23/02/2012 BBC Newsline

Good evening. This is BBC Newsline with Donna Traynor and Sarah

Travers. The headlines this Thursday evening: He was our

cracker - Belfast pays tribute to Frank Carson. He shall be missed.

Frank came here on honeymoon and it became his adopted home. I'm live

from Balbriggan. Re-sentence the supergrasses call -

did the Stewart brothers break the leniency deal?

"Behave or you're out" - a warning for students this St Patrick's Day.

The Ulster Bank loses �1 billion as the aftermath of the property crash

takes it toll. Tens of millions of Pounds for local football, but how

all the money be shared? And we've been milder than many places across

Europe today but it looks like that's going to change in time for

the weekend. I'll have more shortly. Frank Carson, the comedian who

barely took a breath with one joke after another. Famous for his

catchphrase, "It's a cracker, it's the way I tell 'em". Born in 1926,

he was a Belfast man who never forgot where he came from. Friends

and fans have spoken of his wit, his energy and kindness during his

50 odd years in show-business. Conor Macauley reports on the man

who had a natural talent to make people laugh. He was an

accomplished showman he lived his life in the spotlight. Our very own

king of the one-liners. What is the difference between my wife and a

terrorist was like you can negotiate with a terrorist. The 85-

year-old had cancer and had been ill for months. A BBC producer

visited him recently. He was still able to make people laugh. He said,

I don't think my wife loves me, and a dinner had to take this. I said,

why? He said he had just had a heart attack and his wife wrote for

an ambulance. He was a great, great human. If I could just turn the

clock back 50 years... Frank Carson was born near Belfast docks and

drilled his chartered for his comedy. They used to be a part in

every corner here. They used to be a pub here called carols. It was

one of those pubs where there was loads of fun and plenty of drinking.

The sailors would come down every night and I remember an American

coming in one time and saying, I love these are old fashioned pubs.

Two Paddy's talking to the bar eating sandwiches, they say, you're

not allowed to eat during food in here. So they swap sandwiches.

he was preparing for panto with Les Dawson. His contemporaries regarded

him as one of the best. For he is a funny man, not as funny as me but a

funny man. He he enjoyed fame, but held firmly to his roots. You have

made my day. Ruined your week! Could I give the this photograph?

Oh, my goodness me. That is absolutely wonderful. Good God.

Well, now, that is incredible. That is our house still standing. Happy

memories. Frank Carson, the man with a big heart, he will long be

remembered in his native city. Sphere -- The First and Deputy

First Ministers said today a bit of colour had dropped out of

everyone's life following Frank Carson's death. A book of

condolence opened at Belfast City Hall and members of the public were

quick to pay their tribute. A book of condolence has also been opened

in the coastal town of Balbriggan, north of Dublin, where Frank lived

for many years. He was just so wonderful in terms of the work he

did, especially for charity. He was always full of humour and laughter.

He was so funny. Things like, "It's a cracker, it's the way I tell 'em".

A book of condolence has also been opened in the coastal town of

We will try to get back to that, we have lost the link. Many people

have been contacting a Facebook page about Frank Carson. If you

would like to show you stories about him or indeed your favourite

joke, you can Checkout the Facebook page. Still to come on the

programme: Students warned they'll be expelled for anti social

behaviour this St Patrick's day. More on the story we brought you

last night about millions of pounds being released for soccer grounds

here. Find out who the crowds will be screaming for at Belsonic this

year. The Public Prosecution Service is

to consider whether two supergrass brothers breached the terms of the

deal which gave them shorter jail sentences in return for giving

evidence. 12 men were yesterday acquitted at the end of a big UVF

trial, following testimony from Robert and Ian Stewart. The judge

said they'd clearly lied to the police and to the court. Stormont's

justice committee today unanimously called for the minister to make an

urgent statement to the Assembly. There is some flash photography at

the start of this report from our Home Affairs correspondent, Vincent

Kearney. These men spent 72 days in court accused of the murder of

Tommy English and membership of the UVF. They tended to... We heard

statements last night that there are still going to continue with

this. We will be opposed to it every inch of the way. The main

prosecution witnesses, Robert and Ian Stewart, signed an agreement

and promised to tell the truth. In return, they each had their

sentences reduced by 19 years. But the trial judge yesterday said they

had lied to the police and the court. The solicitor for three of

the defendants that today said the agreement should be reviewed.

