Browse content similar to 20/02/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Good evening. This is BBC Newsline with Noel Thompson and Donna | :00:14. | :00:16. | |
Traynor. The headlines this Monday evening | :00:16. | :00:20. | |
An inquiry opens into the deaths of five children in hospital - I'm | :00:20. | :00:30. | |
:00:30. | :00:32. | ||
live with the details. Ten months after the murder of | :00:32. | :00:37. | |
Constable Ronan Kerr, the police appeal for more help to catch his | :00:37. | :00:41. | |
killers. A multi-million pound golf course on the role for coast is | :00:41. | :00:45. | |
expected to get the go-ahead. -- on the north coast. | :00:45. | :00:50. | |
More cars hijacked at the weekend - a man tells us about his traumatic | :00:50. | :00:53. | |
experience. I got pulled out of the car and | :00:53. | :00:59. | |
could be kicking, so why did. Find out why the former Northern | :00:59. | :01:03. | |
Ireland football captain has come out of international retirement. | :01:03. | :01:06. | |
And we're expecting much milder temperatures this week, but will | :01:06. | :01:16. | |
:01:16. | :01:16. | ||
the sun come out to join them? Find It took eight years to get under | :01:16. | :01:19. | |
way, but the public inquiry into the deaths of five children in | :01:19. | :01:22. | |
hospitals has already been adjourned on its first day, in what | :01:22. | :01:24. | |
the chairman calls a regrettable move. John O'Hara said fresh | :01:25. | :01:27. | |
evidence had emerged leaving him with no option but to delay the | :01:28. | :01:31. | |
proceedings. Our Health Correspondent joins us from | :01:31. | :01:40. | |
Banbridge where the inquiry opened. Remind us of the background to all | :01:40. | :01:46. | |
of this, please. Good evening. The public inquiry finally got under | :01:46. | :01:49. | |
way behind me here at Bain Bridge court house. | :01:49. | :01:55. | |
It was established in 2004 that it years ago -- that is some eight | :01:55. | :02:05. | |
:02:05. | :02:08. | ||
years ago, to investigate the death of Adam Strain who died in 1995, | :02:08. | :02:13. | |
Claire Roberts and Raychel Ferguson, who died in 2001. She was nine | :02:13. | :02:18. | |
years old. The inquiry also examined the events following the | :02:18. | :02:25. | |
death of, Mitchell. He was 15. Also Lucie Crockett, who died in 2001. | :02:26. | :02:30. | |
The common thread linking these five are young lives is a condition | :02:30. | :02:36. | |
known as hyponatraemia, which occurs when a person is giving -- | :02:36. | :02:39. | |
given too much of an intravenous fluid in hospital. | :02:39. | :02:47. | |
This can trigger not enough sodium in the bloodstream, and we now know | :02:47. | :02:53. | |
that can result in death. What is the inquiry trying to establish? | :02:53. | :02:58. | |
The inquiry team have been a ask to to try and find out how the flow | :02:58. | :03:02. | |
would say were administered by medical teams. | :03:02. | :03:06. | |
If the doses of the fluid were correct and how regularly these | :03:06. | :03:12. | |
young children were checked by medical teams and if, in effect, | :03:12. | :03:16. | |
information was passed between medical staff and the media's | :03:16. | :03:20. | |
health trusts whenever children were moved from one hospital to the | :03:20. | :03:27. | |
Royal Belfast Hospital. The inquiry team has also been asked to examine | :03:27. | :03:33. | |
the experiences of the families, including that of Deborah strain, | :03:33. | :03:38. | |
whose son Adam was four years old when he died. She paid a very | :03:38. | :03:42. | |
moving tribute to her son through her barrister. She said a part of | :03:42. | :03:46. | |
her died when he died, and she said that having to hold a child when | :03:46. | :03:50. | |
they die is not how it is supposed to be. It was confirmed this | :03:50. | :03:55. | |
afternoon in court that the family were asked to sign a | :03:55. | :03:58. | |
confidentiality document, which meant they were prevented from | :03:58. | :04:05. | |
speaking to members of the press. The inquiry team was Armagh -- | :04:05. | :04:10. | |
asking why that was allowed to happen. This inquiry has been | :04:10. | :04:13. | |
postponed at numerous times. It was then adjourned today - | :04:14. | :04:21. | |
