Northern Ireland will continue to exist in a new Ireland

By Andy Pollak (first posted on Facebook on Monday, 2 March, 2026)

A fortnight ago in Belfast’s Shankill Road I met four young impressive young people who were deeply involved in their working-class, loyalist community. Stacey Graham, Adam Watters, Ryan McFarlane and Mark McCleave (ranging in age from 19 to 36). All of them work for Northern Ireland Alternatives, a highly successful restorative justice initiative developed and supported by former UVF and Red Hand Commando members, whose co-director is Debbie Watters, Adam’s mother. It has been estimated that NI Alternatives has prevented over 90% of likely paramilitary punishment attacks in recent years.

Graham is a community development worker specialising in community safety and police accountability, and ensuring that working class voices are heard in government agencies. Watters, a recent law graduate, works for BUILD Shankill, which lobbies and organises to develop vacant and derelict land in the Greater Shankill area. McFarlane works with young men at risk of involvement in crime. McCleave is heavily involved in community and cultural festivals and is also chair of a local flute band. Socially committed young community activists like these working their hearts out in one of Northern Ireland’s most deprived areas bodes well for the region’s future.

However when does anybody in the Republic hear or read about the sterling work of these remarkable young people and people like them to make Northern Ireland a safer, more peaceful and more reconciled place? Almost never. They are loyalists, and therefore of little interest to the great majority of southerners who have long ago made up their minds that loyalism is a bad, bigoted, ultra-British thing.

Loyalism is something to be sneered at down here. An example was the decision by a smart sub-editor last month to take a line from a Newton Emerson’s opinion article inside the Irish Times and splash it at the top of the front page: “A barman in Portadown once told me he had served pints of Harp, fresh off the Dundalk train, to two prominent loyalists plotting a boycott of Irish goods.” That’s loyalists for you, stupid as well as bigoted.

They wouldn’t admit it but I believe this is of a piece with much Southern opinion about the North: that it is, in former Sinn Fein agriculture minister and MP Michelle Gildernew’s words, “a shithole”. This atavistic republican attitude is a far cry from the “harmony and friendship” pledged in the reformed Article 3 of the Irish Constitution after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Complex and Divided

Northern Ireland is a complex and deeply divided place. But it is home to nearly two million people, many of whom love and are proud of it. I have been reading a little book called What Northern Ireland Means to Me, put together by Allan Leonard and Julia Paul of Shared Future News, an admirable online publication which provides news and stories on peacebuilding, reconciliation and diversity.

What Northern Ireland Means to Me brings together short contributions (along with some gorgeous photographs) from 26 people: moderate nationalists, moderate unionists and ‘others’. SDLP leader Clare Hanna says: “Fundamentally – and I think this is really important to say – Northern Ireland’s always going to exist. I think there’s a perception that in a new Ireland – whatever that looks like – that this group of people in this shared identity just dissolves. And that’s not going to happen in the same way, you know. If you meet anybody from Cork, they have a very strong Cork identity. Or if it’s somebody from Galway, there’s a Galway identity – that regional identity.

“As well as the fact that, in governance terms, there aren’t 25,000 civil servants and teachers and cops and everything ready to just, as soon as there’s a border poll, sweep in here and run the place. We have different governance infrastructures and we have a set of interdependent relationships with the island next door, and those things won’t just change. So I think Northern Ireland will persist and exist, with all the baggage that it has. But I think we will be in a different constitutional place and I think that transition begins now or is beginning now. It’s just how we do it in the most structured way and in the most gracious way that we can.”

Former Presbyterian moderator and Shankill Road minister, Norman Hamilton, speaks for many of the contributors when he says he loves Northern Ireland because “first and foremost, it’s home”; it’s the province where most of his family lives and is a beautiful place environmentally, never more than an hour from mountains and lakes and sea.

SDLP Commission

“Even though I’m a unionist, I’m a member of the SDLP Commission on a New Ireland, because my Christian identity is far more significant to me than political or cultural identity. I would love to see a commitment to good government emerging amongst the electorate and then being reflected in the way politics is done. It doesn’t seem to me that that there is any hope of a good future for us, either north or south, if our politics is so contaminated by bitterness and aggression and polarisation and power seeking. So from my perspective, that is my heart’s desire. It’s what I pray for quite often – that a new generation of elected representatives, both at local and central level, would emerge, who really do want collectively to do good government for the benefit of everybody.”

“What I would say to people from a republican background, from a loyalist background, from a unionist background, from a nationalist background, is that we have to get Northern Ireland working as a political and economic and social entity, and that is the way forward, whatever the outcome,” says Derry-based writer Paul Gosling. “So, actually, for republicans, they are going to have to persuade people in the South that they want to have Northern Ireland as part of a united Ireland. So the way to do that is to make Northern Ireland work immediately as best as possible. And unionists should say to people in Britain: ‘Look, if you want us, we are going to be doing everything we can to make Northern Ireland work as a place.”

Ulster Unionist Belfast city councillor and GP John Kyle, is “very hopeful for Northern Ireland. The story of Northern Ireland is remarkable because we’ve come through 30 years of civil conflict. Some terrible things happened in that, and yet we had the resilience and the character and the determination to end the war, to find some sort of way to make peace. Now that process is incomplete. But I think that there has been a transformation in Northern Ireland. It shows that people can reflect, can reach out to one another, can extend a measure of grace and forgiveness to one another, and can shape a future then together.”

Smaller and Shriller

East Belfast Irish language activist Linda Ervine, a Protestant, says: “I want to see change in Northern Ireland. I want to see an end to the flag waving, Green or Orange tribalism, and I do think that is slowly happening. I do think the middle ground is rising, but unfortunately the two extremes seem to be shouting louder, even though they’re getting smaller. And maybe it will be a united Ireland, or maybe it will still be a Northern Ireland. I don’t lose much sleep over it. To be honest, a referendum will come one day and people will vote, and I’m not really bothered one way or the other.

