Browse content similar to 09/04/2014. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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become a distraction. Now it is time Our main story is that the | :00:00. | :00:13. | |
Hello and welcome to BBC Newsline. Tonight's top stories: The Irish | :00:14. | :00:19. | |
President and the Prime Minister meet during the second day of the | :00:20. | :00:23. | |
historic State visit. After last night's state banquet | :00:24. | :00:26. | |
Martin McGuinness tells us it was the right thing to do. | :00:27. | :00:30. | |
Unionists call for a meeting with the police after allegations that | :00:31. | :00:33. | |
the IRA smuggled guns from America while on cease-fire. | :00:34. | :00:38. | |
The sale of a former Quinn group business falls through after death | :00:39. | :00:50. | |
threats and attacks on property. Join me at the Masters where our | :00:51. | :00:54. | |
champions are trying to rewrite the record books. | :00:55. | :00:57. | |
And a bit damp overnight, but it'll gradually improve tomorrow. | :00:58. | :01:02. | |
Good evening. President Higgins' state visit to the UK is continuing, | :01:03. | :01:06. | |
the emphasis switching somewhat from the ceremonial towards marking the | :01:07. | :01:08. | |
Irish contribution to life in Britain. We've asked Sinn Fein's | :01:09. | :01:13. | |
Martin McGuinness how he felt about toasting the queen at last night's | :01:14. | :01:16. | |
State banquet and we'll hear that and his response to last night's BBC | :01:17. | :01:21. | |
Spotlight programme on gun-running. First our political reporter, | :01:22. | :01:26. | |
Stephen Walker, is in London. Stephen. | :01:27. | :01:31. | |
Yes, although some of the headlines have been grabbed by Martin | :01:32. | :01:33. | |
McGuinness' presence there's no question the broader Anglo-Irish | :01:34. | :01:36. | |
relationship has been the focus for the President and his hosts. He was | :01:37. | :01:41. | |
in Downing Street where he met David Cameron. He also went to a hospital | :01:42. | :01:46. | |
where he met many Irish doctors and nurses. Conor McAuley has been | :01:47. | :01:50. | |
following the day's events. A warm greeting in Downing Street | :01:51. | :01:53. | |
marked the first formal meeting between an Irish head of state and a | :01:54. | :01:56. | |
British prime minister on English soil. The visit is intended to | :01:57. | :02:03. | |
reinforce the breadth and depth of interconnection between the two | :02:04. | :02:06. | |
countries in trade, culture and politics. | :02:07. | :02:11. | |
An extremely warm welcome to number ten Downing St. It is really | :02:12. | :02:18. | |
remarkable how Anglo-Irish relations have not only been transformed but I | :02:19. | :02:27. | |
see them on an ever-increasing rate. They had lunch ahead of a private | :02:28. | :02:32. | |
meeting. The focus of the visit has changed. Yesterday was all about | :02:33. | :02:38. | |
ceremonial welcome and today it was intended to highlight how ordinary | :02:39. | :02:40. | |
Irish people contribute to everyday British life. President Higgins | :02:41. | :02:48. | |
visited the University College Hospital, where he met Irish doctors | :02:49. | :02:53. | |
and nurses. It was a way of marking the role of Irish people in | :02:54. | :02:57. | |
providing key public services here and gave some the chance to chat to | :02:58. | :03:06. | |
the President in Irish. In other events today, alongside the | :03:07. | :03:10. | |
Duke of York, the president reviewed the rigid mental colours of Irish | :03:11. | :03:15. | |
regiments from the dish army that had been disbanded. And there was a | :03:16. | :03:22. | |
chance to meet young scientists. Where he again spoke of the need to | :03:23. | :03:28. | |
build on an improving relationship. It is essential that we instigate | :03:29. | :03:32. | |
far-reaching dialogue is not only between the disciplines but also, I | :03:33. | :03:36. | |
would suggest, in its application between Britain and Ireland. It is | :03:37. | :03:42. | |
valuable to see these national dialogues expanded and mature wood | :03:43. | :03:48. | |
alongside the strengthening of scientific cooperation between our | :03:49. | :03:54. | |
two peoples and scholars. There are 200,000 Irish people | :03:55. | :03:56. | |
living in Britain and the visit of President Higgins is cementing their | :03:57. | :04:03. | |
