:00:14. > :00:18.The son of murdered Fermanagh woman Connie Leonard leads
:00:19. > :00:27.A bid to boost tourism in Belfast with longer Sunday shopping fails.
:00:28. > :00:29.Michelle O'Neill gives her reaction to
:00:30. > :00:42.It is one of our most marginal seats. I will be reporting from
:00:43. > :00:43.Fermanagh and South Tyrone. ?1 million to be spent on restoring
:00:44. > :00:46.a 22-mile monument in the Mournes. On the eve of the Ulster
:00:47. > :00:48.Championship, we hear from the four counties in action
:00:49. > :00:51.on the opening weekend. And still some pretty lively showers
:00:52. > :00:53.around this weekend. The son of a woman murdered
:00:54. > :01:05.in County Fermanagh earlier this week has been praised
:01:06. > :01:08.for his bravery. A priest told mourners
:01:09. > :01:10.at the funeral of Connie Leonard that evil intent had visited
:01:11. > :01:12.the peaceful community Ms Leonard was killed by her former
:01:13. > :01:35.partner, who she had taken Connie Leonard lived a life filled
:01:36. > :01:39.with music, and today some of the children she shared her gift with
:01:40. > :01:45.were among those here. The violence of Monday night was recalled, along
:01:46. > :01:51.with the bravery of her son who has down syndrome.
:01:52. > :02:00.In the light, evil intent visited this peaceful community. Evil
:02:01. > :02:10.lurking in the shadows, seeking to destroy life. But in that moment of
:02:11. > :02:18.madness, Conor cared for and protected his mum.
:02:19. > :02:20.The attack happened hours before eight court hearing to confirm a
:02:21. > :02:26.non-molestation order against Peadar Phair. Today, the woman was
:02:27. > :02:34.described as a great musician, cook and mother.
:02:35. > :02:41.Conor is our reason to hope today. Thankfully he survived the ordeal of
:02:42. > :02:47.Monday, but he is the one who will lead all of us through our recovery.
:02:48. > :02:52.And as the funeral ended, mourners were reminded of the two great loves
:02:53. > :02:55.of Connie's life's traditional music and her son.
:02:56. > :02:59.A 35-year-old woman and her three children have had to leave
:03:00. > :03:01.their home in Crumlin after it was petrol-bombed.
:03:02. > :03:03.It happened in the Ballydonaghy Meadows area in the early
:03:04. > :03:08.The woman fled from the house with her children, the youngest just
:03:09. > :03:10.six years old, after she heard a loud bang and saw
:03:11. > :03:16.The police are appealing for information.
:03:17. > :03:19.There will be no change to shop opening times in Belfast on Sundays.
:03:20. > :03:23.A vote at City Hall has killed off the idea of longer trading hours
:03:24. > :03:25.for part of the year to help tourism.
:03:26. > :03:34.Our business correspondent Julian O'Neill reports.
:03:35. > :03:42.A union protests, as councillors inside City Hall prepare to vote on
:03:43. > :03:46.extending the Sunday opening hours for big retailers. Shop workers have
:03:47. > :03:50.made their opposition clear, and it was largely based on more hours
:03:51. > :03:56.disrupting family life. The family time we have on a Sunday
:03:57. > :03:58.is incredibly important. Who get together and make sure everybody is
:03:59. > :04:02.happy. We would not get that time where
:04:03. > :04:06.everyone is at home. It is a religious day as well, and everybody
:04:07. > :04:10.should have their religious beliefs. On the table was designating Belfast
:04:11. > :04:14.as a holiday resort, which would have allowed trading changes. But
:04:15. > :04:22.the idea failed to win significant backing. The vote against was a
:04:23. > :04:28.decisive one, 12 to three. Sinn Fein, the DUP and the SDLP all
:04:29. > :04:36.rejected new trading hours on 18 designated Sundays between March and
:04:37. > :04:39.September. The tourism sector had promoted Sunday morning opening to
:04:40. > :04:44.help boost the appeal of Belfast, and the vote went against the
:04:45. > :04:50.outcome of an eight week public consultation. The council received
:04:51. > :04:53.2471 responses to organisations and individuals, and a majority, 62%,
:04:54. > :04:59.backed the idea of longer shopping Sundays. Retailers themselves were
:05:00. > :05:02.split, and the chamber of commerce was in favour, but smaller
:05:03. > :05:08.retailers, who can already open all day on Sunday, wanted that advantage
:05:09. > :05:12.for themselves. I think it is highly likely this
:05:13. > :05:17.will be revisited. In fact, I think this goes further than Belfast, but
:05:18. > :05:21.puts a market down to the other ten councils, not to try to relax on the
:05:22. > :05:24.trading standards. The chamber of commerce says it will
:05:25. > :05:30.keep lobbying for holiday staters. But the idea looks dead now.
