25/07/2016 BBC Newsline

No return to old borders post Brexit - the new Prime Minister sets

out her aims on a flying visit to Belfast.

Two women are killed in an early morning

The funeral takes place of mother of three, Valerie Armstrong,

who died after she was hit by a motorbike scrambler.

Shock turned to anger because a terrible death could have been

avoided and should have been avoided.

in a County Fermanagh river that then lay forgotten in a barn

Motor cycling success for a host of local riders as Northern Ireland

dominates the British championship. Our summer of unsettled weather

continues. I will have all the details just before seven.

I will have all the details just before seven.

The Prime Minister says there will be no return

to the borders of the past, once the UK leaves the European Union.

Theresa May was speaking at Stormont Castle on her first

visit here since taking over at Number Ten.

Here's our political correspondent Gareth Gordon.

Six weeks after she last visited Northern Ireland, hoping to persuade

people to remain in the EU, Teresa May was back. The political turmoil

which followed in London has been avoided here but the distance

between Stormont leaders could yet cause problems. The new Prime

Minister amid them together and then separately before ending is --

endings as it is a short statement and just one question was allowed.

Is it conceivable there would be no changes to that border in the event

of Brexit? How do you define the border and we are in your mind is

the border, between the border and the north or between the border and

the rest of the UK? When the UK reads the European Union, Northern

Ireland will have a border with the Republic of Ireland which will

remain in the European union. We have had a common travel border with

the Republic of Ireland years before either country was a member of the

European union. No one wants to return to the borders of the past.

We want to find a way through this switch is going to work and deliver

a practical solution for everybody as part of the work we're doing to

make sure we make a success of the United Kingdom leaving the unit --

the European union and come out with a solution which is the best

interests of the whole of native kingdom. This man took the

opportunity to raise the stakes in the local difficulties over Brexit.

On the issue of Brexit, Arlene Foster and I ironically done many

other things, we look forward and we continue to look at all of those

issues but on the issue of Brexit, I speak for the people of the North

and the people of the North who are unionist and nationalist and

Republicans have made it clear that BC their future in Europe. So why

would his partner in government take that? Not well. We all know there

was an election in May of this year and the Democratic Unionist Party

have 38 members and he has 28 members so I think we jointly think

the people of Northern Ireland. I speak for the unionist majority and

he speaks her nationalist majority but together we should be looking to

achieve what is best for all of the people of Northern Ireland and not

trying to make political point scoring out of what has occurred. If

Teresa May did not know before, she will know that Northern Ireland's

two biggest parties are poles apart on the issue of Brexit and it is

difficult to seek out any amount of talking will change that. The Prime

Minister has enough to worry about -- without worrying about new

problems at Stormont. Differences between Arlene Foster

and Martin McGuinness seem to have come into focus? Of course Brexit

has caused a political earthquake in Westminster. There is no disguising

the differences between the DUP in Sinn Fein on this issue. Today for

the first time, those issues came to the surface a bit more with Martin

McGuinness saying, I speak for the people of North over Brexit. He

knows he will get a reaction. That is what he got. No one is talking

about a welfare reform stand-off Mark two but it is still worth

watching. It was a flying visit from Teresa May, just 80 minutes, what

does that tell us? Link and you Mr. She is a busy woman with a lot to

do. She had one thing in mind which was to speak to the leaders but just

as she did in Edinburgh and Cardiff, the Prime Minister came and held not

a news conference but she made a statement to the cameras. No

questions allowed. One journalist was allowed to ask one question.

Teresa May is in a hurry. News conferences and journalists just

hold you up. There are more high-level meetings planned for

tomorrow as well? She will be back in Downing Street but we'll be

discussing the Irish border from the other side. Edna Kenny will be in

Downing Street and no doubt the border will be the main issue on the

agenda. He want to avoid problems with the border. We will leave it

there. As the political fallout

from the Brexit vote continues, more details emerged today

of a possible legal challenge. Four Assembly members

from four different parties are involved as well as number

of human-rights activists. BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson

is with me and can tell us more. Firstly, who are the politicians

involved? Four politicians who are all pretty

well-known, three of them are party leaders. You have Colin Eastwood of

the SDLP, it David Ford of the Alliance and Steven Agnew of the

Greens and John O'Dowd of Sinn Fein. They have issued a PM to strike. You

cannot judicially review a decision which has not actually been taken.

