:00:00. > :00:25.That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me and on
:00:26. > :00:28.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline The former Finance Minister
:00:29. > :00:33.Sammy Wilson criticises Stormont's investigation into the NAMA sale A
:00:34. > :00:40.Had I not made the promise, I doubt I would have come along to grace the
:00:41. > :00:43.Mickey Mouse exercise which has been undertaken.
:00:44. > :00:47.A man in his 50s dies in a house fire.
:00:48. > :00:50.This man is found guilty for the second time of murdering his former
:00:51. > :00:56.partner, who was pertinent. Exclusive details on the new
:00:57. > :00:59.abortion guidelines. Confirmation that they'd all the tall abnormality
:01:00. > :01:03.cannot be grounds for a termination. Also coming up:
:01:04. > :01:08.We focus on the problem of debt in the run-up to Christmas.
:01:09. > :01:10.We look back to this time five years ago, when December turned into the
:01:11. > :01:16.big freeze. And after a cool day for many, there
:01:17. > :01:17.is more light but also windy weather in the forecast. Warnings have been
:01:18. > :01:26.issued. The former Finance Minister
:01:27. > :01:28.Sammy Wilson has described Stormont's NAMA inquiry
:01:29. > :01:30.as "a Mickey Mouse exercise" which has shown incompetence
:01:31. > :01:32.and bias. The Assembly's Finance committee
:01:33. > :01:34.is investigating a claim that a politician or party was to
:01:35. > :01:36.receive ?7 million with the sale of the Northern
:01:37. > :01:48.Ireland property loan portfolio Our Economics and
:01:49. > :01:51.Business Editor John Campbell has been listening to Mr Wilson
:01:52. > :02:02.at a meeting of the committee. Sammy will thin stood down from the
:02:03. > :02:06.Assembly in August. Today, he was back and in fighting form. I said I
:02:07. > :02:09.was quite happy to come along in August to give evidence to the
:02:10. > :02:15.committee. Had I known subsequently the way in which this mighty was
:02:16. > :02:18.going, and had I not made the promise, I doubt very much if I
:02:19. > :02:23.would have come along to grace the Mickey Mouse exercise which has been
:02:24. > :02:28.undertaken. He was finance minister when the
:02:29. > :02:32.organisation was set up by the double Durrant in 2010. Its job was
:02:33. > :02:38.to take control of property loans made by the struggling Dublin banks.
:02:39. > :02:45.He recommended this businessman should advise them on Northern
:02:46. > :02:49.Ireland matters. In 2013, he arranged a meeting with the US
:02:50. > :02:58.company Penn Corps, which wanted to buy the Northern Ireland loans. --
:02:59. > :03:01.Pimco. Later, he went to work for Pimco and stood to gain ?5 million
:03:02. > :03:06.if the deal went through. The committee chairmen wanted to know
:03:07. > :03:14.more about that meeting in 2013. Was appropriate for him to be at that
:03:15. > :03:21.meeting? Stay, of course. Why were NAMA not informed? Day wear. Later
:03:22. > :03:25.on, I wrote a letter to NAMA telling them I had had this meeting and
:03:26. > :03:28.outlining the discussions taken at the meeting.
:03:29. > :03:32.Then he went on the attack, accusing one committee member of having his
:03:33. > :03:37.own conflict of interest because the paper he controls has taken adverts
:03:38. > :03:44.from a company connected to a critic of the NAMA deal. Did you make a
:03:45. > :03:52.declaration that on a weekly basis Gareth Graham takes a 2-page spread
:03:53. > :03:57.in a paper which you're a director of and pays you money, because I
:03:58. > :04:02.assume you do not do it for nothing. Can I get back to this question, Mr
:04:03. > :04:08.Wilson, or will we play games all day? Throughout his evidence, Sammy
:04:09. > :04:12.stuck firmly to the view that no wrongdoing has been shown by
:04:13. > :04:16.politicians or anyone else, and he believes the NAMA deal has been good
:04:17. > :04:19.for Northern Ireland. The next major witness the committee wants to hear
:04:20. > :04:21.from is another former finance minister, Simon Hamilton.
:04:22. > :04:24.A man in his 50s has died in a fire at a house in Enniskillen.
:04:25. > :04:27.His body was found inside the property in Drumgay Close
:04:28. > :04:31.in the Kilmacormick area of the town.