“I think the thing that would be an issue for me – it would be losing touch with the UK. You don’t mind being part of a united Ireland. But I don’t want to be part of a united Ireland that hates the UK. I would find that difficult.”

Lawyer and commentator Sarah Creighton talks about a “sense of being from lots of different places and you’ve ended up on this wee rock somewhere in the corner of the Irish Sea. My family’s here; we’ve lived here hundreds of years. A lot of my family would have come over from Scotland…And that connection with Scotland is interwoven into Ulster as well. I do feel quite a bit of a connection to my Scots heritage.

“My job is here. I love our sense of humour. I love the people. I love our food, love our culture. It’s a fantastic place. And I love the diversity of Northern Ireland that’s increasingly coming through in the past couple of years. I think we’re a very friendly place. I think we’re a very warm place. Now I think we’ve got a lot of work to do in terms of tackling racism and I think we can be a bit more welcoming to people from overseas…But overall I think we’re very good, decent people.”

Writer and journalist Malachi O’Doherty scoffs at people who say “Northern Ireland’s a third world country; it’s post-colonial; it’s a victim of oppression, it’s suffering apartheid. I’d say: ‘Would you ever go and catch yourselves on? Would you ever go and look at what apartheid was? Would you ever go and look at what life is like in a third world country?’

“There is a problem of deep sectarian division in the state. The potential for political players to irritate the fault line is still there. And the potential for people to respond to that irritation and seek opportunity to create mayhem through violence is still there. My generation, born into the trough, didn’t stop that happening in 1970 and the gorgeous, affable, well-intentioned young people of today might not hold it back the next time either…certainly we’ve got a political middle ground now which we didn’t have. There were moderate unionists and moderate nationalists in the past, but now there’s a very large section of society which refuses both those labels. The scale of that is new.”

Shaped by Conflict

Claire Mitchell is a writer from a Protestant background who is nationalist inclined.” I love our diverse and various Protestant heritages, especially the radical and dissenting histories. And so many things I love about home. But at the same time I’m totally shaped by the conflict here and the brokenness of living in Northern Ireland, a place that was born out of violence and into violence We live every day with that kind of segregation and separation, and it seems sometimes like a daily struggle to fight for a positive future.”

However she emphasises that she has “no hostility to Northern Ireland. I’m happy to say the words; I do not bristle. It’s a practical reality right now that I totally accept. But my gaze, I think, is longer. You know, Northern Ireland, it’s been around 100 years; it’s not how we started. I don’t think it’s how we’re going to end up. And I think it’s really important to love and cherish the heritage of this part of the island whilst also embracing the change and the flux of it.”

Let’s leave the last word to a Northern Irish man from an immigrant background. Joseph Nawaz, writer and performer, has a working class Catholic mother and a Pakistani Muslim father and grew up in a predominantly Protestant neighbourhood. Both his parents “came from parts of the empire that were crudely carved up by the British…I think in many ways Northern Ireland is the last smouldering ember of that fractious empire that never quite went out. I think there’s a grand tragedy also to the idea of the fact that the one political group here that most wants to keep Northern Ireland existing seems to be doomed to be the one to undermine its legitimacy, time and time again. Brexit was obviously the most recent example of that.”

‘Illegal’ billboard displays support for man convicted over Lyra McKee gun

PAUL AINSWORTH, Irish News, March 4th, 2026

AN “illegal” billboard in Newry previously linked to Sinn Féin has been used to display support for a man convicted of storing the gun used to kill Lyra McKee.

The hoarding at Newry’s Egyptian Arch roundabout at Camlough Road had in recent weeks been stripped of any display, leaving a blank board, but has since been sprayed with wording calling for the release of Derry man Niall Sheerin.

The 31-year-old was convicted in 2022 for possessing the weapon police believe was used in the fatal shooting of writer Lyra McKee in 2019. The 29-year-old was killed after being struck by a bullet fired at police during a riot in the Creggan area of Derry.

The New IRA admitted the killing in a statement to The Irish News following her death, claiming it was in error as she was standing near “enemy forces”.

Three Derry men are on trial accused of murdering Ms McKee, while six other men face charges including rioting and throwing a petrol bomb.

Sheerin admitted possession of the gun on dates between September 2018 and June 2020, and was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by five years on licence.

Last year Sheerin was allowed to attend his daughter’s First Holy Communion after a High Court ruling quashed a decision by the Prison Service to refuse the request.

The Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (IRPWR) is campaigning for his release, and said in a recent statement he is being denied release on parole under the UK’s Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021.

The billboard at Newry’s Egyptian Arch pictured last weekend

This legislation abolished the early release on parole for those previous eligible upon completing half of their custodial sentence.

The graffiti appearing on the billboard in Newry states ‘Free Niall Sheerin now’ along with ‘IRPWR’.

There is no suggestion the graffiti is linked to Sinn Féin.

Previous rows over billboard displays

The land on which the billboard stands without permission is owned by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), which in 2023 asked Sinn Féin to remove it.

Last year Sinn Féin’s logo was removed from the United Ireland poster, before it was replaced with an image highlighting the killing of Palestinian children in Gaza by Israeli forces.

Sinn Féin MLA Liz Kimmins is now the infrastructure minister, and stated in an assembly debate in January that “there is no Sinn Féin billboard at the Egyptian Arch”.

Speaking following the appearance of the latest display on the hoarding, Newry and Armagh SDLP MLA Justin McNulty said: “I have said from day one that this illegal Sinn Féin billboard should be removed from Department for Infrastructure property.

“It is clear that the billboard has evolved from being a propaganda point for Sinn Féin, to a graffiti hoarding for other organisations, and is an eyesore at a gateway point to Newry city.”

Mr McNulty added: “I have impressed upon the minister the idea of erecting an art installation to celebrate the history and heritage of the region. It is also concerning that the main party of government has set a precedent by erecting illegal billboards within the boundary of the road on departmental land.”

