Brian O'Neill 
In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any …
That a Fine Gael ex-Taoiseach would emerge as a primary advocate for Irish reunification was not on my bingo card. From the Irish Times: Irish-America can offer vitally needed help in the next steps to bring about “the great cause” of Irish unity, former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told an audience in the United States. Speaking in Philadelphia to guests of the pro-unity campaign group, Ireland’s Future, Mr Varadkar said they had all gathered “as friends of Ireland – and …
From the Beltel: Deprivation is much higher in Northern Ireland than in any other part of the UK, according to new research by Queen’s University. Two local authorities here — Derry and Strabane, and Belfast — have more deprived areas than any of the other 374 local authorities in Britain. Northern Ireland has the highest level of the most deprived areas in the UK at 25%. It was followed by the North East of England at 21%, and the West …
The Irish News reports that Belfast City Council’s controversial policy on bilingual street signs has gone international with applications for signage displaying Japanese, Mandarin and Hebrew. Mandarin makes sense; Belfast has a sizeable Chinese community. Japanese? Well… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But it was Hewbrew that caught my eye. From the article: Meanwhile, applications for Hebrew have been received for both Tates Avenue in south Belfast, and the nearby Ebor Street in the loyalist Village area. Now, I pass through Tates Avenue fairly …
American President has followed through on his threat to impose an additional 50% tariff on China after they imposed reciprocal tariffs on American goods. Beijing has vowed to “fight to the end” in its trade war with Washington. As China makes a third of the world’s goods, this will have a massive effect on the price of goods for US consumers and cause yet more pressure on US households. Businesses are also complaining that bringing back a lot of production …
From the BelTel: Bishop Dónal Mac Keown claims these services are being carried out by an ultra-conservative splinter group of the Society of Pius the Tenth known as SSPX Resistance. The Society of Pius the Tenth was founded in 1970 as a traditional Catholic reaction to the reforms of the faith brought about by the second Vatican council. They are best known for retaining the Tridentine mass – commonly known as the Latin mass. Bishop McKeown says the church does …
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. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not …
In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any …
A while back, I was walking down my street when I spotted a neighbour’s young lad out on his bike. Both tyres were flat. Not a huge deal — I’m a cyclist, I’ve got a decent pump — easy fix. But then the doubt crept in. “Should I? Will it look weird? What if his parents think I’m some dodgy bloke paying attention to their kid?” And so, I walked on. The kid kept wobbling along on his pancake-flat tyres, …
Our position in the UK and the EU is proving beneficial today as President Trump releases details of his tariff plans. Asia, which makes most of the world’s crap consumer goods, gets hit hardest. Ireland as part of the EU was hit with a 20% on its goods. In 2024, almost a third of Ireland’s total exports were to the US – worth £61bn. The UK did better with a 10% tariff, and as we are part of the UK, …
Not to be outdone by Doug Beattie and Peter Robinson, Jim Allister MP becomes the latest Unionist leader to put pen to paper. Whereas Doug Beattie regaled us with his war exploits and Peter Robinson went for ‘Witty Putdowns and Clever Insults‘, Jim Allister has embraced a very different subject matter – a historical romance novel. The MP for North Antrim’s new book is ‘Beneath an Antrim Sky’, according to the blurb on the back: In the rolling green hills …
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. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not …
In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any …
I was chatting with a friend who told me a story about a place he worked in a few years ago. The staff in his department were fed up paying high prices for takeaway coffee, so they decided to chip together and buy one of those fancy bean-to-cup machines for their break room. All was well for a few months. He and his colleagues enjoyed their freshly brewed coffee, and all was well with the world—until. The organisation was doing …
Turn that frown upside down. Belfast is the happiest place in the country, according to the Office for National Statistics. This may come as a surprise to the actual residents of Belfast and somewhat contradicts our sky-high rates of antidepressant use: Interesting facts on anti-depressants in NI, from today's prescribing statistics report 📰 1 in 5 people in NI had an anti-depressant prescription in 2022/23 25% of women14.8% of men Highest in 45-64 age group ⚠️38.6% of women aged 45-64 …
The Beltel reports: Party finance spokesperson Eóin Tennyson has said squandering nearly £1bn every year to duplicate services in a divided society, extra policing and security costs, and lost investment and tourism was an expense the Executive could no longer afford. He was speaking as the party is due to bring a motion before the Assembly on Tuesday (25 March) calling for a Stormont action plan to tackle the cost of division, which was estimated to be up to £833m …
I am reading John Higgs’s excellent book Love and Let Die. It combines two of my favourite topics – The Beatles and James Bond. I recommend it; it’s a great read. Anyhoo, this section about the English establishment is worth sharing: Even today a third of the UK is still owned by just 1,200 aristocrats and their families. Gerald Grosvenor was the sixth Duke of Westminster and one of the richest people, and largest landowners, in the country. When asked …
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. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not …
In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any …
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. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not …