:04:32. > :04:33.Our reporter in the south west, Julian Fowler,
:04:34. > :04:39.has been to the scene and has more details.
:04:40. > :04:45.The Fire Brigade received a call at around 8:30am this morning. Crews
:04:46. > :04:51.went into the house and used breathing apparatus and damn imaging
:04:52. > :04:54.cameras and discovered the man dead in an upstairs bedroom. The only
:04:55. > :04:59.visible signs of the fire from outside are the blackened upstairs
:05:00. > :05:03.windows. The victim of the fire had lived in the street for many years
:05:04. > :05:08.and his family live nearby. Neighbours had been preparing for
:05:09. > :05:13.Christmas and the sudden death has come as a terrible shock. Those I
:05:14. > :05:16.spoke to were too upset to be interviewed. 1 resident told me she
:05:17. > :05:21.could not have asked for a better neighbour. Firefighters returned to
:05:22. > :05:26.the scene this afternoon to assist with the investigation and the
:05:27. > :05:30.removal of his remains, as family, friends and neighbours and stood
:05:31. > :05:33.nearby. The police and forensic scientists had been carrying out an
:05:34. > :05:37.investigation to try to establish what caused the fire. At the moment,
:05:38. > :05:40.it is unexplained. There is nothing to suggest this as anything other
:05:41. > :05:42.than a tragic accident. charged with the attempted murder of
:05:43. > :05:47.a police officer seven years ago. Gavin Coyle was arrested yesterday
:05:48. > :06:01.in connection with -- it is alleged he had been
:06:02. > :06:04.secretly recorded in connection with the attack.
:06:05. > :06:06.Gavin Coyle was arrested yesterday in connection with
:06:07. > :06:08.the booby trap car bombing near Castlederg in 2008.
:06:09. > :06:10.An off-duty officer suffered serious leg injuries in the attack.
:06:11. > :06:12.The defendant is charged with attempted murder,
:06:13. > :06:14.causing an explosion, and membership of the IRA.
:06:15. > :06:16.The 38-year-old, who is currently serving a sentence in Maghaberry,
:06:17. > :06:20.during the hearing at Strabane Magistrates court this morning.
:06:21. > :06:23.A man has been found guilty for the second time
:06:24. > :06:24.of murdering his former partner,
:06:25. > :06:26.who was pregnant and the mother of four children.
:06:27. > :06:28.Stephen Cahoon from Londonderry had three trials.
:06:29. > :06:42.He successfully appealed a conviction several years ago.
:06:43. > :06:45.Today a new jury found him guilty by a unanimous verdict.
:06:46. > :06:47.You may find some images in Helen Jones's report disturbing.
:06:48. > :06:57.Stephen, guilty for a second time. A jury at the Central criminal Court
:06:58. > :06:59.in Dublin took just under four RS to reach their verdict and the woman he
:07:00. > :07:07.murdered, a pregnant mother of four, his ex-partner. This CCTV footage
:07:08. > :07:10.shows the last images of her before she was killed. She was 30 years old
:07:11. > :07:15.and ten weeks pregnant with Stephen's child. Her body was found
:07:16. > :07:21.naked and bruised at her home in Derry in 2008. He has a history of
:07:22. > :07:28.violence against women. This is an image of the then 18-year-old Lin
:07:29. > :07:31.McCall. He beat her beyond recognition in 1997. Describing
:07:32. > :07:34.events leading up to miss quickly's death, he told the jury that he saw
:07:35. > :07:39.red when she told him the baby she was expecting was not his. So he
:07:40. > :07:45.said he grabbed and pushed her and put his hand on her throat he
:07:46. > :07:49.admitted strangling her button not murder. There was evidence of
:07:50. > :07:52.violence and beginning to end at the scene. There was evidence heard or
:07:53. > :07:58.had been broken and under were defensive injuries and bruising to
:07:59. > :08:02.her arms scalp and head, which were utterly inconsistent with his
:08:03. > :08:06.version of events. Arrested in the Republic, he opted for a trial in
:08:07. > :08:10.Dublin. The first jury failed to reach a verdict. A subsequent
:08:11. > :08:15.conviction was quashed on appeal because of a technicality. Today,
:08:16. > :08:19.another jury, the third, found him guilty. He has been sentenced to
:08:20. > :08:20.life in prison, backdated to his arrest in 2008.
