:00:12. > :00:18.Good evening. This is BBC Newsline with Donna Traynor and Noel
:00:18. > :00:23.Thompson. The headlines this Tuesday evening: Houses evacuated,
:00:23. > :00:27.patients moved and river levels higher than ever before. With the
:00:27. > :00:30.flooding latest, I'm live in Omagh. Floods in the Republic claim two
:00:30. > :00:34.lives, including a young Garda swept away as he tried to warn
:00:34. > :00:38.motorists about a dangerous bridge. The west has endured further spells
:00:38. > :00:42.of heavy rain this afternoon - will there be any respite from the wet
:00:42. > :00:46.weather? I'll have the details. The jury in the Jennifer Cardy
:00:46. > :00:50.murder trial prepares to return its verdict on defendant Robert Black.
:00:50. > :00:56.How a primary school is back with a spring in its step after being
:00:56. > :01:06.failed by inspectors. Ulster rugby are welcoming back
:01:06. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:10.their world cup players. Join me After more than two days of
:01:10. > :01:13.torrents, the rain is moving away, but leaving behind a trail of
:01:13. > :01:16.destruction and death. As people were being rescued from their homes
:01:16. > :01:23.in Tyrone last night, an off-duty Garda officer perished when a river
:01:23. > :01:27.overflowed in Wicklow. We'll have more on that and the death of a
:01:27. > :01:29.woman in a flooded Dublin apartment. Right up until this afternoon,
:01:29. > :01:31.counties Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Armagh were enduring downpours.
:01:31. > :01:34.While the Environment minister says he will make money available to
:01:34. > :01:38.councils to deal with the damage, there's been criticism that the
:01:38. > :01:41.Stormont agencies haven't done enough to prevent the flooding. Our
:01:41. > :01:46.first report is from County Tyrone where there were fears the river
:01:46. > :01:55.Strule would overflow in Omagh. Louise Cullen is live in the town
:01:55. > :02:01.for us. There are other is just behind me
:02:01. > :02:05.here. It is a bit low were now but that its peak, it reached the
:02:05. > :02:09.stretch of white concrete you can see just here. That is literally
:02:09. > :02:14.just feet from the surface of the road. On the other side of the
:02:14. > :02:17.other, they residents will have been watching the what a creep up
:02:18. > :02:23.their flat defence walls. In the end, it did not actually burst its
:02:23. > :02:27.banks. A different story last night as patients had to be removed from
:02:27. > :02:33.the local hospital as the floodwaters threatened it. The
:02:33. > :02:37.worst affected place in the county was this village.
:02:37. > :02:44.After the Flood, the clean-up. Residents return after surging
:02:44. > :02:54.waters drove them out last night. We were sleeping upstairs and had
:02:54. > :02:55.
:02:55. > :03:00.to wait each other up. -- Wake. everyone managed to walk away.
:03:00. > :03:05.fire brigade came down by vote and rescued us. What was that like?
:03:05. > :03:10.Pretty scary. Just had to leave everything and go. There was a
:03:10. > :03:14.whole range of people including disabled people and young families.
:03:14. > :03:18.Some of the families did not want to leave their homes. I can
:03:18. > :03:24.understand that but our difficulty was there ever was a rising so
:03:24. > :03:30.quickly we had to guarantee the were evacuated for their own safety.
:03:30. > :03:34.We had specialist votes to put the people in and take them to dry land.
:03:34. > :03:37.This sports pavilion also flooded. The club build their own defence
:03:37. > :03:46.wall after the last flood three years ago but that was not enough
:03:46. > :03:53.for last night. We were told in 2008 that this was a once in 100
:03:53. > :03:58.years of currency. It is not - this is the fifth time since 2008. Twice
:03:58. > :04:01.we have been flooded and three other times, very close. Residents
:04:01. > :04:06.were standing in their houses last night praying that the water would
:04:06. > :04:11.not come in and fearing the worst, which then happened. They keep
:04:11. > :04:17.telling us they are going to do something, build all, but it is all
:04:17. > :04:22.talk. If you look at my home, I pride myself on it. It is
:04:22. > :04:32.disgusting. There were fears today there are reversed rule would burst
:04:32. > :04:35.