place. It is an attempt to move Anglo Irish relations to a new high. | :04:04. | :04:12. | |
Conor McAuley reporting and tonight President Higgins and his wife are | :04:13. | :04:15. | |
at a banquet at the Guildhall here in London. Tomorrow the main event | :04:16. | :04:20. | |
is a Northern Ireland reception at Windsor Castle and a cultural | :04:21. | :04:23. | |
evening at the Royal Albert Hall. Thank you. Earlier I asked Martin | :04:24. | :04:27. | |
McGuinness about his attendance at last night's state banquet and | :04:28. | :04:31. | |
whether his toast to the Queen would be seen by some as the ultimate | :04:32. | :04:36. | |
betrayal. I was given an invitation by both | :04:37. | :04:42. | |
the President and Queen Elizabeth. I was invited to attend this event and | :04:43. | :04:46. | |
of course, the decision had to be made and I think the right decision | :04:47. | :04:51. | |
was made. I am the Deputy First Minister and I attended with Peter | :04:52. | :04:57. | |
Robinson. It had an oral island -- and all Ireland dimension, which I | :04:58. | :05:06. | |
thought was important. My national anthem was being played and then I | :05:07. | :05:12. | |
didn't think it would be right to snub the Queen and the British | :05:13. | :05:17. | |
national anthem. So I think the vast majority of people on the island of | :05:18. | :05:23. | |
Ireland will be supportive of me contributing to a process of | :05:24. | :05:27. | |
conflict resolution and acts of reconciliation. | :05:28. | :05:33. | |
What about others who wouldn't be supported, the victims and their | :05:34. | :05:38. | |
families in Northern Ireland? There are many victims on all sides | :05:39. | :05:41. | |
and I think that the contribution I've made over the course of the | :05:42. | :05:45. | |
last several decades to bring in peace to Ireland is something that | :05:46. | :05:52. | |
is hugely significant and important. My heart goes out to all victims, | :05:53. | :05:57. | |
that is why I've been involved in vitally important discussions around | :05:58. | :06:03. | |
trying to conclude proposals are deals with the past, the issue of | :06:04. | :06:08. | |
parades and flags. I think my community has suffered terribly and | :06:09. | :06:14. | |
the republican community has also suffered. There are victims on all | :06:15. | :06:18. | |
sides but I take tremendous support from the fact that the vast majority | :06:19. | :06:23. | |
of victims don't want to see is brought back into conflict and they | :06:24. | :06:27. | |
want to see their children and grandchildren reared in a peaceful | :06:28. | :06:32. | |
society. What about the programme last night | :06:33. | :06:37. | |
that suggested that talk of peace up to 1999 was on the surface? | :06:38. | :06:44. | |
I am the one, probably, a key player within the Sinn Fein to go see that | :06:45. | :06:50. | |
was very much an advocate for the removal of organs from Irish | :06:51. | :06:56. | |
politics. -- all guns. The IRA put their weapons beyond use. Where are | :06:57. | :07:00. | |
the guns now? They won't decommissioned? | :07:01. | :07:08. | |
I am working on the basis that there was no foundation to the story. I | :07:09. | :07:13. | |
don't know what the validity of the story is. I have only heard of it | :07:14. | :07:17. | |
since the programme aired last night so I don't know about the | :07:18. | :07:20. | |
authenticity of the allegations that have been made. It would be wrong of | :07:21. | :07:24. | |
me to comment on something I have no knowledge of. | :07:25. | :07:26. | |
Well, unionists have been reacting to the allegations made in that BBC | :07:27. | :07:29. | |
Spotlight programme by demanding a meeting with the PSNI to ask if they | :07:30. | :07:34. | |
were aware of claims that a senior member of Sinn Fein was involved in | :07:35. | :07:37. | |
buying and smuggling weapons from America. The accusation was made by | :07:38. | :07:43. | |
a gun-runner who's been given immunity from prosecution. Sean | :07:44. | :07:46. | |
Murray denies the allegations, as our political correspondent Gareth | :07:47. | :07:47. | |
Gordon reports. The man on the right is Sean | :07:48. | :07:54. | |
Murray. Months ago he had a ringside seat as a Sinn Fein negotiator. On | :07:55. | :08:03. | |
last night's programme, he was named as the brains behind a Florida | :08:04. | :08:06. | |
gun-running operation in which this man, Mike Logan, admitted posting | :08:07. | :08:12. | |
