London v Sligo
GAA Connacht SFC
Ruislip
Sunday May 26, 2.30pm

THIRTY-SIX Years is a long time to wait for a Connacht championship victory. The bookmakers will give you 2/5 on that becoming 37 years.

London are a 5/2 shot to win a first Connacht SFC game since 1977 – not overly attractive odds given their record in this competition.

The feeling persists that last May against an emigration-depleted Leitrim outfit represented the best chance of breaking the cycle of defeat in many a short season.

Sligo, a division higher and having appeared in two of the past three Connacht finals, represent a significantly sterner challenge.

Yet London do not enter this game without hope. The Yeats County have certainly not been poetry in motion this year.

They had to hustle to avoid relegation to Division Four, a final-day four-point victory over Wicklow guaranteeing their safety.

That was only their second League win of 2013. The other came against Antrim back in early February. London, remember, were a few dodgy decisions away from beating Antrim themselves in last season’s qualifiers so it is not like Sunday’s rivals inhabit different stratospheres.

London have hinted at a big performance throughout the League, only really delivering sporadically. They have been competitive though, having beaten Waterford and lost to Carlow, Limerick and Leitrim by a kick of the ball.

A lower than usual player turnover has been pivotal to the Exiles’ progress. Also, a star performer from 2011 is back in the fold – Paul Geraghty returns after a lengthy suspension.

Geraghty has the experience and ability to make an impact. Alongside the likes of Lorcan Mulvey (if fit) and Caolan Doyle, he can give London the physical presence and muscle to press forward and give the likes of Mark Gottsche, Eoin O’Neill (if fit), Llyod Colfer and Cathal Magee the chance to get scores.

Sligo approach this game is the almost unnatural state of being without the great Eamonn O’Hara. Still, they pack a punch in the form of midfielder Justin Kilcullen. Long-serving Charlie Harrison and Ross Donovan will marshall the defensive effort and, up front, Adrian Marren carriers a constant threat.

London manager Paul Coggins says:  “We have respect for Sligo, obviously. They are a Division Three side, but we will be confident in our own ability and we will concentrate on our own game.

“If we give the performance that I hope we give and everything goes right between here and there and we get a bit of luck on the day, then we have a chance. No more and no less than a chance.”

The question is whether or not they can take that chance. Given Sligo’s richer pedigree and position on a higher rung of the footballing ladder you would have to back them at 2/5.

Still, we believe London are progressing, inching towards a place where they can deliver a big performance. That day can be, must be, this Sunday.

Comment: Why every Irish person in Britain should get behind London this weekend

The post GAA preview: London Vs Sligo – watch video appeared first on The Irish Post.

The magnificent Killyleagh Castle.

THE charms of Co. Down are many and varied. The county stretches from Belfast to the southerly most point of the Six Counties on Carlingford Lough.

In between are some of Ireland’s top attractions including the Mountains of Mourne which include the highest peak in the North Slieve Donard; St Patrick’s Grave and the Apostle of Ireland’s former stomping ground; the Royal County Down golf course – one of the top links courses in the world.

That’s not to mention Tollymore Forest Park, whose follies, bogus ruins, Gothic outrages, geometrical curios and baroque bridges have inspired the likes of regular visitors CS Lewis and Edward Lear.

But Co. Down has many treasures that lie off the beaten track, particularly in mid-Down. It also has more than one footnote in US history.

Catherine O’Hare, the mother of the first European child born west of the Rockies — and delivered by Native American midwives — was born in Rathfriland, Co. Down, in 1835. Catherine and her husband Augustus Schubert were part of a group of 200 Overlanders heading west in search of gold. These intrepid explorers and settlers blazed the trail for the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

Strangely, although Rathfriland has eight pubs, not one of them is named after Catherine, nor does any memorial stand in her honour in her home town.

Down’s connections with the New World don’t finish there. The origins of the USA arose, it is claimed, because of a catastrophic meeting that took place between Benjamin Franklin and the acting Secretary of State for the Colonies in the early 1770s in Hillsborough, Co. Down.