:04:35. > :04:39.its banks but it has held. -- River Strule. I have intervened in the
:04:39. > :04:43.last 24 hours to help with the council but it is now time for the
:04:43. > :04:50.ministers to intervene to try to resist -- reduced the very real
:04:50. > :04:54.short-term risk of this happening again. You are in Omagh this
:04:54. > :05:00.evening. It was bad but it could have been a lot worse. We really
:05:00. > :05:04.get a sense of anger from the people that you talk to? Yes. As
:05:05. > :05:12.strong sense of anger. People spoke about being afraid every time it
:05:12. > :05:17.rains. Some say they no longer feel safe in their own homes. They would
:05:17. > :05:21.be happy to see the houses sold and bulldozed and move elsewhere. That
:05:22. > :05:25.is a lot of anger and concern that will be raised with the Agriculture
:05:25. > :05:28.Minister when she visits the residents here tonight.
:05:28. > :05:31.The rail line between Portadown and Newry has been closed since early
:05:31. > :05:34.this afternoon due to flooding and subsidence and a bus substitution
:05:34. > :05:36.service is in place. These fields outside Rathfriland in County Down
:05:36. > :05:43.have completely flooded whilst outside Newry the Clanrye river has
:05:43. > :05:46.burst its banks to leave the surrounding area well under water.
:05:46. > :05:49.As we said earlier there's been criticism that the various agencies
:05:49. > :05:52.were too slow off the mark to deal with flooding. As Keiron Tourish
:05:52. > :05:59.reports, in some areas in the North-West, it was left to
:05:59. > :06:03.residents themselves to head off disaster.
:06:03. > :06:09.The rains near this development where unable to deal with the heavy
:06:09. > :06:14.rain last night. The torrent of water up washed away a garden wall
:06:14. > :06:22.and a fence and plodded several homes. It was about the height of
:06:22. > :06:26.the back doorstep. At that stage, the wall on the far side went. We
:06:26. > :06:31.heard the crash and the fence went and water then started to come into
:06:32. > :06:39.the ground floor. It covered about halfway up the skirting board of
:06:39. > :06:45.the ground floor. Then, fortunately, a lot of people turned up here. The
:06:45. > :06:50.community is very good. In this estate, several homes were flooded
:06:50. > :06:57.as well. A woman and her children were helped out by neighbours.
:06:57. > :07:03.fire service, we couldn't get through to them. We couldn't get
:07:03. > :07:09.through to the Housing Executive or the flood agency or anybody. When
:07:09. > :07:18.we got the district council, they had no sandbags. It was all of our
:07:18. > :07:23.neighbours that donated their own sandbags. Residents in this estate
:07:23. > :07:28.in the Brandywell had an anxious time as water rose on the main road.
:07:28. > :07:32.The water service had staff on duty to clear blocked drains but
:07:32. > :07:37.residents the a long-term solution to the problem is vital. I think we
:07:37. > :07:44.have been lucky that there has been no great damage done to anybody.
:07:44. > :07:48.Your luck will only hold for so long. Drama of a different kind
:07:48. > :07:56.that this Barham. The fire service will called to help during the
:07:56. > :08:06.rescue of 43 pegs. Five other piglets drowned. You don't want to
:08:06. > :08:22.
:08:22. > :08:26.see any of them die. -- pigs. family he also paid tribute to
:08:26. > :08:29.their rescue services. Tributes have been paid to an off-
:08:29. > :08:32.duty garda officer who drowned in a flood in County Wicklow as he
:08:32. > :08:34.diverted traffic away from a dangerous bridge. The body of a
:08:34. > :08:37.woman was found in a flooded basement in Dublin. Our reporter
:08:37. > :08:47.Julie Kirby has more on the devastation caused when one month's
:08:47. > :08:49.
:08:49. > :08:54.rain fell in one day. Pure destruction. Torrents of water
:08:54. > :08:58.steaming into this upmarket shopping centre, think huge damage.