around 200 weapons to the organisation between 1995 and 1999. | :08:13. | :08:19. | |
One of these weapons, it is alleged was used to murder two police | :08:20. | :08:26. | |
community officers in 1997, five weeks before the second IRA | :08:27. | :08:32. | |
cease-fire. It was also alleged that authorities on both sides sought to | :08:33. | :08:36. | |
distance the IRA and Sean Murray from the operation in order to | :08:37. | :08:43. | |
protect the peace protests the -- the piece process. | :08:44. | :08:49. | |
They knew that it was run by Sean Murray and was sanctioned at the | :08:50. | :08:53. | |
highest levels by the IRA for top the question is how many of this | :08:54. | :08:57. | |
matters. According to unionists, it does | :08:58. | :09:00. | |
quite a lot and they want to see if anything can be done. | :09:01. | :09:05. | |
I don't think it's surprising that a member of Sinn Fein would be | :09:06. | :09:08. | |
involved in criminality such as this that what we now have is someone | :09:09. | :09:13. | |
coming forward, telling us in quite minute detail what was going on. So | :09:14. | :09:17. | |
we want to know what are the authorities going to do about that? | :09:18. | :09:25. | |
After the On the Runs, we said, if there is more, get it out on the | :09:26. | :09:31. | |
open now. It is a shame we had to hear from the BBC but if there is | :09:32. | :09:35. | |
more and I've no reason to doubt there isn't, let's get it out. We | :09:36. | :09:39. | |
have to move on and we have to deal with these issues. | :09:40. | :09:43. | |
Sean Murray says he has never been arrested, detained or interviewed | :09:44. | :09:47. | |
about the allegations, adding that PSNI would have acted had there been | :09:48. | :09:53. | |
any evidence. Police investigating the death of a | :09:54. | :09:57. | |
baby last month in Belfast have started a murder enquiry. It was | :09:58. | :10:01. | |
radically injured in a house in the east of the city. -- radically | :10:02. | :10:06. | |
injured. One of Northern Ireland's biggest | :10:07. | :10:09. | |
construction firms has pulled out of plans to buy a former Quinn Group | :10:10. | :10:12. | |
business. The Lagan Group had wanted to buy Quinn Roof Tiles. Last week | :10:13. | :10:16. | |
its chairman Kevin Lagan received a death threat in relation to the | :10:17. | :10:19. | |
planned sale on the same day that his wife died. Here's our south west | :10:20. | :10:30. | |
reporter Julian Fowler. 17 people. The takeover company said they would | :10:31. | :10:38. | |
create new jobs. After news of the deal, there were a series of arson | :10:39. | :10:42. | |
attacks on property and machinery. The final straw came last week when | :10:43. | :10:48. | |
the attacks became personal. On the day his wife died, Kevin Lakin | :10:49. | :10:52. | |
received a letter threatening that if the tiles business was sold, the | :10:53. | :10:57. | |
purchasers would not live to see the benefits of the sale. Lakin group | :10:58. | :11:01. | |
said no business can operate when threats against operational | :11:02. | :11:06. | |
decisions but employees, directors and their families at risk. It said | :11:07. | :11:12. | |
it sent out completely the wrong message to other potential | :11:13. | :11:16. | |
investors. There have been more attacks this week. Three mechanical | :11:17. | :11:23. | |
diggers were burnt out at a quarry on Monday. Police say while there is | :11:24. | :11:27. | |
a risk to people's livelihoods, there is a greater risk to life and | :11:28. | :11:31. | |
called for the community to provide information on those involved. | :11:32. | :11:40. | |
Still to come: A tin of soup, a box of cereal, a carton of juice. | :11:41. | :11:45. | |
Basic foodstuffs that you would find in a family shopping basket but some | :11:46. | :11:49. | |
people cannot afford to buy even the basics. | :11:50. | :11:55. | |
Former Chief Constable Sir Huge Orde has rejected claims that Downing | :11:56. | :11:58. | |
Street asked the police to release two IRA suspects being questioned | :11:59. | :12:02. | |
about the attempted murder of a UDR soldier. He was giving evidence to | :12:03. | :12:06. | |
the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. Our Home Affairs | :12:07. | :12:09. | |
Correspondent Vincent Kearney reports. | :12:10. | :12:19. | |
It is seven years and Sir Hugh Orde had a reputation for straight | :12:20. | :12:23. | |