The DfI and Sinn Féin were approached for comment.

Poots leads Seachtain na Gaeilge celebration

Irish News, March 4th, 2026

STORMONT Speaker Edwin Poots hosted a Seachtain na Gaeilge celebration at Stormont yesterday, with the president of Conradh na Gaeilge describing the occasion as something that “wouldn’t have been imaginable for our community only a few short years ago”.

The DUP Speaker welcomed pupils from Bunscoil and Naíscoil na Seolta an Irish-medium integrated school in east Belfast, who performed songs and poetry through the medium of Irish. It marked the seventh consecutive year that the event has been launched at Stormont.

Speaking at the event, Mr Poots said the Irish language and culture was “intertwined with the identity of many in the assembly and the wider society,” adding that speakers’ events were used “to reflect different cultures and traditions from across society and to recognise them with respect.”

Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, president of Conradh na Gaeilge, said the significance of the occasion should not be underestimated.

“It’s incredibly significant that we had the Speaker of the Assembly Edwin Poots, who addressed the event, who chaired the event, who arranged for the event to take place here at Stormont,” he said.

“I think all of that tells you just how far we have come. Some of those things wouldn’t have been imaginable for our community only a few short years ago.”

“What we have achieved over the last number of years is nothing short of a miracle. Today is a day for celebration.”

Mr Mac Giolla Bhéin said an estimated one million people engage with Irish language events during Seachtain na Gaeilge, with thousands of events taking place across Ireland and internationally throughout the 17-day festival.

MLA threatens to name suspected killer of SF councillor using parliamentary privilege

ALLISON MORRIS, Belfast Telegraph, March 4th, 2026

'PERSON K' HAS BEEN LINKED TO MURDER OF EDDIE FULLERTON AND GREYSTEEL MASSACRE WHEN EIGHT DIED

A veteran north Antrim UDA man could be named in the Irish parliament in connection with the murder of a Sinn Fein councillor more than 30 years ago.

Eddie Fullerton was shot dead at his family home in Buncrana, Co Donegal, in May 1991.

A Sinn Fein TD has threatened to name 'Person K' — one of the chief suspects and widely believed to be Robert Smyth — in the Dail using parliamentary privilege.

In 2022, then Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson published a report on a series of loyalist murders in the north west between 1989 and 1992.

It named a suspect as 'Person K', revealing he was arrested and questioned about several loyalist atrocities at the time.

He was previously named in the media as Smyth, but was never charged despite being linked to numerous atrocities.

At the time, the veteran UDA man was a member of its North Antrim/East Londonderry unit.

The Belfast Telegraph previously approached Smyth, but he denied involvement in any illegal activity.

He was arrested and interviewed by the PSNI in 2009, but continued to deny involvement in the Fullerton murder.

In December 2021, another man was arrested in Muff, Co Donegal, and questioned about the murder, but was released without charge.

'Person K' has been linked to multiple murders, including those who died in the loyalist Greysteel massacre on October 30, 1993.

UDA gunmen entered the Rising Sun bar in the Co Londonderry village and opened fire. One of the gunmen shouted “trick or treat” before he raked the bar with bullets.

The victims were Moira Duddy, Joseph McDermott, James Moore, John Moyne, Karen Thompson, John Burns, Stephen Mullan and Victor Montgomery.

Smyth was also identified as being involved in the Greysteel murders, and as military commander of the North West UFF, in a 2008 decision by the then Lord Chief Justice on the length of time one of the Greysteel gunmen, Stephen Irwin, would spend in prison.

‘Person K’

During a recent Dail debate about legacy matters, Sinn Fein's Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said he wanted to raise the case of 'Person K'.

He said: “I am clear that I may name him in this place at some stage. 'Person K' was... overseeing the operation where Councillor Eddie Fullerton was assassinated.

“He oversaw the murders of 17 people and the attempted murders of seven.”

He added: “Some day, I will name 'Person K' in this chamber. I challenge the minister (Irish Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan) to get those answers. How did this man get away with all of that?”

Claiming 'K' helped plan the Greysteel massacre, Mr Mac Lochlainn added: “He totally oversaw the operation. We have a situation where the man who drove the car named 'Person K'.”

In 1993, an arms dump was uncovered at Ballygudden Road in Eglinton, near Derry, containing a VZ58 Czech-manufactured assault rifle that was part of a combined loyalist importation by the UDA, UVF and Ulster Resistance in 1987.

The report by the ombudsman stated that 'Person K's' fingerprints were found on a white bin bag in a holdall containing the VZ58 and other guns and ammunition.

The ombudsman's report said: “The holdall contained three boiler suits, eight shotgun cartridges, and a VZ58 assault rifle loaded with a single round of 7.62mm ammunition.”

Two fingerprints found on the white bin bag belonged to 'Person K', the ombudsman found.

'Person K' was arrested on November 12, 1993, but continued to deny any involvement in the attack and provided an explanation as to how his fingerprints were on the bag, according to the report.

He was released without charge the next day.

After the report was published, the Belfast Telegraph approached Smyth — widely believed to be 'Person K' — at his home in Co Londonderry. He came to the door and denied knowing anything about the report or alleged involvement in various killings carried out during his time as a leading member of the UDA.

North ‘least energy secure’ part of UK, MLAs warned amid surging oil prices

CLAUDIA SAVAGE, Irish News, March 4th, 2026

NORTHERN Ireland is the “least energy secure” and “most exposed” part of the UK to global oil and gas shocks, MLAs have been warned as the Middle East war extended into a fourth day.

David Honeyford, Alliance MLA for Lagan Valley, said Stormont ministers need to devise a “contingency strategy” if prices rise further given the region’s dependency on home heating oil.

The majority of households (61%) in Northern Ireland use oil as their primary method of household heating, compared to just 5% across the UK.