They disliked each other intensely, and after no progress was made, Franklin returned home to convince the dissident colonists that there was no alternative but to initiate immediate revolution. The Declaration of Independence in July 1776 followed shortly after Franklin’s return.

The area surrounding Rathfriland is ideal for hiking, fishing, cycling or golfing in bucolic surroundings; plus you’ll get a background of history thrown in for free.

Speaking of history, the recent Troubles left north Down relatively unscathed. Nonetheless, 35 years of civic strife meant that few visitors (except for the well-informed angler or golfer) ever ventured here.

Accordingly, despite falling under British jurisdiction, this area has retained its essential Irishness. Here, despite it being a mixed nationalist/unionist area, you’ll most certainly get a céad míle fáilte.

And it won’t matter whether your accent is from Birmingham or Ballyshannon, you’re still guaranteed a welcome. During the time of the worst of the Troubles, international journalists often commented on the oddest of paradoxes: how could too sets of people be so welcoming to outsiders, yet so murderously uncivil to each other? Thankfully, the peace is continuing to process, leaving this area one of the friendliest, peaceful and most beautiful parts of these islands.

Places to visit in mid-Down

Rathfriland

Naturally, we’ll start in Rathfriland. This hilltop Plantation village is situated between the Mourne Mountains, Slieve Croob and Banbridge. Aside from Catherine O’Hare, Rathfriland has had a couple of other brushes with fame.

One branch of the Bush family (the one which has produced two US presidents) emerged from this little village around 1755. William Holliday, a direct descendant, headed west and died in Kentucky about 1811–12.

The literary world also has reason to thank north Down. This is where Patrick Brontë, father of the three illustrious daughters, was born and brought up and the Brontë Homeland Interpretative Centre is housed in the hilltop parish church and school at Drumballyroney.

Tales from his Irish childhood fed and fired the imaginative genius of his offspring. But as you survey this lovely landscape — dotted with drumlins and ancient dolmens, the hedgerows alive with birdsong, and the towering Mountains of Mournes most certainly sweeping down to the sea — you may feel it’s beautiful enough to wake the muse in anyone.

Hillsborough

Despite its connections with starting up the USA, Hillsborough is better known as the seat of unionist power in the North, where the representative of Queen Elizabeth runs Britain’s closest branch office. In days gone by it was a governor; now that Sinn Féin and the DUP are running the shop, the Northern Secretary uses this as an occasional B&B, and tends to mind her own business while she plots her next political move well away from the Six Counties brief.

Hillsborough is everything a village should be with dainty shops, immaculately kept streets, a bookshop and a couple of excellent pubs.

The 18th century Hillsborough Castle, a two storey Georgian mansion, dominates the town, and a stroll through the historic centre reveals some further fine Georgian architecture.

A prominent memorial to the 3rd Marquess of Downshire (and closely resembling Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square, London) stands to the south of the village.

However, the most breathtaking sight in Hillsborough is one that most people only glance at. The parish church of St Malachy lies in a glorious setting near the town centre. Stately old trees, mostly oaks, line a long, verdant lawn that stretches to the church steps.

One of the finest examples of Gothic revival architecture anywhere, it was built by the 1st Marquess of Downshire between 1760 and 1774, in the hope that the church would become the cathedral of the diocese of Down (it didn’t — Down Cathedral was chosen as it had an A-lister buried in its grounds. St Patrick.)

In addition to its imposing setting, St Malachy’s boasts two 18th century organs, a peal of ten bells and a number of works by notable craftsmen of the era.

Killyleagh

Killyleagh’s centrepiece is the magnificent Killyleagh Castle – designed by Charles Lanyon. The castle dominates this lovely old town situated on Strangford Lough’s southerly shore.

Originally a 12th century fort used by John de Courcy, Killyleagh Castle is today the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland. The present building dates back to 1850, but incorporates two towers of an earlier castle in 1666.

