New head of Disappeared investigation team appointed
By Mark Robinson, Irish News, April 28th, 2025
Eamonn Henry replaces Jon Hill as lead investigator. He previously served as the Garda liaison officer to the commission before joining the team two years ago.
The ICLVR was established in 1999 following the Good Friday Agreement in order to locate and recover the remains of those abducted, murdered and secretly buried during the Troubles, known as the Disappeared.
The Disappeared, from left, clockwise, Eamon Molloy, Brian McKinney, Danny McIlhone, Gerry Evans, Seamus Wright, Peter Wilson, Eugene Simons, Seamus Ruddy, Robert Nairac, Brendan Megraw, Kevin McKee, Jean McConville, Joe Lynskey, Charlie Armstrong, Columba McVeigh, John McClory. Seamus Maguire not pictured.
To date, the remains of 13 individuals have been recovered from the 17 ‘Disappeared’.
The remains of Joe Lynskey, Columba McVeigh, Robert Nairac and Seamus Maguire are yet to be found.
Mixed emotions
Outgoing lead investigator Mr Hill said he was feeling “mixed emotions” after deciding to step down from the position.
“As the last remaining member of the founding team established in 2006 and almost 19 years in post I now find the work/home life balance impossible to maintain,” he said.
“The families and the commission has been a part of my life for so long now that it is hard to imagine life without it.
ICLVR lead investigator Jon Hill said the commission believed it had enough credible information to undertake a search
He added that he was “incredibly proud and honoured” to have been a part of the commission’s success.
Mr Hill will continue in an advisory position as Mr Henry takes over as head of the investigation team.
Mr Henry said he was “honoured and privileged” to take up the position and paid tribute to the “tremendous work” of his predecessors Mr Hill and Geoff Knupfer.
Focussed on our mission
“My commitment is to the families of the Disappeared and the ICLVR team is focused on our mission to recover the remains of all 17 victims,” he said.
“I am appealing to those persons with information to think of the grieving families who have lived with their grief for so long.
Columba McVeigh: Emer Currie vows to keep Disappeared promise she made to fatherOpens in new window
“It is time to return their loved ones to their families for a Christian burial.”
Joint UK and Irish Commissioners Rosalie Flanagan and Tim Dalton thanked Mr Hill for his years of service and welcomed the appointment of Mr Henry to the position.
Anyone with information on the four outstanding Disappeared cases —Joe Lynskey, Columba McVeigh, Robert Nairac and Seamus Maguire— should contact the ICLVR on +353 1 602 8655 or Secretary@iclvr.ie or ICLVR PO Box 10827 Dublin, Ireland.
All information is treated in the strictest confidence.
Lone Kingsmill survivor says ombudsman's report must open 'Pandora's box'
Suzanne Breen, Belfast Telegraph, April 28th, 2025
ON THE EVE OF MARIE ANDERSON RELEASING HER LONG-AWAITED FINDINGS, ALAN BLACK SAYS NORTHERN IRELAND IS LIKE A 'BANANA REPUBLIC' WHEN IT COMES TO HIDING THE TRUTH
ALAN Black almost died twice last year, but he wasn't ready to go. “I've still a job to finish for the boys,” he says. “Not justice — we'll never get that — but we can uncover the truth.
“I'll be fighting for it until my last breath. What does it say about Northern Ireland that, half a century after a massacre, they're still using national security as a curtain to block the truth?
“We're more like a banana republic, than a democracy. This isn't just about protecting informers, it's about protecting their handlers. They don't want to open Pandora's box, but the lid must be lifted.”
The sole survivor of Kingsmill will be in Belfast tomorrow when the Police Ombudsman releases her report into the January 1976 atrocity in which 10 Protestant workers were shot dead.
It's believed that only one of the bereaved families — John McConville's three sisters — will attend as the rest are so disillusioned with the system.
“I don't know what to expect but it's important for me to be there to challenge the Ombudsman's office if I have to,” Black says.
‘We weren’t a priority case’.