Yesterday oil prices rose further to stand at a one-year high after Iran took action to block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for crude tankers, as part of its response to a US and Israel military campaign which has continued since an initial strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

Oil had soared by as much as 13% at one stage on Monday, rising above 82 dollars a barrel, before paring back.

In the Stormont Assembly, Mr Honeyford said families had woken yesterday to see “home heating oil price dramatically rising, instantly, overnight” and reiterated his party’s call for home heating oil to be regulated.

“The guarantee of transparency and fairness is absolutely essential for people,” he said.

“If suppliers are simply passing on wholesale costs then they need to show the workings out, they need to publish the numbers and they need to restore public confidence.

“The public rightly will call out how quickly prices can rise dramatically, instantly, but never seem to come down at the same rate of knots.

“Because here’s the reality, in Northern Ireland we are most exposed part of these islands to global oil and gas shocks. We are the least energy secure on these islands.

“Our energy prices are some of the highest in Europe because our energy is based on fossil fuels that we import, mainly from the Middle East.”

He added: “When energy spikes, everything spikes, and this has landed on top of fuel poverty, some of the highest, again, in these islands, recent reports state over 40% of households already spend more than 10% of their income and energy.”

He called on the Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons to engage with oil suppliers and asked “what contingency plan is under way if prices climb further”.

Sinn Féin MLA for Mid-Ulster Emma Sheerin accused the DUP of “crying about the raise in the price of oil, the cost to our constituents, but not a word about the human cost of all of those who’ve lost their lives as a result of more unnecessary conflict”.

She told MLAs: “We have 165 young girls murdered by Israel, and no condemnation from the DUP, crying over spilt milk this morning with a reason in the increase of oil prices, actions have consequences, and when we have unnecessary conflict across the world killing innocent people and our constituents suffer as a result, that’s when you realise that your support has consequences.”

Why have home heating oil prices increased so much?

Story of mother murdered in IRA firebomb attack to be heard at event

GARRETT HARGAN, Belfast Telegraph, March 4th, 2026

A relative of a young mother killed in an IRA firebomb attack on a shop is to speak at an event marking European Victims of Terrorism Day.

Yvonne Dunlop (27) died when the shop where she worked in Ballymena was targeted in the firebombing in October 1976

Her nephew, Pastor Stephen Thompson, will share a deeply personal reflection on loss, violence, faith and forgiveness at Monday's event.

It is being held at Parliament Buildings at Stormont.

Every year since the Madrid bombings in 2004, a day has been aside across Europe in March as a memorial to victims of terrorist attacks.

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said it was an important time for people to remember the victims of terrorism.

“Over the years, there have been highly successful events attended by victims of republican and loyalist terrorism from across Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Republic and continental Europe,” he said.

The event will start with a minute of silence in memory of murdered victims, followed by four victims telling their stories of the consequences of terrorism.

“It is but right that one of the regions of Europe most savagely ravaged by terrorism should mark this important day,” Mr Gaston said.

Westminster Bridge attack

One of the victims who will speak is Travis Dylan Frain, who survived the 2017 Westminster Bridge terror attack.

After recovering from injuries sustained in the attack, he became an advocate for victims of terrorism and fighting against violent extremism.

During his undergraduate studies at Edge Hill University, Travis travelled to London on a study trip with course-mates organised by the university.

Whilst on the trip, he and his friends were injured when they were hit by a vehicle driven by a terrorist Khalid Masood.

The attacker killed five people, and injured over 50, including Mr Frain.

In January 2018, he was one of six British survivors of terrorism who co-founded the charity Survivors Against Terror to proactively campaign for improvements in state support provided to victims of terrorism and lobby government for the requisite changes.

UVF victim

Another speaker is John Sproule, from Castlederg, whose brother Ian was murdered in a Provisional IRA attack.

Mr Sproule has campaigned for justice for his brother and has met with senior politicians, Garda Commissioners and others across the policing and political systems.

Denise Mullen was four years old when her father Denis was brutally murdered by the UVF near Moy, Co Tyrone.

The murder is part of the Glenanne gang series of killings. Ms Mullen continues to campaign for justice, truth and accountability into her father's case and is involved in a wide range of community based initiatives with various focuses.

Pastor Thompson will also speak on Ms Dunlop's murder in Ballymena.

She was a young mother of three boys, and her death profoundly altered the course of the entire family.

In the aftermath, Mr Thompson's grandparents stepped in to raise her children.

The trauma of that loss rippled through generations, shaping family decisions, including Mr Thompson's family's move to England as a child as his parents sought safety and stability.

His message centres on the human cost of violence, the long reach of trauma, and the possibility of healing.

North most religious part of Ireland and Britain, says research

CONOR SHEILS, Irish News, March 4th, 2026

NORTHERN Ireland is more religious than the Republic across every measure, according to the latest research.

Researchers found that just 24% of the north’s adults identify with no religion, compared to 32% in the Republic – itself one of the lowest rates in western Europe.

Across the UK as a whole, the figure stands at 55%.

Just over a third of Northern Ireland adults identify as either Catholic (34%) or Other Christian (35%), compared to UK averages of 10% and 27% respectively.

Meanwhile, the north also leads when it comes to the numbers attending weekly religious services.

In Northern Ireland, 35% of adults report attending at least once a week.

This is triple the UK average of 12%, and ahead of the Republic’s equivalent figure of 28%.

Among Catholics, the gap narrows as 41% of NI Catholics attend weekly, compared to 39% in the Republic, but well above the UK average of 28%.

In Northern Ireland, 35% of adults report attending a religious service at least once a week.

‘Pastoral realities’

The report, The Turning Tide? Recent Religious Trends on the Island of Ireland describes Northern Ireland as the most religious region of the UK “by a very long distance”, and notes that it is also the most religious part of the island of Ireland.

Across the north, 21% of men describe themselves as “religious” compared to 16% of women, though women are more likely to identify as “spiritual”, the report commissioned by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference found

Both parts of the island are showing signs of an unexpected generational reversal.

