Bond between former Provo and a victim's widow
CLODAGH TRAYNOR, Belfast Telegraph, March 16th, 2026
FUNNYMAN IS LEFT 'GOBSMACKED' BY PEACEMAKER PALS' SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP
Comedian Tommy Tiernan was left “gobsmacked” when two cross-community activists — a former IRA member and the widow of a man murdered by the IRA — appeared side by side on his show.
Anne Walker and Kathleen Gillespie, both Catholics from Co Derry, spoke about their unlikely friendship when they appeared on RTÉ's Tommy Tiernan Show on Saturday night.
Ms Gillespie, whose husband was killed 35 years ago, opened the interview by introducing herself as a “proper Derry girl, born and bred”.
She said her husband was considered a “legitimate target” by the IRA because he worked as a civilian at a local Army camp.
Recalling the night of October 23, 1990, she described how IRA members held the couple captive at home before her husband was taken and chained to a van packed with explosives.
The vehicle was driven to a nearby Army base, where the bomb was detonated by remote control, killing five soldiers and her husband.
Kathleen said that in the two years after that night, she refused to believe her husband had been killed, holding out hope for his return, as she had never seen his body.
An inquest later confirmed he had been murdered. But she discovered something about that fatal evening that has since given her a sense of pride.
“There were no actual bodies, as you can understand. To be honest with you, I didn't believe he was dead. I never had a body to look at,” she explained.
“But I'm very proud to say that before the bomb was detonated, he shouted a warning to the people who were there. At the inquest, the surviving soldiers said that he shouted: 'Run like f***, boys. I'm loaded.'”
Fellow cross-community activist Anne Walker told how she joined the IRA aged 18, having grown up through “the worst of the Troubles”.
Bloody Sunday
Her uncle was one of those murdered on Bloody Sunday, when she was just three years old.
“I was asked to join the IRA at 18 and I became a member.” she said.
She described her role as part of a small unit that moved weapons, never knowing how they would be used.
But she added that she later began questioning her role, admitting that, until then, she had believed what she was doing was right and she understood that she could die.
“The IRA sent me and a comrade out on an active service mission one night to set off a bomb that would kill a passing police and soldier patrol.
“We went out anyway to do this operation and I got very sick. There was a pain in my head.
“It felt like somebody hit me with a hammer.
“We had been set up that night. The British Army were never going to come. We'd been set up by an informer, and if I hadn't had the brain haemorrhage, which is what happened, we probably would have been shot or arrested.”
Anne and Kathleen's friendship began 15 years ago, and their conversation highlighted the close personal bond they have developed despite their opposing backgrounds.
“People think that I should hate her, that I should not be friends with her, because she was part of the IRA when my husband was murdered,” Kathleen said.
“They don't understand why I could be such good friends with her. You know, they just don't understand.”
Anne explained that the friends use their bond to educate and show that, through their friendship, “together we share our stories to affect change”. in cross-communities and across the world”.
Pitched battle over future of Botanic Meadow
CONOR COYLE, Irish NEWS, March 16th, 2026
Petition started two weeks ago opposing the plans for Botanic Meadow has gained over 2,000 signatures
A SIGNIFICANT demographics report produced by the GAA at the end of last year sounded the alarm on a major shift it said was “eroding the social fabric of communities”.
Rural depopulation and burgeoning urban centres is leading to a risk of the disappearance of GAA clubs from smaller communities, while larger clubs in cities are at risk of “imploding under the weight of unchecked growth”, the report says.
Few places are as representative of the demographic shift outlined by the organisation than Belfast.
Outside of the city’s GAA heartland in the west of the city, the south and east are now home to sizable clubs which make up some of the largest in terms of playing membership numbers across Ulster.
The growth of some clubs is undoubtedly down to the hard work put in by members, along with the demographic shift, but it poses a question which is unlikely to receive a satisfactory answer any time soon. Where do we put them? The Irish News reported earlier this year that GAA clubs in Belfast face a deficit of more than 45,000 playing hours in the space of a year, according to figures provided by Belfast City Council officials. The figure far outweighs that of soccer and all other sports.
Plans for two new pitches in south Belfast have drawn controversy in recent weeks, firstly at Boucher Road Playing Fields where they would replace one of the city’s biggest outdoor music venue sites.
A smaller proposition in Stranmillis has now pitted local residents against each other. A petition started two weeks ago by a resident opposing the plans for Botanic Meadow has gained over 2,000 signatures, while a rival petition supporting the plans, started by the chair of a local GAA club, has garnered hundreds of signatures since it was launched at the weekend.
The Lower Botanic Gardens site currently includes a community garden and an environmental research project, which some say could coexist alongside new GAA facilities, but others say that is impossible.
Malcolm MacFarlane, chair of Bredagh GAC, says the membership of GAA clubs in Belfast is “exploding”, and those communities are “crying out” for more facilities.
The club’s senior team currently travels 11 miles from their usual home of Cherryvale to Mallusk for training, such is the demand for facilities among its own youth teams, as well as from other clubs in the area.
“It affects every club in the city,” says Mr MacFarlane.
“There is just a major under provision of pitch space within the city. It’s not just south Belfast, it’s right across the city and this is recognised.
“This is turning into a ‘them or us’ situation. This is not about trying to choke the biodiversity project – that is such an important issue and GAA clubs are interested in that as well.”
