Omagh families call for special advocate for closed hearings at public inquiry
Rebecca Black, Irish News, July 22nd, 2025
SURVIVORS and families of those killed in the Omagh bombing have asked to be represented by a special advocate in closed hearings at the public inquiry.
Omagh Bombing Inquiry chairman Lord Turnbull is hearing arguments around applications during dedicated hearings this week.
Counsel to the inquiry Paul Greaney KC said the inquiry, which is probing whether the 1998 dissident republican bomb attack could have been prevented, will hear some sensitive security evidence in closed hearings.
The atrocity in the Co Tyrone town on August 15 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
Speaking during hearings in Belfast yesterday, Mr Greaney said the inquiry’s legal team recognises that survivors and the bereaved have spent 25 years seeking the truth, and may be “suspicious or even cynical of the UK state’s willingness to engage in a way that is straightforward and wholehearted with this inquiry”.
“We acknowledge too, that the idea of evidence being heard in circumstances in which the families and survivors will be excluded is one that they will find difficult to accept, to say the least, and accordingly, we regard it as entirely understandable that some, although not all, have suggested special advocates should be appointed to represent their interests in any closed hearings, and have made applications for that to occur,” he said.
Outlining the arguments that will be made, Mr Greaney said some contend special advocates cannot legally be appointed in a statutory public inquiry, while others have said if such a power does exist it should not be exercised.
He said others have said special advocates can legally be appointed in an inquiry, and should be in this case to ensure the interests of the bereaved and survivors are protected, meanwhile others are neutral, and one group has said they are content to leave the matters to the inquiry’s legal team.
No precedent
Mr Greaney also revealed that both the Advocate General of Northern Ireland Lord Hermer KC and Secretary of State Hilary Benn’s position is that there is no power to appoint a special advocate in a statutory public inquiry.
It was also noted that special advocates were not appointed in the inquiry into the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko or in the Manchester Arena Inquiry.
We acknowledge too, that the idea of evidence being heard in circumstances in which the families and survivors will be excluded is one that they will find difficult to accept, to say the least
Hugh Southey KC, acting for some of the bereaved families and survivors, emphasised the importance of a process from which everyone walks away feeling confident in the outcome.
He said those which he represents have been calling for the appointment of a special advocate since the early days of the inquiry.
“They obviously have a degree of scepticism about the state’s position in relation to this inquiry,” he said.
“There has been considerable delay in getting to this stage and also there is a history, they would argue, of the state not necessarily of being fully open, essentially about what’s happened in the past, and because of that they are of the opinion that it is particularly important that any closed procedure involves the state being fully tested, and it’s important also that they have confidence in the outcome of any closed procedure.”
He added that special advocates played a key rule in a judicial review which was taken by Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed in the bomb, previously of the government’s decision not to call a public inquiry.
“That is part of the reason why, from their point of view, it is important that special advocates continue to be involved in the process,” he said.
He argued that those he represents who are excluded from the closed hearings in terms of not having a special advocate will not understand the legal basis.
“They won’t understand the evidential basis, that’s inevitable, but they will also not understand, be able to know whether there is any error effectively in the approach the inquiry adopt when making those findings,” he said.
The hearing will continue today.
Person hospitalised after fall from republican bonfire in Derry
Garrett Hargan, Belfast Telegraph, July 22nd, 2025
They sustained a broken bone while the pyre is expected to be biggest in years
The housing association that owns the site refusing to confirm whether it will be secured.
Sources have told the Belfast Telegraph that the individual fell from a partially-constructed bonfire and sustained a broken bone.
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it received a 999 call at 7.35pm on Wednesday, July 16 following an incident in the Meenan Square area of the city.
It despatched two emergency ambulance crews to the scene.
“One person was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital by Ambulance,” an NIAS spokesperson said.
Apex Housing Association, which owns the site, refused to answer questions about what is being done to secure the site in light of the incident.
“We will be making no comment at this time,” a spokesperson said.
They also refused to comment on any potential risk posed to an electrical substation on the land.
Bigger than previous years
With materials being gathered for months now, it appears the bonfire will be bigger compared to previous years.
Images have circulated online showing pallets being unloaded from a lorry at the site.
In May, Apex said “no contractor” was willing to move materials gathered due to “significant health and safety concerns”.
This newspaper reported that Foyle MP Colum Eastwood had raised “safety concerns” as bonfire material was set alight under what is known locally as ‘The Flyover’.