Among 16-29-year-olds in the Republic, the proportion identifying with no religion fell by ten percentage points in the most recent survey cycle alone.

Weekly Mass attendance among young Catholic adults in the Republic jumped from 7% to 17% between the 2020-22 and 2023/24 surveys.

Overall, Ireland’s adult “no religion” rate of 32% is the third lowest in western Europe, behind only Portugal (28%) and Italy (22%). On weekly service attendance, Ireland’s rate of 23% ranks seventh among 28 European countries – more than double the equivalent figures for France, Belgium and Austria.

Last month, The Irish News reported that two rural Co Tyrone churches held their last Sunday Mass services before being suspended, in a move brought on by a shortage of priests in the community.

St Mary’s Church in Knockmoyle and Corpus Christi in Mountfield, both near Omagh, announced that they would no longer host fortnightly Sunday Mass, but will remain available for the local community for individual prayer, funerals, weddings and anniversary events.

In a move announced to parishioners, Cappagh Parish acknowledged the decision would be “disappointing and painful” for many, but reflected the “pastoral realities” faced by the clergy in the area.

PCI's new Moderator to review gagging orders amid safeguarding scandal

BRETT CAMPBELL, Belfast Telegraph, March 4th, 2025

The incoming Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has promised to “walk alongside” victims of the church's failings and promised to consider dissolving non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that have left many gagged.

Rev Richard Kerr (60) was chosen last month as the man to lead the church through the crisis it finds itself in and will succeed Rev Dr Richard Murray in June.

The minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian Church in Co Antrim has vowed to rebuild trust in the church after it was shaken by an ongoing safeguarding scandal which prompted the shock resignation of Rev Trevor Gribben last November.

Rev Kerr is confident that the aftershocks of the ecclesiastical earthquake have finally ceased and is satisfied “the church is certainly dealing with this”.

“There's a very strong will here to deal with this, and to deal with this well. To make sure that this does not happen again, to put in place robust structures for safeguarding and for governance that ensure that we're in a much better place moving forward,” he told this newspaper.

“We see this, sadly, as a crisis, but it is also an opportunity to get our house in order, and get things sorted out. That is absolutely key to who we are.”

The nature of the church's top position has been adapted as a result of revelations of “serious and significant failings in the central safeguarding functions” from 2009 to 2022, which resulted in people being harmed and put at risk.

A spokesperson previously said the role will have “a different emphasis” and will be primarily “a pastoral moderatorship”.

Referring to two ongoing probes, Rev Kerr said a criminal investigation being conducted by the PSNI and a statutory inquiry being carried out by the Charity Commission will examine everything that has happened within the PCI.

“If there are issues that come out of that, then we will also seek to address those in due course,” he said.

He also promised that pastoral care will be extended to “victims right across the board”, including those named in a bullying dossier compiled by Lord Alderdice and Roy Simpson.

Addressing failings

“I want to hear their stories, I want to hear where they're coming from, I want to try to understand what we can do to address failings and shortcomings in a whole range of ways, whether that is in safeguarding or indeed in our governance.”

Acknowledging that any genuine pastoral care must make provision for wounded souls in need of healing to speak freely of their experiences, Rev Kerr said a task group is specifically looking at NDAs, whether they should be used and if existing agreements need to be dissolved. 

“At this stage, I want to wait to see what that task group does, what it reports back, and then certainly we'll see where we go from here,” Rev Kerr said.

But while the minister agreed the legally binding agreements are not a good look for the church, he also pointed out that they are used in many aspects of life.

Last week, the PSNI confirmed they have received 101 “referrals” as part of their probe into PCI which include direct reports from victims.

The latest revelation prompted the current Moderator to express further remorse.

“We are saddened to learn of the figures,” Rev Murray said as he welcomed “the clarity that is being brought”.

Detective chief superintendent Zoë McKee said referrals have also come from safeguarding partners and other parties and that the total number has been rising on a daily basis.

“All information received is carefully assessed, in line with established investigative, safeguarding and evidential procedures,” she added.

“Our focus remains on providing the best possible service to those most affected by the safeguarding failures. We are committed to the investigation of criminality and the protection and safeguarding of those who are or have been victims of crime.

“We are working closely with valued partners and continue to appeal for anyone with information relating to safeguarding concerns that was either known by or reported to the PCI to tell us what you know. It takes huge courage to report and we have specialist detectives dedicated to this enquiry.”

 Vow to meet and ‘walk alongside’ victims

On Tuesday, Rev Kerr vowed to meet and “walk alongside” those who have been hurt, harmed or left “somewhat bewildered” by what is going on in the central church structures.

 He pointed out that many churches at local level, including his own parish, have done a good job when it comes to keeping people safe.

 “We have a robust system that has worked, we have a designated person who keeps an eye on things. We do all the safeguarding checks of all those in leadership who are working with young people,” he said.

 The former missionary emerged as the 180th PCI leader-in-waiting following a ballot on February 3. He was one of four candidates on the ticket which resulted in the first tied vote in 12 years.

 The church's 19 regional presbyteries met separately in various locations across Ireland to cast ballots and were required to vote again before Rev Kerr narrowly defeated his rival, Rev Ker Graham, by 10 votes to nine.

 Rev Kerr acknowledged that parishioners have been left “saddened”, “disappointed” and feeling “a little bit let down” by failings of central structures as he expressed his desire to visit parishes across the island.

 He added: “We have 500 congregations. I want to support them. I want to come alongside them. I want to hear their stories and I want to encourage them, and I guess in another sense get them back to focus on what we're about as a church.”

 Also recognising that the message of God's love has been impeded by the ongoing scandal, he said he believes “very strongly” in the need to restore trust.

 Rev Kerr also lamented that the crisis has distracted attention “from some exceptionally good work”, which has resulted in new churches being planted across the island, including Co Dublin and Belfast. 