:05:31. > :05:31.Although there is a call for new thinking on what Belfast offers
:05:32. > :05:35.visitors on Sundays. Sinn Fein say the DUP need to
:05:36. > :05:38.give more details about a ?435,000 donation
:05:39. > :05:40.they received during last year's Sinn Fein raised the issue
:05:41. > :05:47.at a meeting today with The DUP leader Arlene Foster
:05:48. > :05:51.has denied her party has Here's our political
:05:52. > :05:57.correspondent Enda McClafferty. This is Richard Cook -
:05:58. > :06:00.the public face of the pro-union business lobby behind the donation
:06:01. > :06:04.to the DUP. The problem for Sinn Fein
:06:05. > :06:06.is that we don't know but we do know how
:06:07. > :06:10.their cash was spent - nearly 300,000 on an
:06:11. > :06:14.advert in the Metro, a free newspaper only
:06:15. > :06:18.available in Great Britain. Today, Sinn Fein raised
:06:19. > :06:30.their concerns with This could be very easily resolved
:06:31. > :06:34.if the DUP come out today and shine a light upon the donations, and if
:06:35. > :06:37.they in fact told us the true nature of the donations made last year.
:06:38. > :06:39.But last night on the BBC programme The View, Arlene Foster
:06:40. > :06:45.insisted her party had complied with all the legal requirements.
:06:46. > :06:51.This is a repeated story, I have to say. We dealt with it at the time of
:06:52. > :06:52.the Assembly election, and here we are dealing with the exact same
:06:53. > :06:54.story. No new information at all. But some observers believe
:06:55. > :07:06.it's the law around donations The Electoral Commission can save
:07:07. > :07:09.the DUP has adhered to the law, and the DUP can say they have here to
:07:10. > :07:16.the law, the problem is the law, and the legislation here about the
:07:17. > :07:20.nation 's... Voters are in the dark about the activity here. That is not
:07:21. > :07:23.the case in the Republic of Ireland and not the case in Britain, so we
:07:24. > :07:25.want to know who pays the piper. The DUP may face more
:07:26. > :07:27.heat politically over this donation, but not
:07:28. > :07:29.from the Electoral Commission, as it has no plans to carry
:07:30. > :07:33.out an investigation. Enda McClafferty,
:07:34. > :07:35.BBC Newsline, Belfast. The Sinn Fein leader at Stormont,
:07:36. > :07:38.Michelle O'Neill, has responded in public for the first time
:07:39. > :07:40.to Arlene Foster's comments In a newspaper interview
:07:41. > :07:47.last weekend, Mrs Foster described her as "blonde"
:07:48. > :07:50.in a word association game, and complimented her on her
:07:51. > :07:53.make-up and appearance. Michelle O'Neill said
:07:54. > :08:04.the comments were inappropriate. We as political leaders have a
:08:05. > :08:08.responsibility to set the tone, I'd be careful in our language. I think
:08:09. > :08:12.Arlene knew that when she said the blonde comment that if you look at
:08:13. > :08:15.the context in which he said it, she knew it was sexist but went on to
:08:16. > :08:19.make the comment. It is unhelpful and we need to rise above all that
:08:20. > :08:25.and make sure we show leadership, and that we do not involve ourselves
:08:26. > :08:29.in anything that is sexist or racist or homophobic, or discriminatory in
:08:30. > :08:35.any way. I think she was wrong and I think the comments work on the
:08:36. > :08:39.fitting of a leader. -- they were not the fitting of a leader.
:08:40. > :08:46.Coming up on the programme, a restoration project in the Mournes.
:08:47. > :08:51.22 miles, our longest listed monument, but he needs TLC.