explain to us what happened. New evidence emerged today, evidence | :04:21. | :04:25. | |
from a Professor who is questioning if Adam Strain died from | :04:25. | :04:30. | |
hyponatraemia. This means that if proceedings have | :04:30. | :04:36. | |
been adjourned the family's are disappointed but the understand. -- | :04:36. | :04:39. | |
this means that proceedings have been adjourned and the families are | :04:39. | :04:45. | |
disappointed. It breaks my heart every time I've see how it picked | :04:45. | :04:50. | |
Show. Or talk about her. -- I see her | :04:50. | :04:57. | |
picture. The emotional today, to be honest. A progress hearing is | :04:57. | :05:01. | |
should hold for a march to the first come and according to the | :05:01. | :05:05. | |
chairman of the inquiry, John O'Hara QC, he says that even if it | :05:05. | :05:09. | |
means they have to cut short their ten-week summer holiday break, the | :05:09. | :05:19. | |
inquiry team and his report will begin to be written by November. | :05:19. | :05:24. | |
The a victim of a car jacking has told BBC Newsline that children who | :05:24. | :05:27. | |
were his passengers were show it would class when his vehicle was | :05:27. | :05:31. | |
attacked in Belfast. Since the start of the year 15 vehicles have | :05:31. | :05:34. | |
been stolen and there have been seven attempted hijackings. The | :05:34. | :05:39. | |
police have set up a task force, but Sinn Fein say more could be | :05:39. | :05:42. | |
done. Our correspondent was speaking to the driver of that | :05:42. | :05:47. | |
vehicle, he does not want to be identified. I was driving up the | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
road with my daughter, who is nine years or old, and my niece, who is | :05:51. | :05:59. | |
I got pulled out of the car and got a kicking. The car was a way. The | :05:59. | :06:02. | |
victim is still traumatised by that attack or on all but street in west | :06:02. | :06:07. | |
Belfast which happened just over two weeks ago. He is now receiving | :06:07. | :06:13. | |
help and counselling from community restorative justice diamond. We | :06:13. | :06:16. | |
have a whole community concerned about going and coming from their | :06:16. | :06:20. | |
view also, particularly women in our community, who feel very | :06:20. | :06:26. | |
vulnerable. On Saturday there were two more car jack came as in West | :06:26. | :06:31. | |
Belfast. One took place on Springfield Parade, when a young | :06:31. | :06:37. | |
mother left her car to post a letter. Two youths with hooded | :06:37. | :06:43. | |
scarfs pulled over their faces demanded her keys. In another case | :06:43. | :06:49. | |
Tamar --, two women were held up at knifepoint. | :06:49. | :06:53. | |
Sinn Fein sake not enough has been done to catch those responsible. | :06:53. | :06:59. | |
People carrying out the these are attack as she should stop but also | :06:59. | :07:05. | |
the police have a duty, and I am calling on additional resources to | :07:05. | :07:09. | |
be put into Belfast to tackle this issue, because it is not fair that | :07:09. | :07:12. | |
people have to live in fear of intimidation when the average | :07:12. | :07:20. | |
driving. The police have rejected criticism they are not doing enough. | :07:20. | :07:25. | |
The facts speak for themselves. The fact is we are arrested him dozens | :07:25. | :07:29. | |
of people for a wide range of offenders and across the city. | :07:30. | :07:33. | |
are arresting some of the car hijackers, and we are charging some | :07:33. | :07:37. | |
of them, and I am very hopeful we will continue to make progress in | :07:37. | :07:44. | |
that way. Police say there is a number of things motorists are can | :07:44. | :07:48. | |
be to help themselves because prevent becoming a victim. They | :07:48. | :07:52. | |
include locking the car and having your windows up when driving in a | :07:52. | :07:58. | |
bin areas. Plans for a new luxury �100 million golf resort on and off | :07:58. | :08:01. | |
court to get the final go-ahead tomorrow at the end of a lengthy | :08:01. | :08:06. | |
planning process. The Alvechurch will include an 18 | :08:06. | :08:13. | |
hole course and a nine-hole course, Villa's and a swimming pool. What | :08:13. | :08:19. | |
exactly will be fined? There is plans -- there are plans for a 300 | :08:19. | :08:24. | |
