A FISH gracefully leaping from a lake or pond - what purer, or more misleading, image of the Irish countryside could there be? The Impartial Reporter said: "It's a lousy life being a fish. Those that you see leaping out of the water in the shallow bays around Lough Erne may not be jumping for joy - but seeking relief from an itchy parasite which has undergone a population explosion in the past two years."
The freshwater lice, argulus, which is visible to the naked eye, feeds on blood by piercing and digesting fish skin, causing the fish to jump out of the water, rub against rocks and swim erratically.
Disgusted anglers along the banks of the River Erne near Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, are laying down their rods after seeing "lumps of human excrement and sanitary towels floating in the water". The Impartial Reporter said depending on weather conditions raw sewage is likely to erupt from any of 11 water flow pipes out of Enniskillen. The Water Executive plans to put filters on the end of the sewer pipes: "It won't stop all the sewage, but it wouldn't be as much of an eyesore," said a local public health officer.
Tourists are not always seeing the green and pleasant land depicted in the glossy brochures. The Westmeath Examiner was praying its readers would be granted "the gift to see ourselves as others see us" after a British travel writer submitted an article to the news paper saying that she had "rarely seen so much litter as in this county of Westmeath". Elizabeth Davies had been drawn to Westmeath by "the lure of the little known midlands and the excellent tourist brochures produced by the county's tourism council."
Instead she saw rubbish strewn streets in Mullingar and in the countryside there were black refuse sacks burst open to reveal horrible displays of rotting garbage, not to mention fridges, cookers and gas cylinders. On its front page, the Examiner had a picture of a "no dumping" sign surrounded by yet more rubbish. The caption said: "It is difficult to decipher the mentality behind such blatant anti social behaviour."
Killarney will have none of that. In pursuit of beauty it has even banned election posters, said the Kerryman.
A conman posing as a wildlife ranger has been preying on tourists photographing beauty spots in Co Wicklow. He tells them they need a £5 licence and offers to sell them one on the spot, said the Wicklow People.
Almost 1,000 students and members of Gorey's FCA are looking forward to earning £315 per week tax free this summer just for hanging around on the beach. For that wage, they'll be expected to get short GI style haircuts, wear woollen uniforms and work 12 hours days, six days per week. The men will be battling their way across Ballineskar beach near Curracloe as part of Steven Spielberg's recreation of the D Day invasion for his latest film, Saving Private Ryan, starring, Tom Hanks, said the Gorey Guardian.
The battles scenes are bloodier in Cavan, where 11 people were arrested following a 4 a.m. brawl among youths who gardai say were intoxicated. Gardai were "stretched to the limit and it took a considerable period of time to bring calm to the area... law abiding people ... were put in fear as they sat in their cars and were forced to lock the doors of their vehicles to protect themselves from the rampaging youths," said the Anglo Celt.
The Mayo News commented: "The announcement by gardai of the setting up of a special task force to deal with late night rowdyism will find favour in every town in the county."
The endemic violence of rural life made for dozens of reports in the Kerryman, including a "crisis demand" for more women's refuge space; the alleged sexual assault of a Dutch tourist on a camping holiday; and a woman dragged 15 feet by the hair by a man who was given a five month suspended sentence.
Most terrifying was evidence by Det Sgt Paul Downey in the case of a "drinking spree driver" who got three years jail and was banned from driving for life when he was convicted of dangerous driving causing the death of Ms Karen Fogarty (21). "Two witnesses described how the car swerved around the road in an effort to toss her off. She was dumped off on the road and left to die."
The Ballymena Guardian high lighted a deadly danger for small boys playing soccer. A seven year old boy died in his mother's arms after being crushed by heavy goal posts at a playing field near his home.
