction to this

:17:55.:17:58.

story and, surprise, surprise, most people are telling us that they

:17:58.:18:01.

think car insurance here is far too expensive. If you would like to

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join the debate, the address is on screen now. Our journalists have

:18:04.:18:08.

been updating on Twitter throughout the day. You can keep across all of

:18:08.:18:10.

that at twitter.com/bbcnewsline. If you want to email us, it's

:18:10.:18:16.

Tighter controls on plant movements here have been introduced follow

:18:16.:18:19.

recent outbreaks of disease. It is thought that some of the recent

:18:19.:18:21.

tree diseases came from imported plants. Even at Christmas time,

:18:21.:18:25.

extra care is being taken to ensure new pests or infections can't sneak

:18:25.:18:27.

in, as our environment correspondent, Mike McKimm, has

:18:27.:18:37.
:18:37.:18:38.

been finding out. These are poinsettia. They're very

:18:38.:18:42.

popular at Christmas. These ones are imported by the farming and

:18:42.:18:46.

horticultural college at Greenmount. They look rather spectacular at

:18:46.:18:50.

this time of year and they endured for a reason because these are

:18:50.:18:56.

imported and the can harbour a rather horrible and exotic pest,

:18:56.:19:00.

the tobacco whitefly. If it got out there it could cause a lot of

:19:00.:19:10.

damage. We would put it through a quarantine periods of three weeks.

:19:10.:19:15.

Weary able to monitor them on a daily basis and to check out if the

:19:15.:19:18.

pests are there in the first place, and then to look at what

:19:18.:19:22.

preventative measures we could take wanted images quarantine and moves

:19:22.:19:29.

into the growing and production house. Last month 43,000. Sector

:19:29.:19:35.

were destroyed in England's. It is already too late to exclude the

:19:35.:19:40.

fungal disease that is killing cypress trees here. The infected

:19:40.:19:46.

areas here can only be controlled to prevent their - - further spread.

:19:47.:19:50.

Tens of thousands of Japanese larch trees have also died from disease,

:19:50.:20:00.

the disease thought to have come from rhododendron. Rhododendron

:20:00.:20:05.

should carry a planned passport. I would be checking that it carries

:20:05.:20:11.

to protect - - correct paperwork. One site check documentation I do a

:20:11.:20:15.

general health check on the plant, checking from the symptoms of

:20:15.:20:21.

disease. A faded notice anything peculiar and I would issue a

:20:21.:20:25.

detention notice and the plants would be taken off sale. That will

:20:25.:20:31.

probably end up here at the laboratories in Belfast where they

:20:31.:20:35.

are examined for pests and infection. They can even use DNA

:20:35.:20:40.

samples. Controlling plant diseases getting harder, and it is not just

:20:40.:20:44.

humans who ignore the warnings. Local football is back in the dock

:20:44.:20:47.

tonight after violence marred last night's cup game in North Belfast.

:20:47.:20:51.

Here's Stephen Watson. We have the exclusive footage of

:20:51.:20:55.

the trouble and an interview with the player who was attacked by a

:20:55.:20:58.

supporter. Coleraine's Johnny Black was punched just minutes after

:20:58.:21:02.

scoring a late winning goal against Cliftonville. There were also

:21:02.:21:05.

scuffles on the pitch between home supporters and stewards. The PSNI

:21:05.:21:08.

arrested and later released on bail a 16-year-old male as they continue

:21:08.:21:18.
:21:18.:21:21.

their investigation into the violence. Thomas Niblock reports.

:21:21.:21:25.

Emotions were running high last night after a dramatic finish at

:21:25.:21:31.

solitude. Johnny Black's extra-time winner sent Coleraine through to

:21:31.:21:35.

the Cup final and Cliftonville crashed out. As Johnny Black,

:21:36.:21:42.

number 33, is leaving the pitch he was struck by a spectator. The

:21:42.:21:46.

supporter who punched him was eventually caught by stewards and

:21:46.:21:53.

later arrested by their police. was just walking off and saw

:21:53.:21:57.

somebody coming up and he gave me a punch in the mouth. Hopefully he

:21:57.:22:03.

will be dealt with, there is no place in football for that. It was

:22:03.:22:13.
:22:13.:22:13.

not the only incident. We totally condemn the actions of a very few

:22:13.:22:21.

morons last night. They have no place in football. I apologise to

:22:21.:22:29.

Cliftonville. Unfortunately, we have got to redouble our efforts to

:22:29.:22:36.

make sure the scenes never reoccur in football again. You cannot

:22:36.:22:41.

legislate for things like that. When emotions run high at the end

:22:41.:22:46.

of games, you can legislate for every single person the walks into

:22:46.:22:50.

your ground. Am sure the powers that be will punish the

:22:50.:23:00.
:23:00.:23:00.

perpetrators. The clubs will co- operate with any investigation.