a 65 acre site close to Alvechurch, not far from the Giant's Causeway. | :08:24. | :08:28. | |
The developers say it will rival any golf course in the world and is | :08:28. | :08:34. | |
at the luxury end of the market. It will incorporate a five-star hotel, | :08:34. | :08:40. | |
120 rooms, 75 villas and has the potential to create 360 jobs. The | :08:40. | :08:43. | |
key component is that it would become an important part of a | :08:43. | :08:50. | |
cluster of the golf courses on the north coast. It has been a long | :08:50. | :08:54. | |
time in the works, why? There have been a planning application form of | :08:54. | :08:59. | |
some description for a goal of course on that site for more than | :08:59. | :09:01. | |
ten years. The current application was begin | :09:01. | :09:06. | |
in 2007. The developers say that had a decision been made then the | :09:06. | :09:13. | |
golf course would have been built by now. It is a controversial | :09:13. | :09:16. | |
application because of its proximity to the stones of the | :09:16. | :09:21. | |
Giant's Causeway. There have been protests about this, and their | :09:21. | :09:24. | |
concern is to it will have a detrimental impact on the | :09:24. | :09:27. | |
environment and could put the World Heritage status of the Giant's | :09:27. | :09:32. | |
Causeway at risk. What will be here tomorrow? The environment minister, | :09:32. | :09:36. | |
Alex Attwood, will make a decision that my own tomorrow. | :09:36. | :09:40. | |
I understand he has been told by officials they recommend they | :09:40. | :09:45. | |
should be an approval for this. Ministers are unlikely to go | :09:45. | :09:49. | |
against their officials in a case like this. Also, it has to be seen | :09:49. | :09:53. | |
in the context of what the big push to develop Northern Ireland as an | :09:53. | :09:58. | |
international golfing location. The answer tomorrow about 12 o'clock, | :09:58. | :10:04. | |
but it all points in favour of a Yes. Thank you. Still to come on | :10:04. | :10:08. | |
the programme. Real wing in the visitors' - tens | :10:08. | :10:11. | |
of thousands are expected in Belfast for the rich charm of the | :10:11. | :10:16. | |
world Irish Dancing Championships. Plus Belfast boxer Brian Magee | :10:16. | :10:22. | |
looks to the future after successful a defending his title. | :10:22. | :10:32. | |
:10:32. | :10:36. | ||
-- defending his title. An inquest has been told that a | :10:36. | :10:39. | |
ground warning system was not turned on when a helicopter crashed | :10:39. | :10:41. | |
into the Mourne mountains, killing three men. The crash in October | :10:41. | :10:44. | |
2010 killed the pilot Anthony Smith, and his passengers, Ian Wooldridge | :10:44. | :10:47. | |
and Charles Stisted, a close friend of Prince Charles. The men had been | :10:47. | :10:50. | |
returning to the South of England from a shooting party in County | :10:50. | :10:53. | |
Tyrone. The aircraft came down in remote countryside a hundred feet | :10:53. | :10:56. | |
below the summit of Shanlieve. The inquest in Belfast is expected to | :10:56. | :10:58. | |
continue for at least another two days. Detectives investigating the | :10:58. | :11:02. | |
murder of Constable roaring care last April say they have linked the | :11:02. | :11:07. | |
killing -- Ronan Kerr have liked the killing to nine other dissident | :11:07. | :11:13. | |
attacks. Today, the police appealed for help in identifying 11 vehicles | :11:13. | :11:18. | |
and a man seen in the area in the days leading up to the attack. Our | :11:18. | :11:24. | |
district journalist Louise Cullen report adds. Ronan Kerr's murder in | :11:24. | :11:29. | |
April last year shocked the community in Omagh and beyond. | :11:29. | :11:33. | |
The first Catholic PSNI officer to be killed, his funeral but the | :11:33. | :11:36. | |
community together in an unprecedented show of unity. | :11:36. | :11:41. | |
Politicians joined friends and family to lead the newly qualified | :11:41. | :11:46. | |
officer to rest. Since then there have been 10 arrests and one person | :11:46. | :11:51. | |
charged in connection with the murder. Police won't help | :11:51. | :11:55. | |
identifying 11 cars and one man seen in the days before the murder. | :11:55. | :12:00. | |
Think to yourself, could that have been me? Was I in the area and that | :12:00. | :12:05. | |
