March 2022 - Review of the Year

March got off to a great start for the city when Education Minister, Michelle McIlveen, announced a £28 million construction contract to build a new Ardnashee School and College. This formed part of a total £34 million capital investment in the project.
Construction of the new build school was due to commence in Spring 2022 and has an estimated 30 month construction programme.

Following the completion of a formal tender process, the Department approved the award of tender to Woodvale Construction, Omagh.

Welcoming this significant investment, Minister McIlveen said: “This important project, funded by my Department, will provide state-of-the-art facilities for the school which caters for children aged three to 19 years with profound and multiple, severe and moderate learning difficulties.

“The new modern accommodation, which I know will be welcomed by the Principal, Board of Governors, staff and pupils, will provide an improved learning and working environment at Ardnashee.”

When completed, the new build school will provide accommodation for a total enrolment of 275 pupils.

Ardnashee School and College is a controlled special school in Derry, which was formed in September 2014 through the amalgamation of Belmont House School and Foyleview School.

The Minister continued: “I have no doubt that everyone in the school is looking forward to seeing the ongoing construction of the new school.

“This investment will also be welcomed by the construction industry by providing employment and a much needed boost for the local economy.”

March also saw the launch of ‘Spill the Tae’, a new youth led podcast.

The podcast was launched by Greater Shantallow Community Arts and Studio 2, in response to the current Mental Health situation in Derry and the Covid-19 pandemic, which they believed had caused young people’s mental health to be at an “all time low”.

‘Spill the Tae’ was to be made up of weekly episodes, which would see young people in the city discuss issues that matter the most to them.

The Ballyarnett DEA Youth Mental Health Forum, was also launched simultaneously with the podcast. It was an initiative to give young people the chance to host talks, events and lobby decision makers for better investment in mental health for young people in the city.

Speaking about the initiative, Youth Co-Ordinator Alex Duffy said: “After the launch of our successful youth drop-in on Friday evenings, it was a great opportunity to engage the members on how we could address the mental health crisis affecting future generations within the city.

“We then decided to launch not only the Podcast but the Ballyarnett DEA Youth Mental Health Forum, so young people could take the lead in addressing the crisis,” said Alex.

The podcast has already seen the young people interview local TikTok sensation Mammy Banter, the Mayor and local MLAs.

The 'huge backlog' in driving test availability in Derry hit the headlines in March. The backlog was criticised by a local driving instructor who claimed one local examiner had the North's highest 'fail rate,' failing 75% of candidates.

The instructor was speaking after it emerged there are no driving tests available in the city at all until April 2022.

The instructor said: “We need to understand how this completely unacceptable situation has arisen and why the backlog in Derry is longer than anywhere else in the North?”

“If you go on to the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) system today, you will see there are no driving test dates available here at all until April.

“Covid did contribute to this backlog because we were all off for so long. Don't get me wrong, every driving test centre in the North has a problem, not just Derry, but no centre seems to have the problem to the same extent as Derry.”

Meanwhile the war in Ukraine was described as “not justifiable” and “a disaster, for Europe, for Russia and, above all, for Ukraine” by former Ireland Ambassador to Russia, Derry man Jim Sharkey.

Mr Sharkey was speaking as the conflict entered its third week.

A former pupil of St Columb's College, Mr Sharkey, who was appointed the first official representative of the Irish people in Moscow in 1974 and re-appointed in 2001, said the main priority was to find a way to bring peace, stop the conflict and find a solution which would stabilise the whole situation in central Europe.

He added: “NATO expansion is a huge factor in why Russia is currently in Ukraine.

“The war in Ukraine is not justifiable. No war is justifiable. It is a disaster for Europe, for Russia and for Ukraine above all.

“We are into a period when, God forgive us, there is always the danger of somebody miscalculating. NATO has been very careful to emphasise that, despite the demands of the Ukrainians, it is not going into Ukraine because it is not going to war with Russia.

“I am somewhat relieved NATO spokespeople and the Americans keep saying they are not going to war but you still feel nervous because there is always some risk of miscalculation.

“Sanctions work in a punitive but not a preventative sense. The solution will come from the Germans and the French creating space to negotiate with Russia, the United States and Ukraine. In a recent article, journalist Fintan O'Toole wrote there could be a divided Ukraine in NATO or a united, neutral Ukraine.

“I hope the sides are not too far apart because I believe in diplomacy and I believe in human creativity and the ability of long term thinking to find short term solutions,” said Jim Sharkey.

Derry's streets turned green on St Patrick’s Day 2022 when thousands converged on the city centre for the return of the city's St Patrick's Day parade.

It was the first time the event has been held in the city in three years, having been called off in 2020 due the the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Graham Warke, was looking forward to the prospect of joining St Patrick at the head of the Spring Carnival Parade, appropriately themed 'Rebirth and Renewal' for its return following a three year Covid enforced hiatus.

Mayor Warke said he hoped the day would be a' vibrant celebration' of a return to' better days for everyone' and encouraged people to familiarise themselves with the route to choose their viewing point.

A decision by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) to drop murder charges against Soldier F for two killings on Bloody Sunday has been quashed at the High Court in March.

The PPS was directed to rethink its determination that the former British Patratrooper should not stand trial for two of the killings on January 30, 1972.

Liam Wray, brother of one of the two victims Soldier F is accused of murdering, described yesterday's ruling as “a mixed day”.
A ruling from senior judges said the PPS should rethink its decision that Soldier F should not stand trial for murder regarding the deaths of James Wray and William McKinney.

Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan said: “This is a rare occasion where we consider the decision should be quashed and reconsidered.”

However, the court dismissed challenges to the PPS dismissing charges to other paratroopers regarding the deaths of Mr McKinney, Jackie Duddy, Michael Kelly, John Young, Michael McDaid and Bernard McGuigan.

Sadly, March also saw the death of Fr Paddy O'Kane, the well-known Derry priest.

Tributes have been paid to the former parish priest of the Holy Family Church in the Ballymagroarty area of the city who passed away aged 73.

Fr O'Kane, a former columnist with the Derry News, received plaudits for the support he offered to the McGrotty and Daniels families, five of whose members died in the Buncrana pier tragedy just over six years ago.

Son of the late Dominic and Margaret, Fr O’Kane was born in Culdaff in Inishowen Co Donegal and, after studying at Maynooth, was ordained on June 10, 1973.

Close friend for many years, renowned actress and television/film producer, Roma Downey, also paid tribute to Fr Paddy.