“If they claim they've worked hard for us, I'll stand up and say, 'No, you didn't. Don't gaslight us. We weren't a priority case'. It's 12 years since I lodged my complaint with the ombudsman.
“I'm not going for tea and biscuits. I'm not going to shake their hands and smile. These people aren't our friends, and there's no point pretending they are. I'll not shout or raise my voice, but I won't let them walk over us.”
Black (81) can still see the killers' Doc Marten boots and the tips of their rifles as they stood over him on a lonely south Armagh road.
The workers' minibus had been waved down by a man with a torch. Dressed in military-style clothing and speaking in an English accent, he ordered them out of the vehicle. “The first round of shots was waist-high to bring us down,” Black says. “Then I heard 'Finish them off!', and the gunmen went round methodically shooting everyone in the head.
“I'd been shot 17 times. The 18th bullet hit my skull but didn't penetrate it. I stayed as quiet as I could. I knew if I flinched, it would be over.” The shrapnel is still in Black's body. It “shows up in x-rays like wee fishing hooks”.
For years, Kingsmill's sole survivor appealed to those IRA men involved, who are still alive, to come forward and tell the truth about the attack.
“Like me, they're men in their latter years. I thought they'd want to get it off their chests because I don't know how they sleep at night,” he says.
“Under the Good Friday Agreement, they would serve only two years in jail. I hoped they'd want to get what they did off their consciences, but I was wrong. They'll never tell the truth, and I have to come to terms with that. Appealing to them to do the right thing is a waste of time.”
Forgiveness
Yet, remarkably, Black forgives the IRA gunmen for what they did to him. “Their actions were completely and utterly evil, but I don't hate them,” he says.
“If you start to hate, it eats you up for the rest of your life. You pass it onto your children as well: the next generation is poisoned. I've always had a positive view of humanity.
“Many people on both sides did awful things in the 1970s that they'd never have dreamed of doing before the Troubles. People from good homes — with honest, hard-working parents — became killers because they thought they were protecting their community.
“I forgive the IRA men for the pain they caused me, but I can't forgive them for murdering my friends because that's not up to me. Even bereaved relatives can't do that. The only people who have that right are those whose lives were taken.”
Nobody has ever been convicted of the Kingsmill Massacre. In the wake of the atrocity, Black expected justice to be swift. “Police told me they knew the identity of everyone involved and it was only a matter of time before they got them,” he says. “Decades later, I sat at the inquest and heard how key witnesses weren't asked to make statements and files went missing. It wasn't accidental: a decision was taken at the top of the security apparatus not to investigate Kingsmill.”
He claims an inquest into the atrocity, which ended last year after eight years, didn't offer openness or transparency. “The court wouldn't name two suspects who are both dead. They were identified only by their ciphers — S37 and S97,” he says. “All the families bar one walked out in disgust. I did too as I shared their frustration, but then I walked back in because not being there means the authorities can forget about Kingsmill, and just put the file away on the shelf to gather dust. I refuse to let them off the hook.”
Black wasn't sectarian before the massacre, and didn't change after it. “Why would I?” he says “I'd great Catholic friends, and they rallied around me, my family, and all the bereaved.
“It was a Catholic, Gerry McKeown, who was first on the scene at Kingsmill. He walked around us praying over our bodies. I couldn't speak so I moaned loudly to show him I was alive.
“Gerry stayed with me until the ambulance came. I thought I wouldn't make it and I managed to mumble a few words to him — a message for my wife Margaret and our three kids.”
A Catholic priest was waiting for Black when the ambulance arrived at Newry's Daisy Hill Hospital.
Fr Devlin took my hand
“I told him I was a Protestant, but I asked him not to leave me. Fr Henry Devlin took my hand and held it all the way to the operating theatre. He visited me every day until I was discharged,” Black recalls. At one point in hospital, he lost the will to live. A young nurse from Co Cavan, Ann Carolan, helped him pull through. “I had two wee boys. Alan was seven and Robert was six,” Black says.