talking. Today was no different. He was asked why the PSI had failed to | :12:24. | :12:28. | |
make the Public Prosecution Service aware that John Downey was wanted | :12:29. | :12:35. | |
for the murders of four Max urges -- four soldiers. He was told he wasn't | :12:36. | :12:41. | |
wanted. Last week Baxter told the Northern affairs committee that he | :12:42. | :12:46. | |
was inhibited from passing on the information because it could have | :12:47. | :12:50. | |
perverted the course of justice. Sir Hugh Orde said he was wrong. | :12:51. | :12:55. | |
In my professional judgement I find it hard to understand why a | :12:56. | :12:57. | |
detective chief superintendent did not share with his assistant chief | :12:58. | :13:03. | |
the fact Mr Downey was wanted in London. I find that inextricable. | :13:04. | :13:08. | |
He also rejected a claim that Downing Street had asked the police | :13:09. | :13:14. | |
to release men after they were arrested over the attempted murder | :13:15. | :13:20. | |
of an off-duty soldier in 1981. That never, ever happened in my term | :13:21. | :13:25. | |
of office. At no time did Downing Street ever try and influence my | :13:26. | :13:29. | |
decision making. He said he had no idea that the | :13:30. | :13:33. | |
information provided by police was being used to form the basis for | :13:34. | :13:41. | |
letters sent to on the runs. He rejected the suggestion that he must | :13:42. | :13:47. | |
have had some idea. He didn't know there was something | :13:48. | :13:51. | |
happening... That provoked an angry response. | :13:52. | :13:56. | |
I take issue with what Ian has said. It is not plausible. I'm afraid it | :13:57. | :14:02. | |
is what happened. It is a fact. We did what we were asked to June, | :14:03. | :14:06. | |
entirely properly, entirely lawfully. Your question about what | :14:07. | :14:10. | |
people did with that information you have to get in front of them so they | :14:11. | :14:15. | |
can answer the question. I was playing a game around a very | :14:16. | :14:21. | |
delicate peace process. Former Secretary of State Sean | :14:22. | :14:27. | |
Woodward also today rejected claims of political interference. | :14:28. | :14:31. | |
Did I try in any shape or form to interfere or suggest we would like a | :14:32. | :14:35. | |
particular outcome in the way Mr Baxter misleadingly put forward to | :14:36. | :14:38. | |
this committee last week? Not at all, at any time. | :14:39. | :14:42. | |
The government is also facing questions about the underwear and | :14:43. | :14:45. | |
scheme as part of an enquiry into one of the most notorious incidents | :14:46. | :14:50. | |
of the troubles. The senior coroner said that he wants to know if any | :14:51. | :14:52. | |
letters of assurance were sent to suspect in the IRA murders of ten | :14:53. | :15:00. | |
Protestant workers at Kingsmill. There's a crisis in | :15:01. | :15:00. | |
at our hospitals. That was the message from the President of the | :15:01. | :15:07. | |
College of Emergency Medicine at a summit in Belfast today. Health | :15:08. | :15:09. | |
professionals were told that change is urgently required in hospitals | :15:10. | :15:13. | |
across the UK. Among a range of contentious issues discussed was the | :15:14. | :15:16. | |
need to reintroduce prescription charges here. Marie-Louise Connolly | :15:17. | :15:24. | |
reports. While there was plenty of tea and talking, at least there were | :15:25. | :15:29. | |
no tantrums. Inside the conference room, however, there was some tough | :15:30. | :15:32. | |
talking with a message from those who set standards in emergency | :15:33. | :15:35. | |
medicine that things can't be allowed to get any worse. What we | :15:36. | :15:45. | |
are trying to do is turn this crisis around ensuring people are listening | :15:46. | :15:48. | |
and clearly they are and the summit has been affect day-to-day and we | :15:49. | :15:52. | |
are delivering that into a plan and in that plan, as the Minister said, | :15:53. | :15:59. | |
it is about implantation of that plan. The last thing we need is | :16:00. | :16:02. | |
another plan sitting on the shelf gathering dust. But for that plan to | :16:03. | :16:06. | |
work, pressure must be removed from the hospitals by transferring more | :16:07. | :16:09. | |
care into the community. According to the Royal College of Nursing, | :16:10. | :16:12. | |
however, the document designed to make that happen, Transforming Your | :16:13. | :16:15. | |