Recreational space – for what and whom?
The Bredagh chair highlighted lower Ormeau club St Malachy’s, which he says has been hampered by a lack of facilities.
“You go back to the early ’70s when the Housing Executive was formed at the start of the Troubles; one of the major things they identified was the importance of recreation space within areas,” he says.
“You look at the amount of children down in that area of the lower Ormeau, and there’s not a pitch there for them.
“There’s ourselves, St Malachy’s, East Belfast, St Brigid’s – numbers are exploding and the pitch situation is getting no better.
“This is not about us or them, it’s about everybody being able to work together.”
Friends of the Field, a local volunteer-run community garden which operates at the site in Lower Botanic Gardens, addressed Belfast City Council earlier this month, outlining its opposition to the pitch plans.
Supporting their stance, Stranmillis resident Catherine Hayward started a petition two weeks ago which now has over 2,000 signatures. She says it is impossible for a GAA pitch and a biodiversity project to coexist at the site.
“People genuinely love that meadow, love that place and people all across the community have enjoyed watching it flourish over the last few years,” Ms Hayward says.
“It’s just a wonderful resource for everybody; cultural groups come and have picnics there. It sounds idyllic, but it really is.
“It doesn’t matter what type of sport it is – to put something there and take that way, that’s lost for generations.
“I fully appreciate the demand for pitches, I know there is a great need for it and the strain on the ones that exist.
“If anybody is flying over Belfast, you see there is a lot of sports pitches and most of the green spaces we walk past would be sports pitches.
“They are effectively privatised, they’re not open for use by everybody.”
Ms Hayward added that she believes there has been a lack of transparency as to how plans for the site were brought forward by the council.
Councillors agreed to proceed with the remainder of a Pitches Strategy at a meeting last month, which included “a priority implementation plan for council-owned sites to help reduce the deficit of playing hours for soccer and GAA in particular”.
Strategy Document
However, the full 10-year strategy document has yet to be published.
A report is to be submitted at a future council meeting, providing additional information on whether the UPSURGE biodiversity project and a GAA pitch can co-exist on the Botanic site.
“The decision – we don’t know when it was made, we don’t know by whom, we don’t know the grounds on which it was made and we don’t know whether anybody has really thought through the consequences of it,” Ms Hayward says.
Sinn Féin councillor Conor McKay says a GAA pitch can “absolutely” coexist alongside the biodiversity projects currently in place at the site. His party is currently the largest in Belfast City Council and has made clear its ambition to address the 45,000-hour deficit for GAA provision.
“There is work ongoing to get more information on some of the concerns that have been raised by residents,” Cllr McKay says.
“If there is concerns, we’ll deal with them and I do believe that this can be a very positive site for everyone.
“We have three clubs in south Belfast crying out for space, clubs that are very big and very successful.
“St Malachy’s are currently playing with their youth provision on wooden floors in a hall.
“We would like to see it become a community hub with multi-use, the way Cherryvale is with a trail that people can walk through and that is workable for the local community as well.
“This is the only site in south Belfast in the inner city that can address this need; it’s important that people in the inner city have access to green space and playing facilities.
“It’s our position that these two projects can work together, that we can create a very unique space. These groups shouldn’t be pitted against each other – we have to get the best use out of our council assets and we can do so by working with both groups and having both groups exist on the site.”
Bomb victim's mum to speak in Belfast on safety law he inspired
DAVID O'DORNAN, Belfast Telegraph, March 16th, 2026
The mother of a Manchester Arena bombing victim who successfully campaigned for a law change after the horror terror attack is to give a keynote speech in Belfast to inform how it will impact venues in Northern Ireland.
Figen Murray's son, Martyn Hett, was one of 22 innocents murdered in the 2017 atrocity which prompted her to dedicate her life and work to counter-terrorism, becoming an expert in the subject and awarded an OBE in the 2022 New Year's Honours List.
She launched a campaign for Martyn's Law, otherwise known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, which after a six-year fight received Royal Assent in April last year.
It mandates public venues with a capacity greater than 200 to implement proportional measures, such as training or conducting risk assessments, to better protect the public in the event of a terror attack.
Later this month ICC Belfast (International Convention Centre) will host a public safety conference supporting delivery of Martyn's Law, which will be hosted by broadcaster Donna Traynor and featuring a range of speakers alongside Figen.
Figen said: “The beginning of April will mark one full year since Martyn's Law received Royal Assent and I am looking forward to visiting Belfast to once again speak with businesses, organisations and stakeholders who will play a key role in strengthening security and protections.
“This event is an important opportunity to bring together stakeholders to share insights and best practice about what can be done ahead of the enforcement of Martyn's Law, expected to be around April 2027.”
The Government intends for there to be an implementation period of at least 24 months before the Act comes into force requiring certain public premises and events to be prepared and ready to keep people safe in the event of an attack.
With the introduction of Martyn's Law, organisations responsible for publicly accessible buildings and spaces across the UK are facing new and heightened responsibilities around security, preparedness and public protection.
There will be a tiered approach depending on the size of establishments and those that host between 200 and 799 people at the same time are centred on simple, low-cost activities designed to ensure those working at premises or events are better able to reduce harm and save lives in the event of an attack.
