Horror crash dominates front pages

The horrific crash in County Donegal that claimed the lives of a man and woman from Fermanagh dominates Northern Ireland’s front pages on Monday.

Mother of two Shiva Devine and Conall McAleer, who were both in the 20s, were killed in the crash in Bundoran in the early hours of Sunday.

Ms Devine was from Belleek and Mr McAleer from Pettigo.

“We barely know what to say in the face of such overwhelming tragedy,” said DLP councillor John Coyle.

A friend of the two victims tells the paper that Shiva “always had a smile on her face” and was “kind and considerate”, while Conall was known as a “gentleman”.

It quotes Bundoran councillor Frankie O’Gorman, who says the there is a history of crashes in the area.

“Driving conditions were difficult at the time because of the heavy rain, so the road would have been slippy,” he says.

On its front page the Daily Mirror says a man handed himself into police on Sunday following the crash. He has since been released and a file sent to prosecutors.

The paper quotes an eyewitness who describes the scene of the crash as “horrific”.

The News Letter is the only one of the main papers that doesn’t lead with the story.

“Time to stop the terror legacy scandal” is its front page headline as the paper launches a series of essays “that look at the way in which the legacy of the Troubles has been turned against the security forces”.

Inside the paper, former Royal Irish Regiment Colonel Tim Collins says that a key platform in what he says is Sinn Féin’s efforts to discredit the security forces is “the lie of collusion – which if there was a grain of truth in it would have seen the IRA leadership wiped out”.

The paper says it will run an article every day from ex-police, Army and other state officials “who helped prevent civil war in Northern Ireland amid the terrorist onslaught”.

The News Letter also has an article from commentator Alex Kane who says that a civic forum could be the way to get Stormont back up and running.

Carl Frampton’s “dream night in Windsor Wonderland” also features in the paper.

It says the atmosphere in Belfast’s Windsor Park stadium on Saturday night has been widely acclaimed as one of the best in UK or Irish boxing.

The Belfast Telegraph says that the Irish Football Association is now eying up other big events following the boxing extravaganza, while the Irish News features a picture of Paul Gascoigne landing a playful punch on WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder at the event.

Wilder also features in another story in the Irish News, as it says video footage emerged on Friday night of a “fracas” linked to Wilder and British WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders at a Nando’s restaurant on Belfast’s Dublin Road.

“Police probe as boxing champs ruffle feathers at Belfast Nando’s” is the headline in the paper.

It says Saunders allegedly threw chicken at Wilder and was then apparently ran from the restaurant “pursued by individuals linked to Wilder”.

In the Belfast Telegraph the father of a schoolboy hits out at the treatment of his autistic son at Belfast International Airport.

Gerry Coyle said staff searched his son Carter without warning, despite the fact that he was wearing a special lanyard to alert staff to his condition.

Mr Coyle said they then threatened to remove the child from the airport after his father complained.

It says the airport did not respond to requests for a comment.

Finally, the Irish News reports on a new screening at a famous Belfast cinema.

The Curzon, on the Ormeau Road, is now an apartment block, but a documentary about it will be projected onto the big screen in the central courtyard of the building.

It tells the story of the cinema which was open from 1936 until 1999, talking to the family that owned it, regulars who watched movies at it, as well as projectionists and usherettes who worked there.