:08:58. > :09:03.Last night, everyone from shoppers to commuters on buses to those
:09:03. > :09:09.struggling to get home by a road or rail or on foot where affected by
:09:09. > :09:16.the deluge. One month's worth of rain fell in the towers, claiming
:09:16. > :09:21.lives are two people. Today, their devastation of people in this area
:09:21. > :09:30.was clear to see. A 25-year-old officer was swept into the water as
:09:30. > :09:34.they tried to warn others about the danger is Bridge. He was a shining
:09:34. > :09:39.light for here since he was at 10 years of age. I do not know where
:09:39. > :09:44.we're going to go from here. A grim discovery for the Dublin Fire
:09:44. > :09:49.Brigade thumping out the basement of this house. The found the body
:09:49. > :09:54.of a 35-year-old Filipino women. Elsewhere, hundreds of homes
:09:54. > :10:00.damaged and lives disrupted. have to move out again. This is the
:10:00. > :10:06.third time we have had to move out of this house. We have no money to
:10:06. > :10:10.put it back. The council left us liable for this. It is thought the
:10:10. > :10:14.clean-up may run into millions of euros. The only saving grace is
:10:14. > :10:17.that the rain has stopped for now. The road service has an online list
:10:17. > :10:22.of roads affected by the floods. You can find that traffic watch
:10:22. > :10:25.update on our BBC Newsline Facebook page.
:10:25. > :10:32.Let's get a sense now of how last night's heavy rain hit particular
:10:32. > :10:35.places. Lindsey Armstrong has been tracking showers.
:10:35. > :10:40.There was a brief respite from the There was a brief respite from the
:10:40. > :10:45.rain overnight but then this system of showers developed in Dublin
:10:45. > :10:55.which pushed up and to Northern Ireland. The weather warning from
:10:55. > :11:00.
:11:00. > :11:06.the Met Office was a heavy showers in fair manner, armour. --
:11:06. > :11:09.Fermanagh, Armagh. The system of wet weather moved through very
:11:09. > :11:12.wet weather moved through very quickly. More from Lindsey later
:11:12. > :11:19.and also to come on the programme - The wartime seaplane stranded in
:11:19. > :11:22.Fermanagh after a tangle with a yacht.
:11:22. > :11:27.The story of a Belfast carpenter who helped to build a grand
:11:27. > :11:30.staircase on the Titanic. The jury in the Robert Black trial is
:11:30. > :11:32.expected to retire to consider its verdict tomorrow morning. The judge
:11:32. > :11:35.told them they must make their decision solely on the evidence
:11:35. > :11:39.before them. Black is accused of abducting and killing nine-year-old
:11:39. > :11:42.Jennifer Cardy in 1981. He is already serving life in prison for
:11:42. > :11:49.the murders of three children. Our district journalist Gordon Adair
:11:49. > :11:53.was in the court. Robert Black today had the judge
:11:53. > :11:59.here say all right-thinking people would be appalled by the things you
:11:59. > :12:05.have done in your life. As the judge stressed to the Jewish, black
:12:05. > :12:15.is not here to be judged a his other crimes. The onus remains on
:12:15. > :12:16.
:12:16. > :12:20.the prosecution to judge this particular case. -- jury. Point by
:12:20. > :12:27.point, he dealt with one month's worth of evidence. Robert Black
:12:27. > :12:31.listened impassively. A short distance away in the public gallery,
:12:31. > :12:37.Jennifer's family were joined by a large group made up of other family
:12:37. > :12:42.members and friends, offering their support as the trial nears its
:12:42. > :12:47.conclusion. It is expected the summing up will lend in the morning
:12:47. > :12:49.before the judge sends them out to consider their verdict. A primary
:12:49. > :12:52.school with poor teaching, inadequate leadership and rock
:12:52. > :12:55.bottom morale has reversed its fortunes and is now described as
:12:55. > :13:05.very good. As the minister for education threatens failing schools
:13:05. > :13:07.
:13:07. > :13:13.with closure, one school is Is his best foot forward for St
:13:13. > :13:17.Bernard's in Glengormley after heavy criticism. It leadership and
:13:17. > :13:24.maths and English teaching were declared as a adequate. New
:13:24. > :13:28.managers were drafted in. 18 months ago, the report was peppered with
:13:28. > :13:35.words like absenteeism and inadequate. Now it shows phrases
:13:35. > :13:38.like very good and very effective. A combination of new staff and
:13:38. > :13:48.better training have turned around the performance and the atmosphere
:13:48. > :13:48.