There are also remains of the original castle dating back to 1180. Killyleagh is also noteworthy as the birthplace of Sir Hans Sloane, whose immense natural history collection was the nucleus of the British Museum, and after whom Sloane Square in London, and indeed Sloane Rangers, are named.

Where to stay

To visit mid-Down you could stay anywhere in the county from the very fine Slieve Donard in Newcastle, Denvir’s Hotel in Downpatrick (one of the oldest inns in Ireland), or any of Belfast’s growing number of boutique hotels.

However, if you wish to stay in the middle of the county, the following are highly recommended…

Rathmourne

Set in the heart of Brontë country, this fully modernised cottage sleeps six. From £49 per night, £340–£425 per week.

The Downshire Arms,
Main Street, Hilltown, BT34 5UH
Tel: 028 4063 8899
www.Downshire-Arms.com

The Downshire Arms first opened to the public in 1824 as a coaching inn. Today it is a comfortable, welcoming roadhouse for travellers to the Mournes, renowned for its traditional music sessions.

Slieve Croob Inn,
119 Clonvaraghan Road,
Castlewellan,
BT31 9LA
Tel: 028 4377 1412
www.slievecroobinn.com

An award-winning country with stunning views across to the Mountains of Mourne.

…and where to enjoy a pint

The Marquis of Downshire,
48 Lisburn Street,
Hillsborough,
BT26 6AB.
Tel: 028 9268 2095,

One of the most famous watering holes in the North.

The White Horse Inn, Saintfield,
49, Main St,
BT24 7AB

Part of the Whitewater Brewing Company, the North of Ireland’s largest microbrewery, with great real ale.

The Hillside,
21 Main Street,
Hillsborough,
BT26 6AE.
Tel: 028 28 9268 2765

Renowned for its roaring coal fires in the winter and cobble-stoned beer garden in the summer.

The Corner Inn,
29 Killyleagh Street,
Crossgar.
Tel: 0284483 0261.

A friendly pub with open fire, an eclectic mix of customers and traditional sessions.

The post The delights of Down appeared first on The Irish Post.

In this week’s Irish Post (May 25 – out now)

IN NEWS

At last, justice for Luke

Luke Fitzpatrick’s family can finally begin to grieve after the men who brutally took his life were found guilty of killing him just days before the anniversary of his death.

Fiona Audley reports on the climax of the long and emotional trial into the Dollis Hill stabbing and speaks to Luke’s mother. “I am delighted justice was done, I just wish they were off the streets before it got to this,” she said.

The Irish Post also reveals how the killers were caught, including the blackberry messages used as evidence in court.

Office for National Statistics is failing the Irish in Britain

The ONS has been heavily criticised for failing to represent the needs of the Irish in Britain.

In its latest batch of Census data, the ONS grouped disability statistics in the broad “White” ethnic group and failed to publish statistics on the White Irish community. The Federation of Irish Societies and a Liverpool Irish charity told The Irish Post this could have disastrous consequences.

Ageing Irish face health and money woes

The Irish community is by far the oldest of all ethnic groups in England and Wales, with more than 40 per cent of emigrants in retirement, according to the most recent Census.

Analysis of the most recent release of data from the 2011 survey by The Irish Post reveals that the average White Irish person was 53 on Census day, while the average Irish-born person living in Britain was 61. The community now faces a major transition into retirement, with more than a quarter of the working-age White Irish people due to retire by 2021.

The Irish Post also reveals that both White Irish and Traveller communities face major health disadvantages and speaks to leaving charities for the Irish in Britain about the difficulties faced by both communities.

Britain to become more Dementia friendly

Health Minister Jeremy Hunt has called for communities across Britain to become Dementia friendly as the country celebrates Dementia Awareness Week.

‘Work is done’ for Magdalene survivors

One of Ireland’s most vocal Magdalene survivors groups has called time on its campaign, claiming their work is done.

New plan to boost abuse victim care

Survivors of institutional abuse are suffering from inadequate care because mainstream Irish groups in Britain are ignorant of their needs, according to a London welfare centre that is launching a new training programme.