Safe escape routes
These could be as simple as locking doors, closing shutters and identifying safe routes to cover.
Larger premises and qualifying public events where 800 or more people may be present will be in the 'enhanced tier' and measures could include bag search policies, CCTV or other monitoring and vehicle checks.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has been allocated responsibility for the regulation of Martyn's Law which will not be enforceable until the implementation period ends in 2027.
On March 25 the Responsibility to Protect conference will host national safety experts, policy leaders and industry specialists to discuss how the new legislation will be implemented and organisations can meet these responsibilities and protect people effectively in public spaces.
Rob McConnell, Chief Executive of ICC Belfast, said: “Public safety is a shared responsibility, and venues like ICC Belfast have a vital role to play in leading best practice.
“This conference brings together the people shaping policy, technology and standards to ensure our public spaces are safer, more inclusive and better prepared for the future.” Sessions will also address wider life safety and security considerations, including emergency and evacuation planning and innovation in public safety technology.
The conference is aimed at professionals with responsibility for safety and security across publicly accessible environments, including venues and events, education campuses, transport hubs, local authorities, estates and facilities teams, healthcare, hospitality, retail, faith settings and outdoor events.
Other confirmed speakers include senior emergency services leaders, safety specialists and Ronnie Megaughin, Deputy Director of Inspections and Enforcement for Martyn's Law.
He said: “I am looking forward to speaking at the event. Martyn's Law is United Kingdom-wide legislation, and it is vitally important that the Security Industry Authority, as the regulatory body, invests time engaging with key stakeholders and those who will be in scope of the legislation.
“I will provide an update on the various pieces of statutory guidance in development and the build of the regulatory model which is progressing at pace.
“And of course, I will be keen to hear from the audience around concerns they may have as we lead up to the go live date in 2027.” Contributions will come from public authorities, regulators and emergency services, including the PSNI and the Security Industry Authority, alongside industry bodies and security specialists such as the Fire Industry Association and the National Security Inspectorate.
Angela Bennett — a recent winner of two UK wide awards, Women in Security and Women in Fire Safety — is the CEO of Diamond Systems, the sponsor and convener of the conference.
She said: “Martyn's Law represents a significant step forward in how we approach safety in publicly accessible environments. This conference is about turning legislation into practical action, while also looking ahead to how innovation, competence and sustainability support better safety outcomes.
“By bringing together policy leaders, safety professionals and technology experts, we aim to support those with responsibility for public spaces to understand their obligations, share best practice and implement proportionate, robust safety measures.”
The Responsibility to Protect conference is at ICC Belfast on Wednesday, March 25. Tickets are available via the Diamond Systems Eventbrite page.
Gavin Robinson says NIRA 'achieved nothing' by killing prison officer
By Adam Kula, Belfast News Letter, March 16th, 2026
Gavin Robinson has paid tribute to prison officer Adrian Ismay, 10 years after his death at the hands of dissident republicans.
The DUP leader said those who killed him were cowards who had achieved nothing.
Mr Ismay died on March 15, 2016, 11 days after he was blown up by an under-vehicle bomb in east Belfast.
East Belfast MP Mr Robinson said: “Ten years ago today, Adrian Ismay lost his life following a cowardly terrorist attack carried by dissident republicans.
"Adrian served as a prison officer and with St John Ambulance, with dedication and courage.
"Today, we remember his life and service and keep his friends, family and colleagues in our thoughts.
"Those who carried out this evil act achieved nothing.
"Their campaign of violence will always fail.”
The victims’ group SEFF said its “thoughts and prayers are with all innocents impacted by the murder of Adrian”.
At the trial of one of his killers, the court found that the device which had killed him had been a motion-activated Semtex bomb.
It had been attached beneath the driver’s footwell the night before using magnets.
Mr Ismay suffered “serious leg injuries and required surgery but initially appeared to make a good recovery,” but then his condition “suddenly deteriorated” and he suffered a heart attack.
One of his killers, Christopher Robinson, had also worked alongside Mr Ismay as a volunteer for St John’s Ambulance Service.
Robinson’s internet activity showed an enthusiasm for militant republicanism, and when his house was searched police found walkie-talkies and a number of balaclavas (with Robinson’s barrister arguing that the defendant liked to dress up in costumes and engage in role play – something which the judge declared was “simply not credible”).
Robinson – who denied being a member of the New IRA – was convicted of murder and possession of explosives with intent to endanger life in 2020, and was jailed for a minimum of 22 years.
Mr Ismay was a married father-of-three, aged 52, who was born in Cumbria.
He had previously been a member of the Royal Navy and served during the Falklands War before joining the Prison Service in 1987.
At his funeral, the president of the Methodist Church of Ireland, Rev Brian Anderson, told mourners that “the overwhelming number of people across our country” rejected such attacks, and “want to build an inclusive, peaceful society in Northern Ireland”.
He said: “It’s incumbent upon us as a society to ensure that those men who represent a time in our past don’t get any fuel… [society] does not want them, does not need them, and rejects them utterly.”
‘A dying lough is very quickly about to become a dead lough’
JAMES ORR, Irish News, March 16th, 2026
PLATFORM: Despite widespread coverage of toxic blue-green algae ‘it’s pretty much business as usual’ at Lough Neagh
CONSIDERING the poisoning of Lough Neagh hit the world’s headlines in 2023, you would assume that by now the pollution would be decreasing.