 “That's exciting. That's news we want to be sharing, and yet the news at the minute is that there is a crisis over safeguarding. We need to address that, and I make no bones about that. We need to support victims.”

Alliance wants finance watchdog reports on cost of segregation

JOHN MANLEY, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, Irish News, March 4th, 2026

AN Alliance MLA is aiming to ensure Stormont’s spending watchdog gives consideration to the “cost of division” in public services when preparing reports for the Executive.

Lagan Valley representative Eóin Tennyson plans to submit an amendment to forthcoming legislation that would require the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council to consider the cost of segregation in the likes of housing and education.

Alliance has previously claimed the additional cost of providing public services to segregated communities is between £400m-£830m annually.

The figures are based on a 2016 Ulster University report commissioned by the Executive as part of the Stormont House Agreement.

A 2007 report by Deloitte, commissioned by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy Minister, estimated the annual cost of division at £1.5bn.

Mr Tennyson aims to introduce his amendment to the Fiscal Council Bill at the consideration stage.

The bill, which is sponsored by Finance Minister John O’Dowd, will put Stormont’s spending watchdog on a statutory footing, giving it legal independence in line with OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) standards.

The Alliance MLA said that in addition to the cost of duplication of public services in ar-eas such as health, education, housing, and leisure, separate provision “maintains segregation”.

He described the cost as a “scandalous waste of money at any time but particularly when the executive is facing enormous financial pressure”.

“If passed into law, Alliance’s amendment would be a key step in placing the cost of division at the heart of the debate about fiscal sustainability in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“I also hope it will provide a wake-up call to other parties to take the cost of division seriously and take meaningful steps to tackle segregation wherever it exists.”

It will be for Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots to decide whether the amendment is accepted.

MLA pay rise should be used instead to fix potholes

JESSICA RICE, Belfast Telegraph, March 4th, 2026

A recommended £14,000 pay rise for every MLA has been questioned by a former Assembly member who said the money would be better spent fixing the potholes on many local roads.

Over 50,000 road defects were reported in a recent three-month period — close to half the total for the whole of 2025.

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough councillor Paul Berry believes more money needs to be spent on a permanent solution to issues with roads instead of offering MLAs a pay rise.

Mr Berry, from Co Armagh, is a former MLA (DUP) and now an independent councillor, and has been left shocked by the state of local roads.

“People want good roads and the Assembly have to show that they are worth it,” he said.

“For them to receive an increase of 27% at this time, when our roads are falling apart, people are wrecking their cars and their alloys because of the state of our roads — it's leaving people confused.”

In 2024-25, some £466m was spent on Northern Ireland's roads, 1.8% higher than in the previous year (£458m).

Nearly a third (29.2%) of the total expenditure on roads in 2024-25 was on structural maintenance (£136m).

A further £102m (21.8%) was spent on new construction and improvement.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has allocated over £40m since December for road repairs.

Mr Berry said he has watched road conditions worsen in recent years and is fearful the department cannot afford to bring the current roads up to standard.

Road inspections once a year

“I'm a councillor for 25 years this year and I have never seen the roads in as bad a state,” he added.

“Five, six, 10 years ago, when you reported a pothole, within two days it was fixed. You had three monthly inspections — now I'm told those inspections are maybe once a year.”

Mr Berry feels MLAs should have held the Department for Infrastructure to account years ago.

“With the greatest respect to MLAs, this isn't a shock,” he added. “I see many MLAs going round the roads now, pointing at potholes, and thinking this has just happened out of the blue — this hasn't, this has happened under their watch.

“Where has their scrutiny been? Frankly, their performance needs to improve and the performance of the Assembly needs to improve.”

Mr Berry said voters feel they have been misled.

“When the Assembly was returned we were promised the 'Promised Land' that all was going to be wonderful and now we are standing here today like a Third World country, standing in potholes that are so deep you could nearly reverse out of them if you drive into them,” he said.

One of the several roads Mr Berry has complained about is the Cordrain Road in Craigavon.

“This junction was resurfaced in December and now look at it in March.

“Within a couple of weeks, with the bad weather, the job here was not appropriate. We are now sitting with about 10 potholes here, so there are big issues.”

Mr Berry wants DfI to invest in a more permanent solution, rather than quick fixes.

DfI has been contacted for comment.

Stormont to receive windfall of £380m from English special educational overhaul

RYAN McALEER, Irish News, March 4th, 2026

Extra funding comes after Treasury agreed executive £400m bailout loan

 Secretary of State Hilary Benn said the additional funding represents “good news” for Stormont

The UK Treasury has said the Northern Ireland Executive will receive £390 million over the next three years as a result of a significant funding announcement for special educational in England.

The Labour Government announced a major overhaul of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England last week, a plan that involves spending £4 billion over the next three years.

The uplift in spending has produced a Barnett formula windfall of £380m for the day-to-day running of Stormont’s departments over the next three years.

It also includes an additional £10m in capital funding.

The allocations were confirmed by the Treasury following Chancellor Rachel Reeves Spring Statement delivered yesterday afternoon.

Devolved governments are free to spend funding allocated as a result of the Barnett formula as they see fit, ie they are not required to match the UK Government policy agenda.

Secretary of State Hilary Benn said the extra money, which includes £231m in the 2026/27 financial year represents “good news” for the north.

“This is money the Northern Ireland Executive can use to deliver transformation of public services, fiscal stability and economic growth,” he said.

“I encourage the Northern Ireland Executive to use this as an opportunity to agree to a multi-year budget and take the necessary steps to deliver long-term budget sustainability.”

The additional funds could go some way in helping the Department of Finance address a projected budget overspend.

The Treasury had already announced it would make £400m available to the executive this year to help departments balance their budgets.

Effectively a bailout loan, it involves Stormont paying the money back in three lots, including £80m in the next financial year.

