18,000 COPIES WEEKLY Order of Malta maintain tradition Page 8
Enjoying festivities in Spirit Store Page 11, 12 & 18
Pupils make seasonal visit Page 4
Safety concerns keep street closed Thursday, 2nd January, 2014. Vol. 7, Issue 1 • 63 Clanbrassil Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth. Tel: 042 9320888. Fax: 042 9329676. Email: editorial@dundalkleader.com; advertising@dundalkleader.com
By Niamh Kirk
THE effort to reopen Clanbrassil St and to rebuild the Cycle Shop and Greenmount Restaurant begins in earnest this week as local authorities, traders and engineers meet this Thursday to determine the future of the area at least in the mid-term. A meeting with engineers and a demolition crew is scheduled for Thursday morning to inspect the building which was gutted by fire. Traders were severely disrupted in the crucial two days before Christmas and every effort is being made to ensure this disruption is kept to a minimum, while at the same time taking into account safety concerns. The blaze began in the Cycle Shop at around 11am on
December 22 and spread quickly. It took five units from the Louth County Fire Services three hours to get the fire under control. Both the Cycle Shop and the apartments above it were completely gutted by the fire but no one was injured. Initially the fire was isolated to the Cycle Shop, however such was the extent of the damage, the Fire Services were unable to enter the building and declare it safe. In the early hours of December 23, fire services returned to the scene after the blaze was rekindled by hot embers. The fire spread into the adjoining Greenmount restaurant which was severely damaged. Full story on Page 2
Beauty contest is one of The Scattering’s highlights
Trappist monks dancing at The Scattering on St Stephen’s Day
By Paul Byrne There was a gathering of sorts on Blackrock beach on St Stephen’s Day morning as Conor Hughes and friends
took part in the always fun annual Crosscause fundraiser. ‘The Scattering’, a slightly warped version of ‘The Gathering’ began at around
11am as the locals in Blackrock were entertained with the sight of a ‘Miss Afghanistan’ beauty contest with contestants dressed in Continued on Page 2