:08:21. > :08:23.New draft guidelines on abortion drawn up by the Health Minister
:08:24. > :08:25.continue to advise doctors that fatal foetal abnormality
:08:26. > :08:27.is not in itself grounds for a lawful termination.
:08:28. > :08:29.The guidelines have been circulated to the Executive
:08:30. > :08:35.and a copy has been seen by the BBC's The View programme.
:08:36. > :08:42.Our Political Editor Mark Devenport is with me.
:08:43. > :08:46.a High Court judge ruled that the current abortion law
:08:47. > :08:47.is a breach of European human rights legislation.
:08:48. > :08:52.Explain what these draft guidelines mean in relation to that judgement.
:08:53. > :08:59.Well, this was a ruling by the High Court judge at the start of this
:09:00. > :09:03.week and he said that particularly in cases where women have
:09:04. > :09:08.pregnancies with cetyl foetal abnormalities or pregnancies which
:09:09. > :09:11.were the result of sexual crime, that the current law is in breach of
:09:12. > :09:15.the European Convention on Human Rights. Whilst these headlands from
:09:16. > :09:18.the Health Minister were circulated around the same time as that
:09:19. > :09:22.judgment came out, they have obviously been prepared prior to
:09:23. > :09:26.that. They do not necessarily reflect that judgment. In fact, this
:09:27. > :09:31.is the outcome of a long process going back to the guidelines of
:09:32. > :09:36.years ago and fresh advice when Edwin Poots was the minister. This
:09:37. > :09:38.is a long-running story where medical professionals have been
:09:39. > :09:39.looking for better advised on clarifying the law.
:09:40. > :09:43.What do the guidelines seen by the BBC actually say?
:09:44. > :09:49.Just like advice issued two years ago, they repeat that in Northern
:09:50. > :09:53.Ireland, for an abortion or termination to be lawful it must be
:09:54. > :09:57.necessary to preserve the life of a woman or doctors must judge that
:09:58. > :10:01.there is a serious long-term or permanent risk to her physical or
:10:02. > :10:05.mental health. Two years ago, when advice was issued, there was a
:10:06. > :10:10.fairly bald statement that foetal abnormalities were not grounds for
:10:11. > :10:15.termination. In this latest advice, it clarifies that the impact of such
:10:16. > :10:18.a foetal abnormality on a woman's physical or mental health may be a
:10:19. > :10:22.factor to be taken into account when health professionals recommend
:10:23. > :10:26.options for her clinical care. So it is essentially saying but still
:10:27. > :10:30.there must be a fear of long-term damage, potentially, to a woman's
:10:31. > :10:30.mental health but that may be taken into account.
:10:31. > :10:33.So ultimately, changing the law would be up to the the Assembly.
:10:34. > :10:35.What do you think is going to happen?
:10:36. > :10:42.It is quite complex because first of all, the judge who ruled that the
:10:43. > :10:47.current law is in breach of the European Convention is going to
:10:48. > :10:50.decide whether he will read down his judgment to change the law, or
:10:51. > :10:55.simply say that the current law is incompatible. But that particular
:10:56. > :10:59.judgment may well go to appeal, which, given the way the courts
:11:00. > :11:03.work, could last for some time. If it does come back to the
:11:04. > :11:07.politicians, even though we have these guidelines, abortion remains a
:11:08. > :11:10.very controversial topic and one can imagine they will argue about it for
:11:11. > :11:14.some time to come. Separately, there is another legal case where a woman
:11:15. > :11:19.is seeking to get a copy of these guidelines, which so far has only
:11:20. > :11:22.been circulated to Executive ministers.
:11:23. > :11:26.More discussion on this issue at 10:35pm. 90. -- thank you.
:11:27. > :11:28.A man from Londonderry has pleaded guilty
:11:29. > :11:29.to a number of terrorism offences,
:11:30. > :11:31.including involvement in the murder of a police officer
:11:32. > :11:34.He will be sentenced later in the month.
:11:35. > :11:44.This from our north west reporter, Keiron Tourish.
:11:45. > :11:50.Christopher Paul, seen here on a previous court appearance, was due
:11:51. > :11:55.to stand trial today on a total of 17 Provisional IRA related offences.
