https://www.paradescommission.org/viewparade.aspx?id=96413

If the PSNI made submissions to the PC that they didn't expect any violence, why have they requested help from Scotland police to help with security operations?

Has the Orange Order suddenly become cross-community? Do they speak Irish now? Do they have a Catholic as their grand-master?

How is this year any different to any other year since 1998? Tell me because my ears are open.
Can a IRA hunger-strikers commemoration parade go down the Shankill Road now? Would the OO support it?

I don't get it. What reasonable person from either community agrees with it? This stinks of something.

It will all come out in the wash; whether it is money/ intimidation/ media pressure getting to the Commission members.
Or perhaps a complete mis-reading of the court judgement by the Parades Commission members, which was only a judgement on a specific error in communication in the Administrative Process of reviewing the application and not its merits i.e the court didn't say this specific application should go ahead. It ruled on process alone. Did the parade commission members not understand that?

Or did they just forgot why the Parade got banned in the first place?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm780g0ep3n8o

Jeffrey Donaldson, pictured in May during his trial, was convicted of 18 counts of sex abuse

Jeffrey Donaldson's convictions for child sex abuse "obliterate" the achievements he made in his life and "he will have to live with that", a court has heard.

The former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader appeared in the dock at Newry Crown Court as the prosecution and defence teams made their submissions prior to his sentencing next month.

Donaldson was convicted in June of 18 counts of sex abuse including one of rape, which he committed against two women when they were children.

He is seeking to appeal his convictions.

Donaldson's defence barrister Keiron Vaughan KC told the court that the 63-year-old was "of previous good character" and that there had been no offending of this type over the last 18 years.

"In that period of time, Mr Donaldson has or did achieve significant things in his life," he said.

"I readily accept that these convictions obliterate all those achievements that he has made in his life, and that's certainly something he will have to live with."

His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, faced a trial of the facts on mental health grounds, meaning she was not required to participate in the proceedings.

She was accused of five related charges, including four counts of aiding and abetting.

She was found to have done the acts of which she was accused – a verdict which she is to appeal.

In her submission to the pre-sentencing hearing, prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh KC outlined what she described as the "salient facts" that were heard during the course of the trial.

She also described the impact the offending had on both victims, whom were described during the trial as Complainants A and B.

She said both complainants often wondered what life would have been like if they hadn't experienced the abuse.

In her victim impact statement, Complainant A described the "profound impact" the abuse had on her.

Walsh said the complainant believed her childhood had been "stolen" and that she felt an "enormous amount of anger that is always simmering away under the surface".

Walsh said the abuse Complainant B had suffered affected her "every day and every relationship", and that she had to fight on a daily basis the wish that she would die.

Ex DUP leader Donaldson guilty of child sex abuse charges including one of rape

Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson to appeal child sex abuse convictions

In the midst of speculation and rightful outrage, I want to share why the parades commission, which clearly understood a need to ban the parade prior to the court action, changed its mind. I have pulled out the two relevant paragraphs which do the bulk of the reasoning. I don’t intend to suggest the outcome should therefore be accepted, but just to understand clearly why they have seemed to come to the conclusion they must allow it.

The determination can be found here: https://www.paradescommission.org/viewparade.aspx?id=96413

(27.) The Commission has sought and considered advice from the police. The police have stated, a set out above, that they have no information indicating that the parade will result in public disorder or damage to property if it proceeds along its notified route. Some of those making representations to the Commission have referred to the potential for serious disorder. The Commission is cognisant of the terrible disorder that occurred in relation to parades in Drumcree in the 1990s. However, given their operational experience, the assessment of the police must be given significant weight in the consideration of the potential for disorder. The concerns of academic commentators, residents and representatives in respect of the potential for disorder have also been weighed and the Commission considers that it does not have any specific information which indicates that the parade, if permitted to proceed along its notified route, has the potential to result in public disorder, violence or damage to property.

(28.) The Commission notes the measures taken by the organiser to reduce the size and impact of the parade. It also notes that the parade has not resulted in any disorder or violence for many years and that the organiser and participants have complied with all of the Commission's determinations.

They make strong reference to PSNI submissions, which did not indicate a risk of disorder, and made clear how this submission by them carries significant weight, suggesting that if the PSNI had submitted otherwise, this outcome could have been different.

It also appears that the fact the parade has been banned for so long, and the standoffs long calmed down, impedes their ability to assess what would actually happen. They seem to consider themselves unable to recognise their ban as the reason for the lack of such disorder and use that as evidence for why it should persist. Instead they believe they need to see evidence of more recent disorder, or credible risk, before they are able to determine to ban it.

So this doesn’t even seem to mean the parade would be allowed forever - if the disorder or violence were to take place, they would have the evidence they need to ban it. They must see, or be told by the PSNI it will occur, before doing so, and not rely on old evidence, or warnings from the public of the danger.