“I loved them to bits, but I just doted on my daughter Karen who was only 15 months. Ann picked up on this. She sat by my bedside saying, 'You have to live for Karen', and so I did.”
Black was released from hospital with over 100 stitches and open wounds, but the mental torture was worse than the physical pain. “When I took my sons to school, I'd see the Kingsmill widows and the children who had been left without fathers,” he recalls.
“I felt guilty for being alive. I'd return home, pull the blankets over my head, and just cry and cry.” The Blacks moved to Galashiels, a town outside Edinburgh. “We got a council flat there because I wanted to live somewhere nobody knew me and nobody knew about Kingsmill,” he explains. “It was what I needed but Margaret couldn't settle. We came home after two years.”
Following the atrocity, Black had been prescribed tranquilisers. He became hooked on the drugs.
“I knew I had to come off them,” he says. “I went cold turkey which wasn't the wisest idea. I couldn't even hold down a glass of water. I'd lie shaking on the kitchen floor, but I came through it.”
Black's marriage too eventually broke under the strain. “I wasn't easy to live with,” he says. “I'd turned to drink. I thought the answer lay at the bottom of a bottle. And after I got to the bottom of that bottle, I reached for another one.
“But Margaret and I never divorced. She lived 15 doors from me in Bessbrook. She died last month, and we remained friends to the end.”
‘The boys are gone but I’m still here’
Black is immensely proud of how his children grew up. “They are so well-balanced and free of bitterness. All three of them married Catholics,” he says.
He has three grandsons whom he adores, but it's his 16-year-old granddaughter Evie — Karen's daughter — who is the light of his life. “She is so loving and brings me such joy,” he adds.
Black has no time for politicians, but he praises three DUP MLAs for tabling a motion at Stormont last autumn “deploring” the Police Ombudsman's delay in publishing the Kingsmill report and calling on her to do so immediately.
“I met Jonny Buckley at a book launch in Portadown last year. He approached me and told me to ring him if there was ever anything he could do to help,” Black says.
“So I did phone him one day, and he came along to the inquest ruling last April with Joanne Bunting and Trevor Clarke. Afterwards, there were lots of media and cameras outside.
“I thought 'these politicians will start edging their way in front of them'. But they didn't, they just left quietly and I liked that.”
Black's legal battle for the truth has cost him financially as well as emotionally. “I used my funeral money on one judicial review,” he explains. “It cost £7,000, and I had no other way of paying for it.”
He says “survivor's guilt” drives him on. As winter and the anniversary of the atrocity approaches, a dark cloud settles on him every year. “I keep out of people's way for a few days, and it gets better,” he says. “The darkness always lifts.
“I find it easier when there's a stretch in the days and the sun is in the sky. I'm not complaining. I've had a great life. It's not been all gloom and doom. I've had good times with family and friends. I've trained champion greyhounds.
“I used to walk a lot with the dogs, but my health means I can't go out anymore. I'm happy in the house. I listen to music — mostly Percy French and John McCormack, the songs I listened to with my dad.
“I watch a lot of sport on TV, and you could never get lonely with YouTube. Despite what happened, I see myself as a lucky man. I'm almost 82 and I never thought I'd reach 32.
“There's just one thing I have to finish. The boys are gone. They can't speak up for themselves now, but I'm still here and I'm determined to get the truth for them.”
The stench of sectarianism still chokes the air we breathe
Tom Kelly, Irish News, April 28th, 2025
THERE’S a stench across the north. It’s been lingering for decades. And it does not discriminate between the terraces of soccer grounds or the members’ room in golf clubs. It pervades every aspect of life and social class. It’s called sectarianism.
Sometimes it’s subtle. Other times it’s wholly in your face.
Events seem to bring out the worst of it. Who can forget that fateful night in November 1993 when the Republic of Ireland played Northern Ireland in Belfast? That was the last time I stood in what could only be described as a cauldron of hate in Windsor Park. (Truth be told, it was only my second time at the ground – the previous occasion was a 1986 testimonial match for the legendary Newry man Pat Jennings).
