Shopping locally so much better than Newry

Dear sir - Last Saturday, I finally succumbed to the recent national media hype: I took a trip to Newry. Some call this 'unpatriotic" but with me it was more a case of curiosity. After a two-hour journey, we finally found parking outside a shopping centre. The place was chock-a-block with cars: a Christmas-like hysteria. We strolled leisurely around the shops and picked up some household bargains in Dunnes Stores, Marks & Spencers and Debenhams. Over lunch, we wondered where all the people from the cars were; although there was a nice crowd about the place, there certainly wasn"t the number of people to match the cars outside. As Sainsburys was located in the shopping centre, after lunch it got our business. When we walked in, the penny dropped - we found where all the people were hiding. The hysteria outside in the car park was replaced by indoor crazed bedlam as back-to-back trolleys lined up to take to the aisles. My boyfriend (I dragged him along) went pale and I decided to give him control of the trolley while I looked to the shelves. Unfortunately, there had been one or two too many shoppers before us and many of the shelves were empty. After filling our trolley, we headed to the check-out. When I was told my bill was €99, I was pleasantly surprised but not bowled over. So, was it worth it? My head on Sunday said no. Will I go again? No, not in a hurry. Not when I have a two-minute journey to local shops in Kells rather than two hours to Newry. Not when I can"t get what I want for dinner in Newry and when the shelves in Kells are stocked with good quality produce. Not for the peace of mind that I am supporting local business and employment. But, above all, not for the payback I owe my boyfriend. Yours, Sarah Reilly, Kells FG candidate, Bective Place, Kells.