Cable aims to stamp out ‘beer tie’ deals

The Irish in Britain have been urged to throw their support behind struggling publicans by responding to a Government survey.

Hospital workers take on Everest in aid of research

Three Irish hospital workers have completed a gruelling challenge to tackle Mount Everest while undertaking health trials that will benefit their most at-risk patients.

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Lorcan Mulvey and London are ready for their Sligo challenge

AN old sports editor gave us good advice, long ago in a county far away.

We had suggested writing a piece before the first round of the Championship encouraging people to come out and support the team.

“Listen, nobody wants to be told by you what to do. Nobody cares what you think they should do with their Sunday afternoon. Just do the previews, the match reports, a few interviews, some analysis, a column and leave it at that eh.”

Sound counsel, and advice we have followed more or less faithfully ever since. This, however, is going to one of the ‘less’ weeks. Every rule — especially one to do with GAA — has a time for deviation.

And we’re not presuming to tell you what to do with your Sunday. If you want to elbow your way around Borough Market ingesting £25 cheeses that’s fine; if you want to cycle down Regent’s Canal then Godspeed to you; if you want to survey this metropolis from the tip of The Shard we hope you enjoy the view. From 1,000ft, what’s going on in Ruislip is in true perspective. It’s a green dot way out north-west amid a swirl of eight million lives in progress.

The thing about that green dot though is that on it this Sunday there will be 15 guys on the field representing you — the Irish in London, the Irish in Britain.

There is a debate going on at home as to whether inter-county GAA is disappearing up its own posterior. Players are, take you pick, too important/arrogant/afraid to talk to journalists.

That certainly is not the case here. For sure, the players get less media requests, but once removed from the pressure cooker of parish life at home, they relax on this front.

And, to be honest, London is probably the only county where neither the senior hurlers nor footballers are even moderately famous. It’s a crude way to judge but Twitter accounts give some kind of indication of your public profile. Take Carlow as an example — not a big place, not steeped in football success. Yet Daniel St Ledger has approaching 1,000 followers. The London players have similar amounts of followers to us, the local journalists — around 200 or less. That means they are household names in only their own households.

Nobody plays for London for the glory or Saturday night recognition. They do so because even after moving from home for job opportunities they want to play sport to the highest level they can. And, after a while, they do so to represent us: the Exiles.

Irish people in Britain are used to getting patronised a bit. Valued emigrants this, diaspora that… Any chance of a vote for Irish citizens living in Britain? Err, we’ll get back to you on that one.

Similarly, the GAA have felled forests to print blueprints for the growth of the games overseas. Can London come home to play a couple of challenge matches before the championship? Err, no, that’s contrary to Rule 6.21 (b). We kid you not.

You couldn’t blame this London side for saying they have been opposed by GAA red tape at every turn. Aside from the nonsensical challenge game prohibition, we have had the absurd spectacle of Championship games from February this year to make new arrivals eligible for London.

Last season, a round of games had to be scrambled in during May to allow 12 players to become legal — lads who had played throughout the league.

At the time this was dubbed the Seanie Johnston Rule, but in time it emerged that the primary concern behind the legislation was the fear that players were being lured from their home clubs to come and play in London. This fantasy really does show that a rumour will have done a lap of the Earth before the truth has tied its bootlaces.

Players are not being lured to the smoke in large numbers by anything other than the lack of work at home. The unemployment rate is 14 per cent. What would it be if 300,000-plus people had not emigrated in the past four years?

You couldn’t blame this London side for feeling they have been opposed at every turn — but they wouldn’t say that. Apart from a statement before last season’s championship, they have put the heads down and worked around the obstacles. Perhaps they should be more vocal, because you’ll be a long time waiting for people at home to see the Exiles right.

In true Exile fashion though, they have set about their task with energy and humility. They share those same qualities with almost all Irish people over here.

They don’t forget where they are from but recognise where they are at. Like the rest of us, they are from Cork, Galway, Sligo, Monaghan, Donegal, Kerry and everywhere else but now they work long days in a hard city.