time? Does that description sound like me, a member of my family, a | :12:05. | :12:10. | |
friend of mine or someone I know? Does the car sound like mine or the | :12:10. | :12:16. | |
description of a car I know? The vehicles and a man were all seen in | :12:16. | :12:21. | |
a road close to Ronan Kerr's house. Detectives say the drivers and the | :12:21. | :12:24. | |
man are all valuable witnesses, some could be potential suspect. | :12:24. | :12:29. | |
They have created a map showing each vehicle and a man with | :12:29. | :12:33. | |
descriptions in the hope of jogging people's memories. Today detectives | :12:34. | :12:38. | |
revealed the murder has been linked to nine other incidents. The | :12:38. | :12:42. | |
incidents go back over a number of years, covering incidents that have | :12:42. | :12:50. | |
occured in County Tyrone, Belfast and Armagh. This investigation is | :12:50. | :12:56. | |
now the biggest since the Omagh bomb. Detectives hope more people | :12:56. | :13:04. | |
will come forward with information. Good news and bad news from our | :13:04. | :13:08. | |
high streets today. Latest figures show a healthy increase in the | :13:08. | :13:11. | |
number of people who hit the shops over the Christmas period, although | :13:11. | :13:14. | |
we don't know if they spent money or were just looking. On the | :13:14. | :13:17. | |
downside, Northern Ireland still has the highest percentage of empty | :13:17. | :13:20. | |
shops. The figures come from the British Retail Consortium in a | :13:20. | :13:27. | |
survey of hundreds of centres Shoppers turned out in force in | :13:27. | :13:31. | |
December and that is encouraging, after, you know, a difficult year | :13:31. | :13:35. | |
to get that many shoppers out on the streets. What we don't quite | :13:35. | :13:39. | |
understand is where they spending while they were out? The figures we | :13:39. | :13:45. | |
have published today, we puts Northern Ireland shoppers up 7.2% | :13:45. | :13:49. | |
only tell you how many people are out there shopping. They don't tell | :13:49. | :13:54. | |
you what they are spending. question is where did their shop? | :13:54. | :13:59. | |
We have the worst record for empty shops on our high streets? | :13:59. | :14:03. | |
Absolutely. Very disappointing to see that edging back up again, | :14:03. | :14:08. | |
after some improvements in performance, in the autumn. I can | :14:08. | :14:12. | |
only think that that involves some pop up shops that were filling | :14:12. | :14:16. | |
empty stores and perhaps, you know didn't last very long and have | :14:16. | :14:21. | |
moved on. Extremely worrying to see a vacancy rate of 14%. That is | :14:21. | :14:27. | |
worse than anywhere in goodbye. there a solution to it? Well, it is | :14:27. | :14:31. | |
very welcome news that the executive has decided to bring | :14:31. | :14:35. | |
forward legislation on business improvement districts, they have | :14:35. | :14:41. | |
proved very successful, where tried the US and in Scotland and England. | :14:41. | :14:46. | |
So that offers some hope. And also the review on planning, which | :14:46. | :14:52. | |
answers one of the points in our five point plan to rescue retail in | :14:52. | :14:57. | |
Northern Ireland, where we need a town centre first policy. | :14:57. | :15:01. | |
assembly has been talking about putting a levy on the big shops. | :15:01. | :15:04. | |
You have been to speak to the assembly about this. You say that | :15:04. | :15:11. | |
is a bad idea, why? The money that is being spent by the large | :15:11. | :15:17. | |
retailers through the large retailer levy clearly, both | :15:17. | :15:20. | |
disswaids them from further investment in Northern Ireland, | :15:20. | :15:24. | |
certainly in big store formats where they could be caught by the | :15:25. | :15:31. | |
levy. Money spent on one thing can't be spent on something else. | :15:31. | :15:35. | |
We think investment in business improvement districts for example, | :15:35. | :15:39. | |
to make town centres more vibrant, more welcoming for shoppers, is the | :15:39. | :15:47. | |
only way to put the heart back in to our communities. The new | :15:47. | :15:51. | |
Northern Ireland football manager name his first squad of players | :15:51. | :15:58. | |
today. He has only been in the job for a few week bus Michael O'Neill | :15:58. | :16:02. | |