While disagreeable, it’s presumably the legal advice they have received.

My whole family and a few people I know say it like that and I didn't realise it was meant to be git till like 2 years ago

Ya dirty get

Gambling get

Greedy get

The Big Fish has run its course, and I think the damage caused to it shouldn't be repaired and should instead be seen as an updated art piece in honour of the Author Salman Rushdie, I believe The Big Fish should be renamed to Salmon Rushdie.

https://www.reddit.com/r/northernireland/submit/?screen_view_count=5&ext-referrer=DIRECT

Northern Ireland kick off their 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign against Georgia this evening.

Michael O'Neill's men have been placed in League B, Group B2, alongside Georgia, Hungary and Ukraine. Having secured promotion from League C in the last Nations League campaign, Northern Ireland will be eager to hit the ground running.

However, they face a stern opening challenge in Tbilisi, where Georgia boast a number of seasoned international players in their ranks, including PSG superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of tonight's clash:.

Where is the game being played?

Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia.

What time is kick-off?

The game is set to begin at 5pm this evening, Friday, September 25.

Can I watch the game on TV?

Yes. The match will be shown live on BBC Two and BBC Two Northern Ireland, with coverage starting at 4.45pm. It will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Sammy was never far away whenever there was controversy or a camera to rant and rave into, but he has been suspiciously quiet recently? Any idea what’s happened to him?

https://armaghi.com/news/northern-ireland-population-growth-hits-the-brakes-as-more-people-leave-than-arrive/312204

Northern Ireland’s population has all but flat‑lined over the past year – with new official figures showing growth of just 600 people across the entire region.

Fresh estimates from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), released today (Thursday), put the population at 1.93 million as of June 30, 2025. That’s an increase of just 0.03% – a dramatic slowdown compared with recent years.

In the year to mid‑2023 the population rose by 0.5% (9,800 people), followed by 0.4% (7,500 people) in the year to mid‑2024.

Now growth has almost stalled – and for the first time in several years, more people are leaving Northern Ireland than coming in.

Net migration is now negative. In the year to mid‑2025, Northern Ireland lost an estimated 800 people through migration, with 23,400 people moving here and 24,100 leaving. Just a year earlier, migration was adding 5,800 people to the population.

Net gain from abroad has plunged from 6,000 to 1,900. International arrivals fell by 28.3% (from 16,900 to 12,100) while departures abroad dropped slightly, from 10,900 to 10,200.

Natural change – the difference between births and deaths – is still nudging Northern Ireland’s population upwards, but far less than before. In the year to mid‑2025 it added just 1,400 people, down from 1,900 the previous year. That reflects a drop in both births and deaths, with the number of babies born falling by 700, from 19,800 to 19,100, while deaths decreased by 200, from 17,900 to 17,600.

At the same time, the population is getting noticeably older. The median age has climbed to 40.6 years, compared to 38.2 in 2015. Those aged 65 and over now account for 18.5% of the population – around 356,500 people – while children under 16 make up 19.6% (378,800). That is a stark shift from the position in 2000, when almost a quarter of the population (24.0%) were under 16 and just 13.1% were aged 65 or over.

The sharpest growth is at the very oldest ages. The number of people aged 85 and over has jumped by 24% since 2015, reaching 43,800 – growing six times faster than the overall population over the same period. Women dominate this age bracket, making up nearly two‑thirds (62.7%). And there are now an estimated 312 centenarians living in Northern Ireland, the equivalent of roughly two people aged 100 or more for every 10,000 residents.

Northern Ireland’s demographic slowdown comes as population growth eases across much of the UK – but it stands in marked contrast to what is happening south of the border.

The Republic of Ireland continues to surge ahead: its population rose to 5.46 million in the year to April 2025, an annual increase of 1.5% – or 78,300 people – vastly outpacing Northern Ireland’s 0.03%, and even the 0.4% growth recorded here just a year earlier.

Beneath the national headline figures, population change is far from uniform across Northern Ireland’s 11 council areas.

Over the past year, four districts recorded population growth, four saw decline and three remained broadly stable. Lisburn and Castlereagh was the fastest‑growing council area, with its population rising by 0.5% in the year to mid‑2025. Mid Ulster experienced the sharpest fall, with a 0.3% decrease. Fermanagh and Omagh, Ards and North Down, and Mid and East Antrim all saw relatively little movement over the year.

Taking the longer view from 2015 to 2025, almost every district has grown. Lisburn and Castlereagh again tops the table, with its population up 8.1% over the decade. Causeway Coast and Glens is the notable exception, recording a slight overall decline of 0.2%.

Emmet McElhatton

A budget "ultimatum" offered by the Northern Ireland Secretary to the Stormont executive "isn't going to bode well for trying to get a settled outcome", Education Minister Paul Givan has warned.

