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No plain sailing after Strangford ferry suspension
The upcoming suspension of Strangford ferry services will be “a nightmare” for hurling fans hoping to attend the Down Senior Championship final, according to one of the county’s star players.
Daithí Sands plays for Portaferry and will line out against Ards peninsula rivals Ballygalget at Newry’s Páirc Esler on 20 October.
Just days before that, normal service on the Strangford ferry, which connects the southern tip of the peninsula to Strangford Village near Downpatrick, will be suspended for five weeks to allow for essential works to slipways.
“The final is the first weekend the ferry is off,” he said.
‘People won’t be willing to travel’

The journey across the lough by boat is about a mile
© BBC
The journey across the lough by boat is about a mile.
By car it’s nearly 46 miles.
“Both teams are from this side of the water. So it will result in both teams and both sets of fans having to drive right the way around the peninsula to Newry,” said Daithí.
“You’re talking a couple of thousand people. The past couple of years it’s been an enjoyable experience getting people into the stand and getting the atmosphere.
“It feels like you’ll be missing out because people won’t be willing to travel,” he added.
Ordinarily the Strangford Ferry service operates every half hour from 07:30 to 23:00.
But during the suspension period a passenger-only service will operate on condensed hours, including a two-hour break around lunch time and a final sailing at 18:45.
It’s not just the sporting fraternity that are viewing the upcoming works with trepidation.
‘Download the good tunes’

Paula McKeown hopes people won’t be put off by a detour
© BBC
Paula McKeown works at the Portico Arts and Heritage Centre in Portaferry.
It’s a social enterprise running out of a stunning and still active Presbyterian Church dating from the 1840s.
Paula hopes people won’t be put off by a detour.
“We put on great events because it really supports the local economy,” she said.
“That has an impact on local staffing and jobs and we want to make sure that if someone is on a restaurant rota that their shift isn’t getting cancelled, that they are getting their employment.
“The ferry service is something that everybody relies upon in this area and we appreciate that it has to be a safe service,” she said.
However, she added: “We aren’t quite sure what is going to happen during those five weeks.
“Our ticket sales have been great and people don’t want to give up their tickets.”
She said that if there is not a foot passenger service people can avail of “we’re asking them to embrace the road trip”.
“Download the good tunes, get a designated driver and get in the car,” she said.
This isn’t the first time ferry users have been hit with inconvenience.
During periods of bad weather or fog the service can be temporarily suspended and last year it was reported that one of the ferries that serve the route hadn’t sailed in over a year.
In 2019 there were calls for earlier sailings to accommodate commuters.
‘It will extend my journey time’

Michelle McMaster works out of Portaferry Surgery
© BBC
Senior mental health practitioner Michelle McMaster, who works out of Portaferry Surgery, has a similar concern.
She lives near Lisburn and said the ferry suspension will have implications for her and wider health services.
“It will extend my journey time,” she said.
“I’m here three days a week and the difference will be at least 30 to 45 minutes each way.
“I’m always wary of leaving my car on the other side, because if I do and I come across as a foot passenger, what if the weather changes? Then I’m stranded and I live quite a distance away”.
Trade ‘should be ok’

Portaferry butcher Martin Mallon says his trade shouldn’t be too badly disrupted
© BBC
Portaferry butcher Martin Mallon says his trade shouldn’t be too badly disrupted during the works but that his wife’s routine will be upended.
“My wife works in Downpatrick two days a week,” he said.
“She’ll have to leave the car over in Strangford and get the passenger ferry over and not bring it home, so it’ll be there all week. Then she’ll have to drive the whole way around on the second night when she’s finished.”
A replacement bus service is also being provided for students of the Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch who travel back and forth across the lough on a daily basis.
A Department for Infrastructure statement said: “The department recognises the importance of the Strangford Lough Ferry Service for local communities and understands the inconvenience that these essential works will cause.”
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Gunmen k!ll President General of Ogidi community and one other in Anambra.
Unidentified gunmen, suspected to be cultists, have k!lled a community leader and one other person in Anambra State.
The President-General of Ogidi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Ikwuka Okoye, popularly known as Anumili (pictured above), was k!lled on Friday, Feb. 6.
The attack was alleged to have been carried out by members of a rival cult group in revenge for the de@th of their leader, who was arrested and k!lled by local security operatives.
During the attack, which took place at the School Field, Ogidi, another man whose identity has yet to be ascertained was also gunned down.
The spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a press statement on Saturday.
Ikenga said the incident is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.
He said, “The Anambra State Police Command regrets the murd£r of the President-General of the Ogidi community and one other person. The incident, which occurred on the evening of February 6, 2026, at the School Field, Ogidi, is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.
“Following the report, police operatives swiftly took over the scene of the incident and commenced investigations. The command is currently working with eyewitness accounts and other available intelligence to identify and arrest the perpetrators.
“The Anambra State Police Command assures members of the public that all efforts are being intensified to bring those responsible to justice.
“Residents are urged to remain calm and cooperate with the police as investigations continue.
“Further developments will be communicated in due course.”

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Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos
Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.
According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.
He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.
“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.
The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said
The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.
“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said
According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.
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Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion
A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.
The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.
“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.
The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.
The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.
Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.
A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

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