At the time, Apex said that work was due to commence in June to decommission and demolish an existing electrical substation to construct a new one – the work was to involve redirecting underground services currently crossing the site.
The vacant Meenan Square site is to be developed as part of the Executive Office’s Urban Villages initiative which was launched by Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster in 2016.
The scheme was designed to “improve good relations outcomes and develop thriving places where there has been a history of deprivation and community tension”.
Anti-Internment fires
Anti-internment bonfires used to be lit annually in many nationalist and republican areas in August.
There has been a largely successful move away from them, with Féile an Phobail in Belfast and Féile Derry held at the same time to encourage more family-friendly events.
In recent years there has been talk of seeking funding for a big music event in Derry similar to Féile an Phobail, which received close to £700,000 in 2023/24 from the Arts Council, Belfast City Council, the NI Tourist Board and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
The Bogside bonfire has however persisted and while it was cancelled in 2023, the pyre returned last year.
Poppy wreaths, the names of murdered police officers, loyalist flags and other items have been placed on the bonfire in the past.
Plans for a £12m mixed use project comprising housing, a community centre and shops have been pushed back numerous times.
Protracted negotiations between the Executive Office and landowner Westco Developments Ltd meant the site was only purchased by Apex Housing Association in 2023. That year Stormont said construction would start in autumn 2024.
But it was delayed again with Stormont stating construction is “anticipated to start in early 2026”.
Orange Order hits out at ‘divisive’ media coverage of Twelfth celebrations
Allan Preston, Irish News, July 22nd, 2025
THE Orange Order have accused the media of “bile and intolerance” when reporting events surrounding this year’s Twelfth celebrations.
A statement issued yesterday said that “with no bad news to report” after tens of thousands enjoyed events held in 18 venues, local media instead resorted to “churning out a daily diet of inaccurate, sensationalist and divisive commentary”.
The statement referenced coverage from this paper and from other local outlets including the BBC and the Belfast Telegraph.
Questioning an absence of “hate filled commentary on nationalism” the Orange Order again raised changes to the BBC’s coverage of the Twelfth – which had changed towards an evening highlights programme instead of live programming.
The statement said this coincided with “increasing coverage of Gaelic Games and Irish language output”.
The recent cancellation of a cross-community sports camp at a cricket club in Comber was highlighted, where the organisers cancelled the event following concerns about children from East Belfast GAA attending.
While the Goldsprings Orange Lodge in Comber had objected to the plans in a statement, they later clarified that North Down Cricket Club had already taken the decision to cancel the event.
The Orange Order said the collective media criticism of Goldsprings had been excessive after they had objected to “the fact that the GAA is a political organisation with elements having links to Republican terrorists”.
They also said that efforts to describe Saturday’s Portrush Sons of Ulster Flute Band parade, which had coincided with crowds from The Open golf championship, as “controversial” was an attempt to “demonise the unionist community and our culture”.
“Sadly, for the media, the event was an unmitigated success, with dozens of bands from across Northern Ireland providing a musical spectacle for locals and visitors alike and drawing the largest crowd Portrush had witnessed all week,” they said.
“Unsurprisingly, the positivity around the parade will not generate multiple stories in the print media or their online channels.”
They continued: “The Orange Institution, like any organisation expects to be scrutinised, however, we also expect that scrutiny to be fair, accurate and professional.”
Almost 300 heritage sites vandalised since 2021
Andrew Madden, Belfast Telegraph, July 22nd, 2025
FIGURES REVEAL THE MAJORITY OF DAMAGE TO THE DERRY WALLS
There have been almost 300 incidents of vandalism at archaeological and heritage sites across Northern Ireland in recent years, according to new figures.
Northern Ireland is known across the world for its rich heritage and sites of archaeological and historical interest, but cases where these sites are targeted by vandals are frequent.
The Historic Environment Division within Stormont's Department for Communities (DfC) is responsible for protecting and promoting heritage sites here.
There are around 35,500 archaeological monuments recorded in DfC's Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland (HERoNI), but only an estimated 2,000 of these are scheduled, meaning they have statutory protection.
Figures obtained from DfC reveal the number of incidents of vandalism or criminal damage at heritage sites since the beginning of 2021.
There have been 294 such cases recorded over this period — including 11 in the first three months of this year.