Care, has become merely a vision without action. Not entirely, says | :16:16. | :16:23. | |
the man in charge. I would like to see it implemented more quickly so I | :16:24. | :16:27. | |
would be in agreement with that so momentum needs to build pace and we | :16:28. | :16:32. | |
need to move forward at a greater pace than is currently happening. | :16:33. | :16:34. | |
The reintroduction of prescription charges reared its head but perhaps | :16:35. | :16:38. | |
that's something for others to deal with in the future. While the | :16:39. | :16:46. | |
delegates acknowledged that today's emergency summit is progress, some | :16:47. | :16:49. | |
of them have told me that there has been enough talking and now it is | :16:50. | :16:53. | |
time for action and that action needs to start as soon as possible. | :16:54. | :16:59. | |
Officially we are out of recession but the knock-on effect is having a | :17:00. | :17:05. | |
major effect on everyday lives. Those operating food banks have told | :17:06. | :17:08. | |
us there are many people in Northern Ireland who haven't eaten for two or | :17:09. | :17:12. | |
three days because they can't afford to. Between January 2013 and | :17:13. | :17:14. | |
December 2013, the church-based Trussell Trust, which runs 15 food | :17:15. | :17:17. | |
banks here, had almost 9000 people needing food from them. Almost half | :17:18. | :17:21. | |
of those were children. Donna has visited the trust's food bank in | :17:22. | :17:23. | |
Newtownards, where the highest proportion of people getting help | :17:24. | :17:32. | |
are working but on low incomes. This is one of 15 projects operated by | :17:33. | :17:36. | |
this charity in Northern Ireland, there are other organisations doing | :17:37. | :17:40. | |
the same, distributing free food and you can see in the Newtownards | :17:41. | :17:43. | |
storeroom that people don't get luxury hampers, these are a sick | :17:44. | :17:48. | |
foods, milk, juice, packets of soup, things you see in every weekly shop. | :17:49. | :17:54. | |
Unfortunately, many people in Northern Ireland cannot afford that | :17:55. | :17:59. | |
weekly shop so they rely on people who donate this food to charities. | :18:00. | :18:03. | |
Shops, as this is, churches and schools all donate. With rising | :18:04. | :18:09. | |
living costs and stagnant wages, perhaps cut wages, people are | :18:10. | :18:14. | |
finding it difficult to make ends meet and many are suffering from | :18:15. | :18:17. | |
food poverty. Julianne is the manager here in the tonight's. This | :18:18. | :18:22. | |
is not a walk-in centre. Hardy people end up your? We work on a | :18:23. | :18:29. | |
referral system with about 80 agencies so we provide agencies with | :18:30. | :18:35. | |
food vouchers, and entering, their health care professionals, like | :18:36. | :18:43. | |
Saint Vincent Paul, women's aid, GPs and MLAs, those tablet | :18:44. | :18:46. | |
professionals. They give clients those voters and they come here and | :18:47. | :18:53. | |
avail of the emergency food. For so many people it is a very difficult | :18:54. | :18:58. | |
experience to, and seek help and say, I am in need. What do they say | :18:59. | :19:04. | |
to you when you encounter them? I think first of all, when they come | :19:05. | :19:08. | |
here, I think it is a cacophony shop so right away, there is a shock, it | :19:09. | :19:16. | |
is not what they expected. -- it is like a shock. It takes a lot of | :19:17. | :19:21. | |
courage to come here. We're just here to help them, have a chat and | :19:22. | :19:26. | |
make them a cup of tea and give them emergency food. Suzanne, many people | :19:27. | :19:31. | |
are seeking your help and other charities. What sort of demand is | :19:32. | :19:39. | |
there? This year there has been an egg demand, people are struggling | :19:40. | :19:42. | |
throughout the province but the main reason people do visit food banks is | :19:43. | :19:46. | |
that they are on low income and they have hit crisis point and they come | :19:47. | :19:50. | |
here to avail of the emergency food, unfortunately. It is a | :19:51. | :19:56. | |
terrible situation to be in but it is nice to be able to facilitate | :19:57. | :20:01. | |
people being said here. Comments have been made, even at Westminster, | :20:02. | :20:08. | |
the people are not prioritising and the problem is exaggerated across | :20:09. | :20:11. | |
