Drumcree’s Irish-language heritage is a rich resource for us all…
1995
Peadar Ó Doirnín (1700-1769) was a native of north Louth (Raskeagh townland), just north of Dundalk. Ó Doirnín was an exuberant sort of character. I imagine him to have been as fond of women and drink as his near-contemporary Robert …
Hegseth unveils Office of Religious Affairs for US Military…
743
From USA Today: Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, in his latest effort to boost the role of religion in military life, announced the establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs during his Sept. 30 “State of the Force” address in Quantico, …
Twenty-five years of damning reports on academic selection…
499
In September 2026, Queen’s University Belfast published the latest in a long line of reports Exploring Academic Selection and Grammar Schools in Northern Ireland. The authors of this Nuffield Foundation-funded study reviewed the UK research, interviewed parents, principals and stakeholders, …
Andy Burnham says the UK could ‘go all the way’ and rejoin the EU…
1754
From the Guardian: Andy Burnham has opened the door to the UK rejoining the EU, saying Britain could “go all the way”, as he prepares to reconsider Labour’s post-Brexit red lines. The prime minister used a series of interviews after …
Drumcree and the limits of law and people power…
10462
Bridgewater is a Slugger reader from Belfast. At the risk of losing half the readership immediately, I should disclose at the outset I am from the nationalist community. Like the vast majority of that community, my sympathies lie with the …
A Numbers Game
1132
Amid all the tension this week around Drumcree, we all need to unwind. Right? So while we fret about how politicians and the police might handle the Portadown standoff, let’s grab some respite with a TV drama featuring a standoff …
Why Drumcree will suffocate us all…
8641
Many of you will be familiar with the phrase, “Sucking the oxygen out of the room.” It’s when an issue becomes so dominant that every other issue doesn’t get a look in. This is what is unfolding with Drumcree. The …
Will Sinn Féin or the DUP collapse Stormont?
11962
There are many things from the ’90s you don’t mind seeing a comeback: Take That, Oasis, the return of vinyl, and even, more bizarrely, cassettes. But one thing that the majority of us were happy to see consigned to that …
Boy oh boycott: After a day of chaos for the FAI, the Ireland-Israel fixtures remain set to go ahead… (as things stand!)
2273
A day of high drama ended on Saturday with the Football Association of Ireland licking its wounds, looking at the floor, and leaving its Israeli FA counterparts as the voices of sensibility and reason. The UEFA Nations’ League fixtures between …
Open Sunday – discuss what you like…
16562
The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday.