Newry And Mourne District Council

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Mayor Daire Hughes hosts a Reception for pupils for Rathore School

The Mayor of Newry & Mourne District Council, Councillor Daire Hughes, presents Jim McGivern with a Council Award in recognition of his contribution to Burren G.A.C.

The last ever Councillors meeting for Newry and Mourne District Council took place last night on Monday 30th March

Pictures from this year's YAFTA's taken by Peter Clarke

The Mayor of Newry & Mourne District Council, Councillor Daire Hughes, hosted French Students visiting Sacred Heart Grammar School

Derrymore House and Estate: Developing it for the Community.
A consultation event was held on Wednesday 25th March to consult with members of the local community on how they feel Derrymore House and Estate should be developed, enhanced and promoted for the enjoyment and benefit of the local community
The event was extremely well attended, with representation from local MLAs, local Councillors, schools, businesses, sporting clubs, local residents and local community groups an...d associations. Facilitated by Mentor Consultancy, of behalf of Newry and Mourne District Council, National Trust, and Friends of Derrymore, the event sought to identify what are people's views of Derrymore Estate in its current form, what are the current uses of the Estate, and what are peoples views and opinions on how Derrymore Estate should be developed and promoted in the future.
Speaking at the event, Mayor of Newry and Mourne District Council, Cllr Daire Hughes stated “the representation here this evening is evidence alone of the interest and support that the local community have for Derrymore Estate, and for taking forward projects that will enhance and make better use of this asset, which is clearly underused, and has great potential for development”
Consultation is still ongoing. For any members that would like to feed into this process they can download a questionnaire from www.newryandmourne.gov.uk, or send their comments in to enterprisedevelopment@newryandmourne .gov.uk
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The Mayor of Newry & Mourne District Council, Councillor Daire Hughes, hosted a Civic Reception for Newry Musical & Orchestral Society to mark their 70th Anniversary.
Speaking at the Reception Mayor Hughes said:
This evening we are here to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of one of Newry's most revered and popular organisations, Newry Musical and Orchestral Society.
... Indeed over the past seventy years there are few people in the Newry area who have not performed in or attended one of the Society's annual productions.
As early as 1943 the Musical Society was first mooted by members of St. Patrick's Choral Society and within two years, in 1945, Newry Musical and Orchestral Society was born.
Founder members included Tony McAlinden, Tommy Kelly and Brendan Cranney, the first Chairman being Frank Foley.
The Society's first production was "The Mikado", produced by Patrick Donnelly, assisted by Jimmy Canavan with Billy McCamley in the lead role.
Having firmly established itself in the Newry area the Newry Musical & Orchestral Society then turned its attention to performing at the annual Waterford Festival of Light Opera.
Here too success came rapidly, the Society winning the International Award on two occasions, in 1976 with 'The Desert Song' and again in 1979 with 'Fiddler on the Roof' taking the runner-up in 1977 with 'My Fair Lady'.
Individual awards, too numerous to mention, also came the Society's way over the years at Waterford and at the Northern Ireland Festival of Light Opera. Again Newry Musical Society has also been fortunate in its choice of Office Bearers having as Chairmen such popular, enthusiastic people as George McKee,
Charlie Smyth, whose father held a similar role in 1946, David Cunningham, Gerry McNulty, to the current Chairman Donal Fegan.
Ladies and Gentlemen, even if the Newry Musical Society had never won a major prize it still could be classified a success story thanks to its forward thinking policy and its commitment to cross-community development.
We in Newry and Mourne in general and Newry in particular are fortunate in having a body of the calibre of Newry Musical Society.
Not only does it strive for excellence and quality productions but it also finds time to welcome and nurture young artists encouraging them to aspire to greater musical and dramatic heights.
To the Society I offer my Council's warmest congratulations and good wishes in this your 70th Year. Your Society has certainly hit high notes during its first seventy years and I'm confident that many productions and encores will follow in the years ahead.
I have no doubt that Newry Muscial & Orchestral Society will continue to entertain the people of Newry, Mourne and Down for many years to come.
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Although the bagpipes were missing, there were lots of kilts in the Boardroom of Newry and Mourne District Council when Mayor Daire Hughes hosted a Civic Reception for Whitewater Pipe Band to acknowledge their success at competition level over the past year.
Speaking at the Reception Mayor Hughes said:
“I am delighted to host this Reception to aknowledge the magnificent achievements of Whitewater Pipe Band over the last year.... Some of these successes include 4th in the World Championships in Glasgow 4th in the UK Championships at Stormont 1st at the Scottish Championships in Dumbarton, Scotland, as well as a number of 1st and 2nd Places at home.
These are really fantastic achievements for a band from a small rural community like Newtownhamilton.
However, having done some research I can well understand these successes, given the musical ability which abounds in that corner of South Armagh.
The Whitewater Pipe band dates back to at least the early 1930s and possibly the 1920s and was named after the Whitewater River which flows through the village.
During its long and illustrious history the Band has been a major contributor to the community life in the Newtownhamilton area. Family and community are the key components in the Band. At a time when there was very little social entertainment, the Band provided an outlet for people to come together to make music.
This musical tradition has been passed down through the decades and the generations, epitomized by family names like, Nicholl, Copeland, Preston and Hawthorne. These families have been associated with the band for generations and indeed the current Pipe Major David Hawthorne has a son and twin daughters who are now playing with the band.
I am aware that some of the younger members of the Band also play with Newtownhamilton High School Band and have participated in school projects with St. Paul High School. This cross community schools interaction is to be commended and is the way forward for the young people of the future.
Over the last number of years the Band has gone from strength to strength and now not only compete, but also participate in cross community competitions and concerts. The Whitewater Pipe Band has been a great ambassador for Newtownhamilton and for Newry and Mourne and has raised the profile of our area by participating in such prestigioius competitions.
On behalf of Newry and Mourne District Council I extend my warmest congratulations to the members of Whitewater Pipe Band. I wish you every success in the future and no doubt you will go on to win many more accolades in the years to come”.
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Attention!!! The website www.visitnewryandmourne.com will be soon moving to: www.visitmournemountains.co.uk so please Like and Share to spread the information!

Please note that tree felling works at Slieve Gullion are still underway. The scenic drive will still be closed for Easter due to the large amount of timber that has been felled.