:23:00.:23:03.

Both clubs will be hopeful that these scenes will not be repeated

:23:03.:23:10.

this Saturday as both Cliftonville in at - - Cliftonville and

:23:10.:23:14.

Coleraine meet again at solitude. Ballymena's Roy Walker was one of

:23:14.:23:17.

three local football managers to part company with their clubs

:23:17.:23:20.

yesterday. He quit the job after his team lost last night's other

:23:20.:23:24.

Irn Bru Cup semi-final against Crusaders.

:23:24.:23:26.

Two more Northern Ireland competitors secured qualification

:23:26.:23:30.

today for next summer's London Olympics. Matt McGovern and Ryan

:23:30.:23:32.

Seaton will represent Ireland in sailing following an impressive

:23:32.:23:34.

showing at this week's World Championships in Australia. Austin

:23:34.:23:37.

O'Callaghan's report begins with the two sailors' video diary, which

:23:37.:23:47.
:23:47.:23:50.

they have been keeping down under for BBC Newsline.

:23:50.:23:56.

The first day in Australia. As you can see, the weather is tropical.

:23:56.:24:02.

It is not as glamourous as you may think. We are in a car park and we

:24:02.:24:08.

have just gone and bought some timber, a drill and a sore

:24:08.:24:11.

underplanted days to put a refract on our hire car so we can transfer

:24:11.:24:16.

our boat for Melbourne to Sydney. Luxury it isn't. The road to the

:24:16.:24:22.

World Championships may have been unconventional for this pair, but

:24:22.:24:27.

the journey to London has, in the end, been relatively smooth, even

:24:27.:24:31.

if they have been living in each other's pockets since putting their

:24:31.:24:36.

lives and university study on holds three years ago to pursue a Olympic

:24:36.:24:39.

qualification. You would not believe how much time we spent

:24:39.:24:43.

together. I look at people who are married and we spend even more time

:24:43.:24:51.

than that. Going to the Olympics as a great honour. We're looking to go

:24:51.:24:56.

and bring home medals. Even getting there is something that we have to

:24:56.:25:01.

remember is a good achievement in itself. They will compete in the 49

:25:01.:25:08.

er class, the fastest of the sailing events. But securing your

:25:08.:25:13.

ticket for London still does not excuse you from their DIY part of

:25:13.:25:16.

the sport. One young man dreaming of Olympic

:25:16.:25:20.

qualification is Ian Sloan. He is part of the Irish men's hockey team

:25:20.:25:24.

who will try to make it to 2012 in the New Year. Today, the 17-year-

:25:24.:25:26.

old schoolboy turned in a remarkable performance for his

:25:26.:25:31.

school. The captain scored four goals and set up a fifth to help

:25:31.:25:33.

Cookstown High beat Banbridge Academy 5-3 to win the McCullough

:25:34.:25:43.

Cup. Well, time now for a full weather

:25:43.:25:53.
:25:53.:25:55.

Ice is the main hazard tonight. We're not expecting any more fresh

:25:55.:25:59.

snow tonight, but it doesn't mean that we will not have some more

:25:59.:26:03.

wintry weather in the next few days. Thank you very much for all your

:26:03.:26:13.
:26:13.:26:15.

pictures. There is still plenty of snow over the hills and lying on

:26:15.:26:22.

the ground. This lush will freeze. The height made all the difference

:26:22.:26:27.

today. Redundancy level it was mainly falling as rain or sleet. So,

:26:27.:26:31.

very icy conditions around and they will persist right through the

:26:31.:26:35.

night in Inter tomorrow morning, with the added complication of some

:26:35.:26:41.

fog. The winds will disappear tonight. Tonight we can expect very

:26:41.:26:48.

calm conditions leading to dense areas of fog with a sharp frost,

:26:48.:26:52.

temperatures falling down to five below freezing. So, for tomorrow

:26:52.:26:59.

morning, there could well be ice and fog. Not too much in the way a

:26:59.:27:09.
:27:09.:27:13.

During the afternoon there will be some cloudy and damp weather moving

:27:13.:27:17.

up from the south-west. It will fill called tomorrow once again. By

:27:17.:27:21.

lunchtime it will be relatively dry in the north and east, even with a

:27:21.:27:26.

bit of sunshine. Towards the south- west, the skies will be cloudy and

:27:26.:27:30.

we will see bits-and-pieces of rain and sleet. That will continue to

:27:30.:27:33.

move northwards with most this is becoming dry again be the end of

:27:34.:27:38.

the day and we can expect another very cold night tomorrow. There

:27:38.:27:42.

will be an area of significance no developing over southern counties

:27:42.:27:46.

of Ireland. At the moment it looks like it should not come much

:27:46.:27:51.

further north than Dublin, but if it tells a could well be something

:27:51.:27:58.

to watch out for. I suppose the advice is if you

:27:58.:28:01.

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