In 2021, there were 56 incidents recorded, compared to 57 the following year, 98 in 2023 and 71 in 2024.
The majority of these cases relate to vandalism of the historic Derry Walls, accounting for 193 incidents since the beginning of 2021 and 73 in 2023 alone.
Built between 1613 and 1618, Derry's Walls were designed as defences for early 17th century settlers from England and Scotland.
Last July, there was widespread condemnation after large amounts of white paint were thrown at a part of the walls known as Walker's Plinth.
Giant’s ring
Other sites that have been targeted by vandals in recent years include the Giant's Ring in Belfast, which has been vandalised or damaged 15 times, while 14 cases relate to Grey Point Fort at Helen's Bay.
The SDLP's Justin McNulty said we are fortunate to have historic sites across Northern Ireland that reflect our “rich and diverse past” and it is a shame that such sites have been targeted.
“Whether it's Derry's Walls, Navan Fort or other heritage landmarks, I cannot understand why anyone would choose to vandalise or damage these spaces,” he said.
“These sites are part of our shared history and identity. We must do more to protect them, but I would also urge people to think twice before attacking places that belong to all of us.”
While the incidents in the DfC figures involve deliberate vandalism, there have been recent cases of heritage sites being unintentionally damaged.
Back in May, for instance, the National Trust issued a warning to visitors to the Giant's Causeway to stop wedging coins into the cracks of the basalt columns. Coins rust and expand, leading the rocks to fracture.
There's also the Dark Hedges in Co Antrim, which came to international attention after being used as a filming location for Game of Thrones.
A rise of visitors driving down the road caused damage to the trees, leading to a ban on cars in 2017, except for local access to fields and emergency services.
Lough Neagh algae could be worse than last year, say activists
Conor Sheils, Irish News, July 22nd, 2025
CAMPAIGNERS have said the algae problem at Lough Neagh is so bad that travellers flying into Belfast can see it from the air – amid fears this year’s bloom could be worse than last year.
The comments come after new signs were erected in Co Antrim warning the public about the presence of toxic blue-green algae.
Signs from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council appeared near the Antrim Forum leisure centre, which sits beside Six Mile Water River which flows into the lough read: “Blue-green algae has been detected in this area.
“This may produce toxins causing illness such as skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting, fever, diarrhoea and muscle pain.
“We advise that adults, children and animals avoid contact with the algae along the shoreline and the water close to it.”
Visible from aircraft
Padraig MacNiocaill, of the Save Lough Neagh campaign told The Irish News that the problem is so bad it can now be seen from the air.
“We’ve had messages to our campaign group about the stench at Toomebridge returning, and it being particularly bad. We’ve also had messages from people flying into Aldergrove, saying they’ve seen waves of green algae over the lough,” he said.
“With the weather we’ve had, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was worse than last year. The fact that eel fishing has been shut off for the year is a disgrace. This is unprecedented. The contamination and the ecocide at Lough Neagh is so bad that eel fishing has been shut down for the entire year. If that isn’t a sign of the sheer level of this disaster, then I don’t know what is.”
His comments follow an announcement last week that eel fishing has been been closed for the rest of the year due to the presence of the algae.
This is now the third year the toxic algae has been detected in the summer months, which is blamed on high levels of nutrients generated by agriculture as well as invasive zebra mussels.
Several factors have contributed to its rise with a warming climate and higher levels of nutrients in the water being blamed for the increase.
Arts Council removes logo amid controversy over Feile's GAA kids' competition named after IRA leader
Gabrielle Swan, Belfast Telegraph, July 22nd, 2025
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has asked Féile an Phobail to remove its logo from sports events hosted by the west Belfast festival, after a children's GAA competition during the event was named after a former IRA chief of staff.
The Joe Cahill Gaelic Competition was named for the late Provisional IRA founder, who was a Belfast commander before becoming chief of staff — the effective leader.
He died in 2004 at the age of 84.
The competition is listed as part of Féile an Phobail's Gaelic sporting events.
It is due to take place in August, hosted by two Co Antrim GAA clubs for children under 12.
The DUP has since questioned the use of Belfast City Council funds for the festival.
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback, DUP MLA David Brooks said it was “not appropriate to have an event named after an IRA terrorist especially when there is kids involved”.
“When council see these events taking place and this kind of glorification of terrorism taking place, they should naturally be asking the question whether they want to be associated with it and whether it's an appropriate use of public funds,” he said.