Yet from NI Water to intensive farming to septic tanks, the pollution in Lough Neagh has increased.
Let that sink in. And also let it sink in that none of the existing plans, or future plans, have measurable timelines and targets to reduce pollution.
We need answers to basic questions, such as when will the phosphorus be reduced and by what means?
We are bearing witness to a dying lough becoming a dead lough.
With much less public attention, we are also witnessing the permanent removal of the lough’s habitat by the mining industry, turning a living bed into concrete and cement.
For years the industry thrived because it was protected by the regulators. It was allowed to become the biggest unauthorised example of ‘blind-eye’ planning in the history of this island.
Historically, the industry fought inside and outside the courts to avoid regulation. Court documents show they operated for decades in the knowledge that mining was unlawful.
When the Court of Appeal ruled in 2017 that there should be enforcement against unlawful mining, they simply continued to extract.
Not recognising the courts
With most extractive industries the impacts are uniquely harmful because the damage is cumulative and irreversible.
The ecological impact multiplies as more is extracted from a diminishing, finite resource. Yet it seems there’s no end in sight. The Shaftesbury Estate has stated that there is a contract with the mining industry that cannot be rescinded until 2046 (surely all contracts have get-out clauses?).
It’s hard to see how the lough’s food chain can recover from this intense pressure. The underwater sand banks that are being suction dredged are the refuges for spawning fish, a food source for diving birds and where the keystone species, the Lough Neagh fly, spends the majority of its life cycle.
The sandy bed is not a barren Sahara but the living foundation of our most special place. Despite numerous designations, the authorities have failed to protect the lough from being hollowed out. In this deregulated sacrifice zone, government accepts as gospel the research supporting a limited planning approval. Research that is paid for by the mining companies themselves.
The precautionary principle for Lough Neagh was upheld by the courts, meaning that for a highly complex and sensitive habitat, the companies have to prove there is no harm, reversing the burden of proof.
Yet we still have profound gaps in our knowledge. We still don’t know what the impact of the barge movements and dredging is on the mobilisation of sediments and the dispersal of phosphorus.
Nor has there been an assessment of the climate emissions from the production of concrete or the transport of products around the lough and overseas. The government has still not told us what a circular economy means – how we should be recycling more aggregate and looking at more sustainable means of construction?
In the meantime, the concrete armada sails the lough, mining the buried treasure from a living habitat while still seeking to expand their operations.
The ‘business as usual’ mentality is failing the lough.
In contrast, there are rich seams of hope emerging: community models of ownership, new nature rights for the ecosystem, a citizen’s assembly – all of this underscored by public outcries of love and care. These wider conversations do not see the lough as a commodity to be traded but as a friend.
A friend that would reward us forever if only we gave her a breathing space from the abuse we are inflicting.
James Orr is regional director of Friends of the Earth
South Belfast's 'asbestos pyre' is the burning issue that just won't go away
ANDREW MADDEN, Belfast Telegraph, March 16th, 2025
MUCH PUBLIC CASH, REMIDIATION WORKS AND INACTION SPELLS TROUBLE THIS SUMMER
On the Eleventh Night last July, a massive bonfire comprising approximately 100 stacks of wooden pallets was set alight on a derelict site on Meridi Street in the Village area of south Belfast.
The days running up to pyre being set ablaze were chaotic, with public health warnings, hurried political meetings, and plans of police and contractor intervention.
Why? Because the site in question, which is privately owned, contained piles of potentially deadly asbestos material.
The area is in close proximity to a school and an electricity substation that serves both the Royal and City hospitals.
At one stage, Belfast City Council (BCC) agreed to send contractors in to remove the bonfire prior to the Eleventh Night, but these plans were axed when the PSNI said it would not assist in the task, citing safety concerns.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) did move in to frantically try to mitigate the danger as best it could, removing around 20kg of the hazardous material and covering another pile of it material with tarpaulin, quarry dust and fire blankets.
Legal challenges were also brought to prevent the bonfire being lit, but in the end it was all to nought. The pyre was set ablaze, with large crowds gathered around the site, either oblivious, underestimating or simply not caring about the potential danger.
Belatedly, on August 1, Stormont Environment Minister Andrew Muir confirmed a criminal investigation had been launched into the presence of asbestos at the site.
Following years of inaction, finally the owners of the site, Boron Developments, began remediation work to remove the asbestos on August 4 last year.
Remaining fragments of asbestos pose ‘minimal risk’
This work was ostensibly completed on November 21, but the NIEA recently revealed that, following an assessment of the work by an independent environmental consultant, “fragments” of asbestos still remained.
The NIEA said the material “currently presents minimal risk” within the secure site, but added: “These risks increase where members of the public trespass onto this privately owned land.
“For public health reasons, NIEA urges that unauthorised persons should not, under any circumstances, access this site.
“Unauthorised access to the site could amount to a criminal offence.”
Furthermore, the NIEA said it could take two years to fully decontaminate the site.
Just days after this news emerged, images came to light of stacks of wooden pallets being gathered at the site ahead of the Eleventh Night.
Andrew Muir urged elected representatives in the Village area to “provide the leadership needed to ensure everyone obeys the law and heeds the warnings issued to keep people off the site”.