will now be racing with the director of the PPS the issue of

whether these brothers should have their sentences referred back to

the sentencing judge. In a Prosecution lawyers will now have

to examine all of the evidence given by Robert and Ian Stewart

during this trial will still be could be a long process. In order

to deter the agreement, the Public Prosecutions Service will have to

say that they knowingly failed to provide assistance. Some of

servants believe there were also beef more supergrass -- there will

be more supergrass trials. I think the stakes were too high to say

that one failed case should bring an end to the system. I don't think

that is right. The police have made it clear that they planned to

continue using the legislation. Police officers investigating the

recent spate of hijacking and Belfast have released computer-

generated images of suspects they want to question. They are

appearing by help from the public in tracking down these four men

believed to have been involved in attacks targeted at women drivers.

The police said they were deploying up to 60 officers daily to tackle

the problem of car crime. As a result of these police officers

being out on the ground, we have made over 65 arrests for different

activities. People who are involved in a car hijacking are criminals.

These are refs have ranged from simple common assaults right

through to anything else -- these arrests. We can now go back to the

story on thank Carson. Yes, her friend came to Balbriggan on his

honeymoon -- Frank Kane. -- came. He came with his wife and they

settled here for two decades. Even served two terms as mayor. I'm

joined by some people that can tell me more about his time here. Tell

me about his relationship with the town. He had a great relationship

with Balbriggan. His heart was here. He loved the people, he always had

a smile on his face and he was good for Balbriggan. He even wrote the

song, lovely Balbriggan, for us. And you saw him perform that song

when you're a little girl, is that right? We sang the song with him, I

don't think I was that if -- that little. It was a great memory.

chance of a few bars? Definitely not! This is his good friend. Tell

me about your friendship with Frank. My friendship extended over 26

years from the time Frank move to Balbriggan to this day. I would

like to believe I was with him on his last public engagement when

both of us attended the Royal Variety Command Performance last

December in Manchester. It was my privilege to be there with him,

indicative of the special relationship we had over the years.

I also completing among many of his foreign visit. It is a memory I

would treasure forever. And you spoke to him very recently? Believe

it or not, during one of his lucid moments, they made a phone call

from Blackpool to say goodbye. It was my pleasure. And he also had a

last request? Frank's last -- lifelong ambition was to insure

that I did everything I could to make sure that the Capel-le-Ferne

roundabout at the top of the town would be called forever at the

Frank Carson Capel-le-Ferne roundabout. And as Merav Balbriggan,

is that something you can make happen? I was certainly bring it up

at the council meeting. -- I will certainly. I'm sure it will happen.

Everyone I have spoken to today has fond memories of francs. -- Frank.

The University of Ulster has warned students they will be expelled if

they get in trouble on son Patrick's Day. Queen's University

is giving its students be long weekend in the hope it will

encourage them to go home and help prevent anti-social behaviour.

University of Ulster says that if any student crosses the line on St

Patrick's Day, their number will be up. This video will be shown at

campuses on the run-up to 17th March, which falls on a Saturday

this year. University's vice- chancellors says it students who

get involved in anti-social behaviour could be expelled within

How will you explain this to your family? The students who have

caused chaos on St Patrick's Day in the past have been in the minority,

but they have caused misery for people in the Holylands area of

Belfast. Residents here have asked both universities to give their

students their long weekend, to encourage them to go home, and not

be here for St Patrick's Day. The University of Ulster has decided

not to do that, but Queen's University will be closing on the

Friday and the Monday. The Pro- Vice-Chancellor of Queen's

University says the council also asked for classes to be cancelled.