the UK but particularly here. How do you respond? There has been a huge | :20:12. | :20:18. | |
increase over five years with the fuel crisis and people have to | :20:19. | :20:20. | |
choose between heating and eating when it comes to the monthly budget | :20:21. | :20:24. | |
and that is not a situation people should be in whenever you are | :20:25. | :20:27. | |
working and trying your best for your family. It is a very bad | :20:28. | :20:33. | |
situation but also has been a huge increase in the price of food over | :20:34. | :20:36. | |
the last five years so those are the main reasons that people working are | :20:37. | :20:42. | |
struggling to put food on the table. About 130 tonnes of food has been | :20:43. | :20:47. | |
distributed by this charity in the past year, right across Northern | :20:48. | :20:51. | |
Ireland. We tried to speak to people who would come to a place that this | :20:52. | :20:55. | |
seeking help but they felt, some of those supposed embarrassed, and none | :20:56. | :21:05. | |
were available for comment. If you want to share your experience of | :21:06. | :21:09. | |
food poverty, please get in touch. Our phone line is 03704 111 630. Or | :21:10. | :21:12. | |
text Newsline followed by your comment to 63399. Our email address | :21:13. | :21:24. | |
is [email protected]. Back to that State visit and among the many | :21:25. | :21:27. | |
ceremonial events to happen yesterday was a presentation with a | :21:28. | :21:29. | |
difference involving President Higgins and a rather large dog. | :21:30. | :21:36. | |
Mervyn Jess explains. Yesterday he was at Windsor Castle, parading in | :21:37. | :21:40. | |
front of the Queen and in glorious sunshine and receiving a new coat | :21:41. | :21:46. | |
from the president. Today, he is in a rather overcast Bangor meeting a | :21:47. | :21:51. | |
different audience. And Domnhall was not alone. His handler, from | :21:52. | :21:54. | |
Belfast, also travelled overnight after yesterday 's ceremonials at | :21:55. | :22:01. | |
Windsor Castle. You make a stronger connection with the President of | :22:02. | :22:04. | |
Ireland as opposed to the President of the United States, there is that | :22:05. | :22:10. | |
Irish quality being from the Irish regiment and when the army first got | :22:11. | :22:14. | |
their mascot, eight years ago, there were struggling to get a jacket for | :22:15. | :22:19. | |
a ceremony in Dublin and the guards had one in their storeroom so we | :22:20. | :22:26. | |
kindly donated that and they have now repaid that favour. The | :22:27. | :22:31. | |
significance of the State visit was not lost on one Irish guardsman from | :22:32. | :22:37. | |
Kilkenny. Things have come on in the last few years and the Queen coming, | :22:38. | :22:41. | |
that got things started and President Higgins yesterday, it is | :22:42. | :22:47. | |
brilliant. We will find was the star attraction at today's recruitment | :22:48. | :22:51. | |
drive. He is still not fully grown but his handler says this is one dog | :22:52. | :22:53. | |
that will measure up to the job. Quite the jet setter! Last night we | :22:54. | :23:04. | |
heard from Rory McIlroy ahead of the start of golf's US Masters. Tonight, | :23:05. | :23:07. | |
we hear from Northern Ireland's two other Major winners. Graeme McDowell | :23:08. | :23:10. | |
and Darren Clarke are also in the Masters field. Stephen Watson | :23:11. | :23:13. | |
reports from the Augusta course in Georgia. And don't miss the first | :23:14. | :23:16. | |
shot in this report! It is a tradition. And Graham poll has got | :23:17. | :23:21. | |
it mastered. Skimming balls across the pond at the 16th hole. Some fun | :23:22. | :23:26. | |
before the tournament gets underway properly tomorrow. And when he tees | :23:27. | :23:31. | |
up for real, it will be hard to contain excitement. Like a car -- | :23:32. | :23:38. | |
like a child on Christmas morning, Augustine is the only venue that we | :23:39. | :23:41. | |
come back to every year for the major, and being as special as it | :23:42. | :23:46. | |
is, you never get tired playing this. I could play one course for | :23:47. | :23:50. | |
the rest of my life, this would be right up there. I feel like I have | :23:51. | :23:53. | |
learned something new every year I have come back about the nuances of | :23:54. | :23:57. | |
this golf course and I am just learning how to play. It is | :23:58. | :24:02. | |
