Man remanded in custody over 1979 murder of soldier

Rebecca Black, Irish News, April 3rd, 2025

A MAN has been remanded in custody after being charged with the murder of a parttime soldier more than 40 years ago.

Joseph James Porter, (64), a farmer and part-time soldier with the UDR, was shot dead in Mountnorris in June 1979.

James Donegan, (67), of Bruce Manor, Arvagh, Co Cavan has been charged with the murder of Mr Porter between June 22 and June 25 1979, as well as possession of a firearm and ammunition with the intent to endanger life and membership of a proscribed organisation, the Provisional IRA, Donegan had been extradited from the Republic before appearing at Newry magistrates court yesterday.

Donegan responded, “I do”, when asked if he understood the charges that had been read out to him.

A detective sergeant told the court they believe they can connect the accused to the charges, An application for bail was opposed by the prosecution, who claimed a risk of the accused leaving the jurisdiction and fresh extradition proceedings having to be brought, delaying the trial.

The prosecutor said Mr Porter was shot dead in the early hours of Sunday June 24 1979, and was discovered at the entrance of his farm yard on Creggan Road, Mountnorris, while his house had been ransacked.

“Police believe he left his house voluntarily and was shot shortly after he went outside. It cannot be established if he was carrying his personal protection pistol at this point,” they said.

“Mr Porter’s house was subsequently searched by the murderers who were almost certainly looking for his personal protection weapon or any other military weapons that he might have had in his home. His personal protection weapon was stolen, but he had no other military weapons in his house.

“We understand that he has resided in the Republic of Ireland for a number of years, since in or around 1978, and therefore obviously he has significant links to the Republic of Ireland

Prosecutor

“Mr Porter lived alone and at the time of his death, he was a part-time member of the Ulster Defence Regiment. No one has been charged or convicted in relation to this murder.”

They said witnesses saw Mr Porter in a bar in Markethill on the evening of Saturday June 23 for around an hour, before his Land Rover was seen driving towards Creggan Road.

Later another witness in the area reported hearing two loud bangs, which they believe were gunshots at around 1am, while other witnesses also heard two shots and saw a car travelling at high speed.

“At 09.30, Mr Porter’s neighbour found him lying dead,” they added, saying a doctor concluded he had a fractured skull and had been dead for around six to eight hours.

They also told the court that the Armagh Guardian reported on Thursday June 28 a claim of responsibility for the murder by the Provisional IRA, and had said “he was interrogated and executed because he was involved with the British war machine in Northern Ireland”.

The prosecutor said they opposed the bail application due to a “risk of flight”.

“We understand that he has resided in the Republic of Ireland for a number of years, since in or around 1978, and therefore obviously he has significant links to the Republic of Ireland,” they said, contending he had “firmly resisted” the extradition until the last minute and also cited potential for intimidation of witnesses.

A defence lawyer said Donegan had been on holiday in Portugal when he was contacted by An Garda Síochána before his arrest, and offered to be arrested at the airport on his return, and surrendered his passport.

He said an address in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh belonging to a friend of Donegan had been offered for bail, as well as a cash surety of £10,000 from a person present in court while a relative of the defendant had offered up the deeds of his home.

Flight risk

He also pointed out that in the event of a conviction, the maximum sentence is likely to be a two-year sentence due to legislation for Troubles’ related offences, and said the defendant suffers from health difficulties and underwent bypass surgery during the course of the extradition proceedings in 2024.

“Nobody can say when this matter will come round to trial, and in terms of risks, where else would the defendant go – he doesn’t have access to a passport, he doesn’t have access to means to travel outside the jurisdiction,” he said.

District Judge Eamonn King said he had to balance whether or not the defendant can be released on bail subject to conditions to manage any risks.

“In the circumstances of this case, it has taken 45 years to get to this point. There have been issues over those years and it’s only on conclusion on what took place in the Republic of Ireland that the defendant has made himself amenable to this court when his appeal against the extradition process was refused,” he said.

“In the circumstances, I am of the view that the defendant would be a flight risk and for that reason, bail is refused.”

