Conviction: possession of a weapon Sentence: 14 years Joined Hunger Strike: 9th May Suicided 8th July Born on the Falls Road as the youngest child in a family of 10, Joe McDonnell is claimed not to have been involved with the paramilitaries in th… more »

Having purchased Faith And Duty from a Belfast bookshop some time back, I broguht it to Botanic Gardens with me last time I ventured out to enjoy the sunshine here (about a month ago then) but didn't open it. Today when I returned to Botanic it was still… more »

The Conservatives today accused Peter Hain's NIO of acting "like an arrogant colonial despot" over the Education Reform Order which will see grammar schools in Northern Ireland abolished. (For background, Kenneth Bloomfield summarises quite well in the T… more »

As I said previously, I will (unlike some journalists) try and reserve judgement on The Wind That Shakes The Barley until I get a chance to see it, however it seems that my initial initial doubts over the director's mental state (apparently he's on the… more »

The organisers of the inclusive West Belfast Festival and Sinn Fein have both criticised a government decision to award funding to the tune of £104,000 to the Orange Order over three years. Despite the fact that they were awarded by different b… more »

Senior figures in Sinn Fein are contemplating withdrawing the party from the assembly in September, some time before the 24th November deadline set by the governments. It's unclear at the moment whether this is a serious threat or just a publicity stunt… more »

MPs from the DUP and UUP have joined with the SDLP and Sinn Fein in urging the Minister for Social Development, David Hanson, not to repeal Northern Ireland's antiquated licensing laws by bringing the licensing procedures inline with those in England and… more »

It's stories like this one that make me wonder who would object to having CCTV cameras in their local area. Anything that drives the message home to thugs like the three lads in this story who will be taking an extended holiday at Her Majesty's pleasure.… more »

When Monsignor Denis Faul died last week I have to confess as to now knowing who he was or why he was important. In fact it wasn't until Mick Fealty pointed out this piece in the Times and I then googled a bit until I came across his obituary in the Guar… more »

I just received an email from the IFA regarding a break in last week in which a large number of Northern Ireland kits (including training kits) were stolen from the IFA shop at Windsor Avenue. If you're tempted into buying a kit off the back of a lorr… more »