has been using his powers of persuasion. He has persuaded Aaron | :16:02. | :16:05. | |
Hughs to come out of international retirement. Hughs who captained | :16:05. | :16:10. | |
Northern Ireland until last year is included in the squad for the first | :16:10. | :16:15. | |
game in charge at against Norway. Aaron Hughes quit international | :16:15. | :16:18. | |
football after 13 years at the end of the last campaign. But the fans | :16:18. | :16:23. | |
favourite has had a change of heart, after discussions with the new | :16:23. | :16:31. | |
manager. It is huge for everyone, not only the squad, but for | :16:31. | :16:34. | |
everyone, and it was a positive conversation I had with Aaron. It | :16:34. | :16:37. | |
was a big boost for me picking the first squad to have Aaron available. | :16:37. | :16:43. | |
It will be a big boost for the rest of the players as well. I would | :16:43. | :16:47. | |
regret it more not than if I come back and it doesn't work out, or | :16:47. | :16:51. | |
for whatever reason. I can deal with that, because at least I've | :16:51. | :16:56. | |
given it another go. If it hadn't done it all all I think it would | :16:56. | :17:00. | |
play on my mind more. Also returning to the squad is Newcastle | :17:00. | :17:03. | |
player Shane Ferguson, who it was feared would switch to the republic | :17:03. | :17:07. | |
after failing to answer a Northern Ireland call-up. We obviously have | :17:07. | :17:12. | |
that situation, always in the back of maybe players' minds and the | :17:12. | :17:15. | |
media's mind from. The opening conversation I had with Shane, he | :17:15. | :17:18. | |
outlined his commitment to Northern Ireland, and that was good enough | :17:18. | :17:22. | |
for me. As I say, he sees his future as a Northern Ireland | :17:22. | :17:28. | |
international play e and I have no doubt he is a big future. With a | :17:28. | :17:31. | |
tough World Cup qualifying campaign looming, the manager will need as | :17:31. | :17:35. | |
much experience as he can get. Absolutely. And Sunderland's James | :17:35. | :17:39. | |
MacLaine who opted to play for the republic has been called into | :17:39. | :17:42. | |
Giovanni Trappatoni's squad for next week's friendly against the | :17:42. | :17:49. | |
Czech Republic. In the Carling Irish Premiership the two two teams | :17:49. | :17:55. | |
merged with honours even as Portadown drew with Linfield. | :17:55. | :17:59. | |
Portadown took the lead in controversial fafpblgts Shaun | :17:59. | :18:03. | |
Mackle appeared to foul Jim Ervin in the build up. The Linfield | :18:03. | :18:07. | |
manager saw it that way. David Jeffrey as you can see wasn't very | :18:07. | :18:12. | |
happy. But Linfield secured a draw thanks to Peter Thompson's | :18:12. | :18:16. | |
equaliser. The champions kept their four point lead at the top of the | :18:16. | :18:23. | |
table. Third place Cliftonville lost ground, losing 1-0 at the Oval | :18:23. | :18:30. | |
to Glentoran on this fine strike. Ballymena were 3-1 winners at | :18:30. | :18:36. | |
Carrick. This flying header proved the clincher. Aidan Watson scored | :18:36. | :18:42. | |
his first goal of the season to give crust say dors a win. Done | :18:42. | :18:47. | |
Dungannon Swifts picked up a 2-0 win but it remains tight at the | :18:47. | :18:53. | |
bottom we three points spanning the bottom four sides and this | :18:53. | :18:58. | |
afternoon Coagh United booked a quarterfinal place against Linfield. | :18:59. | :19:03. | |
Steve Park gave them the lead and Jason Gillespie was on the score | :19:03. | :19:11. | |
sheet in the 4-1 win. Boxer Brian McGee has returned to Lisburn with | :19:11. | :19:16. | |
his WBA belt after a successful defence of his super middleweight | :19:16. | :19:21. | |
title on Saturday. He stopped challenger Rudy Markussen in the | :19:21. | :19:24. | |
Firth round. He hopes to get a crack at the world title this year. | :19:25. | :19:34. | |
We caught up with him today. Hands up. For now his belt is put to side | :19:34. | :19:38. | |
and Brian Magee's focus son his family. He is in the form of his | :19:38. | :19:41. | |
career and another knock out performance at the weekend has set | :19:41. | :19:47. | |
up an exciting year, and one punch did the damage. Brian McGee and | :19:47. | :19:55. | |
