Following the launch of his new book ‘Talking to Terrorists,” former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Jonathan Powell, writes exclusively for Slugger about the lessions he learned from his time working on the Northern Ireland peace process The Northern Ireland negotiations were the most difficult and frustrating challenge I faced in my more…
I saw this bin in Portstewart at the weekend. No idea why they do not accept flags. All suggestions welcome.
If Jason O’Mahoney is not in your reader, or in your Twitterverse, you should fix that now. Here’s some highlights from his state of the parties (the added emphases are mine): Fine Gael: continue to consolidate themselves as the dominant party of the centre-right, business, stability and the political status quo. That’s not to be disparaging, as that’s more…
With regards to girls doing well with the love and support of their community, the news from west Cork is hopeful… Ciara Judge, 16, Emer Hickey, 17, and Sophie Healy-Thow, 17, were noted for their discovery of bacteria that deposits nitrogen from the atmosphere into soil. The Kinsale Community College students scooped the grand prize more…
This is a key example of the sort of all-island planning that should be speeded up in all sectors. Good to see that flag waving doesn’t come into it. But the “black hole” must be filled. .. fears have been voiced that more families will face a uncertainty over where operations will take place in England more…
Unpopular opinion time. I think I might like Stewart Parker’s work more than that of Brian Friel. I know. It’s basically heresy to say that. Here in Belfast where the local theatre-going populace breaks out in a cold sweat if one of the local theatres doesn’t stage Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Dancing at Lughnasa more…
Ahead of the UUP Conference on Saturday, Irish News political correspondent, John Manley sat down with the party leader, Mike Nesbitt to discuss Unionist unity and the upcoming Westminster elections. Let’s begin with the UUP target seats for the upcoming election that Nesbitt thinks are ripe for his party He identifies DUP-held South Antrim and more…
RTE Morning Ireland, 28th November 2013 Rachel English interviews Mary Lou McDonald regarding remarks made by Micheal Martin after he’d had a private briefing with Ms Cahill… Rachel English: If I can give you a quote from what he [Micheal Martin] said yesterday “I have to say from information we have picked up, and we more…
It’s hard to know what to say about tonight’s Spotlight programme, except to recall that the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung who once noted that the possession of secrets acts like a poison which alienates their possessor from the community. It was the public confession of Aine Adams in late 2009 that finally persuaded Mairia Cahill to more…
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As many of you may be aware, the Sinn Féin students at Queens University in Belfast have succeeded in gaining sufficient votes to trigger a “united Ireland Poll” among the student body. This matter seems to have energised parts of the mainstream media to an inordinate degree, particularly the Belfast Telegraph. Personally I am all more…
Photo by Redmum, taken 12 October 2014 The military cemetery at Arbour Hill prison is the burial place of 14 of the executed leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. Among those buried there are Patrick Pearse, James Connolly and Major John MacBride. The leaders were executed in Kilmainham Gaol and their bodies were transported to Arbour more…
In 2011 during the election of William Hay as speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly it was agreed that Sinn Féin would assume the post in May 2014. First Minister Peter Robinson (DUP) confirmed the deal to the Stormont Assembly. Following William Hay’s retirement due to ill health the DUP apparently reneged on the more…
So Dublin South West? An unlucky loss for Sinn Fein. With a sitting TD, they should have easily wrapped it up. Fiach Kelly in the Irish Times: Dublin South West should have been the perfect constituency for the party. Last week’sIrish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll put it in first place in Dublin, on 26 per cent, more…
If Gallahers leaves Ballymena it will mark the end of one of Northern Ireland’s long term industrial successes. Originally founded in Derry in 1857 by Tom Gallaher, the Gallaher group built itself up into a world wide concern by the end of the 19th Century. Ian Paisley Junior was very quick to pin the blame on Sinn Fein more…
BBC NI’s Spotlight programme tonight investigates the republican movement’s handling of sexual abuse allegations against a suspected IRA member. Maíria Cahill has waived her right to anonymity to tell how the republican movement responded to her allegations by first investigating them, then burying them and imposing a code of silence to protect the movement. She more…
The news on Mitchel McLaughlin not getting the seat Peter Robinson once promised him, in two Tweets… One, if Mitchel ain’t getting it, no one is… McLaughlin didn't get the post then as expected? @mickfealty this truly is a farce of a govt http://t.co/Wlf30E34dk — Katie-o (@kateyo) October 13, 2014 Two, some context… Unionists causing more…
So this morning, I am genuinely sorry to say, was another Sinn Fein car crash on Nolan. No doubt the party flaks will be giving him stick for being too harsh on Alex Maskey (usually a master of the talk over the interviewer technique). Yet that would be wrong on so many levels. If ever there more…
Peter Shirlow has to deal with politicians and so cannot afford to sound completely exasperated or polemical. Informed by his detailed work in the communities he discusses the perceived gap between public attitudes and the starker political positions in the Belfast Telegraph, in the light of the recent LucidTalk poll commissioned by the paper. I would only add more…
Photo by: Marty O’Connor The North West Mountain Rescue team coming of Croagh Patrick on reek Sunday. Every team on the island attends to provide cover for up to 20,000 pilgrims climbing the mountain on the last Sunday of July. The exercise starts around 3.00 the night before when the teams deploy, A team can more…