Only we go home in the evening. They hit the gym or the fields of north-west London to chase their sporting dream. They dream of playing as well as they can, at the highest level they can and winning. Winning for London.

None of us will ever stop being from Laois or Dublin or Wexford, but we’re here now, in big numbers. And there is a team that represents us.

We can’t promise they’ll win against Sligo. We can’t promise only a kick of the ball will separate the teams at the last whistle — though that’s what we think. We can’t promise a first Connacht Championship victory since 1977.

We can, though, assure you that a panel of players have given the best of themselves all winter to prepare for this game. They have grinded through the pain barrier, watched bruises rise after they collide, woken up in the cold winter mornings thinking about this match against Sligo in late May.

They’re not the same as players at home in that they won’t drive past county flags on the way to work. Many of their bosses, their flatmates, their girlfriends will not be overly familiar with Gaelic football. The pressure cooker is not turned high.

With that comes a certain relief, but also a certain loneliness. They work and strive just as hard as any player at home but does it matter as much to people?

Well, for one day at least, it should. If you’re looking for something to do this Sunday afternoon then head out the A40 or the Central Line to South Ruislip. Have a drink, find your place on the bank, and when the team wearing green and white take the field put your hands together for them. A simple thing like that would mean a lot to this group.

Because in the 70 minutes thereafter they will run and block and fight and shoot and sweat and strive and stand tall for you, their people. Exiles abú.

*Full preview of London v Sligo in this week’s print edition

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Valentine Pelka as John Lennon

And In the End: The Death and Life of John Lennon
Jermyn Street Theatre, London
Until June 1
★★★★★

THE intimacy of the theatre should have provided an appropriate setting for Polish-Irish actor Valentine Pelka to perform a memorable in-depth psychoanalysis of the life of Beatles icon John Lennon in this work by playwright Alexander Marshall.

Instead the bland backdrop of the stage and lacklustre lighting simply magnified Pelka’s frequent stumbling over lines and moments of hesitation that prevented the fluidity of his monologue. The constant use of swearwords eventually became common place adjectives, and it was during these welcomed moments where Pelka appeared the most roused.

The play is suitably sub-titled ‘The Death and Life of John Lennon’, an accurate reflection of its chronology as it begins with the moment when John Lennon is shot.

The room is dark and there is a loud blast of gunshots which immediately draws you in. You would hope that it would; Alexander Marshall claims that his play delves further into the side of John Lennon’s life that has yet to be so publicly intruded upon. Unfortunately, the dramatic opening sequence provides the most excitement as the play fails to reach a climax.

The opening scene is then followed by John Lennon finding himself in the vortex between life and death in the presence of ‘The Gatekeepers,’ Martin Bendel, Helen Phillips and Spencer Cowan who took him through the five stages of death: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. ‘The Gatekeepers’ had adopted multiple roles, the acting of which was good, but not great.

Portraying Yoko Ono, Phillips’ kiss with Pelka proved more awkward than awesome and her attempt at a Japanese accent bordered on offensive.

Everything had initially appeared to be set up for the play to showcase a great enactment of Lennon’s turbulent journey through stardom.

Pelka definitely deserved credit for his impressive physical resemblance to him and the nature of both of their Irish descents provided a strong foundation from which to begin. Pelka’s failure to adopt a Liverpool accent, however, meant that the similarities ended here.

The intention behind the play’s direction was clear to see, the playwright wanted this story to be different. In fairness the idea was promising; however, there was neither startling discovery nor shocking revelation about Lennon’s life and the play as a whole underwhelmed.

The post Review: And In the End: The Death and Life of John Lennon, Jermyn Street Theatre, London appeared first on The Irish Post.

A police convoy carrying suspected IRA bomber John Anthony Downey leaves Westminster Magistrates Court

AN IRISH MAN has appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court charged in connection with the 1982 IRA bomb that killed four British soldiers at London’s Hyde Park.