Rudy Markussen was on his knees. was wide-open. He had nowhere to go. | :19:55. | :20:02. | |
I felt my whole fist sink into his body. Crunch his ribs. Two fights | :20:02. | :20:06. | |
ago I was on the same side, where he was, getting hit. Your body, you | :20:06. | :20:14. | |
go down into a ball to protect yourself, McGee has had to get back | :20:15. | :20:19. | |
and reach the top the hard way. Travelling round the world to fight. | :20:19. | :20:23. | |
I am always going to be the underdog. Even as champion you are | :20:23. | :20:27. | |
going to challenge as the same time. Every fight it is make or break. | :20:27. | :20:32. | |
When you fighting, you loose the title you are back to square one. | :20:32. | :20:35. | |
Probably 36 I haven't got three years to start building up again. | :20:35. | :20:43. | |
So every fight counts for him and another day. That is the talk, I | :20:43. | :20:50. | |
think the fans are busting like, over they call me the Viking | :20:50. | :20:56. | |
slayier. I said you invaded island once, it is payback time. That is | :20:56. | :21:00. | |
how the big fights are made. will start training for a possible | :21:00. | :21:04. | |
defence in May before the big one, in the meantime he have his hands | :21:04. | :21:14. | |
:21:14. | :21:16. | ||
full at home. The Viking slayer. I like that. The Dromid Pearses GAA | :21:17. | :21:23. | |
have had a five year ban. Pearce's from Kerry had been banned from all | :21:23. | :21:27. | |
provincial and All-Ireland club ties and three players have | :21:27. | :21:31. | |
received bans ranging from four weeks to three months. Derrytresk | :21:31. | :21:35. | |
were banned for five years but have appealed. Pearses have yet to | :21:35. | :21:41. | |
decide if they will do the same. Crossmaglen Rangers are through to | :21:41. | :21:49. | |
yet another All-Ireland club Gaelic football final. They didn't have it | :21:49. | :21:53. | |
all their own way. Crossmaglen Rangers may have to play the | :21:53. | :21:58. | |
decider without their captain. It doesn't matter who they are playing, | :21:58. | :22:05. | |
where they are playing. Or the conditions they are playing in. | :22:05. | :22:08. | |
Nothing seems to phase Crossmaglen Rangers. For much of this game, it | :22:08. | :22:15. | |
didn't look like it was going to be their day. But the champions did | :22:15. | :22:24. | |
what they do best. Win. Two of their three goals came in a | :22:24. | :22:28. | |
devastating second half performance, which proved they are still the | :22:28. | :22:33. | |
best in the business. This dismissal was the only negative. | :22:33. | :22:37. | |
The club will appeal his straight red card which would rule him out | :22:37. | :22:40. | |
of the final. Over the past 15 years the black and amber of | :22:40. | :22:44. | |
Crossmaglen Rangers has dominated the club game, on the 17th March, | :22:44. | :22:49. | |
they will be hoping to add yet another All-Ireland title to their | :22:49. | :22:56. | |
history as they continue to rewrite the record books. Now in rugby | :22:56. | :22:59. | |
Ulster remain in the hunt for a play off spot in the Rabo Direct | :22:59. | :23:03. | |
Pro 12. That is despite losing at the hands of Cardiff Blues. Ulster | :23:03. | :23:08. | |
started the game brightly. Robbie Diack scored the first try of the | :23:08. | :23:14. | |
match to give Ulster a half-time lead. But the Blues rallied after | :23:14. | :23:20. | |
the break, running out 21 points to 14 winners. North Down hurdler Ben | :23:20. | :23:24. | |
Reynolds seen competing a week ago is going the World Indoor | :23:24. | :23:28. | |
Championships in Istanbul. He qualified in the 60 metre hurdles | :23:28. | :23:33. | |
at a meeting in Belgium. And the Belfast Giant witness in ping in | :23:33. | :23:37. | |
support of breast Cancer Research on Saturday. The shirts proved | :23:37. | :23:41. | |
lucky. They Rab out 7-1 winners against the Fife Flyers. The giants | :23:41. | :23:47. | |
now have a nine point lead at the top of temperature table. And | :23:47. | :23:53. | |
finally tonight cricket. Ireland beat Kenya but 117 runs in a world | :23:53. | :23:58. | |
league match in Mombasa. Irish cricket going well. I like the | :23:58. | :24:02. | |
giants in pink. Now to something that will put a spring in your step. | :24:02. | :24:06. | |