exciting. It does kick off the season properly and everybody is | :24:03. | :24:08. | |
raring to go. The winner receives the famous green jacket. And the | :24:09. | :24:11. | |
members of that exclusive club were reunited last night but one player | :24:12. | :24:16. | |
was missing from the dinner. Tiger Woods, who was currently injured. | :24:17. | :24:20. | |
The world number one has only been absent from four major tournaments | :24:21. | :24:25. | |
during his career and by a twist of fate, everyone has been won by an | :24:26. | :24:33. | |
Irish golfer. And that is a fact that superstitious Graeme McDowell | :24:34. | :24:36. | |
is thoroughly enjoying. It is incredible, that statistic and we | :24:37. | :24:42. | |
hope that pattern continues! It might be my turn again! Who knows? | :24:43. | :24:47. | |
What would it mean to you to be the first golfer from Northern Ireland | :24:48. | :24:51. | |
to win that jacket? It is everybody's dream. It is tough, | :24:52. | :24:57. | |
regardless which measure I would like to win next. Because of the | :24:58. | :25:02. | |
history and tradition and everything here, and the legends that have | :25:03. | :25:08. | |
been, I think this would be special. And it is an extra special | :25:09. | :25:12. | |
tournament for the former Open champion Darren Clarke. He is making | :25:13. | :25:16. | |
his 500th appearance at a European tour event. It is a great honour, to | :25:17. | :25:23. | |
make 500, it does not seem that long ago whenever I started but time goes | :25:24. | :25:27. | |
quickly whenever you are on the tour. To get to 500 pretty quickly, | :25:28. | :25:33. | |
starting after they think that? I had no idea. In his 20 February | :25:34. | :25:39. | |
professional, Darren Clarke looks to rediscover his winning form. And | :25:40. | :25:43. | |
along with Graeme McDowell, he will try to write another chapter in | :25:44. | :25:46. | |
Northern Ireland's record books. Blue skies over there. Angie is here | :25:47. | :25:52. | |
with the weather forecast. Breezy today. We have some patchy | :25:53. | :26:03. | |
rain this morning that cleared away to leave dry weather. There have | :26:04. | :26:07. | |
been some breaks appearing and we had a clearer slot coming towards | :26:08. | :26:11. | |
the north-west so it might but in a reformed the sunsets. Quite a nice | :26:12. | :26:17. | |
end to the day but change is on the way and overnight we have an | :26:18. | :26:19. | |
approaching weather front and that is moving in from the north-west so | :26:20. | :26:24. | |
that will bring thickening cloud and eventually spills of rain but | :26:25. | :26:27. | |
particularly across the West and into the North, not particularly | :26:28. | :26:31. | |
heavy but it could be persistent and the breeze eases down and very mild. | :26:32. | :26:39. | |
Tomorrow, things will eventually cheer up and brighten up but it | :26:40. | :26:42. | |
looks like another cloudy start for many of us, damp and places as a | :26:43. | :26:46. | |
train slides across mid Ulster towards the South and East through | :26:47. | :26:50. | |
the morning rush-hour. It might be later in the morning before it moves | :26:51. | :26:55. | |
away from County Down. But we have brighter skies following behind | :26:56. | :26:57. | |
someone suddenly includes away it does brighten up in the afternoon | :26:58. | :27:01. | |
with some sunshine coming through. One or two sharp showers running | :27:02. | :27:04. | |
through places but not all places will get those. In the afternoon, | :27:05. | :27:08. | |
some places will stay mainly dry with highs at the average of 12 | :27:09. | :27:13. | |
degrees. Tomorrow evening, not a bad end to the day with some sunshine | :27:14. | :27:17. | |
and the showers easing away but tomorrow night does potentially turn | :27:18. | :27:20. | |
quite chilly weather those clear spells and temperatures low enough | :27:21. | :27:24. | |
ground frost and maybe some mist and fog patches as well. One or two | :27:25. | :27:28. | |
visibility issues on Friday morning, chilly to start or not a bad day, | :27:29. | :27:33. | |
dry with sunshine and near average temperatures. Down through the night | :27:34. | :27:37. | |
into Saturday morning but beyond that, the rest of the weekend is | :27:38. | :27:40. | |
looking dry. Thank you. Our late summery is at 10:25pm. You can also | :27:41. | :27:45. | |
keep in contact with us via Facebook and Twitter. Goodnight. | :27:46. | :27:47. |