:13:48. > :13:57.in the school. The morale of the staff was at a low all-time low. I
:13:57. > :14:03.felt the whole community were in a state of shock. The inspector's
:14:03. > :14:07.report showed up things in 2010. Teaching has improved and a drop in
:14:07. > :14:12.pupil numbers has been reversed. However, some parents thought the
:14:12. > :14:18.original report was too harsh. parent, I was always happy with
:14:18. > :14:23.teaching here. Now they have been in prudence. We are very proud of
:14:23. > :14:29.the changes which have taken place here. Where we were and where we
:14:29. > :14:32.are now are far apart. Many schools have been put into formal
:14:32. > :14:38.intervention in recent years. The Minister says that those which do
:14:38. > :14:41.not improve will close. It is a radical decision, but I will make
:14:41. > :14:45.that decision. It is the best decision to make for those pupils
:14:45. > :14:49.who remain in those schools. I do not relish making decisions like
:14:49. > :14:55.these, but they will be made. Bernard's is carbons in its
:14:55. > :15:00.performance, but there is a question still hanging over those
:15:00. > :15:07.19 schools still getting emergency health.
:15:07. > :15:14.-- hell. Sean Gallagher has accused Sinn
:15:14. > :15:18.Fein of ecus -- running a dirty tricks campaign against him. In an
:15:18. > :15:24.arty debate last night, Martin McGuinness put him on the defensive
:15:24. > :15:30.over allegations that he solicited donations from Fianna Fail three
:15:30. > :15:35.months ago. Hugh Morgan of Morgan Fuels, the official sponsor of the
:15:35. > :15:40.Armagh GAA team said that he had personally given a cheque for 5,000
:15:40. > :15:43.euros to Sean Gallagher. The goalkeepers in Tipperary have
:15:43. > :15:48.been taking money not just on horses but on presidential
:15:48. > :15:52.contenders. They may have been tempted to pay out on the
:15:52. > :15:56.Independent Sean Gallagher, so commanding was his lead. The final
:15:56. > :16:00.RTE debate saw the front runner coming under attack. Having spent
:16:00. > :16:05.much of the campaign campaigning -- complaining about the questions he
:16:05. > :16:10.has faced about his I r a past, he turned interrogator. He accused
:16:10. > :16:20.Sean Gallagher of collecting a 5,000 euros donation for Fianna
:16:20. > :16:22.
:16:23. > :16:27.Fail. Did he go? Did he get a cheque for 5,000 euros? What Martin
:16:27. > :16:32.has said is that I drove to a man's has to deliver a photograph and
:16:32. > :16:39.that he gave me a cheque. I may well have delivered the photograph.
:16:39. > :16:46.If he gave me an envelope... LAUGHTER If he gave me the cheque,
:16:46. > :16:50.it was made out to Fianna Fail headquarters.
:16:50. > :16:54.It was delivered. Today, Fianna Fail said they had
:16:54. > :16:58.received the donation before the day -- the day before the dinner
:16:58. > :17:04.with Brian Cowen. Sean Gallagher has fruity did not collect any
:17:04. > :17:09.cheque. He accused Sinn Fein of carrying out a hatchet job. This is
:17:09. > :17:12.political assassinations. It was a legitimate fundraiser. Martin
:17:12. > :17:20.McGuinness admits he may have got some details wrong, but stands by
:17:20. > :17:26.his charge. Sean Gallagher went to his home several days before the
:17:26. > :17:32.fundraiser or and took away a cheque for 5,000 euros. If Sean
:17:32. > :17:39.Gallagher loses support, it could help the other candidates.
:17:39. > :17:43.raises important questions. All candidates should answer questions
:17:43. > :17:49.comprehensibly. Commentators agree that Mr Gallagher's campaign has
:17:49. > :17:56.been dented. Two days before the vote, the question is whether the
:17:56. > :18:06.damage is too bad to -- for Sean Gallagher to come back.
:18:06. > :18:07.