“There are consistent examples of glorification of IRA terrorism. And that is something we cannot look over, or certainly the council shouldn't be looking over.”
Féile has received £244,000 funding this year from the council's cultural multi-annual grant scheme, but the Arts Council said it does not fund sports events and use of its logo was “incorrect”
“The event organiser would be responsible for funding distribution towards the festival programme,” said an Arts Council statement.
In another statement the Arts Council said their logo was “used in error and will be removed”.
Féile an Phobail, Tourism NI and Antrim GAA were approached for comment.
PSNI says Irish recruitment advert is engagement with ‘underrepresented’
Mark Robinson, Irish News, July 22nd, 2025
THE PSNI has said that an Irish language recruitment ad placed in the All-Ireland hurling final match programme on Sunday was part of its outreach activity as it engages with “all communities” and those who are “underrepresented” within the organisation.
The full-page advert appeared in the pages of the programme for the match, which saw Tipperary beat Cork to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
A link to the PSNI’s job site alongside alongside the message ‘Déan slí bheatha de’, which translates to ‘make a career out of it’, featured in the ad.
The PSNI has advertised in GAA programmes with the same phrase before but it had previously appeared alongside an English translation.
A police spokesperson said that GAA advertising was a “regular part” of their summer outreach as they “continue to engage with all communities, particularly those who are underrepresented” within the PSNI.
“Advertisements were placed in both GAA All-Ireland football semi-final match programmes on July 12 and 13,” they said.
“Programme advertisements were also scheduled for both the GAA All-Ireland hurling final on Sunday, July 20, and the GAA All-Ireland football final on Sunday, July 27.
“Over the past few years, we have placed advertisements in a range of publications including the Orange Standard, GAA All Ireland Finals and Northern Ireland football match programmes.
“We will continue to advertise in a range of publications as part our outreach and engagement.”
Sinn Fein complaints about PSNI behaviour
Last week, a Sinn Féin delegation met with senior police officers to “critically challenge a litany of issues” in recent weeks.
North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said that confidence in policing is “at a record low within the Catholic/ nationalist section of our community”.
“Our Sinn Féin offices in various parts of Belfast have been inundated with complaints by people who feel angry and often intimidated and feel that little is being done to stop such activity,” he said.
The Irish News recently revealed that Catholic recruitment in the PSNI fell to a new low of just 17% in 2024.
The full-page ad appeared in Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final programme when Tipperary triumphed over Cork
Overall, Catholics make up just 32% of the organisation’s officers. The Irish-language ad appeared in the programme at Sunday’s All-Ireland Hurling final
Higgins has been popular president, but some north of border say otherwise
Allison Morris, Belfast Telegraph, July 22nd, 2025
VIEWS ON THE IRISH FIRST CITIZEN VARY DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK, PARTICULARLY AMONG UNIONISTS
As the race hots up for the next resident of Áras an Uachtaráin — the 92-room Phoenix Park mansion house that serves as home to the Irish president — incumbent Michael D Higgins' legacy is being debated on both sides of the border.
Opinion polls regularly show him to be Ireland's most popular ever president.
The former Irish Labour politician who has held the post of president since 2011, and who is affectionately known as Miggeldy, is renowned for his love of poetry and the arts (he regularly recites Nietzsche), and his outspoken stance on global justice and human rights issues, most recently the attacks on Gaza, has won him a new generation of fans among the Irish youth.
Mr Higgins has been viewed as a symbol of a new Ireland, having taken office during a slump in the economy and guiding the country through 14 years of huge social, economic and demographic changes.
Names in the ring to replace him so far include Co Down-born academic Professor Deirdre Heenan, linked strongly with a Fianna Fail candidacy; Catherine Connolly, who has received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, with Mairead McGuinness the Fine Gael nominee.
Having served two seven-year terms and despite his popularity, the 84 year-old President is not eligible to run again.
However, the public affection for Mr Higgins is not always replicated on this side of the border, particularly among unionists who have snubbed him, most recently removing his portrait from Belfast City Hall's mayoral parlour.
Portrait removed from Belfast Mayoral Parnour
The Lord Mayor, DUP councillor Tracy Kelly, had the portrait that hung alongside a picture of King Charles removed from the room — which is used by the first citizen to host public events — when she took up office in June.