:11:56. > :11:59.He has now admitted five of those charges. He pleaded guilty to
:12:00. > :12:04.assisting offenders in the murder of 21-year-old constable Michael
:12:05. > :12:07.Ferguson. He was shot dead by they are in the city centre whilst on
:12:08. > :12:22.foot patrol on January the 23rd 1993. The defendant accepted he
:12:23. > :12:24.impeded the capture of the perpetrators by ensuring there were
:12:25. > :12:27.no fingerprint on a vehicle he believed he had touched directly
:12:28. > :12:31.after the murder. Deals are pleaded guilty to firing mortar bomb at a
:12:32. > :12:36.police vehicle in 1993 and planting a bomb at the railway line at
:12:37. > :12:42.barracks two-month letter. He also admitted placing a bomb in February
:12:43. > :12:47.1994 on the windowsill of the home of an assistant chief on there. The
:12:48. > :12:51.final charge, he admitted, was planting a bomb at an army base,
:12:52. > :12:56.likely to endanger life or damage property. 12 remaining charges are
:12:57. > :13:02.to be left on the books and will not be pursued without the leave of the
:13:03. > :13:09.court. Before the trial was due to get underway, there was told that
:13:10. > :13:15.rest of the changing his plea. -- Christopher or cane. He was
:13:16. > :13:17.rearranged for by the fences and -- rearranged for five offences.
:13:18. > :13:21.And a motorcyclist has been killed in a crash in County Down.
:13:22. > :13:23.It happened at Lisbane near Killinchy this morning.
:13:24. > :13:29.A mother and her adult daughter have been held hostage
:13:30. > :13:31.during an abduction and robbery in Dublin.
:13:32. > :13:34.Three masked gunmen forced their way into a house in Artane,
:13:35. > :13:37.in the north of the city, early this morning.
:13:38. > :13:40.The woman's husband, who is a cash in transit employee,
:13:41. > :13:44.and then hand over almost 200,000 euros
:13:45. > :13:48.near a business park at Dublin Airport.
:13:49. > :13:50.A legal case challenging the ban on same-sex marriage here
:13:51. > :13:56.It's being brought by two gay couples, who were
:13:57. > :13:58.the first to enter into civil partnerships ten years ago.
:13:59. > :14:03.the ban was having a corrosive effect on society.
:14:04. > :14:13.The money loaned to students to pay for university tuition fees
:14:14. > :14:19.But it's not putting them off applying for higher education.
:14:20. > :14:22.Our education correspondent Robbie Meredith has been looking at
:14:23. > :14:25.new figures from the Student Loans Company,
:14:26. > :14:33.the government body which distributes funding.
:14:34. > :14:41.These sixth formers in west Belfast are currently deciding whether and
:14:42. > :14:46.where to go to university. But costs are rising. New figures show more
:14:47. > :14:52.than students were lent a total of ?173 million for tuition fees alone
:14:53. > :14:58.last year. An average of ?4350 per person. I want to study law in
:14:59. > :15:02.Queens and I certainly have had to consider tuition fees. I am
:15:03. > :15:06.determined to do further education so whilst it has always been a
:15:07. > :15:09.factor, I have always wanted to put onto it and I have always had the
:15:10. > :15:13.support of my family. One of the big factors for me and my family was
:15:14. > :15:18.money and moderately wanted to go to Edinburgh, but costs and other
:15:19. > :15:23.things, it is not going to sit. Tuition fees are ?3805 per year in
:15:24. > :15:27.Northern Ireland. But in England, Scotland and Wales, they can rise to
:15:28. > :15:31.?9,000 per year. Despite this, around one third of Northern Ireland
:15:32. > :15:32.students will to universities elsewhere in the UK and pay the
:15:33. > :15:36.students will to universities elsewhere in the UK and pay the
:15:37. > :15:39.higher fees. I am looking to go to Glasgow to study medicine. It has
:15:40. > :15:43.always been a name for me and I believe that you will always be in
:15:44. > :15:47.debt, no matter where you go. Their teacher is worried. The bigger
:15:48. > :15:51.challenges those who have to travel because they cannot get a place here
:15:52. > :15:55.and those fees will escalate and it will deter a number of students from
:15:56. > :16:00.travelling. Student leaders say that given higher education's importance
:16:01. > :16:03.to our economy, ratepayers should be putting more of the bill. It is
:16:04. > :16:09.important that we recognise the public value that our education
