Fiona Goes To The Dogs

Miss Northern Ireland Finola Guinanne added a glamorous touch to the launch of the 2011 Tennent's Gold Cup as heats get underway at Drumbo Park Greyhound Stadium. The month long festival of racing involves a total of 36 dogs that will be going for gold to claim one of six spots in the Final on November 5, to compete to win the £5,000 top prize from the £10,000 prize pot. Visit drumbopark.com for further details. Full story on: Tennent's 'Pours Gold' at Drumbo

Titanic Job Opportunites Previewed

Job opportunities at Titanic Belfast will be previewed at a Community Information Day in Belfast City Hall on Thursday 20 October. The 'drop in' event, running between 12 noon and 4pm is being organised by Belfast City Council in partnership with the Department for Employment and Learning and Titanic Belfast. Over 250 jobs will be created through the opening of Titanic Belfast in areas including retail, catering, hospitality and security. Representatives from a range of training organisations will be on hand at the event to offer attendees advice on developing the skills they will need to compete for these posts. The Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile said: "It is important that the development of Titanic Quarter offers opportunities for everyone in the city. The Titanic Belfast Community Information Day is an excellent pre-employment event offering attendees the chance to 'skill-up' prior to recruitment for the posts."

O'Dowd First To Tweet

The NI Education Minister and acting Deputy First Minister, John O'Dowd, has participated in an online Q&A session via Twitter, the first local Minister to do so. The official NI Executive Twitter @niexecutive hosted the Q&A, with questions submitted by many people with an interest in education. The Minister, a keen tweeter himself in a personal capacity, was able to answer 26 questions in the time he had available. "Social media is an excellent way in which Ministers can engage directly with the general public. Education is an issue, which affects so many people in different ways, and Twitter can help them share views and learn from each other. I thoroughly enjoyed the Q&A session and hope those who followed it found it useful," said the Sinn Fein Minister.

Irish Army Make Expolsive Safe

The Army Bomb Disposal Team has made a viable device in Kildare safe. They were called to a private residence in, Broadford Villiage, where the device was found, just before 2am this morning. The team made the device safe and removed it to a secure location for further analysis. This will be 42nd bomb that the team has diffused this year.

Students 'Called To The Bar'

NI will be represented for the first time ever at the Empire Mock Trials to be held in New York next week and our reputation for excellence in legal advocacy will be in the hands of eleven young men and women from Dalriada School in Ballymoney. Having won the Northern Ireland finals of the Mock Bar Trials held at the Royal Court of Justice in Belfast in March, they were selected from hundreds of international winners to join 34 teams from as far afield as Australia and Korea for a four day marathon, fighting a Defamation case to see who will be world champion legal eagles. Before they go, however, they were back today in the dock in Belfast when their Barrister coached Craig Dunford and Jennifer Kirkwood will be putting them through final legal arguments. Senior teacher Susan Gregg who has mentored the Dalriada Mock Trial teams for the last four years, says the New York experience will not only reinforce career decisions for some but will strengthen an already well developed team spirit and personal self-confidence. "We are very grateful to the Bar Council not only for their financial support but also for the many hours Craig and Jennifer devoted to training and mentoring our students," said Susan. In welcoming the Dalriada team to the Court for their final rehearsal, Bar Council Chairman Adrian Colton QC, said it was vital that professional organisations supported education in the most practical way possible.

Analogue TV Era Ends

The analogue TV era in the Republic of Ireland will come to an end this time next year. Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has released a statement revealing hopes that the digital switchover will be complete by October, 24 next year. When Ireland's analogue TV network is switched off it will be replaced by a digital provider - Saorview. About a quarter of a million households still use an aerial to watch television, and 23% of people are unaware that the switchover is going to happen.

True Grit

The North Down Alliance Councillor Andrew Muir has called upon North Down Borough Council and the Roads Service to sort out arrangements for the gritting of town centre footpaths before the winter arrives. "Last year town centre pavements were treacherous and arguments continued concerning who was responsible for gritting them. Towards the end of the cold spell grit was spread by North Down Borough Council but this was widely viewed as too little and too late with businesses trade badly affected. I raised the issue and again I am urging the Council and Roads Service to come to an arrangement which ensures that town centre pavements are gritted when snow and ice is experienced. We simply cannot afford to leave businesses inaccessible for days," he said.

'No More Wigs' For Judges

From today judges in the Republic of Ireland will no longer have to wear horsehair wigs, saving the State €2,200 for every new judge appointed. The historic use of the white, curly wigs in both the Supreme Court and High Court will end following a change in court rules yesterday. The ruling was signed into law by Justice Minister Alan Shatter, who welcomed the move. He said it should be recognised as a "small but significant step" in the ongoing process of reform. The tradition of wearing the horsehair wigs dates back to the restoration of the monarchy in England in 1660 and they survived the transition to Irish independence in 1921.

(BMcC/GK)