News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Derry

Shots have been fired at police officers by suspected dissident republicans in Londonderry. Police responded to a report that a car had been abandoned in a grassy area off the Glen Road last Wednesday night. After arranging for the stolen car to be recovered, the officers were shot at as they returned to their vehicle. No one was injured. Superintendent Chris Yates said: "I have no doubt this was an attempt to kill a police officer. We are very fortunate that no-one was injured."
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Donegal

A group of callous thieves have been targeting unoccupied single dwellings throughout the county in recent days. The majority appear to be taking place between 6pm and 11pm in the evenings. In one 24-hour period, eighteen house burglaries alone were reported in the Donegal Garda (police) Division. They are said to have taken place between 6am on Saturday and 6am on Sunday morning last, February 28.
(Source: Donegal Democrat)

Down

Co Down band Two Door Cinema Club are the winners of this year’s Choice Music Prize. The three-piece band received their award (a check for €10,000 ) at a live event at Dublin’s Vicar Street venue last Thursday night. It was a surprise victory in that Dublin act Villagers were the runaway bookies favorite. The Choice Music Prize is regarded as the Irish album of the year award except that it rewards artistic merit as opposed to the amount of record sales or radio airplay garnered.
(Source: Irish Times)

Dublin

Dublin’s historic city centre has been allowed to degenerate with "garish" shopfronts dominating streets, it is claimed. Dublin City Council is being asked to respond to criticism of its policy with Westmoreland Street, Dame Street and the South Quays said to be the worst hit in a report by An Taisce. Labour's Dermot Lacey raised the issue at a meeting of the council's economic and planning strategic policy committee (SPC) this week.
(Source: The Evening Hearld)

Fermanagh

Reports of UFO activity over Northern Ireland have been unearthed in secret papers from the Ministry of Defense. Two suspected UFOs have been spotted hovering over the province during the past decade, according to the dossier. A ball of white light and a mystery aircraft in Co Fermanagh were both investigated. The information, held by the National Archives in London, was made public as part of the biggest ever release of Government UFO documents. Thirty-five files detailing unexplained phenomena between 2000 and 2005 have been made available online.
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Galway

A Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) investigation has found that one of its lecturers has a case to answer in relation to assisting a student to cheat in a final year exam, the Galway City Tribune can reveal. GMIT’s Governing Body has been informed that “there was a prima facie case in respect of misconduct to be answered” in regard to how a Masters student in the School of Business and Engineering used a lecturer’s handbook, which contained suggested answers, to cheat in an assessment.
(Source: Galway Tribune)

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