Chris Donnelly

Unionist councillors in Belfast have renewed their opposition to funding Belfast’s St. Patrick’s Day festival next year, in spite of findings from a council funded independent survey that indicated general support for the festivities amongst protestants this year. The grounds for continued opposition cited by UUP councillor Jim Rodgers was that the carnival remains a “coat-trailing exercise.” Of course, such considerations were swept aside when unionist councillors voted to fund loyalist 11th night bonfires, which of course are inclusive gatherings… …

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I was on a Stag party at the weekend, which began at the fabulous Dundalk Greyhound Stadium. Needless to say, my wallet was considerably lighter after transactions with the on-site bookmakers. One friend, bemoaning his successive losses, begrudgingly claimed it was all a fix anyway. Looks like he could have been onto something… Chris Donnelly

The troubled village of Stoneyford, Co. Antrim, will be the scene of an eleventh night bonfire parade again this year. We are often told the value placed on ‘traditional routes’ by loyalist orders and marching bands. Yet in Stoneyford, controversy has erupted following the application by the Pride of the Village Flute Band to parade into new housing developments for the second year in a row. Local residents believe the reason for this bizarre application is quite simple: the marching …

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President Mary McAleese and UDA leader Jackie McDonald will be in attendance for the launch of a cross-community project in south Belfast. The Finaghy Crossroads Group is jointly chaired by former UDP representative, Harry Smith, and Sinn Fein representative for the area, Stiofan Long. The group aims to reduce sectarian tensions in the Finaghy area and promote it as a safe, mixed environment. Chris Donnelly

This thought came to me when posting on Mick’s thread about who was the greatest, Keane or Best. Since that one’s a ‘no-brainer’ (apologies to relevant blow-in British Minister) I came up with this idea. Whether it’s soccer, gaelic, rugby, athletics or something else, let’s hear nominations for the greatest Irish sporting moment.I have my own thoughts, which are clearly biased by personal memories and interests. Personal achievements Stephen Roche’s Tour de France victory in 1987; Barry McGuigan’s defeat of …

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Sinn Fein has proposed that one of north Antrim’s most famous sons, Roger Casement, be remembered by two of the local councils in the area. Amongst the ideas to be put forward to Moyle and Ballymena Councils are the setting up of a Casement exhibition in the Ballycastle Museum. Roger Casement’s life, as much as any individual to come from this island, is a fascinating story: one time British diplomat, championed- and knighted- for his work on behalf of indigenous …

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Jude Collins has been following the reaction of some in the media to Ken Loach’s award-winning film, The Wind that shakes the barley. He points to a number of films which glorified violence, following a simple narrative, which did not arouse similarly hysterical reactions in the British media due to the fact that, in those films, the good guys were an altogether different sort of chaps. Meanwhile, the differing takes on the story by the British tabloids and their offspring …

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Sinn Fein-dominated Strabane Council (the party holds 8 of the 16 seats) has elected its first DUP chairman, Thomas Kerrigan, with the unanimous support of the Council. However, the election of the Vice-chairman, Sinn Fein’s Gerard Foley, did not receive the reciprocal backing of the DUP. Five years ago, Mr. Kerrigan’s decision to shake hands with Sinn Fein’s Ivan Barr led to the DUP man finding himself on the receiving end of some criticism from unionist quarters. There was no …

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In a sign of the troubled state of Ulster hurling, Antrim Hurling chairman Pat Connolly, and Minor team joint Manager, Dominic McKinley, have publicly backed calls for the county’s Hurling teams to be allowed to participate in the Leinster provincial championships. Unlike football, hurling continues to be a sport played at the highest level by only a small number of counties- mostly confined to Munster and Leinster (except for Galway, of course.) So has the time come for Hurling to …

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The umbrella group for voluntary organisations, NICVA, has attacked the NIO for introducing a sectarian element into its funding programmes for local communities in the north. Paul McGill of NICVA, in a stinging attack on the NIO, stated, “We believe the government has been playing a very dangerous game in introducing this sectarian element.” The NIO has rejected the allegations. Chris Donnelly

The DUP’s South Down loyalist band have been accused of participating in a sectarian parade aimed at exacerbating tensions in Ballymena, only a matter of weeks after loyalists killed young catholic Michael McIlveen in the town. Marching with bands carrying UVF flags and to pro-UDA chants, the South Down DUPers deliberately stopped outside All Saints catholic church to bang out some loyalist tunes. Update: A number of contributors have rightly pointed out that the Kilcluney Volunteers are a separate entity …

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The DUP appeared at sixes and sevens again today. First the party was accused by Alliance and Sinn Fein of having a ‘negative’ attitude regarding its refusal to agree the allocation of the post of Chairman of the new ‘committee’ at Stormont, then Ian Paisley saw his bizarre demand for a two-week extension for the Assembly dismissed out of hand by Peter Hain. All of which follows the great misunderstanding between Peter Robinson and Ian Paisley over how the party …

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Despite efforts by some to portray a differing picture, republicans have remained utterly bemused by the fantastic allegations made by the British intelligence officer, ‘Martin Ingram’, about Martin McGuinness. Both Laurence McKeown and Jude Collins dismiss the story in their weeky pieces. Chris Donnelly

Looks like RTE has decided to run with an Irish version of the highly popular and successful BBC Quiz programme. The channel is advertising a three hour long Test the Nation for Monday 5th June, which will put questions to a studio audience- as well as registered viewers nationwide- about events which occurred in Ireland in the past 20 years. Visit the website to register, where you can also take a mock test to get a flavour for the type …

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The speculation is mounting that the paramiltary organisation linked to a member of the Ulster Unionist Assembly party committed this afternoon’s shooting in Mossley. Shall we await with baited breath the imminent announcement of an emergency IMC Report? What prospect is there of fines being introduced for the political party in question? And are those pigs flying outside my window?? Chris Donnelly

Many of the papers have dedicated articles in recent days to on-going internal ‘difficulties’ within the UDA. It would appear that the Shoukri brothers have fallen foul of a number of their former ‘colleagues,’ and could be facing expulsion from the organisation in the time ahead. Whatever about the nature of the argument, a hyped-up UDA in north Belfast and south-east Antrim is about the last thing everybody needs as we approach the Summer, particularly given that many of the …

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Ken Loach’s ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’ has claimed the Palme D’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is about brothers who join the republican struggle during the Tan war and continues into the post-treaty civil war period. It is due for release in Ireland in June. Loach also won a top accolade at the Cannes Festival for his 1990 film Hidden Agenda, which was about the British army’s shoot-to-kill campaign in the 1980s. Chris Donnelly

We’ve had the residents, Sinn Fein, SDLP and High Court judges; now it’s the turn of George Quigley, author of a government-comissioned report into the Parades Commission, to criticise the appointment of the two Orangemen to the Commission: “One should not have on the body those who are involved in the parades issue itself,” Quigley is reported as saying, indicating that this formed part of the conclusion of his report prepared for the government. He continued by calling for the …

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Proof (if needed) that the rancid sectarianism that has reared its head in Ballymena remains undiminished by the brutal sectarian killing of Michael McIlveen: some mourners attending the funeral had their car stoned by loyalists (story being carried in more detail on UTV television but not yet on internet.) Chris Donnelly

Prominent SDLP supporter and Irish News columnist, Tom Kelly, has launched a stinging attack on the party for agreeing to participate in the Stormont chamber discussions/debates. He has a go at the “less politically aware” party members who seem “anxious to take whatever crumbs fall from the table,” dismissing the entire ‘charade’ as “a feudal if not imperial form of governance.” Chris Donnelly