:18:07. > :18:12.We will have a reports. The pilot of a wartime flying boat
:18:13. > :18:15.flew to County Fermanagh to take part in a county Fermanagh Seaplane
:18:15. > :18:20.Festival and has been stranded there. They have been delays in
:18:20. > :18:27.completing repairs. The pilot still does not know when he will be able
:18:27. > :18:30.to fly back to Paris. Flying into Enniskillen last month
:18:30. > :18:35.to take part in the Fermanagh Seaplane Festival, is Catalina
:18:35. > :18:40.flying boats saw active service during the Second World War. It
:18:40. > :18:45.sank a German U-boat in 1944. After 70 years, it has been kept flying
:18:45. > :18:53.by volunteers who are keen to visit the old RAF base on Lough Erne.
:18:53. > :19:00.are made to be invited to such a place. It is very historic. There
:19:00. > :19:05.were many fine boat operations here. The significance of the RAF for
:19:05. > :19:10.Catalina is very big. The Catalina was damaged in an accident during
:19:10. > :19:14.the seaplane vessel when it drifted on to a yacht. An accident
:19:14. > :19:19.investigation is under way, but for the last month, the aircraft has
:19:19. > :19:24.been stranded here along with its pilot. I could not imagine leaving
:19:24. > :19:28.the aircraft alone here. It needs protection and somebody to take
:19:28. > :19:36.care of it at night when it is windy. I have stayed here and lost
:19:36. > :19:40.my job and now I am penniless! But it will go back to Paris and try to
:19:40. > :19:47.get a new job soon. But she is worth it. Since local people heard
:19:47. > :19:53.of his plight to, Loic Blaise has been given accommodation and a car
:19:53. > :19:56.so we can keep a close eye on the Catalina. He hopes that repairs
:19:56. > :20:01.will be completed in the next two weeks and that he will then be able
:20:01. > :20:07.to return to France with the flying boat.
:20:07. > :20:14.There is a man who loves his work! Hope he gets back home soon.
:20:14. > :20:18.Ulster are welcoming back their Rugby World Cup players alike.
:20:18. > :20:23.Eight players are back from the Rugby World Cup, two from South
:20:23. > :20:29.Africa, one from Scotland and one from Northern Ireland. They are
:20:30. > :20:35.Paddy Wallace, Tom Court and these three. Steven Ferris, how much did
:20:35. > :20:39.you enjoy the World Cup? It was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
:20:39. > :20:46.We played some good rugby. I was only disappointed we did not make
:20:46. > :20:50.the last couple of weeks. Home a little earlier than we hoped for,
:20:50. > :20:58.but the support you had was incredible. It was unbelievable.
:20:58. > :21:04.Especially the game against Australia. It felt like a home game.
:21:04. > :21:13.There were at least 25,000 Irish supporters there. The atmosphere
:21:13. > :21:20.was unbelievable. Andrew, the World Cup's history, New Zealand were the
:21:20. > :21:25.winners. How much are you enjoy in been back? Very much so. It was a
:21:25. > :21:35.unique experience. You do not get to play into many World Cup's. He
:21:35. > :21:36.
:21:36. > :21:41.did not beat Australia every day, either. Now we are back, and it is
:21:41. > :21:47.not back. It is back with a buzz. We are having a laugh and catching
:21:47. > :21:50.up with people. We will make that does count on Saturday. We have got
:21:50. > :21:56.the match this weekend and a Derby the following weekend against
:21:56. > :22:01.Connacht. Was to be back for the following weekend? I hope so. We
:22:01. > :22:05.will have to see what the weekend brings. The medics have been good.
:22:05. > :22:09.They have given us time to integrate and to let the buns and
:22:09. > :22:15.bruises settle. They have not put any pressure on us. I'm sure that
:22:15. > :22:18.will change in two weeks' time. Everything at the minute is going
:22:18. > :22:24.quite well. It looks like we will both have some gain time next
:22:24. > :22:34.weekend. There are a challenge is coming up in Europe. Are you
:22:34. > :22:35.
:22:35. > :22:40.keeping a good eye on Ulster's Rovers 1 you are way? It was
:22:40. > :22:46.disappointing that we lost points, but hopefully we will get back to
:22:46. > :22:52.winning soon. One more player to join Ulster from the Rugby World
:22:52. > :23:01.Cup, that his new Zealander Johann Muller. He will be here in the next
:23:01. > :23:07.few weeks. Raring to go again Valse that. A
:23:07. > :23:13.recently, on Newsline we talked to join his in Awlaki you are
:23:13. > :23:17.recreating the Grand Staircase from the Titanic.
:23:17. > :23:21.John Flynn's grandfather worked on the original. He still has some of
:23:21. > :23:27.his tours. The sumptuous splendour of the
:23:27. > :23:32.Grand Staircase is synonymous with the Titanic story. In baggy,
:23:32. > :23:36.builders are making a replica for the Titanic visitor centre. When
:23:36. > :23:41.Newsline reported that story, this man got in touch. John Flynn's
:23:41. > :23:47.grandfather, also called John, was a joiner who put together the
:23:47. > :23:57.original Grand Staircase. These are some of beetles that he used. You
:23:57. > :24:03.
:24:03. > :24:10.can see his initials on this sort. -- saw. It seems to be 1906-1904 --
:24:10. > :24:16.1940 vintage because of the crest on it. It is possible it was used
:24:16. > :24:22.by him in his joinery work. But the joy they did not often discusses
:24:22. > :24:31.work. On the most famous ship to sail from Belfast. He did not talk
:24:31. > :24:37.much about it. The workers must have felt deflated and let down to
:24:37. > :24:43.see all their craftsmanship and workmanship go to the bottom of the
:24:43. > :24:51.sea. As we gazed down into the depths, we realise this is where
:24:51. > :24:57.the Grand Staircase Wanstead. -- once stood. These pictures are from
:24:57. > :25:02.the Titanic wreck six years ago. Living links to the line are
:25:02. > :25:10.becoming a few as time passes. John is delighted to have told us his
:25:11. > :25:18.grandfather's story. Seeing the staircase, it is very nostalgic. To
:25:18. > :25:22.think that he worked on that and the craftsmen sheet that --
:25:22. > :25:28.craftsmanship that was involved. That pride may last for generations
:25:28. > :25:38.to come. We are delighted he contacted us.
:25:38. > :25:39.
:25:39. > :25:44.It is an East West split as far as the weather is concerned today. The
:25:44. > :25:51.West raised the brunt of the bad weather. The East had milder
:25:51. > :25:55.conditions. Looking at the satellite pictures, this system of
:25:55. > :26:00.rain moving through Ireland into Dublin and into Northern Ireland
:26:00. > :26:04.brought heavy showers this afternoon. The Met Office's warning
:26:04. > :26:10.was for Fermanagh, Tyrone and Armagh. The yellow and green here
:26:10. > :26:16.illustrate the heaviest showers. Eastern Counties benefit from a
:26:16. > :26:20.better day, with lots of dry and bright weather. It will be
:26:20. > :26:25.reasonably dry overnight. They could be a touch of rain along the
:26:25. > :26:33.eastern coastline, elsewhere it is dry. The temperatures drop to three
:26:33. > :26:37.or four Celsius. A chilly night, and a cold start to Wednesday. The
:26:37. > :26:46.picture improves tomorrow, and it will be a much better day than
:26:46. > :26:52.today. A dry start for most. It will become cloudy for Fermanagh.
:26:52. > :26:56.It would thicken during the course of the afternoon. Scattered showers
:26:56. > :27:01.develop a fair man and in the south. As we progress into the afternoon,
:27:01. > :27:06.there will be further showers. One or two may be sharp. They will
:27:06. > :27:13.increase, and later on and in Wednesday and Thursday, it will
:27:13. > :27:18.look at persistent rain. Those they will have one or two showers but
:27:18. > :27:28.will be mainly bright. The best weather is looking like it will be
:27:28. > :27:28.
:27:28. > :27:34.on Friday, dry and bright. The wind back increases, but it will not be
:27:34. > :27:37.too bad. It will be wet and windy at the weekend.
:27:37. > :27:43.at the weekend. Sunshine. We will not know
:27:43. > :27:46.ourselves. The headlines: Torrential rain brought destruction
:27:46. > :27:50.to many parts with tiring badly affected.
:27:50. > :27:55.Two people were drowned in the Republic including an off-duty