“I am deeply concerned that, despite warning signage being erected and NIEA urging people to stay away from the Meridi Street site, it appears that people have entered the site, and that pallets have been deposited there,” he said.
“Unauthorised access to the site could amount to a criminal offence. Given the ongoing risk to the safety of people accessing the site, NIEA would again urge members of the public not to access it under any circumstances.”
He added: “The NIEA said remediation and ongoing site security remain the responsibility of the landowner. NIEA has engaged the landowner throughout the remediation process, including on the issues of access to the site and signage.
“Asbestos is particularly dangerous when disturbed, making its professional removal, with considerations around public safety, a highly specialised, complex, delicate and time-consuming operation.”
The NIEA said it is continuing to engage with the landowner and that an environmental crime investigation is continuing.
NI Environmental Agency and Belfast Council knew about hazard since 2011
What perhaps makes the situation worse is that both the NIEA and Belfast City Council knew about the presence of asbestos since 2011.
In 2011, BCC took enforcement action on the then-owners of the site, who were later handed suspended sentences, and ordered them to have it cleared of asbestos.
They didn't act, so BCC hired its own contractors to carry out the work, costing just over £287,000. Only a “portion” of money has been recovered to date, according to a council spokesperson.
Some 66 tonnes of asbestos material was removed, but a substantial amount still remained.
Boron Developments knew about the hazardous material on the site when it purchased the land in 2017, but did nothing about it until November last year, when it carried out the remediation work. But still the complete removal of all asbestos didn't happen.
Documents obtained by this newspaper show that Belfast City Council inspected the site on seven separate occasions between 2012 and 2020, but did not take action.
In short, there have been around a dozen opportunities for public authorities and the landowners to step in and put the asbestos issue to bed once and for all.
As things stand, it looks like we are set for a repeat of the scenes seen last summer at Meridi Street.
Boron Developments has been contacted for comment.
A PSNI spokesperson said the force “fully supports our partner agencies who lead on public health matters concerning bonfires”.
“While we are not the lead agency, we work with partners, including local councils and other public and statutory bodies, as well as community representatives and relevant landowner/s, with regard to matters connected to bonfires.”
Opposition may be the only response to party’s stagnation
JOHN MANLEY, Political Correspondent, Irish News, March 16th, 2026
ANALYSIS
IT’S 25 years since Naomi Long was first elected as a councillor in Belfast, and 10 years since she became Alliance leader. Notwithstanding the 2015 loss of the East Belfast Westminster seat she took from Peter Robinson five years previously, her political trajectory has generally been upward and even included a truncated stint as an MEP.
Under Mrs Long’s leadership Alliance has enjoyed unprecedented electoral success, leapfrogging the Ulster Unionists and SDLP to become the assembly’s third-biggest party. In the 2024 general election, Alliance lost and gained a seat while securing a respectable 15% of the vote. For a party that at one stage was on the verge of an existential crisis, it represents a notable turnaround in fortunes.
Yet polling suggests the surge that saw Alliance effectively double its Stormont contingent has peaked and the best the party can expect from next year’s assembly election is to hold what it currently has.
There are a number reasons for this apparent stagnation, and it goes deeper than merely an over-familiarity or fatigue with the leader, as some have suggested.
Brexit, the issue that seemingly fuelled much of the surge, has been resolved largely by pragmatism, with Remainers’ worst fears failing to materialise.
There’s also a significant section of the electorate that continues to vote primarily on the constitutional question, which immediately handicaps agnostic Alliance.
It’s also possible that the party is ironically a victim of what its supporters would regard as ‘normal politics’.
It’s argued that in normal politics voters are motivated not by constitutional allegiance but by a party’s performance in government and its ability to deliver on manifesto pledges.
If the voter feels the contract that led them to cast their vote in a particular way has not been fulfilled, then they’ll be inclined to switch parties, or not bother voting.
Naomi Long and Andrew Muir will claim to be delivering, or at least trying to, but the public often doesn’t differentiate between individual ministers and the executive as whole – which two years since its restoration is struggling to move forward on a host of issues.
Alliance ministers are clearly dissatisfied by the administration’s record of delivery, but there are limits to how critical they can be without undermining their own participation in the executive. They can be neither fifth columnists seeking to destabilise the institutions nor cheerleaders for the actions and inaction of their senior partners in government.
Mrs Long is clearly aware that a section of supporters are disappointed, which explains the part of her conference speech where she warned that Alliance’s participation in the executive isn’t guaranteed – also a clear warning to the DUP in particular that its vetoing and intransigence may ultimately force an exit.
Walking out before the election is unlikely, but equally unlikely is going back into the executive post-May 2027 to again be subordinate to Sinn Féin and the DUP, with the latter proving especially obstructive when it comes to agreeing policy proposed by Alliance ministers.
The reform the party campaigned on at the last election is also proving illusive.
If the SDLP and to a lesser extent the Greens gain at next year’s polls due to Alliance disillusionment, then opposition looks a cert for the latter.
That’ll be bad news for the SDLP and put Sinn Féin/DUP on a make-or-break footing.
NAOMI Long has warned that her party’s support for the Stormont Executive is conditional and “should not be taken for granted”.
The Alliance leader was speaking at her party’s annual conference in Belfast on Saturday.