For this writer, there’s nothing really unifying about soccer in the north. Rivalry is not confined to what type of skills are on the pitch because not far below the surface – and often, above it – the choice is tribal.
It would, though, be both naive and stupid to believe that northern soccer followers have a monopoly on sectarianism.
To their credit, the IFA and many of those running clubs have gone to great lengths to combat sectarianism and race-based bigotry from the terraces and the pitch. But when it spills over, it’s beyond ugly.
The reaction to the late Pope’s death from some loyalist circles was sickening but it also opened a window into the naked sectarianism which some would try to dress up as culture.
There should be no place in Northern Ireland for blood and thunder bands offering a repertoire of anti-Catholic tunes. Certainly there should be zero public funds channelled into such ‘kick the Pope’ bands.
Certain loyalists seem to think such behaviour is simply banter and a bit of harmless craic. It’s far from it. Sectarianism is a boil which has to lanced.
No immunity
The nationalist community isn’t immune to badger-baiting the other side. Some of the lyrics in songs by the cult rap group Kneecap are offensive and not, as claimed, simply statements of reality/protest. Intended offence is not new in the world of music. It’s a trademark – a bit like the punk bands of my youth.
Glorification by mainstream nationalist and unionist politicians of combatants who committed heinous sectarian murders is far from helpful in severing the umbilical cord of hate between generations.
In fairness, the comments of Michelle O’Neill in relation to the death of Queen Elizabeth and those of Emma Little-Pengelly on the passing of Pope Francis were generous and welcome. But they were also short lived when both retreated to their cultural trenches; one by praising the indefensible actions of paramilitaries and the other by waging a phoney war on the Irish language.
The first and deputy first ministers have a responsibility to set more than a mere example of good behaviour on big occasions. They don’t deserve fawning or plaudits for simply doing or saying the right thing. That dear readers, is written large in their job descriptions and in the ministerial code.
It’s a sign of just how low the public’s expectations are of politicians that they reward them for knowing which knife and fork to use and for not slurping their tea. Even at that low bar there are still those who fail.
Council says Kneecap gig on its land is 'a matter for promoter'
Clodagh Traynor, Belfast Telegraph, April 28th, 2025
MET POLICE PROBE INTO FOOTAGE OF THE RAPPERS CONTINUES AHEAD OF CONCERT ON BOUCHER ROAD
Belfast City Council has claimed it does not have responsibility for a planned Kneecap concert set to take place on its land as terror police probe a second video of the controversial rappers allegedly calling for the death of British MPs.
An Alliance MLA was also forced to clarify on social media that he was not defending the Irish trio at the centre of another intense row after footage emerged from a November 2023 gig appearing to show one band member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
Last week, footage emerged of another gig in November last year which seemed to show a band member shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” at a performance at the Kentish Town Forum where a Hezbollah flag was being displayed.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are banned in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them.
Yesterday, the Met Police confirmed it has been “made aware of a video on April 22, believed to be from an event in November 2024, and it has been referred to the counter-terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required”.
“We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023,” a spokesperson added.
The force is assessing both videos to determine whether further police investigation is required.
DUP MLA Deborah Erskine said those intending to host the band “should surely think again” ahead of their scheduled sold-out appearance at this year's Belfast Vital festival at Boucher Road Playing Fields on August 29 as special guests of Dublin indie rockers Fontaines DC.
“We await the outcome of the investigation, but in the meantime, those who have bestowed awards on the group should reconsider the recognition given, and those who intend to host Kneecap should surely think again,” she said.
“Is this really the sort of “performance” public bodies or businesses want to be associated with?”.
The Fermanagh and South Tyrone representative labelled the footage as “totally unacceptable” branding the band as “idiotic and attention seeking” while dismissing supporters as “foolish”.
Attention seeking
“For many people. the antics of Kneecap are seen as idiotic and attention-seeking, but more and more so we see that there is an underlying hate to the messages they promote.
“The Palace of Westminster has too many memorials to MPs whose lives were taken because of hate, and the promotion of bigotry.