:08:52. > :08:53.The courts have cleared the way for a scheme allowing older
:08:54. > :08:57.The Teaching Workforce Scheme was aimed at creating vacancies
:08:58. > :08:58.for up to 120 newly-qualified teachers, by allowing
:08:59. > :09:04.teachers over the age of 55 to take early retirement.
:09:05. > :09:07.A High Court judge today threw out a challenge, and the Department
:09:08. > :09:09.for Education says it now hopes to progress conditional offers
:09:10. > :09:25.Good news, for people, whether they be teachers at the beginning of
:09:26. > :09:28.their career or the ends of their career, and they feel that they have
:09:29. > :09:29.given all they can to the profession. It is good news all
:09:30. > :09:31.round indeed. There are concerns that ongoing
:09:32. > :09:33.crime in the Lower Falls area of west Belfast
:09:34. > :09:35.could drive away tourists. Several hundred people attended
:09:36. > :09:38.a rally last night in protest against criminal activity
:09:39. > :09:41.in the area. Locals say they've been
:09:42. > :09:42.terrorised by burglaries, Tourists have also been
:09:43. > :09:48.targeted by criminals. This man was captured on camera
:09:49. > :10:04.earlier this month trying to steal Our taxis are sometimes robbed when
:10:05. > :10:10.people leave cameras behind our backs behind, so we have tightened
:10:11. > :10:12.security so that they are locked up and windows closed, and
:10:13. > :10:15.unfortunately we have to say to tourists that it is a possibility.
:10:16. > :10:19.And that they should take their possessions with them when they are
:10:20. > :10:21.using a taxi. As part of our election coverage,
:10:22. > :10:23.tonight we're reporting from Fermanagh and South Tyrone
:10:24. > :10:26.which looks set to be one The seat is held by Ulster Unionist
:10:27. > :10:30.Tom Elliott, who has a majority He has the backing of the DUP
:10:31. > :10:34.who are not running a candidate. He faces a challenge from former
:10:35. > :10:39.Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew, and from the SDLP, the Alliance
:10:40. > :10:41.Party and the Green Party. Here is our political
:10:42. > :10:55.correspondent Stephen Walker. It is at the edge of the union, and
:10:56. > :11:01.the most westerly seat in the UK, but could it be the centre of
:11:02. > :11:05.political attention next month? This seat has a dramatic electoral
:11:06. > :11:08.history, and candidates have been elected with the slimmest of
:11:09. > :11:14.majorities. There have been recounts and legal challenges. At election
:11:15. > :11:22.time, you often hear at the cliche, every vote counts. Here that rings
:11:23. > :11:29.true. Even though he is the sitting MP and has the backing of the DUP
:11:30. > :11:34.and the other party, Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott faces a challenge. So
:11:35. > :11:38.does he worry that two years after winning the seat, his job is on the
:11:39. > :11:43.line? That is politics, and again I am
:11:44. > :11:49.almost up for a contest and a fight. I am a competitive person by nature,
:11:50. > :11:54.and whether it was in business or playing football or now in politics.
:11:55. > :11:58.I like confrontation, and I want to make sure I represent the people and
:11:59. > :12:02.do the job and that is what I want to do.
:12:03. > :12:07.Michelle Gildernew wants to end the tenure of Tom Elliott as MP. She had
:12:08. > :12:11.the job for 14 years, and hopes to get it back again. She says interest
:12:12. > :12:17.in the election is high, and the result will be very close.
:12:18. > :12:22.On track record, I would say it probably will come down to a fairly
:12:23. > :12:28.narrow margin. But people are very exercised and up for their
:12:29. > :12:31.selection, and I know we have had an unprecedented amount of requests to
:12:32. > :12:36.the office for postal vote forms for registration forms, and all of that,
:12:37. > :12:44.and I think people are very up for having the right to vote and using
:12:45. > :12:48.that right to vote in this election. If Michelle Gildernew wins, she
:12:49. > :12:54.wants to take a seat at Westminster. The SDLP insist that policy lets
:12:55. > :12:56.down the electorate. -- she will not take a seat at Westminster. The
:12:57. > :13:02.other night when and because their working does not go to their work,
:13:03. > :13:06.they do not deserve the title. At the meeting more of them, before
:13:07. > :13:11.the election time, and as a local councillor I can do that, and
:13:12. > :13:15.individuals can, but this is about making our voice heard on the
:13:16. > :13:20.benches in Westminster, and by not going we become irrelevant.