:16:10. > :16:13.system has and we need to make sure that we reflect that and is some
:16:14. > :16:20.kind of levy that those who earn the most and benefit of higher education
:16:21. > :16:22.later in life that they pay into a system that ensures our education
:16:23. > :16:26.system is funded in the way it should be. There is no evidence so
:16:27. > :16:29.far that these have put young people of taking a degree but with
:16:30. > :16:31.universities cutting places, more may have to look elsewhere in
:16:32. > :16:32.future, despite the cost. Debt is something most
:16:33. > :16:35.of us live with all year round. But Christmas shopping
:16:36. > :16:37.can push some to a level Research commissioned by the
:16:38. > :16:41.Irish League of Credit Unions shows about half of shoppers in
:16:42. > :16:50.Northern Ireland expect to borrow to get through
:16:51. > :16:52.the festive season. it's a time when many people
:16:53. > :17:00.feel under pressure. This Christmas, more and more of as
:17:01. > :17:06.will use different forms of credit to pay for presence and food. But
:17:07. > :17:10.for those who are already struggling with their finances, the pressure of
:17:11. > :17:17.the festive season drives many even deeper into debt. For the
:17:18. > :17:22.youngsters, it must be terrible. The youngsters on benefits, it must be a
:17:23. > :17:25.nightmare because you want to be able to get your youngsters things
:17:26. > :17:29.and if you have not got it, you have not got it. That is the people I
:17:30. > :17:33.would feel sorry for. That would be under terrible pressure I would
:17:34. > :17:39.imagine. In our day, you didn't... You didn't go into that. But now
:17:40. > :17:47.they presume they have to. Not then all but I would say a lot of them
:17:48. > :17:49.have to do it today. The first thing I would be thinking as whether I
:17:50. > :17:53.could afford it because some people buy things that they cannot afford.
:17:54. > :17:58.And Christmas is just one day, when you think on it. It is when the
:17:59. > :18:02.bills come in in January that people realise they cannot afford to pay
:18:03. > :18:06.back what they have agreed to because often the most accessible
:18:07. > :18:12.forms of credit are also the most expensive, from store cards to
:18:13. > :18:16.payday loans. If you were looking for ?500 over a three-month period,
:18:17. > :18:22.you could go to a payday lenders and you might end up paying an extra
:18:23. > :18:26.?350 on top of the 500. You could go and get an overdraft and pay an
:18:27. > :18:30.extra ?70. You could use your credit card and pay ?40, or indeed you
:18:31. > :18:34.could go to your credit union and it might only cost you ?10. You can see
:18:35. > :18:38.there is a wide variety of different paybacks.
:18:39. > :18:42.Shopping around for a burger that Christmas is second nature to many
:18:43. > :18:46.of ours but no finance experts say we should apply that same principle
:18:47. > :18:53.to any borrowing we do to ensure we get the cheapest rates .
:18:54. > :19:02.With me everywhere presented of of a credit union. How bad do you think
:19:03. > :19:05.the debt problem is? The results of a survey showed that 270,000 people
:19:06. > :19:11.in Northern Ireland have used moneylenders, to date. A staggering
:19:12. > :19:17.84% of them did not realise the charges, the interest charges, being
:19:18. > :19:20.applied. Even worse, 11% have had the threat of physical violence
:19:21. > :19:24.shown to them as a result of dealing with moneylenders.
:19:25. > :19:28.For many people, a payday loan, going into a money lender, is an
:19:29. > :19:34.easy, quick access to money. If they pay it back, surely it is not a bad
:19:35. > :19:38.then. The loans are instantly available and that is what people
:19:39. > :19:43.fall into the cycle of the problem. But if you go beyond the terms of
:19:44. > :19:46.the agreement that you made with the payday lenders, that is where the
:19:47. > :19:52.problems start. If you go to a credit union, we offer instant
:19:53. > :19:58.loans... Or a bank or other financial institutions. Readily
:19:59. > :20:02.accessible but we do not pray on the form above. We can offer reasonable
:20:03. > :20:06.rates of interest capped by the law. What responsibility do you think the
:20:07. > :20:10.retail sector has at this time of year? They are offering store cards
:20:11. > :20:15.and people can pay the debt, that is fine, but what is the danger?