“It is totally unacceptable that “Kill a Tory” be the message from any concert. Right from the inception of this band, their merchandise promoted Police vehicles petrol bombed and their very name has connotations”.
Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly took to social media just before 11pm on Saturday night to tell followers “[it's] mad to see a party who meets with representatives of proscribed groups complaining about what a rap group says”.
The apparent swipe at the DUP sparked a strong reaction with one X user replying “[It's] mad how Alliance can condemn a Loyalist band in Lisburn for a tune, but defend a Republican band chanting Up the RA” before going on to refer to Kneecap's controversial remarks regarding Israel.
Almost 12 hours later, the East Antrim representative posted that he believes the comments referred to are “all wrong” and “that's not the point I was making”.
“For the avoidance of doubt this tweet was not a defence of Kneecap but merely pointing out it's not acceptable for politicians to meet proscribed groups,” he posted.
“Nor is it ever acceptable to support a proscribed organisation or call for violence.”
Glastonbury
Music festival Glastonbury has been warned to “really check” their lineup of performing artists, as the controversy surrounding Kneecap continued to escalate after reality TV star Sharon Osbourne slammed the group for projecting the words “F**k Israel, Free Palestine” on stage during their Coachella sets earlier this month.
Former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis has warned that although free speech is a “very important right” it has “always excluded hate speech”.
“Of course, they're not the first band to attention seek, and so there's no doubt in what you say is right. People have a right to free speech, but it's not a new concept to have a right to hate speech,” he told GB News.
Sir Michael also said, “Glastonbury and other festivals here in the UK have a responsibility to really check bands whose behaviour may cross that line.”
Kneecap is due to perform at the popular festival this summer.
Former DUP First Minister Arlene Foster has also weighed in on the row.
“As someone who has often been the subject of Kneecap's 'art', I welcome the fact that the world is waking up to their desire to promote hatred and division,” she posted on X.
Sell out
Tickets for the gig in Belfast went on sale last Friday and sold out within a few hours.
In response to the enquiries from the Belfast Telegraph, a spokesperson for Belfast City Council said Kneecap's appearance was a matter for the event promoters.
“Events programming remains a matter for the promoters, MCD. Any concerns raised by an elected member will be considered by the relevant committee,” they said.
In the last decade, two MPs have been murdered. Labour MP Jo Cox's death in 2016 led to additional security measures to all members of Parliament.
A further review took place in 2021 after Conservative Sir David Amess was stabbed to death following him holding performing in his Southend West constituency.
A UK Government spokesman said: “We unequivocally condemn threatening remarks made towards any individual.
“Political intimidation and abuse must have no place in our society. We recognise the chilling effect that harassment and intimidation of elected representatives can have on our democracy.
“All reports of intimidation, harassment and threats are taken extremely seriously. We work with the police and Parliament to do everything in our power to crack down on threats to elected officials.”
Kneecap, made up of Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, alleged on social media they have “faced a co-ordinated smear campaign”, saying their shows have previously “called out” the conflict in Gaza.
They also appeared to suggest they would be taking legal action against the “malicious efforts”.
MCD has been contacted for comment.
Troubles game pits players against IRA
Paul Ainsworth, Irish News, April 28th, 2025
Northern Ireland ‘74 is available to play on PCs
“ Games haven’t really been made about the Troubles as it’s too politically sensitive. I’ve created this more for military enthusiasts – it’s not a shoot-em-up game, it’s about strategy and making it as authentic as possible
THE creator of a new video game based on the Troubles has said he is anticipating some “kick-back” over the strategy simulator that places the player in the role of the British security forces.
Available to play on PCs in early-access form, Northern Ireland ’74 is marketed as the “first strategy game to capture the essence of the entire Northern Ireland conflict”, and aims to provide an “authentic representation of The Troubles”, according to the developer.
The game is the latest in a series of military strategy titles by Every Single Soldier, a one-man brand created by Johan Nagel, a retired banking executive and former infantry platoon commander in the South African army, whose releases are based on real international conflicts, including the wars in Afghanistan and Vietnam.