:13:21. > :13:25.The Alliance Party's Maureen Campbell and the Green Party's Tanya
:13:26. > :13:28.Jones are also on the ballot paper here, a baroque border constituency.
:13:29. > :13:33.Brexit, jobs and fracking our campaign talking points. One
:13:34. > :13:37.observer insists that away from the issues this is a two horse race.
:13:38. > :13:44.Tom Elliott won this seat last time by just over 500 votes and he won
:13:45. > :13:49.that from Michelle Gildernew. He won against the odds. He can of course
:13:50. > :13:54.win it again, because he has the backing of other unionists in the
:13:55. > :13:58.area, including Arlene Foster. But Michelle Gildernew could win it
:13:59. > :14:02.again, we have seen in previous elections she has been capable of
:14:03. > :14:04.winning that sea from a single Unionist candidate.
:14:05. > :14:08.Politics here runs the, tradition and history are never far from the
:14:09. > :14:13.surface. In a seat which may be one again by the slimmest of margins...
:14:14. > :14:22.-- it may be won again. Back to a story we had earlier about
:14:23. > :14:25.a petrol bombing in Crumlin, the police have said it has been
:14:26. > :14:29.established the buyer was not caused by a petrol bomb.
:14:30. > :14:35.Rory Best believes the all Blacks can be beaten on their home soil.
:14:36. > :14:37.At 22 miles it's our longest-listed monument, rising and falling over
:14:38. > :14:47.But the Mourne Wall, built more than a century ago, has fallen
:14:48. > :14:49.victim to the weather, especially lightning strikes.
:14:50. > :14:51.Now Northern Ireland Water which owns it, is planning to spend
:14:52. > :14:55.Here's our agriculture and environment correspondent
:14:56. > :15:01.The Mournes attract tens of thousands of people every year.
:15:02. > :15:04.And they almost all cross this listed monument.
:15:05. > :15:06.But the Mourne Wall has been battered by the winds
:15:07. > :15:11.In some spots it has tumbled, weakening the integrity
:15:12. > :15:24.Just under 400 pieces of the wall are damaged, and that goes from a
:15:25. > :15:29.small place where the capstone of the wall has been knocked off, to
:15:30. > :15:31.larger pieces. The largest is 80 metres long, totally knocked down.
:15:32. > :15:35.That is due to a lightning strike. So NI Water, which owns it,
:15:36. > :15:38.is spending a million over four years to restore this listed
:15:39. > :15:40.momument, drawing on the expertise of local stonemasons whose forebears
:15:41. > :15:55.built the original by hand more Put in a line of chisels and tap
:15:56. > :15:58.gently and evenly. Sometimes you wonder how they got
:15:59. > :16:04.those stones on top of their and got the Stones carved out, and so high,
:16:05. > :16:05.six foot in a lot of places. You wonder how they lifted those big
:16:06. > :16:07.stones to the top of it. It was built to mark
:16:08. > :16:08.the catchement boundary of the Silent Valley Reservoir,
:16:09. > :16:23.which supplies Belfast's drinking Of course, this wall is not just an
:16:24. > :16:27.important monument. It is also a key navigational tool for the thousands
:16:28. > :16:33.of walkers who flock to the Mournes every year. To use it as a
:16:34. > :16:38.navigational handrail to get from mountain town mountain. -- to get
:16:39. > :16:39.from mountain to mountain. So the hill walkers will be happy
:16:40. > :16:42.too when work starts on an one and a half-mile stretch
:16:43. > :16:44.later this month. Even something as hard
:16:45. > :16:45.as Mourne granite needs The Ulster gaelic football
:16:46. > :16:50.championship starts this weekend Tomorrow evening, Monaghan
:16:51. > :16:56.and Fermanagh get the provincial Before Antrim and Donegal
:16:57. > :17:01.go head-to-head in Tyrone are the current
:17:02. > :17:06.Ulster Champions, but eight teams are vying to topple Mickey Hartes
:17:07. > :17:23.side this time round. At a time when every other
:17:24. > :17:27.provincial championship has become predictable and unbalanced, Ulster
:17:28. > :17:29.has always bucked the trend. All nine counties feel they can go all
:17:30. > :17:36.the way. It will be like finding the holy
:17:37. > :17:43.Grail. For a country that has never won it and has only contested some
:17:44. > :17:46.provincial finals... Obviously, it would be a stark breakthrough and
:17:47. > :17:54.people would remember it. They would go to their graves happily. For
:17:55. > :17:58.people, it is the Eldorado of football, winning that.