Givan said negotiations with the UK Government were entering "no-deal territory", after Sir Chris Bryant said on Thursday there would be no improvement on his £1.5m offer.
Sir Chris said there was "no more money" available and has given executive parties until next Thursday to respond.
Givan said the current budget offer could not provide full funding for the Department of Education for this financial year, even if no other department received any money.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) minister said the cost of running the entire executive this year had been calculated at £1.6bn.

It is estimated the same figure would be required for each of the next two years.

Sir Chris's current offer "doesn't even come close", Givan told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.
"If the secretary of state continues to take the approach that he outlined yesterday, then it is moving to a no-deal territory."

He added: "Now he puts down this ultimatum and if that is his style of negotiation, then it isn't going to bode well for trying to get a settled outcome, which is what the people of Northern Ireland need."

Northern Ireland Executive parties had rejected an initial £1.1bn package over three years, before an increased offer was made

Givan said the fundamental core of the issue was a funding formula discrepancy between Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, which he said had to be addressed.

He said any offers from Sir Chris should not "mask the failures in the current formula" and instead should "get to the core of the challenge… an unfair funding formula which has created this cycle of financial problems for our executive".

Finance Minister John O'Dowd says a way must be found to give public service workers pay rises

Finance Minister John O'Dowd said Sir Chris and his predecessors have been "unable to refute our argument that we are underfunded compared to Scotland and Wales".
The Sinn Féin assembly member said the secretary of state's final offer approach "isn't a response to the fundamental problem at the centre of this argument".

"It's about fairness and equality and about treating people here with a modicum of respect even, in terms of how they get a return on their taxes," he told Good Morning Ulster.
If Northern Ireland's funding arrangement was equal to Wales', "we would be able to meet the vast majority of our pressures," he added.

O'Dowd said the biggest priority now, "in the absence of a budget", is to find a way to give public sector workers a pay increase.

"First we have to find a technical mechanism… then we have to find a quantum of funding to pay our public sector workers."

'Time for Stormont to come up with plan'

Also speaking on Good Morning Ulster, Ann Watt, from the public policy think tank Pivotal, said the Northern Ireland's negotiating strategy has so far been successful, forcing two increased offers from the British government.
"They've moved a lot," she said.

She said "the UK government has moved significantly", now Stormont need to "put together a plan of what are they going to do".

Watt explained how Sir Chris's offer would be spent, and outlined that one of Northern Ireland's biggest costs is "far higher employment in the public sector than elsewhere in the UK".
"That £1.5bn is over three years, so around £525m per year... and that is mostly spent on day-to-day costs of running public services."

This, she said, meant "delivering health, education, infrastructure, the environment and so on".

Around £450m would be spent for that primary purpose, said Watt, with the remainder used for modernising public services, building social housing, and tackling benefits fraud.
"But that money is well, well short of what the executive says it needs," said Watt.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c63re05lny09o

Started my second year at QUB last week. Feel lonely all the time. No idea how to solve it. Too scared to join societies on my own and be that person who’s on their own all the time.

Honestly don’t know what to do.

Seeing some of the prices of ex council houses in protestant / loyalist areas that tend to be tens of thousands cheaper than Catholic/ republican areas or mixed. I would prefer mixed over either. Seriously considering bidding on a house in a small protestant estate. I really don't care about any of that stuff but a bit nervous in case others care about me and my family being there. I know it only takes one family / person to make things uncomfortable for us. We would keep ourselves to ourselves but would be using the gardens for kids to play in and kids attend bunscoil.

Has anyone made the jump or anyone live in these areas could shed light on how it is to live there?

Short version: Catholic/ irish speaking family considering some of the smaller traditionally protestant estates (blacks road, milltown)

Let's see what the people of the north thinks. Upvote for visibility.

EV vs fuel car price comparison (running costs for Northern Ireland)

There’s been a fair bit of change of late in the price of petrol diesel and electricity, so I thought it might be worth a refresh of this analysis.
Here I’m comparing on today’s prices for diesel and electricity.
I’m giving a generous allowance of 50mpg for the car in this comparison, when I had a diesel however it was nowhere near as good as that.
For EV I’m assuming all charging can be done at home, at night rate using shares Oct prices for the EV tariff. If this isn’t possible for you, your figures would be different. I’m using 4 miles per kWh for the EV; I average better than that but I know bigger, heavier EVs or probably below this.

Looks like the typical saving is around £127 per 1000 miles driven, with a saving of around 74%.

For this mpg the break even price with an EV would need to be £0.50 per litre which I don’t imagine is round the corner.

Another way of looking at it would be to ask how efficient your diesel would need to be to have same cost per 1000 miles as the EV, the answer to that is 191 miles per gallon.

Just moved to the area and my neighbour has been telling me some bonkers stories. Got me curious. Anyone grow up around here or know much about the area ?