IN April 1987, it was claimed that rescue and recovery services on the Boyne were being seriously hampered by the great number of shopping trolleys being dumped into the river.

Two local fishermen took over 40 trolleys from the stretch of river from the Bridge of Peace to the North Quay.

Both men, members of the Boyne Fishermen’s Rescue Group, were dragging the river in search of the body of a man thought to have fallen into the Boyne two weeks previously.

They said that their efforts were continuously frustrated as trollies became entangled in their dragging net.

Meanwhile, pirate Boyneside Radio were back on the air broadcasting from a secret location following the raid the previous week by Department of Communications officials in which thousands of pounds of equipment was seized.

This was in spite of a warning from officials that they were not to broadcast again.

Boyneside staff said that during the raid at their Donaghy’s Mill base in Drogheda, a transmitter was seized and two studios were cleaned out of equipment. Taken were tape decks, record decks, microscopes and mixers.

The Department of Communications claimed that the radio broadcasts had been interfering with Garda and ambulance emergency frequencies.

But radio staff dismissed this as just an excuse and said that the real reason behind the raid was to force pirate radio stations off the FM bands because 2FM was going FM only in the near future. Boyneside were occupying three FM frequencies in Drogheda.

According to radio staff, they did their own checking prior to the raid last week to see if they were interfering wit Garda and ambulance radio signals.

Using a band scanner they found there was no such interference.

15 years ago

THE distraught grandmother of two Co Louth children abducted by a criminal in the United States spoke for the first time about her family’s ordeal and at her huge relief that they had been released unharmed.

The family, from Tullydonnell, Dunleer, said they were overjoyed when the two youngsters were found safe and well in a Missouri hotel.

The close-knit family revealed for the first time how they lived with the terrible ordeal, unknown to anyone, for the past week until its conclusion in the small town of Eagle Rock.

The children’s parents emigrated with their four children to America seven years previously where they were befriended by convicted sex offender Marty Price, unaware of his serious conviction.

The family were kept abreast of developments via contact in America. They knew the FBI were closing in on Price but were extremely worried that the children would be hurt.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Cathal Daly was to be conferred with the Freedom of the Borough of Drogheda, Corporation members agreed unanimously at a meeting.

The motion, which was proposed by the Mayor Matt Nolan, was seconded by Cllr Tommy Murphy.

In proposing the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, Cllr Nolan said, ‘He has always been a champion of peace and totally opposed to violence in all quarters. He is very worthy of this honour.’

GARDAÍ were investigating an incident in which a young man was assaulted before a sum of money was taken from him druing a daylight attack in the town centre.

Meanwhile, plans for a multi-storey car park in Drogheda, which was to be funded jointly by the public and private sectors, are in the pipeline.

At a meeting in committee of Drogheda Corporation, the County Manager John Quinlivan called for the consent of the members for the car park, which, he indicated, could be provided in the short-term.

The Manager also called for consideration for another major project which would be of a more long-term nature.

This is for a new bridge over the Boyne which will span the river in the Wellington Quay area, linking Stockwell Street, linking Stockwell Street with the Cherrymount junction.