:17:59. > :18:05.A familiar foe will be attempting to stop the manner at the first hurdle.
:18:06. > :18:09.-- to stop for a manner. We have played against them for
:18:10. > :18:14.years, and there are family still up there in Fermanagh, so I have an
:18:15. > :18:18.attachment to the county. The only thing now is it is my fifth year on
:18:19. > :18:25.this, so harder than the first year, at this stage, to realise it is
:18:26. > :18:31.business. If Monaghan do not win I would like Fermanagh to win, but it
:18:32. > :18:34.is a matter of doing your best to get through.
:18:35. > :18:37.After a number of high-profile retirements, this was expected to be
:18:38. > :18:44.a year of transition for Donegal, with players taking their
:18:45. > :18:48.opportunity, and impressed as for Rory Gallagher's side.
:18:49. > :18:52.The boys that have come in have been a breath of fresh air. They have
:18:53. > :18:57.been great and I could not come Mina. They are talented lads and
:18:58. > :19:03.have come in and worked hard, and they are really stepping up for
:19:04. > :19:05.Donegal. Each championship is a different ball game.
:19:06. > :19:10.Antrim going as underdogs, but relish the opportunity to take on
:19:11. > :19:15.some of the biggest names in sport. Murphy is one of the best in
:19:16. > :19:22.Ireland. Monaghan are the best. We will see how they come in, but I
:19:23. > :19:25.would be delighted... If Michael Murphy was there I would be happy,
:19:26. > :19:34.but we will see. Monaghan against Fermanagh will be
:19:35. > :19:35.live on BBC Two television from 6:40pm, and Antrim and Donegal from
:19:36. > :19:46.7pm. That is on Sunday. Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from next
:19:47. > :19:49.week's BMW Championship at Wentworth due to his ongoing rib injury.
:19:50. > :19:52.Michael Hoey continues to impress at the Rocco Forte Open, after another
:19:53. > :19:57.The overnight joint leader, Hoey was among the early starters today,
:19:58. > :19:59.and a three under par 68 for his second round moved him
:20:00. > :20:04.That's two shots off the lead in second place
:20:05. > :20:10.Rory Best believes the All Blacks can be beaten on their home soil.
:20:11. > :20:12.The Ulster captain, who skippered Ireland to that famous win
:20:13. > :20:14.in Chicago last year, has been speaking from
:20:15. > :20:21.the Lions' training camp in Wales, and he's not intimidated
:20:22. > :20:26.by the prospect of taking on the World Champions.
:20:27. > :20:34.Rory Best has had a standout year in the green shirt. The Ireland captain
:20:35. > :20:39.led his team to victory over Australia and South Africa, and in
:20:40. > :20:42.Dublin he ended England's grand slam holds in the six Nations. In Chicago
:20:43. > :20:46.history was made when Ireland defeated the All Blacks for the
:20:47. > :20:53.first time in their history. Positive signs for the summer ahead.
:20:54. > :20:56.The big thing is... Obviously, the Irish guys have done it, but we have
:20:57. > :21:00.a lot of players in the squad that are used to winning and used to
:21:01. > :21:05.competing at top level, and that bodes well for us in terms of
:21:06. > :21:09.Chicago... I think anything we can share to help with the success of
:21:10. > :21:13.Ireland, we will, to go as a national team and beat them is
:21:14. > :21:18.difficult but coming together as the best for nations and beat them, you
:21:19. > :21:21.know, it's going to be a real challenge.
:21:22. > :21:29.The man making the selection calls is Warren Gatland. Lions captain, he
:21:30. > :21:32.is well equipped to make sure that they are involved in the team.