We know the Prime Minister has not triggered article 15 yet. They have

issued, they will not like this, they have issued a legal threat

saying to Downing Street, if you try and take us out of Europe, we met I

take you to court. What is the legal basis? Critics say that is no legal

basis. What could have more legal weight than a referendum results as

Mike the majority of people in the UK voted to get out of Europe, you

are sword losers. This is what the critics will say. But there are

three main things they say should happen before Brexit explains. First

there should be a Westminster vote to endorse Brexit. Secondly there

should be a vote in Northern Ireland, and Northern Ireland

Assembly vote. That could be tricky with the Nationalists against

Brexit. The third thing they want is some sort of equality impact

assessment, reading in mind the equality legislation we have here

and the rest of the UK. You take the Good Friday Agreement, throw it into

the mix, North-South bodies wrapped up in the new legislation and you

conceive what the politicians are playing at, possibly taking this to

court at some stage. Has there been any reaction from Downing Street or

The Northern Ireland Office? They have said they cannot comment but

they make it clear the Prime Minister is going to consult all

parts of the UK before she makes up her mind. One final thought, today

taught us one big thing, if you look at what happened at Stormont, Teresa

May not wanting to answer any questions about the exit apart from

one. When it comes to Brexit, Northern Ireland is one of the big

Two women have died in a car crash in County Antrim.

Two vehicles were involved in the collision

Our north east reporter Sara Girvin has been to the scene.

The fatal crash took place outside Randalstown just before eight

It's believed the two women who lost their lives were care workers,

carrying out their morning calls, when they were killed.

The two women who died were travelling in a grey coloured

Citroen C1 car when it was involved with a collision with a silver

Ford Focus that you may be able to see behind me.

A man and a woman travelling in that vehicle sustained

Local people are said to be devastated.

That is an outpouring of sadness and grief for the people who lost their

lives. Two women here this morning. If you look around, the sense of

If you look around, the sense of grief over the loss of two lives.

has been closed in all directions for much of today.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash,

and have asked anyone who may have witnessed it, to come forward.

Sara Girvin, BBC Newsline, Randalstown.

The funeral has taken place of the west Belfast mother of three,

who died after she was struck by a scrambler motorbike.

35-year-old Valerie Armstrong was walking her dog

in Colin Glen Forest Park when the incident happened last Tuesday.

A 17-year-old boy has since appeared in court charged

Today the community of Poleglass came together to lay her to rest.

They walked before their mum into the church of the Nativity

Dylan, Lucy and Sophie Armstrong had painted pictures of angels

to accompany Valerie on her last journey.

Now their wider family, and the community in

When I think Valley Armstrong, I think of a cheerful positive person.

A person of faith and hope. I'm sure you think about in the same way too.

We're proud to have known that Valerie. As her colleagues described

her she was a wonderful person, wife and mother.

Valerie Armstrong had grown up in County Westmeath,

in a family of four daughters and two sons - she'd carried

an organ donation card and after the incident

in Colin Glen Forest Park, the mourners heard, her death had

For her family, some consolation, in the loss of a young

As we heard the circumstances of her death, our shock turned to anger

because it was a terrible death which could have been avoided and

should have been avoided. I know as you know that death was not intended

but it happened. It happened because others made bad choices.

It happened because others made bad choices.

Afterwards Dylan once more led his Mum from from church -

his little sisters carried by their Dad Seamus.

Valerie Armstrong was laid to rest in Blaris Cemetery in Lisburn.

Will Leitch, BBC Newsline, Poleglass.

A man in his sixties has died at a clay pigeon shooting

The incident happened near Downpatrick yesterday afternoon.

The police say the man died after after a firearm was discharged

and it appears to have been a tragic accident.

There's been condemnation of a shooting on the outskirts

of west Belfast last night in which a man was wounded

He was approached by four masked men in an entry

They forced the man to lie down before shooting him.

Sinn Fein MLA Jennifer McCann and SDLP councillor Brian Heading

said such attacks have no place our society.

A 49-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to wasting police time

after falsely accusing former health minister Jim Wells of making

It followed a complaint made to the PSNI after a hustings event

Controversy surrounded remarks about same sex marriage attributed

Dorothy Elaine Gardner of Killycanavan Road in Dungannon

admitted falsely reporting a crime at a court hearing this morning.