Belfast City Council said the portrait is being safely stored at City Hall “at the request of the current Lord Mayor, while she considers options for this space during her mayoral term”.
Historian and republican commentator Sean Napier, who hosts 1798 United Irishmen walking tours through Belfast, said the move was “disappointing” and a “wasted opportunity for reconciliation”.
“I don't think it is personal to Michael D, but presidents in general. Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese's portraits were not removed, because they were never in the chamber in the first place”, he said.
“The city that we come from, with our particular past, we should be very sensitive to these things. We know that symbolism means a lot more than taking a picture down — it is erasure of the other community, the other identity.
“It's not about what the DUP think personally. The mayor's office is about all citizens.
“If children attend the parlour from west or east Belfast, you want them, for educational value, to point up and ask: 'Who is that?' And for the answer to be: 'Well, that is the King, and that is the president.'
“We have moved away from 'Ulster says no'; we are in the age of 'Ulster says yes to inclusivity'.
King Billy remembered in Dublin
“The mayoral chain in Dublin has King William on it. It was actually given to the city and presented by King William himself in 1698, and they proudly wear that with their mayoral robes.
“And yet, they [the DUP] find it difficult to have even a picture of a president in Belfast, this founding city of democracy, of the United Irishmen, of the radical Presbyterians who believed in enlightenment and equality. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that.”
However, among many unionists Mr Higgins is viewed in a very different light.
In 2021, the president defended his decision not to attend a church service to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland after criticism from unionists.
He said he declined the invitation to a service in Armagh because the event had “become politicised” and the title of the service made it “inappropriate” for him to attend as head of state.
He also denied it was a snub to the late Queen, who was to attend the event.
President Higgins insisted that he had “had no difficulties appearing in Northern Ireland with Her Majesty”, and indeed met the late Queen on several occasions.
Attended Coronation
He was the first Irish president to receive a state visit to the UK in 2014, and the first to attend a British coronation when Charles became King.
He also praised Ian Paisley as a peacemaker, and attended the funerals of the Queen and David Trimble.
Loyalist Jackie McDonald famously enjoyed a friendly relationship with Irish president Mary McAleese and her husband, Martin. To date, Mrs McAleese is the only president to have come from NI.
In her memoir, Mrs McAleese recalled a historic meeting with representatives of the UDA and its UPRG political wing in 2003, in the Bank of Ireland building, on College Green in Dublin.
The bank's governor, Laurence Crowley, hosted a meeting of senior business people, civil servants and media analysts from the Republic who were joined by the unlikely loyalist delegation headed by McDonald.
It was to be the start of a series of important engagements, and Mr McAleese also visited Belfast and met with well-known loyalists such as Andy Tyrie.
Mr McAleese also visited the Taughmonagh Social Club, in the heart of loyalist south Belfast, and invited young loyalists who were members of the local football team to visit Áras an Uachtaráin.
Mr McDonald famously played a round of golf with Mr McAleese in the exclusive K Club in Kildare.
Brexit soured relations
It is a long way from the current relationship between loyalists and Dublin that soured over Brexit.
Jackie McDonald recalled: “That relationship went from hot to cold. Once she [Mary McAleese] left, that relationship was just shot down.
“He [Mr Higgins] was going to do his own thing, and unionism and loyalism just wasn't a part of it. We were not invited. That relationship we had built with the office was gone overnight.
“But remember, we didn't just get on with the president — we had relationships with the Taoiseach as well. We also got on with Bertie, Enda and Micheál Martin. It was when Leo Varadkar came along and stuck his nose in that he ruined that relationship as well.
“I was speaking to Charlie Flanagan [former Fine Gael minister] recently and I said to him: 'When Mary was president you were our neighbours, and now you're a foreign country again.'
“And that is how many unionists and loyalists feel.”
He added: “You're asking the wrong question. Instead of asking why unionists don't like Michael D Higgins, you should ask why Michael D Higgins doesn't like unionists.”
President Higgins' office was contacted for comment.
Tipped to run for Aras, who is Deirdre Heenan?
Mark Bain, Belfast Telegraph, July 22nd, 2025
Who is Professor Deirdre Heenan is a question many in the Republic may be asking.
A potential candidate for the Irish presidency, the Co Down native — a familiar face in the media on this side of the border at least — was educated at Banbridge Academy.
The Ulster University academic's profile could rise considerably if she is confirmed as the Fianna Fail choice in November's poll to take up residence in Aras an Uachtarain.