:20:16. > :20:19.Whenever time passes by and the debt is not cleared in time, the
:20:20. > :20:23.temptation is so high for people to just readily take the credit that is
:20:24. > :20:28.their, often the instant credit is the most expensive kind.
:20:29. > :20:31.People feel under pressure to buy from their friends, from family to
:20:32. > :20:37.stop what advice would you give them, those who are under quite a
:20:38. > :20:43.bit of financial pressure at this time of year? We would say to make a
:20:44. > :20:45.list, look at what you can afford to spend and then plan your Christmas
:20:46. > :20:50.shopping according to that, rather than shop and then worry. Make a
:20:51. > :20:56.list, when you go shopping stick to it... It is easier said than done.
:20:57. > :20:59.Of course, but discipline has to be there. The other thing to remember
:21:00. > :21:03.is that Christmas is more than just buying presents, it is about
:21:04. > :21:06.spending time with friends and family.
:21:07. > :21:12.Thank you for joining us. On BBC Radio Ulster's On Your Behalf
:21:13. > :21:14.programme, they are getting more debt advice at 9:45am on Saturday
:21:15. > :21:15.morning. The DUP says a Culture Arts
:21:16. > :21:21.and Leisure Committee hearing today Hundreds of mourners have attended
:21:22. > :21:23.a funeral mass for Father Gerry Reynolds
:21:24. > :21:24.in wet Belfast. The 82-year-old Redemptorist priest
:21:25. > :21:26.was at Clonard Monastery Among the congregation, the
:21:27. > :21:29.First Minister Martin McGuinness, the Republic's Foreign Affairs
:21:30. > :21:31.Minister Charlie Flanagan, representatives
:21:32. > :21:32.of Protestant churches alongside family,
:21:33. > :21:34.friends and parishioners. They were there to pay
:21:35. > :21:42.their respects to a man who had championed the cause
:21:43. > :21:44.of peace and reconciliation. During the homily,
:21:45. > :21:46.Father Gerry was described both as an idealist
:21:47. > :21:56.and a visionary. Of course there was the 80 minute
:21:57. > :21:59.call one. And his Redemptorist brothers can testify that he missed
:22:00. > :22:06.no opportunity to talk about his dream for unity. Indeed, from
:22:07. > :22:14.suspected that he was secretly a Protestant! Ken said last night that
:22:15. > :22:19.no Catholic priest in Ireland was in so many Protestant churches.
:22:20. > :22:21.The DUP says a Culture Arts and Leisure Committee hearing today
:22:22. > :22:23.at Stormont has vindicated safety expert Paul Scott,
:22:24. > :22:25.who first raised concerns about Casement Park.
:22:26. > :22:27.Mr Scott told a Stormont committee in April that
:22:28. > :22:29.the emergency-exiting arrangements in the proposed design were flawed.
:22:30. > :22:35.Representatives from the Sports Ground Safety Authority today
:22:36. > :22:39.gave evidence to the committee and said the organisation,
:22:40. > :22:40.which regulates stadia in England and Wales,
:22:41. > :22:44.are willing to work with developers in a consultative role.
:22:45. > :22:45.Afterwards, DUP MLA William Humphrey
:22:46. > :22:55.said Paul Scott had provided a huge service to the public
:22:56. > :23:01.In a few minutes, we will have the latest weather forecast
:23:02. > :23:04.But before that, we head back five years ago
:23:05. > :23:05.to the coldest December on record.
:23:06. > :23:09.The temperature plummeted to a low of 19 degrees Celsius.
:23:10. > :23:11.Many inland areas experienced a seven day period
:23:12. > :23:13.when it didn't get above zero during the day.
:23:14. > :23:28.Our weather presenter, Barra Best, looks at the big freeze of 2010.
:23:29. > :23:34.The first hint came around this time when temperatures wanted to eight
:23:35. > :23:40.chilly minus 10 degrees. Over the next month, we would see disruption
:23:41. > :23:45.to our lives. Roads and pavements became treacherous. This morning, we
:23:46. > :23:49.paced ourselves when we were walking because of the icy conditions. When
:23:50. > :23:54.you are carrying a child to school, it is a bit harder.
