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 …
In his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy JD Vance wrote that “to understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart” So writing from the heart on X Vance waded into the lists in the politicians’ row over the murder of Henry Novak “He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom …
It was the Monday of St. Patrick’s week 1988. I was driving to my work in Newcastle Co. Down having just got my girlfriend’s father’s blessing for our marriage, making me the happiest man in Ireland. I turned the radio on. These rivers run too deep With schemes of men for days that lay ahead They sell their souls so cheap That breed distrust and fill my heart with dread Just released this week that’s the new single Broken Land …
By Brendan Mulgrew, Managing Partner, MW Advocate Later this month Belfast will host what I believe is one of the most significant civic gatherings ever held on the island of Ireland. For the first time, all twelve cities across the island will come together under one roof for the 2026 Summit of the Cities at Belfast City Hall. Elected representatives, civic leaders, business representatives, academics, policymakers, cultural leaders and urban experts will gather to discuss the opportunities and challenges that …
Northern Ireland argues about special educational needs as a problem of delivery. The first question is where in the school system the need is concentrated, and its selective structure has already decided that before any reform has begun. The long-awaited reform of special educational needs (SEN) in Northern Ireland is now being pursued from several directions at once. In February, the Education Minister, Paul Givan, wrote to every school leader, requiring all mainstream schools the Education Authority (EA) considers suitable …
DUP’s Tracy Kelly hands over chain of office to new Belfast mayor Róis-Máire Donnelly from Sinn Féin. pic.twitter.com/VqZ9m8ckNd — Mark Simpson (@BBCMarkSimpson) June 2, 2026 This exchange seems to have resonated with a lot of people, and it’s easy to see why. As DUP councillor Tracy Kelly hands over the chain of office to Sinn Féin’s Róis-Máire Donnelly, the genuine warmth of the exchange is hard to miss. Why do moments like this seem to strike a chord? Does our …
Fresh from taking a bit of a battering in the May 22 by elections in the Republic , Sinn Fein have received a setback for their ambition to build a left wing coalition in the Republic to challenge the Fine Gael – Fianna Fail partnership. The ambition had looked like a goer after the success of the tentative left wing alliance to secure the election as President of the left leaning independent Catherine Connolly. But now,after the qualified victory in …
Sadly, I recently witnessed a serious motorbike accident close to where I live. As paramedics, police officers and concerned members of the public gathered to help, my immediate thoughts were with the rider and their well-being. The incident also left me reflecting more broadly on the safety of our local roads and whether enough is being done to protect those who use them. A report recently published by Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure and NISRA, Motorcyclist KSI Casualties in Northern …
I understand the reasons for encouraging ‘politically correct language’ (today we would use the term ‘woke’) but have also been suspicious of the motives of some of its adherents. Correcting offensive language is necessary and takes courage, but sometimes those who know the politically correct phrases seemed to enjoy far too much their superior knowledge. In the 1980s they reminded me of the sort of dinner companion who would enjoy correcting you if you used the wrong cutlery during your …
Finance Minister announces £102.6 million for transformation projects On Tuesday (26 May), Finance Minister John O’Dowd announced £102.6 million for an additional six projects to transform public services. The funding is the remaining allocation of a £235 million financial package pledged by the UK Government to restore Northern Ireland’s devolved institutions in 2024, known as the “transformation fund”. The six projects recommended by the Transformation Board include: £42m for an e-Pharmacy scheme replacing paper prescriptions; £29.2m for the Together for Families project …
Police are treating the anti-Islam mural at Tulleevin Walk as a hate incident, not a hate crime. This softer approach could make the law seem outpaced by AI, but it is better explained by a decision the courts here reached a decade ago. Newtownabbey was exposed to two pieces of anti-immigration intimidation within a few days of each other. The first was crude “locals only” graffiti on shop shutters at Abbots Cross, misspelt, with an apparent threat to burn residents …
It was nearly two years ago that Doug Beattie resigned as UUP leader after losing an internal debate over who would fill the Assembly seat vacated when Robin Swann was elected to Westminster in the 2024 General Election. Since then, various snippets of news have indicated all was not well in relations between Beattie and his UUP colleagues. A few weeks ago, there were rumours that he was poised to be deselected by his constituency association in favour of local …
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 …
My life is brilliant My love is pure I saw an angel Of that I’m sure My life is brilliant. Is that so? That’s what I ask James Blunt as I travel from the panoramic north coast to the madhouse that is the Crumlin Road in Belfast. The previous year I was working in peaceful Mid Ulster but was transferred to manage a new department store in the most volatile interface in Belfast. As I manoeuvre past the burnt out …
Some of the more interesting reactions to this week’s Programme for Government progress update from the Northern Ireland Executive came not from the politicians themselves, but from analysts and commentators pointing out something that I, and it would seem, many other people instinctively felt while reading it. John Manley in The Irish News spoke of a report “…..heavy on numbers but light on accomplishments” One of the key points that Pivotal highlighted in its analysis of the document was this: …
According to ‘The Belfast Telegraph’s’ report on the matter, our leaders at Stormont believe Northern Ireland is racing towards something of a fiscal cliff… ‘Devolved ministers in Northern Ireland have yet to agree a budget for the current financial year and have insisted they need more financial support from the Treasury to plug an estimated £1 billion hole in their balance sheet and deliver spending plans that avoid dramatic cuts to public services. On Thursday, DUP deputy First Minister Emma …
Readers may be aware that today marks the beginning of the trial of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. The PSNI have posted a warning about online commentary on this case A police spokesperson said: “As legal proceedings are ongoing in a high-profile sexual offences case, we are reminding the public that speculation and commentary online may prejudice proceedings. “Publishing information which could directly or indirectly identify complainants is a criminal offence.” Slugger O’Toole’s stance on this matter is clear. Do …
Front-line services in ‘crisis situation’ without a budget, Justice Minister warns Justice Minister Naomi Long has warned that front-line services such as policing, probation, prisons and the youth justice agency are facing a “crisis situation” due to the lack of a budget. The Executive has not been able to agree on a multi-year budget. Minister Long said the proposed draft budget published by Finance Minister John O’Dowd in January would have left the Department of Justice with a shortfall of …
A couple of weeks back I noted that moves were afoot in the Oireachtas to end Ireland’s historic prohibition of nuclear power, on the foot of the Electricity Regulation (Removal of Nuclear Fission Prohibitions) Bill 2026 which was submitted to the Oireachtas Bills Office. Ireland banned electricity generation from nuclear fission with the passage of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (section 12, paragraph 6). During the 1960s and 1970s, adoption of nuclear power was under active consideration in Ireland and …