She has already been involved with the office of the President of Ireland, having been one of seven people nominated by Michael D Higgins to his council of state.
She was formerly provost and dean of academic development at UU's Magee campus.
A researcher, author and broadcaster, she is a member of the Institute for Research in Social Sciences and has published widely on healthcare, education policy, social care and devolution.
Over the last decade she has been consistently called on by media outlets to provide analysis on a wide range of topics affecting life here.
The co-founder and former co-director of the Northern Ireland Life and Times Surveys was the recipient of a Distinguished Teaching Award in 2001.
This was followed by a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy in 2006, and two years later Prof Heenan secured an Economic and Social Research Council fellowship, and spent nine months as policy adviser in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
In 2011 she was appointed by Stormont's Health Minister to join a five-strong panel of experts to oversee a radical review of health and social care.
It was in 2012 when she began to make a mark over the border, after being appointed to the president's council of state.
Derry-Londonderry Regeneration
She also serves as a director of ILEX, the Derry-Londonderry urban regeneration company, and is a governor in two schools in the city — Foyle College and St Patrick's Pennyburn.
After growing up in Annaclone, a few miles outside Banbridge, she had until recently lived in Derry with her husband and three sons.
She has since relocated to Belfast, with her office based in the new Ulster University campus at York Street.
As provost for Coleraine and Magee, Prof Heenan had responsibility for oversight of the general affairs of the campuses, including service standards, pastoral care of students and staff, and interaction with the wider community.
She has been a regular commentator on television and radio on political, social, health and education issues.
With Fianna Fail keen to replicate the success of Belfast lawyer and academic Mary McAleese, who was Irish President from 1997 to 2011, her potential candidacy for the role of head of state will draw obvious comparisons.
On Irish unity, her stance aligns with the party. She has been critical of Sinn Fein's call for a border poll within five years.
“This endless speculation on a border poll is facile, tiresome and meaningless,” she wrote recently.
“It is little more that political theatre, a distraction.
“The larger issue is what is a border poll designed to achieve? What is the proposition on offer?”
Though she admitted: “Constitutional change represents an opportunity for fresh thinking about building a new and modern democracy.
“Twenty-seven years after the Good Friday Agreement and no vision for the future has been forthcoming from any political party on the island.
“Perhaps no one wants to spell out how a 'New Ireland' would incorporate British culture and tradition.
“The idea that some day a switch can be flicked, and the north will simply be absorbed into the status quo, is lazy and delusional.
“Where is the ambitious plan, an irresistible vision for the future, underpinned by robust evidence, one that is capable of wooing the middle ground?”
Prof Heenan has mixed in high circles, and earlier this year was a guest of Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street for a St Patrick's Day celebration event.
An avid concert goer, having been to see Cyndi Lauper and Stereophonics in recent months, she is also a sports fan and supports Manchester United.
PSNI asked to help police Trump's visit to Scotland this weekend
Craig Meehan, Belfast Telegraph, July 22nd, 2025
The under-strength PSNI has been asked to provide officers to police Donald Trump's visit to Scotland this weekend.
It comes as officers in Scotland are weighing up legal action against Police Scotland over its plans for the visit of the US president.
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents 98% of all police officers in Scotland, said the force has already breached health and safety standards in the run-up to the visit by Mr Trump.
It said its lawyers had been instructed to examine potential legal action against Police Scotland after some officers were allegedly told they were expected to work 12-hour shifts for up to 10 consecutive days ahead of Mr Trump's visit on Friday.
Thousands of officers are expected to be involved in what Police Scotland has described as a “significant policing operation”.
The White House confirmed Mr Trump will visit his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire between July 25 and 29.
He will meet the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the First Minister John Swinney during his private trip.
The visit is likely to result in widespread protests, following similar demonstrations during his last visit to Scotland.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the SPF, suggested planning for the visit has already put officers at risk.
He said: “We currently have workforce agreements in place to protect police officers and provide minimum standards of health and safety at work.
“Sadly, we have seen these agreements breached in the days leading to the arrival of Potus (President of the United States) and as such we are seeking legal advice regarding potential legal action against the service.”
Speaking to STV News, Mr Kennedy said he had “major concerns” about the plans to police Mr Trump's trip.
He told the broadcaster: “We do not have enough police officers in Scotland. Anyone that says we do, I don't know where they get those figures from.