In Northern Ireland ’74, players deploy troops, recruit informers and carry out “special forces operations”, while aiming to prevent rioting and “win the hearts and minds of all the people”.
Along with military operations, goals include managing politics to “ensure a just and fair peace”.
A video advertising the game experience urges the player to “support the Royal Ulster Constabulary” and “maintain British authority in the region” by aiming, among other objectives, to “contain the IRA” and “go after the leadership”.
Mr Nagel – who does all the coding for his games himself – insisted Northern Ireland ’74 was “not a shoot-em-up”, but was aimed more at military enthusiasts like himself.
He has previously developed a game based on a conflict he himself served in in the 1980s, the South African Border War, also known as the Angolan Bush War.
“This is a turn-based strategy game, with similar mechanics to the others in my series,” Mr Nagel said, speaking from Thailand.
He said he has “made enough money to retire and travel the world, doing what I love, which is making games”.
“I was drawn to making a game based on the Northern Ireland Troubles due to the complexity of the conflict,” he said.
“My previous games focus on the counter-insurgency aspect, but in Northern Ireland there wasn’t a standard counter-insurgency, as there were two sides to the paramilitaries, with republicans and loyalists. It’s the first game I’ve made that deals with that.”
The developer said he spoke with military contacts and carried out his own research in order to make the game “as authentic as possible”.
“With early access, it allows me to ensure authenticity, as people can point out any inaccuracies, such as with insignia for example,” he said.
“Most of the feedback in terms of accuracy with this game so far is about geography. However, although this is more of a history lesson than a regular game purely for entertainment, it’s still abstract – so it’s not going to be fully accurate. It’s more of a sandbox that the player can operate in.”
Speaking of the potential for a backlash to the game, he said: “Games haven’t really been made about the Troubles as it’s too politically sensitive. I’ve created this more for military enthusiasts – it’s not a shoot-em-up game, it’s about strategy and making it as authentic as possible.
“The British army was placed in a difficult position in this conflict – all I’m doing is giving players the option of experiencing that.”
In terms of how he expects the game to be received in Ireland, he added: “With every single game I have made, I’ve got an element of hate for it. When I made the Afghanistan game I had Americans speaking out against it.
“So I’m expecting some kick-back with this one.”
O'Neill speaks of 'huge honour' in attending Pope's funeral in Rome
Mark Bain, Belfast Telegraph, April 28th, 2025
First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said it was “a huge honour” to attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome as MLAs prepare to pay their respects once the NI Assembly resumes today.
Ms O'Neill cut short a family holiday to travel to Rome, with Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots confirming that local politicians will have an opportunity to pay their own respects as normal Assembly business has been set aside to allow for tributes.
In a letter to MLAs, the DUP Speaker said: “I recognise that many in our community are in mourning following the passing of Pope Francis and it is therefore important that the Assembly has an opportunity to express condolences.
“Therefore, after communication with the Party Whips yesterday, the arrangements for the Assembly to mark the passing of Pope Francis are as follows.
“At the start of the next Assembly sitting on Monday, 28 April 2025, the planned business will be set aside to commence with Condolences on the Passing of Pope Francis.
“During this item of business, I will seek to call as many Members as possible who wish to pay their tribute, beginning with the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and Party Leaders.
“Once the expression of condolences is complete, the Assembly will then suspend for 30 minutes as a mark of respect.”
While the First Minister was in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly wasn't in attendance. Ms O'Neill said it was for Ms Little-Pengelly “to explain her own decision-making on whether to be here or not”.
No invitations
Responding to criticism on social media for not attending the funeral, Ms Little-Pengelly said: “We didn't receive any invitation. That is why I'm not attending. The FM (First Minister) subsequently sought one and was able to obtain one just today.
“I have expressed my genuine condolences on the death of Pope Francis. It is not right or fair to play politics with such a sombre issue of gravity and reflection.”
Speaking to BBC News NI after the funeral, Ms O'Neill said she felt “emotional” as she watched the funeral.