Still to come, it has been a century long wait but there is less than two

weeks to go now for Ireland's hockey players at the Olympics.

A family run business which hires bikes for a popular mountain trail

in County Down says its future is in doubt after it was targeted

by thieves for the second time in four weeks.

East Coast Adventure, which operates out of Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor,

has had to put its hire business on hold after 14 bikes

Extreme speed in challenging terrain.

This kind of mountain biking is not for the faint hearted.

World class trails like this one are putting Northern Ireland on the map.

But many of those who want to try it won't have the right sort of bike.

And that's where this business has carved out a niche.

Since 2013 its been hiring high performance bikes.

But it's future could be in doubt after 14 bikes with an estimated

cost of ?20,000 were stolen in the early hours

I didn't know what to do. I find all the bikes were gone. Absolute

What makes matters worse is it's happened before.

Especially after four weeks ago the same thing happened again except

this time it was brand-new bikes and high-end bikes, to lose them again

Just four weeks ago 22 bikes were taken.

The business owners think the same thieves are involved.

After the last break-in steps were taken to reinforce the stores,

including welding these steel panels. That did not stop the

thieves. They use large wooden poles to open the doors and slid the bikes

It hasn't been a good time for mountain biking in this area -

earlier this month the trails in Kilbroney Park were

The council say a vital part of the areas tourism offering

It's a family run business and they are bringing good tourism to our

area, they are bringing sports which get people outside and active and we

want them to continue their business. This might be the straw

This might be the straw which broke the camels back.

The business says CCTV pictures suggest half a dozen

The local council is to meet the business

owners in an effort to make sure the family run business

What looks like a rusty old dagger discovered in a river

in County Fermanagh and left lying in a barn for more than 50 years has

been revealed to be an important historical artefact.

Experts believe it may have belonged to a Bronze Age

Our south west reporter Julian Fowler has been

to Arney to find out more about this amazing discovery.

The Arney River may look peaceful today but locals know

In 1594 this was the site of the Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits.

So when this sword was pulled from the water -

it was thought it might have been lost by a soldier.

My brother Ambrose was fishing year and he found an old swords at the

edge of the forge. At the time somebody told us it did not have

anything to do with the Battle of the Ford suit was left to the side

A few weeks ago Maurice was clearing out an old barn

and found the sword lying on the floor, and passed it

I said to him, do you want the good news or the bad news? The bad news

was it wasn't from the battle but the good news was it was from the

bronze age. Unbelievable, it is 2600 years old. Unbelievable.

Now missing its wooden handle it was deliberately broken in two

Who the sword belonged to and why it ended up in the river are likely to

that this once belonged to a Bronze Age warrior.

They say there is a tradition at that time when a warrior died his

sword was broken and left in the river which was done to clear away

any past sins he had in his life. I love his version, that is a nice

story but we're really not sure. We think definitely this did not belong

to your normal person. This has come from a high level in society.

This has come from a high level in society.

The discovery has confirmed what those

living here know already - that this is a special place -

In motorcycling Northern Ireland's riders impressed in the latest

Thank you very much. It was a successful Saturday and Sunday.

There were three victories at the race circuit.

Jordanstown's Andy Reid won both Supersport races and Michael Laverty

from Toomebridge picked up a double podium in the premier

The winner is number seven, Michael Laverty. A successful weekend, one

win and a second-place finish in the fastest circuit in the British

Superbike calendar which moves Michael Laverty into the top five.

He managed his tiresome purple and reap the rewards. All credit has to

go to the team, I have a clever bunch and they worked smartly to

make sure we had shelf life on the tire. I ran a patient race, I had to

sit there at the front and not use my tyres and it worked a treat.

Glenn Irwin joined him on the podium. He finished in third place

after some exciting reason. The local success continued as Andy Reid

was a double super sport winner. My dad died four years ago today and I

dug deeper to get that win. It is pretty emotional if I am honest. It

feels good to be on top. Divine inspiration for Andy Reid and a

remarkable weekend for a Northern Ireland's writers.

In Gaelic football - Derry's dream of reaching the first

All-Ireland quarter final in a decade ended in dramatic

Despite a late comeback Damian Barton's men lost by a single

point to Tipperary in an an epic encounter at Kingspan Breffni Park.