:23:55. > :23:57.Your reports and public transport -based disruption. Schools were
:23:58. > :24:01.closed, rural families were cut off and sports clubs had to, but
:24:02. > :24:05.inventive ways to clear their pictures. It is probably a very
:24:06. > :24:11.large canvas sheet which covers the entire rugby pitch, which is lifted
:24:12. > :24:17.up a few feet and then hot air is pumped into it for 48 hours.
:24:18. > :24:22.Leaks froze over and proved life-threatening for I man when he
:24:23. > :24:28.tried to save his two dogs. The cold left my legs and arms and I just
:24:29. > :24:34.stopped feeling it, and that was worrying me, because without feeling
:24:35. > :24:38.it, I knew my body was closing down. There was a brief respite from
:24:39. > :24:40.biting temperatures early in December, but the arctic conditions
:24:41. > :24:45.returned by the middle of the month. And it was to get worse. For some,
:24:46. > :24:49.it was a case of the show must go on. We wished for a white wedding
:24:50. > :24:55.but this is pushing it a bit too far! It was just days before
:24:56. > :24:57.Christmas and on the 22nd of December, Northern Ireland recorded
:24:58. > :25:04.its lowest temperature. It reached a finger numbing minus 18.7 degrees in
:25:05. > :25:11.County Tyrone. In fact, for a whole week, the town did not get above the
:25:12. > :25:13.law by day. Of course, a big thaw forward, bringing upon problems with
:25:14. > :25:18.burst pipes. Many people had to queue every day for water for simple
:25:19. > :25:22.things like renting and washing. There is no suggestion that we are
:25:23. > :25:25.about to have things like this in the near future, but the
:25:26. > :25:28.unpredictability of Irish weather in the long term means we cannot say
:25:29. > :25:31.for certain if we will avoid them all winter.
:25:32. > :25:41.Thankfully, those temperatures did not come along very often, certainly
:25:42. > :25:44.not in the next five days. We did have some contrasting weather today,
:25:45. > :25:51.depending on where you are, or where. I Weather Watchers captured
:25:52. > :25:56.nicely. Lashing down, cold as well, some snow over the higher ground.
:25:57. > :26:01.But completely different in this picture. A lovely sunset a couple of
:26:02. > :26:06.years ago. It will depend on where you were as to how much horrible,
:26:07. > :26:10.wet, cold weather you so. Thankfully, the rain is moving away
:26:11. > :26:15.and tonight looks quiet. A few showers, and a breeze, but it could
:26:16. > :26:18.still it quite chilly and temperatures could drop low enough
:26:19. > :26:22.for one or two icy patches. And temperatures could drop low enough
:26:23. > :26:25.for one or two icy patches. I knew not too much rain during the day.
:26:26. > :26:30.The wind is the 1st thing we will notice. It is down to a deep area of
:26:31. > :26:33.low pressure, both of lines together telling us it is going to be windy
:26:34. > :26:38.and the main ring system comes in after dark tomorrow from the
:26:39. > :26:42.Atlantic. We have warnings that have been issued for both wind and rain
:26:43. > :26:44.across Northern Ireland. The rain itself will continue into Saturday,
:26:45. > :26:50.and the build-up could lead to flooding. First thing tomorrow,
:26:51. > :26:54.fairly dry in most places. Just one or two showers around. Not too cold
:26:55. > :26:56.either. The breeze will pick up but the air is getting milder because
:26:57. > :27:02.the wind is coming in from the south-west. Not too bad weather wise
:27:03. > :27:05.during the day. Just bits and pieces of rain, maybe even some glances of
:27:06. > :27:11.brightness towards the East Coast. The wind kicks in in the afternoon.
:27:12. > :27:16.Peak gusts of 60 mph, it could cause damage and destruction. There is the
:27:17. > :27:19.rain sweeping and and a very wet and windy evening and night. Pretty
:27:20. > :27:23.horrible if you're heading out for Christmas parties, although on the
:27:24. > :27:26.plus side temperatures will be on the rise. That rain continues into
:27:27. > :27:30.Saturday, still some lively winds around. The rain paling up to give
:27:31. > :27:35.two inches worth in the hills and West. Thankfully, it is looking
:27:36. > :27:38.drier on Sunday. Rain or snow, what would you prefer?