“When you look around the crowd here today, the thousands of people who have turned out to honour him and to pay respect to what he did for society, I think that his legacy is strong,” she said.
“It's one of courage, it's one of humility, it's one of leadership, particularly in a time when the world is so broken.
“He was a unifier in death as he was in life.
“We have a huge Catholic population but Pope Francis reached well beyond the Catholic population, he reached out to so many.”
She called Pope Francis “a man of humility, a man who practised what he preached and was very much on the side of the marginalised and of the poor, who spoke up against injustice wherever he saw it”.
The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland — Eamon Martin — and Irish President Michael D Higgins were also among those who also attended.
Mr Higgins attended the mass for the late pontiff with his wife Sabina Higgins, having also viewed Francis's remains on Friday.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Simon Harris were also in attendance alongside Ambassador to the Vatican Frances Collins.
Speaking to reporters after the funeral, Mr Higgins said: “Pope Francis was — and will remain — an incredible source of hope.
“There was a kind of empathy in his thinking and his practice.”
In a statement, Mr Martin said: “It was an honour to represent the Government and people of Ireland at the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis, and to reflect on and appreciate the remarkable achievements of his life.”
Mr Harris said: “Pope Francis challenged us all to be better - to care more, to judge less, to lead with kindness. His legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”
Answers to questions so hard to get from the Executive Office
Andrew Madden, Belfast Telegraph, April 28th, 2025
On the surface the casual observer might believe things are ticking over quite nicely thank you very much.
Our MLAs are turning up for work after so many years of inaction. The wheels of government, we're led to believe, are in motion. All smiles and photo opportunities.
But try to ask The Executive Office what exactly it's doing, well, that's when the smiles disappear and the struggles to actually get to grips with the task in hand become all too clear.
A government is not in place to showcase all things bright and beautiful.
It is there to make the hard decisions that affect all our everyday lives.
And not all of them will be popular.
For a year and a few months, the current Stormont Executive has been living in the honeymoon of a partnership rekindled - a partnership where outward appearances seem to be more important than answering the tough questions when those answers are sought.
A keeping up of appearances, perhaps a belief behind the Stormont facade that if people are shown how everything is running smoothly then they will believe that to be so.
A good old Yellow Pages mentality. 'We don't just help with the nasty things in life like a blocked drain. We're there for the nice things too.'
There for the nice things in life they may be, but they are supposed to be there to help with the nasty things too...
Wall of Silence
But try to ask relevant questions on the more contentious issues and you're often met by a wall of silence, and an 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say nothing at all' attitude, as if that will make the ills go away.
It's as though those in the house on the hill are happy to sweep everything they don't wish to engage in under the carpet.
The Executive Office has 10 dedicated press officers. A major part of that role is answering queries from the media, either through direct responses or by providing information through freedom of information requests.
But rather than providing a window for information to flow through, questions to be answered, the 'valuable scrutiny' of what the Executive is actually doing remains largely hidden behind the lavish Stormont curtains.
Even our MLAs who seek to question the Office are finding answers tough to come by.
Some of the queries naturally need some research before the answers can be provided. It's never going to be an 'ask a question get an immediate answer' situation.
Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw is the chair of the Executive Committee at Stormont. It's supposed to be the main scrutiny body for the Executive Office.
But they, like the media, do not always get the answers they seek. And how can they scrutinise the workings of the top level of government if they too are ignored when they seek clarity?
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme earlier this month she said it is “not acceptable” that responses to questions from the committee are not always being provided and there is “a real silence on so many fronts”.
The silence over so many questions will only add to suspicions that there's something behind all those smiling images that some would rather the watching public would rather not see or hear of — and if it remains behind that wall of silence, we'll all move on and pretend that everything's okay forever.
A spokesperson for The Executive Office said: “Ministers endeavour to ensure all Assembly questions, committee correspondence and media queries are answered within the appropriate timeframe.”
At least an answer was forthcoming.
Endeavour they might. That doesn't mean they always do.
While those asking the questions might not like the answers they receive, they at least deserve the response.