We decided we would do that, and we hope that students will have their

fun on the Thursday night, then go home for the weekend. And hopefully,

Holylands will be quiet., so, what will students do like it I would

say we will all go home. Probably just stay around and have a few

drinks. I do not think there will be too many students around. I hope

it does work, because we are due some peace here. It has been

getting worse and worse as the years have gone by. They hope the

stern warnings and the extended holiday will mean that this year

there is no trouble, and less mess. The Ulster Bank, which is laying

off 350 staff in Northern Ireland, made record losses of �1 billion

across its entire operations last year. It is owned by UK taxpayers,

and it remains our biggest local bank. Our business and economics

editor, Jim Fitzpatrick, joins me now. �1 billion, that is a dramatic

figure, why is it still losing money? It is largely down to the

Irish property crash. Essentially, the bank are having to write down a

lot of the loans and assets which they have. For instance, in their

core division, they have written off �1.4 billion. If you look at

the non-core division, where they have put the really bad stuff, they

have written off more than �2 billion. It is almost equivalent to

the amount of money spent running the Health Service and social

services in Northern Ireland every year. How does that feed down to

the real economy? It does have an impact. The bill will be reassured

that there are no planned branch closures, but we have got 350

people losing their jobs. In terms of businesses, they say it is

harder to get money these days. I spoke to a businesswoman who has

researched this issue, Joanne Stuart, who says it is having an

impact. I think it is filtering through, because we are not seeing

them lending money, and so businesses are not investing or

growing. The only way the economy will grow is if our businesses can

grow, and you need working capital to grow businesses. In the past,

Northern Ireland businesses have relied heavily on the banking

sector for that finance, which is why we need to think differently

now. She is talking about banks in general, and they will not go back

to the level of lending which we have seen in the past. We have also

got news of a boardroom bust-up at UTV today. Yes, it is all happening.

This is a kind of soap opera, the kind of thing which UTV would

screen. It is a boardroom coup. Basically, the chairman for two

decades, a director of UTV for four decades, has resigned as a director,

and has been ousted as chairman. He turned up to a board meeting today,

expecting to chair it, and that some point, the management moved

against him, with two of the non- executive directors, and so he has

resigned. This one could be heading for the court. 11 jobs are to go

Lunn's jeweller's. They have a store at Queen's Arcade in Belfast

city centre, with two more shops, in Victoria Square and in

Londonderry. The job losses represent around 10% of the 98-

strong workforce. In a statement, the company said it regretted

having to start a consultation process which would lead to

redundancies. Local football is about to receive a big financial

windfall, but how will have the money be divided? Yes, as we

revealed last night, a deal has been confirmed between the Irish

Football Association and Linfield, for the use of Windsor Park, which

is set to release millions of pounds for local projects. That

will include the development of Brandywell. But while some clubs

benefit more than others? This report from Austin O'Callaghan.

When it comes to football, nobody likes missing an open goal,

especially if there is money at stake. At a time when public

finances have rarely had it so tough, football has rarely had it

so good. And here are the figures to show you why. We have known for

some time that more than �60 million is ring-fenced for soccer

at part of the Stormont agreement. at part of the Stormont agreement.

Of that, more than 25 million is ring-fenced for Windsor Park,

leaving �36 million for the rest of local football. A significant chunk

of that cash is set to go towards three key projects - the proposed

new stadium for Glenn touring, the development of the Brandywell and a

new national football academy. The remaining cash will be distributed

amongst Irish League clubs, as well as grassroots projects. The

potential cash windfall has been welcomed by Derry City football

club, who are tenants, not owners, of the Brandywell. Some parts of

the stadium are desperately out of date.

Obviously everybody here pays tax and VAT, they pay their taxes to

and VAT, they pay their taxes to the government, so why are they not

entitled to a refurbishment of the stadium? Many parts of the stadium

are about 80 years old, so this is good news for us. This is what a

revamped Brandywell might look like in the future. Getting the football

money to build it and will depend on the business cases for each

project meeting Stormont's strict criteria, but it is clear that the

political will, as well as the cash, is now in place. Rory McIlroy has a

chance to become the world number 1 golfer this weekend, that's if he

can win the World Matchplay tournament in Arizona. He won his

opening game last night, against George Coetzee of South Africa.