If you are in the hospitality trade 20,000 people are expected to visit | :24:06. | :24:10. | |
Belfast in the week before Easter for the world Irish dancing | :24:10. | :24:18. | |
championships. The celebration of dance has become a regular event in | :24:18. | :24:24. | |
the city. Well, we are here at the Waterfront Hall for the launch of | :24:24. | :24:26. | |
another World Irish Dancing Championship. It will be the fifth | :24:26. | :24:32. | |
time in 12 year, and it brings round 20,000 visitors. Seamus, you | :24:32. | :24:36. | |
are from the Irish dancing commission. Why do you keep coming | :24:36. | :24:40. | |
back? Belfast is doing something right. And Belfast is a great | :24:40. | :24:44. | |
dancing city any way, but the real reason we are here is the support | :24:44. | :24:50. | |
we get from the council. And these visitor, where are they from? | :24:50. | :24:55. | |
was when they came from the North America, Great Britain, Australasia | :24:55. | :25:02. | |
but now we have dancers from 32 countries worldwide. And Niall o | :25:02. | :25:06. | |
Donald, the mayor, it is going to be a pretty busy March and April | :25:06. | :25:13. | |
for the city, we have the Titanic sentry celebration, do we have | :25:13. | :25:17. | |
enough hotel beds for anyone. confident we do. This is another | :25:17. | :25:21. | |
huge event if a series for the city of Belfast. You say an estimated | :25:21. | :25:25. | |
20,000 people travelling for the World Irish Dancing Championships | :25:25. | :25:30. | |
from all over Ireland, all over the world. Over 4500 competitors. And | :25:30. | :25:36. | |
the event is easing out into venues like the City Council. So a huge | :25:36. | :25:41. | |
event for the city and the people of Belfast will enjoy a great | :25:41. | :25:46. | |
showcase of Irish culture and music. You are a world Irish dancing | :25:46. | :25:49. | |
champion. It must be special to be performing in your home city. | :25:49. | :25:57. | |
it is fantastic it is in Belfast again. We have the big hauls so it | :25:57. | :26:02. | |
is perfect. I think we are feeling the pressure we have our friend and | :26:02. | :26:06. | |
family and we want to keep the World Cup here in Belfast. So yes, | :26:06. | :26:10. | |
itst great. So, it is just under six weeks to go before the event | :26:10. | :26:16. | |
starts on the 31st March and it is shaping up to be a very busy spring | :26:16. | :26:21. | |
for Belfast hoteliers. It will be very very busy in Belfast. Now the | :26:21. | :26:24. | |
very very busy in Belfast. Now the weather. Good news after a chilly | :26:24. | :26:29. | |
weekend. It is going to turn much milder. Today we had temperatures | :26:29. | :26:32. | |
of ten degrees. By the middle of the week we could see temperatures | :26:32. | :26:36. | |
of 14 degrees. That is seven degrees above what it should be for | :26:36. | :26:40. | |
the time of year. To compensate for that, it is going to be cloudier, | :26:40. | :26:44. | |
wetter and it will be windier, but tonight, no frost to worry about, | :26:44. | :26:47. | |
temperatures typically round eight degrees. So tomorrow we hold on to | :26:47. | :26:52. | |
the mild temperatures. It will stay breezy but it should be a drier day | :26:52. | :26:56. | |
than today once the dampness clears away. We will continue to see the | :26:56. | :26:59. | |
cloud though, a few spots of light rain and drizzle here and there. | :26:59. | :27:05. | |
The winds stay brisk, but the temperatures of 11 or 1 degrees. So | :27:05. | :27:11. | |
if we manage to catch sunshine it will feel decent. The rain begins | :27:11. | :27:15. | |
to push in tomorrow. It will be fairly patchy. Dry spells in | :27:15. | :27:18. | |
between. Temperatures tomorrow night will be a mild ten degrees in | :27:18. | :27:22. | |
many places, if we had them by day it would be milder, for the time of | :27:22. | :27:26. | |
year. So temperatures we are doing pretty good and on Wednesday we | :27:26. | :27:31. | |
could see up to 14 degrees. Wednesday is shaping up to be a | :27:31. | :27:34. | |
cloudy day, damp at times with further outbreaks of rain. But as | :27:34. | :27:38. | |
we go to the end of the week, we lose much of the rain, it will stay | :27:38. | :27:42. | |
grey and cloudy, but we hold on to the mild temperatures, of round 11 | :27:42. | :27:46. |