Finance Minister John O’Dowd confirmed that £214.6m of the £400m would go to the Department of Education, with £185.4m to the Department of Health.

Mr O’Dowd has yet to secure executive approval for his three-year Budget, which he published in draft form in January.

Failure to agree a Budget typically triggers well-established procedures at Stormont to ensure spending ‘rolls over’ into the new financial year and departments do not run out of money.

Father’s anger as legal bids for public inquiries into deaths of six UVF murder victims put on hold

Belfast Telegraph, March 4th,  2026

Legal bids to secure public inquiries into the deaths of six loyalist paramilitary murder victims are to be put on hold, a High Court judge ruled yesterday.

Relatives of Raymond McCord Jr, Sam Marshall, Kevin and Jack McKearney, and Charles and Teresa Fox claim the UK Government has unlawfully refused to establish tribunals to examine killings shrouded in allegations of security force collusion.

But Mr Justice McLaughlin adjourned their challenges to await a Supreme Court determination on the capacity of a new legacy body to carry out human rights-compliant investigations into Troubles-era deaths.

He described that anticipated decision as “the key legal issue at the heart of these cases”.

Some of the families expressed dismay at an outcome they believe will lead to further delays in attempts to discover the full circumstances surrounding the killing of their loved ones.

In 2024, inquests into the murders, all carried out by the UVF during the 1990s, were halted amid issues over sensitive intelligence disclosure and the introduction of the controversial Troubles Legacy Act.

Lawyers for the bereaved relatives all sought orders compelling Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn to establish full public inquiries into the murders.

Former RAF man Raymond McCord Jr (22) was beaten to death before his body was dumped in a quarry outside north Belfast in 1997. A subsequent Police Ombudsman probe found evidence of collusion between some Special Branch officers and the UVF terror unit involved in the killing.

His father, the high-profile victims campaigner Raymond McCord, insists that a public inquiry should now be established to uncover the full truth.

The court heard he has been denied proper answers ever since the inquest initially opened before being put on hold back in 2001.

Lack of investigation in breach of Human Rights

The lack of an investigation into his son’s murder represents an ongoing breach of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, it was contended.

Mr Justice McLaughlin was told the campaigner is also seeking damages for the alleged unlawful delay in holding an effective tribunal.

Similar challenges were mounted by relatives of the other murder victims where inquests were stopped due to issues around disclosing documents under public interest immunity before the Legacy Act was brought in.

Under the controversial legislation, parts of which were later struck down by the Court of Appeal, responsibility for investigating all conflict-related deaths was to pass to an independent body set to be known as the Legacy Commission.

The court heard that the Article 2 rights of all the bereaved families were at stake.

Kevin McKearney (32) and his 69-year-old uncle Jack were shot at their family butcher’s shop in Moy, Co Tyrone, in January 1992.

Later that year, husband and wife Charles and Teresa Fox, aged 63 and 54 respectively, were murdered at their home in the same village. A UVF unit based in Mid Ulster carried out the four killings.

Counsel for the son of Mr and Mrs Fox insisted that ordering public inquiries would not open the floodgates to a deluge of other cases.

Similar proceedings have been brought by the sister of former republican prisoner Sam Marshall. The 31-year-old was ambushed and shot dead by the UVF after leaving a police station in Lurgan in March 1990.

Claims of a security force role in the killing centred on the nearby presence of a Maestro car, later found to be a military intelligence vehicle.

Resisting the challenges, lawyers for the Government argued they should wait for justices at the Supreme Court in London to rule on the validity of its legacy proposals — including the capability of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to oversee investigations.

Mr Justice McLaughlin acknowledged the need to progress probes into the six murders and, if possible, ensure any perpetrators are held accountable.

“The unspeakable trauma which must have been endured by the Fox, McKearney, (Marshall) and McCord families as a result of all of these heinous crimes is difficult to conceive for anyone who has not experienced such tragedy,” he said.

“The pain which each of those families have endured can only have been exacerbated by the emergence over time of allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the state in each of these cases.”

However, he held that the applications for judicial review should be put on hold until a verdict is delivered on the legacy body’s standing.

“The decision of the Supreme Court about the capacity of ICRIR to conduct Article 2 compliant investigations involving national security sensitive materials is the key legal issue at the heart of these cases,” the judge said.

“I am satisfied that it is a proportionate case management decision and that any consequent delay in the cases or restriction on access to the courts is justified in the circumstances.”

Speaking outside court, Mr McCord insisted that the cases should not have been postponed.

“I’ve been waiting for 29 years to try to get justice for my son’s murder; I just feel really angry,” he said.

Solicitor Gavin Booth of Phoenix Law, representing the Fox and McKearney families, also expressed disappointment at the outcome.

He said: “These incidents happened in the 1990s, and each and every delay only further upsets already traumatised families in their quest for truth and justice.”

DUP minister slams First Minister Michelle O'Neill for not attending Iran security briefings

By David Thompson, News Letter, March 4th, 2026

The First Minister’s refusal to attend UK government briefings on the unfolding security situation in the Middle East is a “dereliction of duty” – and Northern Ireland citizens stranded in the region deserve “clear information and visible leadership”, Gordon Lyons has said.

The DUP minister said now is not “a time to grandstand or to play to the gallery of left-wing extremists in Sinn Fein”, with local families “worried sick” about loved ones abroad.

Michelle O’Neill has faced criticism from across the political spectrum for refusing to attend the meetings.

Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole said there is “no excuse” for the first minister failing to show up – saying the Sinn Fein politician should have been there to represent the public’s interests.

It comes amid concerns about Northern Ireland citizens who have been told to shelter as missiles and debris rained down across the region after US and Israeli strikes on Iran began at the weekend.

The DUP Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has attended the briefings, and will continue to do so, as Iran lashes out at its Arab neighbours with ballistic missiles and drones – with flights out of the region cancelled.