Five more victories, and McIlroy will be top of the rankings. His

match last night included some moments of magical play, but he

ended up almost blowing his lead. He eventually won the match on the

18th hole. Northern Ireland's other two representatives are out after

the first day. Graeme McDowell was very frustrated, after playing well.

But he was eventually beaten by his South Korean opponent. And Darren

Clarke lost by 5 and 4. One of the most famous pieces of sporting

silverware in Gaelic Games is being replaced tonight. And we're getting

a look tonight at the new version of the McCrory Cup. Our

correspondent has the details, from Armagh. This is the old one, first

played for in 1962, about to be put to sleep in that Cabinet. Now, the

main business of the evening, the council chairman joins me now, for

the official unveiling of this new McCrory Cup. It has been insured

for �20,000, it is made of solid silver. You were the first man to

lift the old one, exactly 50 years ago, can you believe it? I cannot

believe it is that long. But at the time, it was a very prestigious

competition to win. It was one of the main competitions amongst

Ulster colleges at that particular time. Looking back at the standard

of the football at that time, it was exceptional. Such an

illustrious history as well, going back 100 years. Yes, the colleges

was where a lot of us learned how football, and proceeded to move on

to county teams and things like that. This man, his father did not

receive a medal, he played 70 years ago, so, would you have this over

to Paul, please. Briefly, what will this mean to your dad? Here he is,

70 years ago, he played. This means everything to him. In 1942, he was

vice-captain, he had a fall last night, and he asked me to represent

him today. He said it was one of the best things over he did in

football. You will be able to see the winner picking this up on 19th

March, on the BBC. Finally tonight, cricket, and Andrew White made his

200th appearance for Ireland today, helping them to a series clinching

victory over Kenya. The line-up for this year's Belsonic music festival

in Belfast has just been revealed, and top of the list is a man now in

his 70s. It says here, you might need to get your smalls ready.

Julie McCullough explains. The Belsonic is now into its fifth year.

It has had some big headline acts in the past, but this year, it

includes Tom Jones and Madness. You are the director of the festival -

who are you trying to appeal to? event like this, over so many

nights, in the city, it has to engage everyone. As such, which

always try to have a wide selection of artists. This year I think we

have really gone further with that, having the likes of Tom Jones. It

is someone we have wanted to bring foreign number of years. We are

really happy about it. Obviously we have some stuff for younger people

as well. We're really pleased. have you got for the younger

audience that stat I guessed the youngest audience we will have, we

have got an artist who got three Grammys a couple of weeks ago, and

we have got a local band as well, and we have got a few more tricks

up our sleeve. If you put all of it together, it is a really mixed bag.

Thanks for that. The festival kicks off in the middle of August.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, and they would cost around �30. Well,

it was as warm as the middle of August today. Indeed, we had very

August today. Indeed, we had very mild temperatures right across

Northern Ireland today. But the hotspot was Murdoch in County Down.

-- Murlough. That temperature was the same as Barcelona. But it will

not be lasting. We will be getting outbreaks of rain overnight, and

colder air. Temperatures significantly lower than last night,

and tomorrow will be cooler. But there will be plenty of sunny

weather. Temperatures will range between 8 and 9 degrees. But at

least it will be dry, and there will be plenty of bright weather.

Into the second part of the day, not much will be changing. Tomorrow

night will be a colder night, we could even have a touch of frost,

particularly in southern areas. Further north, under the cloud, a

bit warmer. Saturday is shaping up to be a decent day as well. Similar

temperatures to Friday. Another chilly start, as we go into Sunday.

Sunday morning, pretty decent, but by the end of the day, it will be

turning a bit more unsettled, with a few spots of light drizzle, but

temperatures back up into double temperatures back up into double

figures. It has been a day of smiles, laughter and tributes to

the late, great frank Carson. The family said that he was setting off

for his final gig. He will be laid to rest on Saturday week. The

family statement went on to say, "It's quieter down here now - God

help them up there." Frank had something to say about that as well,

and about what he wanted on his headstone. We will leave you