Mrs Long told around 250 delegates that Alliance has two ministers in the executive “not because it’s easy, but because it matters”.
“But I have also been clear that our participation in those institutions is based on a balance: yes, like everyone else we will have to compromise, but if we reach a point where our ability to deliver on key priorities is stymied by vetoes and frustrated by heel-dragging, then rest assured, I would be advocating a change in direction and I think I speak for all my colleagues when I say they would be following me,” she said.
“Our continued participation in the executive cannot and should not be taken for granted.”
In a speech which the Alliance leader acknowledged was “probably a little bit more reflective than usual”, she looked back on a quarter of a century as an elected representative.
“A generation ago, the idea that people from different traditions would be in the same room discussing issues and debating policy, sharing power and governing together would have seemed impossible to many – and yet it is happening,” she said of the Stormont institutions.
The East Belfast MLA said “cooperation ought not to be remarkable” and rather the least people should expect.
Power sharing – a pinnacle or base camp?
“Having an executive and assembly in place ought not to be the pinnacle of our achievements, but merely the base camp where we start the hard work of transformation and delivery,” she said.
She described the 2022 assembly election which saw Alliance secure a record 17 seats as a “fantastic result”.
“Of course, there will always be those who seek to talk down our achievements or suggest that our progress is unsustainable,” she said.
“What they have failed to grasp every time is that Alliance success isn’t merely a party political phenomenon: it reflects the positive and progressive change happening in our society.”
Mrs Long insisted the majority of people “don’t go to sleep worried about the border or wake up in a cold sweat over the constitutional question”.
“They just want to know their children will get the education and opportunities they deserve, that their community is safe, that they can pay the bills and that if they need healthcare, they can access it,” she said.
“Whilst much of our political discourse and commentary remains firmly tied up in the politics of the past and constitutional and cultural wrangles, more and more people here want to engage with politics focused on delivery, on ambition for their future and on empowering people to thrive.”
She was critical of the tendency of some parties to align themselves with the players in international conflicts, describing it as “both simplistic and crass”.
“This isn’t some international sporting fixture. It’s not a game. Lives are at stake,” she said.
“The only side anyone ought to take is that of democracy, freedom, international law and human rights.”
“ Having an executive and assembly in place ought not to be the pinnacle of our achievements, but merely the base camp where we start the hard work of transformation and delivery
In a clear swipe at the DUP, she spoke of those “who would be irate to be called Irish at home” but would be attending White House this week to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
“We will not be there. I am under no illusion that our absence will matter to Trump, but it matters to me,” she said.
“As someone who has championed human rights, equality, and inclusion, why would I want to be with someone who mocks the disabled and engages on race-baiting. As someone committed to tackling violence against women and girls, why would I want to spend time with the best friend of a sex trafficker who calls female journalists ‘Piggy’.”
The Alliance leader also criticised “attempts to import US culture wars into our politics”, insisting the public was more concerned with reducing hospital waiting lists, “safer communities” and “cleaner rivers and a thriving countryside”.
Politicians must reach out more: Eastwood
SUZANNE BREEN, Belfast Telegraph, March 16th, 2026
ALLIANCE MP WANTS TO SEE ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES SHOW BRAVERY
Sorcha Eastwood has challenged politicians to be “braver in their politics and bigger in their outreach” to improve life for everyone in Northern Ireland.
She said that promises to represent everyone must be more than “a throwaway line”.
The Alliance MP was speaking to the Belfast Telegraph at the party's annual conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast on Saturday.
She said: “You can have strongly held views but still engage positively around the big issues. People are sick of seeing their politicians scrapping.
“They wish we did politics better — better at Stormont, better at Westminster, better at council.
“Political arenas have become places where we beat our opponents over the head with sticks instead of focusing on improving life for voters. Performative outrage and anger serve nobody.”
The Lagan Valley MP said she wants to build consensus with political rivals.
She added: “We will never fix things here if parties continue to adopt an ivory tower approach.
“I'm not in the slightest embarrassed to say that I follow no ideology. I'm just about practical, common-sense politics and getting things done.”
Ms Eastwood said that when devolution was restored two years ago, Sinn Fein and the DUP had stretched themselves, but both parties had since fallen back into their comfort zones.
“Saying you're going to be First Minister for all is easy. But you have to do it when the rubber hits the road and when it's challenging,” she said.
“Michelle O'Neill should have gone to the recent Cabinet briefings on the conflict in the Middle East.
Getting out of ‘the war zone’
“There were people from this island who needed their politicians to be doing everything possible to get them out of a war zone.
“The DUP have been unhelpful on the redevelopment of Casement Park. Their attitude to the Irish language and their failure to attend President Connolly's inauguration is very disappointing.
“I go to places that I may not find easy, but I go. It's my duty to be there. Elected representatives need to be braver in their politics and bigger in their outreach.”
Ms Eastwood said she was proud to have hosted the first GAA reception at Westminster last year, and to regularly attend local clubs' events.
“Every single part of our community is important to me,” she said.
“I've hosted the PSNI women and RUC widows' choir at Westminster after a Remembrance service in Westminster Abbey.
“I've met Palestinian and Jewish people. I've kept my word about being an MP for everybody. It wasn't just a throwaway line. It's how I live my life, and it's Alliance's overriding philosophy.