John Downey, 61, from Creeslough, County Donegal, was flanked by two security officers in the dock for a hearing that lasted 11 minutes this afternoon (May 15).

As reported earlier by the Irish Post, he faces four charges of murder and one of planting a car bomb in Hyde Park on July 20th 1982.

The Household Cavalry, Blues and Royals, were on their way from their barracks to Buckingham Palace when the device was detonated.

Soldiers Roy Bright, Dennis Daly, Simon Tipper and Geoffrey Young were all killed in the blast.

Mr Downey, wearing trousers, a shirt and v-neck jumper, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

He was remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on June 5.

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The four men were on their way to Buckingham Palace when they were killed

AN IRISH man in his 60s has been charged with the murder of four soldiers during a 1982 IRA bombing in Hyde Park.

John Anthony Downey, 61, of Co Donegal will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court this afternoon (May 22).

He has been charged with the murders of Roy John Bright, Dennis Richard Anthony Daly, Simon Andrew Tipper and Geoffrey Vernon Young.

All four were members of the Royal Household Cavalry and were on their way to Buckingham Palace when they were killed.

Mr Downey, who was arrested on Sunday, has also been charged with intending to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.

Eleven people in total died in the two explosions in Hyde Park and Regents Park that day in 1982.

A further 50 people were injured by the bombs, which exploded less than two hours apart.

The bomb that Mr Downey is charged with planting was the first of the two.

In that incident, a nail bomb in a blue Austin car went off as members of the Household Cavalry made their way from their barracks in Knightsbridge to Buckingham Palace.

A second explosion in a Regent’s Park bandstand killed seven Royal Green Jackets bandsmen.

Sue Hemming, head of special crime and counter-terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The Metropolitan Police Service has been investigating the explosion near Hyde Park in London which occurred on 20 July 1982.

“We have reviewed the evidence gathered and authorised them to charge John Anthony Downey, 61, of County Donegal, Ireland.

“It is alleged that Downey is responsible for the improvised explosive device contained in a car parked in South Carriage Drive, SW1, London, which resulted in the deaths of four members of the Royal Household Cavalry, Blues and Royals, as they travelled on their daily route from their barracks to Buckingham Palace.”

In 1987 Northern Ireland electrician Gilbert “Danny” McNamee was charged with making the Hyde Park bomb and jailed for 25 years.

He served 12 years before being freed under the terms of the Good Friday peace deal.

In 1998 his conviction was quashed at the High Court, after a high-profile campaign by celebrities including Eddie Izzard. But although his conviction was “unsafe” it did not follow he was innocent of the crime, the judges said.

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Bill Corbett (left) with Bill Shankly during his playing days

THE story of a former Celtic footballer is among those being used to help create awareness of dementia this week – Dementia Awareness Week.

Bill Corbett’s story is the subject of a video by the Sporting Memories Network – a social enterprise uses sporting archives to provide reminiscence engagement with dementia sufferers.

The video can be viewed here.

Tony Jameson-Allen, director of Sporting Memories Network, said of his organisation’s approach: “Initially I was asked to attend a day centre to talk about football.

“I hit upon the idea of bringing along some football images and getting a group of guys around the table with those photos from football matches from the 40s, 50s and 60s.

“What happened was something quite remarkable.”

He added: “The guys game to life; it sparked memories of matches, players, grounds, pubs, fights, everything around football. The best example of the power that it had was Bill’s story.

“Bill is a gentleman who attended the day centre group. Prior to this he went there but was very quiet; he didn’t like bingo or singing and was pretty much reluctant to engage at all. He’d come in, have his lunch, have a quiet day and go home again.

“After attending our session we found out he had played for Celtic, and for Scotland and at Wembley. It was a remarkable discovery and brought him to life, he got to tell his story before he passed away.”

Jameson-Allen’s Sporting Memories Network were among a number of organisatios that attended a one-day conference last week at the Rose Bowl venue within Leeds Metropolitan University.

There, Health Minister Jeremy Hunt called for the communities across Britain to become dementia friendly as the country celebrates Dementia Awareness Week.

