Weekly paper review: Game of Thrones to return to NI

From the Dark Hedges to Tollymore Forest, for many Game of Thrones fans, Northern Ireland is Westoros.

The good news carried on the front of the Impartial Reporter is filming on the prequel of the hit fantasy drama is set to take place in Fermanagh.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council confirmed to the paper filming is set to begin in Marble Arch caves next week.

A spokesperson for HBO would not confirm Fermanagh as a filming location, but did say the series would be shot in Northern Ireland.

Elsewhere, a young cancer survivor talks about her experience of the condition, and encourages anyone with concerns to go to their GP.

“When I was talking to people about the ‘big C word’ everyone was kind of, ‘we can’t really talk about this’. But I thought why shouldn’t I be able to talk about this?” says 22-year-old Emma Lapsley from Fivemiletown.

“I suppose it’s to tell people that I’m living proof that cancer isn’t a death sentence.”

Continuing the Game of Thrones theme, this week’s Larne Times looks at new street art which will adorn the town centre – two pieces of which are inspired by the fantasy drama.

Upper Main Street will see a piece inspired by the show’s direwolves, which has been created by artist and garden designer Dawn Aston.

The paper also carries a story about those who have chosen to ditch the 9 to 5 and lean into their creative talents.

Coverage in the paper’s Crafty Corner looks at the story of Mags White, who owns a company which puts a creative spin on teapots.

The sudden death of a father-of-four makes the front of this week’s Lurgan Mail.

Brian Brady was found by his family at his Dingwell Park home, with the alarm being raised after he failed to call his mother – something he usually did every night.

The 38-year-old died in bed and police have indicated there were no suspicious circumstances attached to the death.

Knocking arrest

The paper also covers a story from Craigavon Magistrates’ Court about a man who was arrested after attempting to enter a police station while heavily intoxicated.

The court heard on 25 April, Wojciech Wylecial, with an address at Monbrief Walk, Lurgan, came to the attention of police who heard a banging at the gates of Lurgan police station.

After becoming aggressive with the Polish interpreter, Wylecial was arrested by police.

As he was under probation for a previous offence, Wylecial received a three-month jail sentence, as well as having to pay fines and levies.

The future of Londonderry’s BT office has been left in doubt after the company announced plans to cut 90% of its premises across the UK.

The Londonderry Sentinel reports that while the company’s Belfast branch is safe, its Derry workers face an uncertain future.

“These workers need certainty and it is incumbent on management at BT to speak to staff and make them fully aware of what is happening,” said Sinn Féin MP for Foyle, Elisha McCallion.

Elsewhere the paper carries an interview with Philip Cloete, whose father was killed by the IRA when he was 19.

His father, a part-time member of the UDR, had first come to Derry with the Royal Navy and later settled in the city’s Glen Estate, which was mixed at the time.

His father was shot and killed by the IRA in 1977 while leaving his home, and Mr Cloete moved with his family to the loyalist Nelson Drive area.

“There is a squad of us who all moved over from the Glen. And even though we were now living in a loyalist area, the Troubles, you could say, followed us,” he says.

He is sharing his story as part of a project with Holywell Diverse City Community Partnership, which held an event in the city during the week.

The Mourne Observer carries a story on its front page about the fallout from an unannounced visit by inspectors to a Castlewellan care home.

Patient admissions to Corriewood Private Clinic were suspended by some health trusts after the inspection highlighted a number of discrepancies.

In its statement, a spokeswoman from the clinic confirmed it had discussed the issue with all residents and families, and the care home is “fully committed to providing the highest quality of care for all its residents”.

The paper also gives a nod to two local women who have been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Bryansford’s Isabel Hood was recognised for her services to environmental conservation, while Downpatrick’s Cecelia Taggart was recognised for her services to scouts and the community.

Both women were awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).

‘Great privilege’

A project which has helped young adults with disabilities gain confidence over the past six years has come to an end in Omagh.

The Ulster Herald carries a story about the Moving On project, organised by the charity Leonard Cheshire Northern Ireland.

Aaron McKane from Castlederg, who has hydrocephalus spina bifida, was among the 340 to benefit from the project and said it had been a “great privilege”.

Elsewhere, the paper reports on an appeal by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council for drivers to take more care when overtaking bin lorries.

The vehicles have been fitted with 360 degree cameras which could record potentially poor driving.