“I went to a bonfire party on the Eleventh Night and the Twelfth in Dromara. On the 13th, I was in Dublin for the Irish state's National Day of Commemoration. I went from an event where everyone was singing The Sash to another where they were playing Amhrán na bhFiann.”
Ms Eastwood said that voters were “more ahead of the curve in how they live their lives than their elected representatives”.
She added: “People will enjoy the craic and banter of a high-octane Old Firm game at the weekend.
“Those who cheer on different teams can go to work on Monday morning and not just get on with it, but be friends. We need to replicate that in politics.”
Starmer to help homes battling the increase in energy prices
DAVID LYNCH, Belfast Telegraph, March 16th, 2026
PRIME MINISTER INSISTS THAT TACKLING THE ISSUE WAS 'FIRST PRIORITY'
Sir Keir Starmer will today pledge to help households in Northern Ireland with the cost of living amid the energy price spike caused by the war in the Middle East.
The Prime Minister will say that helping families with living costs is “my first priority”.
It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the Commons on Tuesday that using public money to tackle spikes in heating oil prices was “not the solution”.
But after a meeting with Stormont party leaders on Friday, Sir Keir indicated money was available from the budget that had been set aside.
Some £81m to help with energy bills has been languishing in Stormont since the Chancellor's spring statement, although it had been linked to electric rather than heating oil.
It's not yet clear whether today's announcement will include more new money.
The plans to help people who use heating oil to warm their homes will be revealed by Sir Keir at a press conference in Downing Street.
Rising home heating bills are a particularly acute problem in Northern Ireland, where 62.5% of homes rely on the fuel, compared with the UK average of just over 5%.
The announcement is set to come after the Chancellor said Treasury officials have “found the money” to help the 1.5 million households relying on heating oil.
The fuel is not protected by the energy price cap and its price per litre has doubled as a result of the stranglehold on oil leaving the Middle East since the US-Israeli war with Iran began.
Inside Downing Street, Sir Keir will say: “It's moments like this that tell you what a Government is about.
“My answer is clear. Whatever challenges lie ahead, this Government will always support working people.
“That is my first instinct — my first priority — to help you with the cost of living through this crisis.”
The Prime Minister will also raise concerns about claims that suppliers of heating oil have cancelled orders and then jacked up prices.
Last week, Ms Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband met with oil firm bosses and forecourt operators to warn them against profiteering.
Representatives of the petrol station industry had threatened to pull out of the meeting because of “inflammatory language” from ministers.
‘Will not tolerate companies exploiting crisis to make money from working people’
In his press conference, Sir Keir will say: “I will not tolerate companies trying to exploit this crisis to make money from working people.
“...if the companies have broken the law, there will be legal action.”
The Prime Minister will also insist that de-escalation of the war is the quickest way to reduce cost-of-living pressures for the British public.
Sir Keir will say: “We will continue to work towards a swift resolution of the situation in the Middle East.
“Because there is no question that ending the war is the quickest way to reduce the cost of living.”
Ministers have also faced questions about the possibility of rowing back on plans to raise fuel duty for the first time in 16 years.
Mr Miliband suggested the Government was open to the idea, should the war continue into the latter half of the year.
He told the BBC: “Let me answer that by saying this, which is, I'll be candid with you, we don't know how long this conflict is going to go on and therefore, with five months to go until September, we will have to see where we are, obviously.”
Elsewhere, Britain is facing calls from US President Donald Trump to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran's blockade of the key shipping route for oil leaving the Middle East has resulted in long queues of tankers being unable to leave the region, driving up global energy prices.
Mr Trump has urged the UK and other nations impacted by the blockade to send warships to the region to protect oil tankers through the narrow sea passage.
The Ministry of Defence has said discussions about securing the strait continue with allies, while defence sources have suggested minehunting drones could be deployed to the region amid worries the Iranian regime has laid sea mines.
Mr Miliband also suggested Britain's minesweeping ships were being considered for deployment.
The Royal Navy's last minesweeper in the Middle East recently returned to the UK for maintenance.
Stormont Finance Minister saus UK home heating oil subsidy must be meaningful
By Jonathan McCambridge, Press Association, Belfast News Letter, March 16th, 2026
Stormont Finance Minister John O'Dowd has said any Government subsidy for those who use heating oil to warm their homes must be "meaningful".
Mr O’Dowd wrote to the Treasury last week calling for a financial intervention over the cost of the energy price spike caused by the war in the Middle East.
Mr O’Dowd told the BBC that the power sharing Executive did not have the “financial wherewithal to make a meaningful contribution to support hard-pressed working families”.
The Prime Minister will make a heating oil announcement later on Monday after Chancellor Rachel Reeves said Treasury officials had “found the money” to help the 1.5 million households relying on the fuel.
Around two-thirds of homes in Northern Ireland use home heating oil.
Mr O’Dowd said: “While we welcome the fact that we now have a clear indication from the Government that there will be a financial intervention, it is going to have to be meaningful, it is going to have to be delivered quickly and it is going to have to make a difference to those who are facing financial crisis.
“We haven’t been given the detail of any scheme, my officials will be engaging further today with Treasury.”
He added: “If it is around £50 million, over a million properties, then the maths is quite simple on that one, it is around £50 per qualified household.
“We have to see if it falls directly under the control of the Executive, then those decisions will be for the Executive to be made.