The awareness raising week kicked off on Sunday and continues until this Saturday, May 25.

In a note to delegates in attendance at the Dementia Roadshow Conference in Leeds, including representatives from the Irish, Asian and Muslim communities, the Minister also called for help achieving the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge for 2013.

“When I became health secretary I decided the best thing to do was to focus all my efforts on a small number of priorities, like the Prime Minister one of those is dementia,” he said.

“Thanks to incredible advances in medicine, nutrition and public health, we are all now living longer healthier lives than our grandparents could have imagined, this should be celebrated, but with this success comes challenges and by the end of this decade there will be 1million people in this country living with dementia.”

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One of the ancient plant samples used by scientists to uncover the cause of the Great Famine

SCIENTISTS have used 19^th century plant samples to uncover the cause of the Great Famine in Ireland.

The newly discovered pathogen is believed to have triggered the potato blight that spread through Ireland from 1845.

In the following decade, as people around the country discovered that their staple food had been turned into an inedible mush, one million people died from starvation and disease while two million were forced into exile.

More than 150 years later, the Irish population remains at three-quarters of pre-famine levels.

It had long been known that the fungus-like infection Phytophthora infestans was behind an Gorta Mór.

But only by consulting potato plant leaves as old as 170-years could a team of molecular biologists from Europe and the US, led by The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, discover the real cause.

Using high-tech methods of DNA sequencing, they were able to pinpoint the exact structure of the pathogen’s DNA.

The scientists concluded that the strain, called HERB-1, is different to the culprits of contemporary blights and is now extinct.

Samples used in the study, published in the open-access scientific journal eLife, came from Ireland, Britain, Europe and North America and had been preserved in London’s Kew Gardens as well as the Botanical State Collection in Munich.

The scientists now believe that their research can open new avenues of research into the evolution of pathogens and how human activity impacts the spread of disease.

“What is for certain is that these findings will greatly help us to understand the dynamics of emerging pathogens,” said Kentaro Yoshida from The Sainsbury Laboratory.

“This type of work paves the way for the discovery of many more treasures of knowledge hidden in herbaria.”

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The site at New Eltham

NOVALONG remain in control of future development at the former headquarters of London GAA, the Irish Post can reveal.

A media report by the Irish World newspaper led some to believe the Irish developer recently backed away from a deal to develop the site in New Eltham, after filing a lawsuit against the trustees of the GAA.

But research carried out by The Irish Post indicates that the company still holds an option on the site.

Documents obtained through the Land Registry further show an application “pending” on behalf of Novalong.

At time of going to press on Monday, the Land Registry confirmed there was “activity” on the title register of the site. This prompted a further search which showed that Novalong had an application pending.

The current title deeds names Michael Dermot O’Brien – one of the original trustees – as the sole proprietor of the disputed site.

The title refers to a unilateral notice in respect of an Option Agreement dated 29 June 2001 made between the trustees of the GAA, Novalong Ltd and Keeney Construction Ltd as varied by a supplementary agreement made between the same parties dated October 5 2005.

The Land Registry press office said the names on the title represented the current status of the site and stated that names would only be removed on request from solicitors, in this case representing the GAA.

However, nearly one month after a scheduled High Court meeting between both parties, one of the original trustees, Michael Dermot O’Brien, remains the named proprietor with a “caution” remaining in favour of Novalong.

This unilateral notice affects the right of the GAA to “dispose” of the site while the more extensive search of Land Registry information states that Novalong have a priority on the site.

Previously, The Irish Post reported that terms had been settled in relation to the option agreement.

Croke Park’s head of media relations, Alan Milton would only say that a statement would hopefully be released in relation to the future of the site “in the next day or two”.

London GAA chairman Noel O’Sullivan said a “joint statement is expected in the very near future”.

Based on information obtained through the Land Registry, The Irish Post expects this statement to confirm that Novalong and GAA will cooperate to develop the site, with Novalong holding the fresh option.

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