The first meeting of these two teams in championship football produced

the game of the summer. Mark Lynch fired home the only goal of the

first half to give Derry a 1-point lead in the break. But back came to

believe. An unfortunate slip from the Derry keeper gave Kevin

O'Halloran the simplest of scorers and all them the maintenance. But

with just a few minutes to call, Derry pushed forward and crept in

front. The school looks like taking his team through. Deep into injury

time another twist, Conor Sweeney landed too late points before

Brendan Rodgers who had started the day with the wedding had this click

to bring the match to extra time. Not everybody gets a fairy tale. I

do not think I had much choice. I was in the right place when the shot

needed to be taken. It just didn't pay offer me today. Given the season

we have had, if you look back at that season last year, we've got --

we have haemorrhaged a lot of good players. People have come then,

we've got a lot of good young guys who came in on the last few weeks.

We had a great atmosphere out there, you cannot beat the intensity of

that great -- game. Typically the progress for the first time and

Derry had the rest of the summer to ponder what might have been. --

In less than a fortnight's time Ireland's Men's Hockey team

will play their opening game at the Rio Olympics.

It will be the first time in over a century that

Ireland has had a side in the Olympic hockey competition.

Nigel Ringland reports, as we continue our countdown

The moment 108 years in the making for Irish hockey as they became the

first Irish team to make an Olympics in any sport since 1948. The

qualification is just the first step. The squad is not going to Rio

to make up the numbers. We have all played in big tournaments, obviously

not the Olympics which will bring extra media coverage and more

interest home but we have played against these teams before. We have

played against these teams on the big occasions in the qualifiers for

instance the Europeans. It would be the same job for us. We'll have to

get used to back games experience. We saw how the Northern Ireland and

the Republic of Ireland fans got behind the football teams and it was

amazing for the teams. If we get the country is behind the team, the

first team for 68 years is pretty special. McGee scorers this time.

Ireland take the lead. When in the bronze medal in the European

Championships has raised the level of expectation for the squad but to

make the quarterfinals in real they will have to beat teams higher

ranked in the world. We have the toughest group but we're going to

really tart -- target the Indian games. Canada are ranked below was

so we hope to get three points. Germany and Holland, we have beaten

Germany in recent years but the look sharper the moment. We will try and

get a point or two against those two teams. That is no lack of self

belief in the squad, they are one of the fittest teams. Medal is not out

the question. To go to the Olympics are not in friend medal would be

unwise. We have to go there and try and relive that dream. If everybody

performs to the best of their ability, I have no doubt this group

can get a medal. That would be the best way to raise the profile of

hockey in Ireland. 100 years has been a long wait. It will be an

exciting couple of weeks for the Irish hockey team. Lots of Olympic

coverage for years to come in the next month. It is the talk -- return

of our raw Alan Campbell in the news report tomorrow.

Good evening. That calm summer weather has been in short supply

this year. Not much improvement this week. We have some really sharp

showers as we went through this afternoon. Tonight as the

temperatures drop away, that should switch the shower is often a time. A

largely dry night. Cooler and fresher than of late. Temperatures

in rural spots will dip down to single figures. Tomorrow start of

cloudy but dry but that is rain later on. Lovely Weatherford ducks.

This is the picture you will be waking up to tomorrow. Was the

drive, the odd shower first thing, especially in the east of Northern

Ireland. A reasonably dry day. By the afternoon talk temperatures of

16 or 17 degrees. In those temperatures we will start to say a

few more showers fishing in across the North and west during the late

afternoon and early evening. -- pushing in. The rain becomes heavier

overnight, spreading into all parts. It will move out of the way during

the night-time hours. Another reasonable and cool night. We have a

real mess of weather systems heading in a rare -- in our direction of the

next few days. Every day will have a bit of rain and some days will have

more than others. Thursday is the one to watch out for in this

unsettled week of weather with those showers continuing. Thursday the

rain will be pretty heavy. Wednesday not too bad, at least during the

day, largely dry. Temperatures around 18 degrees. Rain again in the

evening. That rain will continue on Thursday. A very different feel to

the day then. Things start to brighten up by the time we get to

the end of the week, still cooler than we would like for this time of

the year. Not too bad. Our late summary is at half past

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