Ms O’Neill described a weekend meeting as a “briefing by the British government on their military operations”. The deputy first minister said the intention of the briefings is to inform local politicians about the impact of the war.

‘Dereliction of duty’

The TUV has also described the first minister’s actions as a “dereliction of duty”, which has once again underscored “her unfitness for office”.

Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood said attendance doesn’t mean support for military action but gives politicians “a seat at the table” to raise “very particular issues” that impact NI.

DUP MLA Gordon Lyons – who sits on the executive with Ms O’Neill – told the News Letter that the first minister should “get back to her desk”.

“At a time of escalating tension in the Middle East, there are people from Northern Ireland who are deeply anxious. Some are seeking to return home but are unable to do so because flights have been cancelled. Families here are worried sick about loved ones abroad. They deserve clear information and visible leadership.

“The Cabinet Office has facilitated briefings for the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is an absolute shame and disgrace that Northern Ireland’s first minister has chosen not to attend.

“This is not about constitutional preference. It is not about party political positioning. People from NI hold British passports, Irish passports and identify in different ways. In a crisis, those differences should not matter. What matters is that the first minister does her job and ensures NI’s interests are fully represented.

“Choosing to absent herself from vital security briefings because of political differences with the US and UK governments is nothing short of a dereliction of duty.”

He said it is a “time to show up and help people who are in genuine distress”.

Mr O’Toole claimed both parties are to blame for the lack of an agreed approach over the Iran conflict.

“It is reasonable for the first ministers to take entirely different political positions on Trump's actions, but the failure to provide even a pretence of coherent devolved governmental response is utterly unacceptable. There is no excuse for failing to show up, attend meetings and advocate on behalf of the people you represent,” he said.

Ombudsman defends position in Bryson Irish language chief complaint - saying case is not 'exceptional'

By David Thompson, Belfast News Letter, March 4th, 2026

Northern Ireland’s public services watchdog NIPSO has defended its decision not to accept a complaint about Stormont’s new Irish Language Commissioner – saying it does not meet the requirement of “special circumstances”.

Jamie Bryson had lodged a complaint with the body over comments by Pól Deeds, in which he accused the loyalist activist of having “poison and enmity”.

It was dismissed, with Mr Bryson advised to contact Mr Deeds directly in the first instance. The newly established commissioner’s office does not yet have a complaints procedure in place – and Mr Bryson has said he “won’t be asking Pol Deeds to investigate himself”.

He has said NIPSO need to accept his complaint or face a Judicial Review. However, NIPSO has defended its position – saying that the law places some restrictions on its authority and sets out the procedural requirements which must be followed.

The ombudsman said that the “complaints procedure of the public body must be invoked and exhausted before NIPSO can consider the complaint” – and while its has discretion where there are ‘special circumstances’, they are not met in this case.

“NIPSO does not consider the fact that a complaint is about a senior, or the most senior person in an organisation, meets the requirement of ‘special circumstances’. There are appropriate ways to deal with such situations which allow for a fair and proportionate approach to be taken”, a spokesperson said.

They added that public bodies should follow a two stage process – firstly to consider whether the matter can be resolve and if not, “apologise and seek to put things right”.

READERS LETTERS: Irish News, March 3rd, 2026

Labelling of ‘failure’ in transfer test has long-term and lasting effects

“ Just think how a child feels about their public failure when it comes to the transfer test where 60% of the children who sit the test are labelled failures

EVEN as an adult, failure is hard to take and if it’s a public failure, it hurts even more. Just think how a child feels about their public failure when it comes to the transfer test, where 60% of the children who sit the test are labelled failures.

As the children’s author Michael Murpurgo said of his own 11-plus ‘failure’ in 1953: “Failure is the worst thing you can do to a child, it crushes their confidence. I condemned myself for this failure, you were named and shamed, you knew you had disappointed everyone.”

In 2004, World Bank economists Karla Hoff and Priyanka Pandey reported the results of a remarkable experiment. They took 321 high caste and 321 low caste 11-and 12-year-old boys from scattered rural villages in India and set them the task of solving mazes. First, the boys did the puzzles without being aware of each other’s caste. Under this condition the low caste boys did just as well with the mazes as the high caste boys, indeed slightly better. Then, the experiment was repeated, but this time each boy was asked to confirm an announcement of his name, village, father’s and grandfather’s names and caste. After this public announcement of caste, the boys did more mazes and this time there was a large caste gap in how well they did – the performance of the low caste boys dropped significantly.

This is striking evidence that performance and behaviour in an educational task can be profoundly affected by the way we feel we are seen and judged by others. When we expect to be viewed as inferior, our abilities seem to diminish.

In JM Synge’s marvellous Playboy of the Western World, the protagonist, Christy Mahon, transforms from a timid, downtrodden young man into a confident, romantic and heroic figure because the villagers of Co Mayo choose to believe his story that he murdered his father. Because everyone treats him as a hero, Christy begins to believe it himself. He grows into the role, gaining confidence and acting with a bravado he never previously possessed.

‘Pygmalion effect’

In psychology this phenomenon is known as the ‘Pygmalion effect’ where high expectations lead to improved performance. Of course it can also work in reverse and when you’re not expected to do well or succeed, failure is generally the outcome.

This labelling of ‘failure’ is what the transfer test does to a significant proportion of our young children and we also know it has long-term and lasting effects.

Lucy Crehan, the author of Cleverlands, demonstrates clearly what can be achieved in an educational setting when expectations are high. Of the five top-performing education systems that she went to, four of them had common standards that nearly all children were expected to reach, right up until the age of 15. The teachers and the parents supported less able students to reach these standards through additional teaching and tutoring.

The message is simple and clear: when you have deliberately created an education system which benefits the middle-class and labels a large proportion of its young people – mainly from the working-class – as ‘failures’, is it any wonder then that overall early school leaving rates here are three times higher than in the Republic?

JIM CURRAN Downpatrick, Co Down