:21:33. > :21:39.Criminal Finances Bill looking at the experience of the guys who have
:21:40. > :21:43.been there before, -- looking at them, Danny Simpson, Rory Best, at
:21:44. > :21:47.the top of their game. When you get your opportunity and
:21:48. > :21:53.everyone will get an opportunity, it is an important part of making it to
:21:54. > :21:57.success. The guys feel they have a shot at the team... Anyone who gets
:21:58. > :22:01.in and takes opportunity, has a shot.
:22:02. > :22:05.All to play for. The best will be hoping to use his experience to make
:22:06. > :22:09.sure he is in the right place come the business end of the tour.
:22:10. > :22:11.It's been a tough day for Ireland's cricketers,
:22:12. > :22:14.comprehensively beaten by Bangladesh by 8 wickets at Malahide.
:22:15. > :22:17.Ireland lost the toss and were put into bat by the visitors,
:22:18. > :22:20.but they could only manage to post an uncompetitive total of 181 before
:22:21. > :22:26.Bangladesh made very short work of that, reaching their low target
:22:27. > :22:31.Ireland will next play New Zealand in this Tri Nations tournament
:22:32. > :22:37.At the Rally of Portugal, Kris Meeke lies in first place
:22:38. > :22:39.after five stages - the Dungannon man won today's fourth
:22:40. > :22:44.stage and is handily positioned heading into the weekend.
:22:45. > :22:47.His Citroen suffered broken suspension, taking him out of
:22:48. > :22:48.contention. Finally, Derry City
:22:49. > :22:50.are back in action tonight at home to Shamrock Rovers,
:22:51. > :22:52.and there's live coverage Now let's take a look
:22:53. > :23:03.at the weather. All-important weekend weather
:23:04. > :23:06.forecast, how is it looking? Showery on throughout the week, but
:23:07. > :23:11.the showery team continues a least into the first half of the weekend.
:23:12. > :23:14.We are looking at quite a changeable story into the weekend. There are
:23:15. > :23:18.going to be more showers in the forecast, and when they come along,
:23:19. > :23:21.some could turn into heavy downpours. At least there will be
:23:22. > :23:27.some brightness, some sunshine coming through as well. Today it was
:23:28. > :23:30.the sunshine that one out this morning. This is the scene,
:23:31. > :23:34.beautiful blue skies and an impressive scene. Very gradually
:23:35. > :23:37.through the day things have changed. A weather front moving in, and the
:23:38. > :23:41.clouds bubbling up and bringing spells of rain, particularly across
:23:42. > :23:44.the western counties. More recently we have seen a few heavy shower
:23:45. > :23:47.starting to develop further east, so this is where we will probably see a
:23:48. > :23:51.few heavy downpours this evening, not all parts getting them, and
:23:52. > :23:55.eventually they will start to slide away to the north-east. We get a bit
:23:56. > :23:57.of a drier gap, but another batch of showery rain to follow, and
:23:58. > :24:02.developed through the latter stages of the night. Not particularly
:24:03. > :24:06.chilly in the count, six or seven Celsius, but as usual rural spots
:24:07. > :24:10.getting down to three or four Celsius. Tomorrow, bright spells
:24:11. > :24:14.around, but as I mentioned showers, and when they come some will be
:24:15. > :24:18.quite heavy. Maybe not as much in the morning, but a damp start for
:24:19. > :24:22.some eastern areas. That clears away, and the sky brightened, with
:24:23. > :24:25.some sunshine. Of course that helps to lift the temperatures, and as the
:24:26. > :24:30.template is gone, the shower clouds will be going up as well, so into
:24:31. > :24:34.the afternoon, almost anywhere prone to heavy downpours. These could be
:24:35. > :24:41.quite slow-moving, and some mixed with hail and thunder. As we... At
:24:42. > :24:44.the end of the day, some showers around, in clonus, but hopefully
:24:45. > :24:49.fading away, and do tomorrow night they will ease away to leave dry
:24:50. > :24:54.conditions, and it is Sunday it bright Star, a bit of a breeze for a
:24:55. > :24:57.time. A few bits and pieces of rain but moving away in the afternoon,
:24:58. > :25:06.looking dry mainly as Donegal take on Antrim. Into the new week, a bit
:25:07. > :25:10.unsettled to begin with. Drier. NX pitcher. -- a mixed picture.
:25:11. > :25:15.You can also keep in contact with us via Facebook and Twitter.