SAOIRSE32

By Claire McNeilly
December 06, 2007
Belfast Telegraph

Legendary guitarist Rory Gallagher - and one of the Ulster Hall’s best-loved performers - has been immortalised in a book by one of Ireland’s leading photographers.

Cork-born Fin Costello has snapped some of the world’s biggest bands and rock stars, including the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and Fleetwood Mac, among others.

But, more recently, the talented photographer turned his attention to a compilation of images of the Ballyshannon-born rocker, which has now been published.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph ahead of the book launch at the city’s Limelight bar on Saturday, Costello said his efforts had been a labour of love.

Rory Gallagher

“I met Rory initially when he was touring with the Rolling Stones and I was photographing the band,” he said.

“Jazz was our commonality and we used to go to jazz clubs together in London. Then, in 1979, I went on tour with him, and that’s when we really started to become good friends.

“In the 40 years that I photographed the top bands no-one could touch Rory in terms of how he connected with the audience.”

Gallagher, who played what is now regarded as a legendary gig at the Ulster Hall in 1984, died in 1995 after kidney failure. He was only 47.

But his brother, Donal, later asked Costello to contribute to an exhibition to mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

“I began to look back through my archives and I discovered a mountain of stuff that I’d forgotten about,” Costello said.

“Most of the shots were good and I decided to do something on Rory. Of all artists I ever worked with he was the easiest to work with. The book is a give back thing. On one hand, it’s about getting it out there in the public domain. On the other, that’s the end of it. It’s abut putting that era of my life to bed.”

Fin Costello’s book, Rory Gallagher: The Ultimate Performer, will be launched at the Limelight bar at 2pm on Saturday.

There will also be an exhibition of a selection of his award-winning photographs on the day.

These will include photos that were on display during the Homecoming Exhibition at the Triskel Theatre in Cork last year.

After the official launch, there will also be a chance for members of the audience to put questions about Gallagher to Costello, as well as to another of the celebrated star’s friends, Dino McGartland.

That afternoon, the Rory Gallagher tribute band Double Vision will entertain fans by playing some of the late musician’s popular tracks.

BBC

6 December 2007

Taser stun guns will be used by officers of the Northern Ireland Police Service from early next year.

Specialist firearms officers are to trained in January in the use of the controversial electric stun guns that hit a human target with 50,000 volts.

Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde told members of the Policing Board that a pilot scheme would be set up.

The board said it was unhappy he was going ahead with the move before all relevant public bodies were consulted.

However, the chief constable said that only officers from the specialist operations branch would be trained in the use of tasers and the pilot would “encompass potentially violent situations and pre-planned operations”.

Sir Hugh said the PSNI was the only force in the UK and Ireland not to have tasers and he “has had sleepless nights about officers using firearms when they could have a less lethal option available to them”.

In October, the board voted in favour of a motion that tasers should not be deployed until an equality impact assessment was completed.

Human rights experts who advise the policing board have expressed concern about the use of the stun gun.

Tasers are already in use by police forces in England, Scotland, Wales and the USA.

BBC

A new political party, which will be against power-sharing at Stormont, is to be launched by former DUP MEP Jim Allister.

It will be known as the Traditional Unionist Voice.

Mr Allister claims thousands of grassroots supporters feel betrayed by the DUP sharing power with Sinn Fein.

“The Traditional Unionist Voice will occupy the traditional unionist ground so wantonly abandoned by others for the sake of office,” he said.

“Tens of thousands of unionists feel sickened and deflated by the spectacle of IRA/Sinn Fein at the heart of our government, having been put there by those they trusted in the past.

“To them I say, you are not alone, ours is an honourable and legitimate view and together we can make it count.”

Mr Allister resigned from the DUP after Ian Paisley announced he would go into government with Sinn Fein once a financial package was secure.

Belfast Telegraph

Friday, December 07, 2007

Unionists opposed to the DUP’s power-sharing deal with Sinn Fein are being invited to join a new political movement in the North.

Former hardline DUP MEP Jim Allister has set up the Traditional Unionist Voice, which rejects the current power-sharing arrangement at Stormont.

Mr. Allister, who left the DUP in protest at the party’s decision to share power with Sinn Fein, says thousands of grassroots unionists feel betrayed by the move.

He claims to branches of his new movement have been established in 12 of the North’s 18 Westminster constituencies.

The Traditional Unionist Voice, he says, will occupy the ground wantonly abandoned by others for the sake of office.