History at the bottom of the garden

MANY a family might spend the St Patrick's weekend sorting out the garden, but none would have got the kind of surprise found by the Sheridan family in Breeogue, Knocknahur, Co Sligo. While doing some landscaping, they unearthed a tomb which could be more than 2,000 years old - or was it an ancient fridge?

The Sligo Champion said the Office of Public Works has yet to determine whether the 12-foot long tunnel-like stone structure was used as a refuge during attack, or a place where food was stored and kept cool. A stream of callers has visited the house since the discovery by Noelle and Fintan Sheridan when a mechanical digger got stuck in the structure. All landscaping is off until the Office of Public Works decides the next step.

A mystery urn containing ashes from a cremation is awaiting collection at Knock Airport. The Connaught Telegraph said the urn was spotted on the ground outside the terminal building on March 4th and may have fallen from the belongings of a passenger entering Ireland from England. Gardai have information which indicates the ashes are those of a man cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, London, on December 4th, 1996.

"Love triangle started at Puck, but ended in an Ardfert pool of blood", said the headline in Kerry's Eye. Tabloid journalism Kerry-style was displayed again in two of the county's local newspapers with yet another murder case. "Story of young love, failed marriage, and torrid love affair attracts attention of eager news media", said the Kerryman, which was as eager as anyone, with two broadsheet pages devoted to the case and pictures of all three sides of the tragic triangle.

Michael Murphy had been accused of murdering David Ryle, who, the defence said, was the lover of Murphy's wife, Kathleen. Defence counsel told the court "the accused was a victim in a horrible love triangle and the filthy deceit of his wife and friend had turned him into a wretched creature." Murphy was found guilty of manslaughter.

The Meath Chronicle highlighted the case of five-year-old Joanne Power, who is seriously ill with a heart defect and respiratory problems, yet must sleep in an unheated bedroom because the only source of heat in the family's local authority house is a fire in the kitchen and living room. Doctors have warned that the family must not use gas or electric fires in the bedrooms because it could make the child's problems worse.

The child's "distraught" father, Michael Power, fears the cold is putting his daughter's fragile health at "grave risk".

The North Eastern Health Board and Navan Urban Council told the newspaper they would be looking into it.

THE Lowry affair could "tear apart Fine Gael" in Co Tipperary, said the Midland Tribune. The Tipperary Star reported that rebel Fine Gael members who dare to support Mr Michael Lowry could face the axe. It predicted "interesting times ahead" and commented that a local election race which "a few months ago seemed a foregone conclusion is not at all so certain now."

The pre-election prezzies continued with the Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, on the brink of announcing not one but two swimming pools for Co Wicklow. The Wicklow People reported that both Wicklow and Arklow will be getting swimming pools, to the amazement of local action committees who had "never dared hope" for two pools, "even with an election in the air".