Having been out in the wilds of Donegal for the last week and a half, and far far away from even my laptop, I have missed out on a few things I will be trying to pull in over the …

With the hope surrounding meeting of John White and Alex Maskey in the Mayor’s parlour, there is a plethora of warnings about the consequences of any further violence. Sinn Fein claim that the UDA is on a sustained campaign of …

Julie Burchill had the chattering classes chattering, like she rarely has before with a fairly cack-handed attack on Ken Livingstone’s support for the London St Patrick’s Parade earlier this year. Malachi O’Doherty suggests some may be losing a sense of …

Though the summer has been accompanied with its share of tragedy, Kevin Connelly sees real change coming in the longer term. It’s the silly season in NI. Many politicians are away on holiday taking stock of the summers activities, and …

From Monday I will be in Ireland for three weeks. Though posting may be less regular, I hope to bring you more direct accounts of political and cultural life in Northern Ireland.

Tim Butcher reports that the First Minister may be blocked from representing Northern Ireland at the World Summit for Sustainable Development. Earlier this year Dermot Nebitt’s private secretary laid out the measures the Minister was taking in preparation for the …

Brian Walker quotes from an essay by Arthur Aughy from a collection called Aspects of the Belfast Agreement, suggesting that unionists need to break out of what Aughy calls “an orgy of self-pity and culture of fatalism”. Meanwhile, despite numerous …

Several reports by BBC, RTE and Irish Times.

Veteran journalist from the BBC and now the Belfast Telegraph Eric Waugh examines the relationship between the Secretary of State and the erstwhile (well this is Northern Ireland) First Minister. He comments on the difficulties of d’Hondt mechanism for deciding …

Ni fhaca me an leithid!! If you want to shortcut years of study and great summers in the Gaeltacht, just to take your neighbour down a peg or two in the ould tongue, try this. Looks like hours of fun!