McCracken bust replaced ‘and hopefully more secure’

Connla Young, Irish News, April 3rd, 2025

A STOLEN bust honouring one of Belfast’s most historic figures has been replaced by a new piece of artwork.

The tribute to Mary Ann McCracken, which was originally unveiled by Unison regional secretary Patricia McKeown in 2001, was taken from its plinth in north Belfast last year.

Carrick Hill residents have now replaced the bust which was located at the corner of Stanhope Street and Clifton Street.

A noted philanthropist, she was also a social reformer and abolitionist.

Her brother, and leader of the United Irishmen, Henry Joy McCracken was executed by the British for his part in the 1798 rebellion.

Local sculptor Anto Brennan, who created the first piece, was also involved in making the replacement artwork.

Frank Dempsey from Carrick Hill Residents Association said it was “vitally important” to replace the stolen bust.

“We don’t know the reason why she was taken, for money or private use,” he said.

“She is back up now and hopefully more secure.”

Mr Dempsey said Ms McCracken was a positive example.

“Everything she stood for was of benefit to all communities, race and colours,” he said.

“She was an inspiration and many women have followed in her footsteps over the years, Nell McCafferty, Inez McCormack, May Blood and Patricia McKeown.

“All these women were involved in the welfare of working-class women and there’s many more women like them.”

Let Irish signs go up at Grand Central Station and let DUP rage all they want

Letters to Irish News, editor April 3rd, 2025

THE DUP’s latest outcry over bilingual signage at Belfast’s new Grand Central Station is nothing more than a tired extension of the party’s long-standing hostility towards the Irish language. It will only stir division rather than reflect the modern, inclusive society Northern Ireland aspires to be.

For those of us with long memories, this is just the latest chapter in a saga. Who could forget Gregory Campbell’s infamous “curry my yoghurt” mockery of the Irish language in the Assembly chamber back in 2014? It was a disgraceful moment that rightly drew widespread condemnation, yet here we are, a decade later, with the DUP still beating the same drum.

Their latest grievance? That Grand Central Station – a flagship transport hub for the whole of Northern Ireland – will have signage in both English and Irish. It’s hardly a radical idea. Across these islands and beyond, bilingual signage is commonplace – from Welsh in Cardiff to Gaelic in Glasgow, it’s a simple, practical recognition of linguistic diversity. But in Northern Ireland, thanks to the DUP, such an ordinary move is framed as an existential threat.

“ The absurdity of their position is clear. They claim bilingual signs are divisive, yet their opposition to them is what fuels division

The absurdity of their position is clear. They claim bilingual signs are divisive, yet their opposition to them is what fuels division. They argue it’s unnecessary, yet the Irish Language Act – finally passed after years of DUP obstruction – guarantees language rights for Irish speakers. They protest about costs, yet never seem to raise such concerns when it comes to funding for other cultural or community projects. At a recent meeting I attended, I was astounded to hear from our Fire and Rescue Service that no less than eight fire crews attended a bonfire in Larne on July 11 last year.

Language weaponisation

This is not about practicalities; it’s about politics. The DUP has spent years portraying the Irish language as a weapon rather than a part of our shared heritage. Their latest tantrum over train station signs is not just an attack on the Irish language, but an attempt to appease the most reactionary elements of their base. It’s a desperate effort to maintain relevance in a shifting political landscape where younger voters – unionist and nationalist alike – are increasingly rejecting outdated sectarianism.

Northern Ireland is changing. The demographic and political shifts in recent elections show that the old, tribal certainties are breaking down. Many young people see no issue with bilingual signage. In fact, they welcome it as a sign of progress, a symbol of a more modern and outward-looking society. The DUP, however, remains stuck in the past, rehashing old battles rather than offering a vision for the future.

If the party’s leadership truly wants to restore faith in Stormont and make devolution work, they need to stop picking petty fights over language and focus on the real issues – our crumbling health service, a struggling economy and the cost-ofliving crisis. But that would require genuine leadership, not just performative outrage.

The two most depressing things about the whole escapade are the performative rhetoric and the predictability of the entire affair.

So, let the signs go up. Let Belfast’s Grand Central Station be a space that reflects the diversity of our people.

And let the DUP rage all they want – because, in the end, history will move on without them, predictable as they continue to be.

EUGENE REID Ballymena, Co Antrim

Irish language is wider than ‘nationalist culture’

JOHN Manley’s otherwise informative analysis – ‘Nationalist culture is the fall guy in the DUP-TUV battle’ (April 1) – is not well served by the heading.

The Irish language is not ‘nationalist culture’, it is much wider than that. It also has more than 2.000 years of unbroken history. Apart from Greek, it has the oldest literature of any living European language.

It is a badge of a civilisation whose values are vastly different from the one which seeks to subjugate us. Of course Irish culture is wider than the Irish language and wider than Gaelic games and story-telling.

Add to this myriad traditions of urban and rural Ireland, of ancient and modern customs, of Protestant and Catholic and other religious tendencies, of the influences of those who have come to our shores from all parts of the globe, and we have some sense of the diversity of our island people. It belongs as much to the DUP as it does to the rest of us.

GERRY ADAMS, Belfast

Department of Justice files stored at abandoned building in grounds of Stormont

Connla Young, Irish News, April 3rd, 2025

PRISON officers were forced to provide security at an abandoned Stormont office block used to store personal information after a spate of recent break-ins.

It is understood a large number of Department of Justice files were being stored at Dundonald House, an abandoned office block in the grounds of the Stormont Estate in east Belfast.

The PSNI has confirmed that it received reports of “burglary and illegal trespass” at an office building on the Upper Newtownards Road, Dundonald “on a number of occasions” between March 16-20. Footage of the interior of the building was later posted online, but has since been removed.

It has now emerged that the DoJ, which runs the Prison Service, was using a floor in the vacated building to store personal data, including the names and address of Prison Officers.

Officials have contacted the Information Commissioner’s office (ICO).

Sources say that while the intruders failed to gain entry to the floor where the material was being held, the incident has raised wider security concerns.

It is understood that in the days after it emerged there had been a series of break-ins at Dundonald House prison officers were sent to guard the building at night.

Prison Service staff were targeted by republicans during the Troubles and two serving officers have been killed by the New IRA since 2012, including David Black, who was shot dead as he drove to work at Maghaberry Prison in November that year.

In 2016 prison officer Adrian Ismay died in hospital 11 days after a bomb exploded under his van in east Belfast.

Data breach headaches

Data breaches by public bodies have caused security headaches in the past.

In 2023 the PSNI was pitched into a crisis when personal details of 10,000 staff members were accidently released.

It is believed all files, which were previously held in temporary accommodation before being moved to Dundonald House, have now been removed from the office block and transferred to a secure location.

The building was previously occupied by DoJ and according to a spokeswoman “has been vacant of civil service staff since June 2023 when it was closed for normal day to day operations due to a serious health and safety issue”.

However, speaking in the assembly last month justice minister Naomi Long told UUP MLA member Robbie Butler “some areas of Dundonald House remain in limited use” in response to an assembly question.

“For obvious reasons, I do not want to explain in public that use in any detail, but I can be absolutely clear that no sensitive or personal information has been compromised during those forays into the building,” she added.

A spokeswoman for the department added on Wednesday that it “has now fully vacated the building”.

“Although the incident did not meet the threshold for reporting as there was no breach of personal information, the Information Commissioner was notified,” she added.

A spokesman for the PSNI said: “Entering grounds or buildings without the owner’s consent is both illegal and dangerous. Climbing up onto roofs and other high surfaces is wrought with danger.

“A young person could easily slip or lose their footing and end up with serious, permanent injuries or worse.

“Being caught inside a building without permission is burglary and could end with a visit to a Magistrates’ Court.

It is understood no arrests have been made.

A spokeswoman for the ICO said: “The Department of Justice reported an incident at Dundonald House to us but after looking into the details confirmed no personal data was accessed.”