“If it is in that region of £50 million then I do think the Executive is going to have to have a conversation around how we best use that money to target those most in need.”
Facing a Stormont committee on Monday, Sinn Fein Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald accused the DUP of “peddling mistruth and misinformation” in relation to energy bill support funding.
Last week Ms Archibald had been criticised by the chairman of the Economy Committee, DUP MLA Phillip Brett, who highlighted that an announcement in the Chancellor’s spring statement made £81 million of funding available to Stormont to reduce energy bills and claimed the department had not yet submitted a business case to the Treasury for funding.
On Monday Ms Archibald denied that departmental officials were not aware of the funding until it was brought to their attention by Mr Brett, saying the funding came from annually managed expenditure (AME) which is “tightly controlled by the British Government and it is used to deliver schemes here that align with those in Britain”.
The Economy Minister further stated that “any deviation from the scheme in Britain would need to be agreed with the British Government”.
“I believe it’s irresponsible to build people’s hopes up that this funding could be targeted differently,” she said.
Mr Brett questioned the timeline of correspondence between the Treasury and the department and concluded the meeting saying: “We still don’t have a delivery mechanism, so I think we just need to encourage the department to try and get this delivery mechanism delivered as soon as possible.”
Aiken slams 'delusional' Dublin statement that UK is now responsible for Irish air and naval defence
By David Thompson, Belfast News Letter, March 16th, 2026
The Irish government’s pretence that it is in a relationship of equals with the UK on defence is delusional – and Dublin is scrambling to avoid tech companies pulling out over fears about Ireland’s ability to defend key infrastructure, a UUP MLA has said.
Steve Aiken’s comments come as the Irish government signed a deal with London on the “enhancement of bilateral engagement” between the two countries on defence and security.
The Republic’s Defence Minister Helen McEntee presented the deal as involving “cooperation and exchanges involving both civil and military personnel” – and claimed it would put arrangements “on a more formal and transparent footing”.
However, Mr Aiken said Ireland is incapable of even monitoring its own air space, and that Russia’s ghost ship fleet has been operating “with impunity” in Ireland’s territorial waters.
He said that has raised concerns among tech firms about the security of undersea cables linking Europe and the US, prompting Ireland’s attempt to seek protection from the UK and France.
The UUP MLA said Ireland is “freeloading” on defence – and criticised the prime minister’s commitment to Dublin on security as “bizarre” given the country’s legal action against the UK on legacy.
Last year, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said an incident involving drones – believed to be Russian – during a visit by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was “very concerning”. Mr Martin said the drones identified over Dublin Bay were “suggestive of being part of an ongoing Russian inspired hybrid campaign against European and Ukrainian interests”.
Mr Aiken told the News Letter: “The very real concerns expressed behind the scenes over the Zelensky drone incident and Ireland’s failure to be able to even monitor its close airspace, in the approach to Dublin airport, and inability to shoot down those Russian drones – coupled with a spat between Irish authorities over who could authorise such a thing, even if it was impossible for them to do so – has raised massive security concerns in Brussels and Washington.
“Further to that, the ability of Russia’s ‘ghost shipping’ and intelligence ships like the Yantar being able to operate with impunity over vital power and internet cables has caused many of the tech companies that Ireland relies on for their FDI tax bonanzas, to seriously question their investments.
“The harsh reality is for a country very precious about its sovereignty, it has none over its sea and airspace,” he said.
“Bizarrely by taking the UK to court over legacy issues, Starmer has agreed – with our obviously limited resources – to take on the critical defence of all of Ireland’s sea and airspace. The Irish are similarly trying to get a similar agreement with France, you can be pretty sure that President Macron will exact a significant price for doing the same.
“Isn’t it remarkable how all those seeking a joined-up island consistently ignore the total reliance of the so called ‘triple lock’ neutral isle to even be able to put one fighter aircraft into the air. Yet another reason why Mary Lou McDonald and co’s 2030 [united Ireland] dream is ludicrous,” Mr Aiken added.
‘Ireland cannot freeload anymore’
The South Antrim MLA said defence and security requires considerable investment – and “Ireland cannot freeload anymore”.
“To think that this is a relationship of equals is delusional. As the Irish have discovered with their discussions with President Macron, France’s security umbrella comes with a multi-billion euro price tag – it’s perhaps too much to expect Starmer extracted a similar commitment, but any sense of equality in defence when one ‘partner’ doesn’t even have primary military radar, is in the land of fantasy.”
The Irish Air Corps fleet currently consists of 10 helicopters, two twin-engine and four single-engine turboprop planes, one mid-size business jet, one transport aircraft which carries 16 troops and seven single-engine training aircraft. The Naval fleet consists of eight vessels.
The UK has around 640 active military aircraft, including over 150 combat aircraft. The Royal Navy has over 60 ships in its surface fleet, and nine submarines.
Speaking on Friday, Ms McEntee said a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the UK “provides a framework for developing and furthering bilateral co-operation and relations between the Department of Defence and the UK Ministry of Defence”.
She said the deal underpins “the longstanding and positive engagement” between the nations, “particularly in the area of training and staff to staff meetings”.
The UK government said both countries “will be better protected against common threats” due to the deal, which involves “enhanced maritime cooperation, cyber defence, air domain information sharing, and increased joint procurement”.