“When these events come along that puts those officers that are here under so much pressure.”
Police Scotland said earlier this month it would seek help from the Scottish and UK governments over the “considerable” cost of policing the visit.
It has also asked for support from the PSNI, marking a complete reverse of last month, when Police Scotland sent officers to Ballymena to help the PSNI during race-related rioting.
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “There are well established processes for any UK-based police services to request support from other services at times of peak demand.
“These requests are managed via the National Police Co-ordination Centre (NPoCC) and we can confirm that PSNI have received a request to provide mutual aid to Police Scotland which we are currently assessing.
“The decision to provide officers under the mutual aid process will be considered against our own demands, ensuring that we retain the capacity to respond effectively to local issues and maintain our own operational competence.”
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY RULES CHANGED TO PROTECT NI PEACE PROCESS
Gavin Cordon, Belfast Telegraph, July 22nd, 2025
Tony Blair's government changed the rules on party leaders laying wreaths at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday to protect the NI peace process, according to newly released official files.
Papers released by the National Archives show Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy said there were “pressing political reasons” why the leaders of both the main unionist parties, David Trimble and the Rev Ian Paisley, should be able to take part in the ceremony.
However, other ministers warned of an “adverse reaction” from the SNP and Plaid Cymru, who were restricted to laying a single joint wreath.
Under rules drawn up in 1984, the leader of any party which secured six seats at the previous General Election was entitled to lay a wreath during the ceremony led by the monarch.
After the 2001 General Election, that meant Mr Trimble, whose Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) secured six seats, could take part, but Mr Paisley, the leader of the Democratic Unionists (DUP) which had five, could not.
But after Jeffrey Donaldson defected from the UUP to the DUP in 2003, the balance was reversed, and the DUP complained it was being treated unfairly compared with the UUP.
In the run-up to the 2004 ceremony, Mr Murphy told constitutional affairs secretary Lord Falconer there would be “real difficulties” if the 1984 formulation continued to apply to the NI parties.
“We will undoubtedly face renewed pressure from the DUP this year given that they are now not only the largest NI party, but also have six Westminster MPs (and had done resoundingly well in the Assembly and Euro elections),” he wrote.
“But we are now involved in intensive dialogue over the political future in NI in which the DUP, and the UUP, are the key players. I fear, therefore, there are now pressing political reasons for amending the 1984 formulation.”
He suggested it could be tweaked so both parties, which had six MPs at the last election, and those which subsequently passed that threshold through by-elections/defections, could take part.
Lord Falconer expressed concern that there was “a certain awkwardness” in the proposal, which involved overturning a clearly established formula.
He wrote: “There is a further difficulty in that the Scottish Nationalists, like the Official Unionists, currently have five seats at Westminster. If Mr Trimble continues to lay a wreath, they might argue that they should be allowed to do so also. However, it is in fact Plaid Cymru's turn to lay the wreath in 2004 on behalf of the joint parliamentary group. The result will be, apparently, that NI lays two wreaths while Scotland lays none.”
The plan was agreed by Number 10.
The John Hewitt Summer School draws all ages
Malachi O’Doherty, Belfast Telegraph, July 22nd, 2025
Every summer about this time we head back to Armagh. My wife and I have been going to the John Hewitt International Summer School there since it relocated to the cathedral city over 20 years ago. Before that I had been to it only once. Then it was held at a Catholic boarding school in Garron Tower. Then we had to squeeze into a single bed in a room that was really more like a cell.
But we were there for the culture and the craic and late-night wrangling with others over poetry and politics.
Now we get to stay in greater comfort in the Armagh City Hotel or the Charlemont Arms.
John Hewitt himself would be honoured, I'm sure, but mightily surprised that hundreds of people gather in Armagh in his name to discuss politics and culture, often with reference to his thinking. That there was also to be a pub in Belfast named after him would have struck him as unlikely.
I met him a few times.
Once, as an ambitious young writer with little to show for himself, I organised a lunchtime reading of my work at The Arts Council of NI Gallery in Bedford Street and he was one of the few who came to hear me.
I made a mess of the occasion by turning up with the wrong manuscript and then having to skip over the lurid bits.
And other writers will tell you the same story of readings at the Crescent Arts Centre or the School of English, big names and small, and this quiet little man with his goatee beard, pipe and tweeds sitting in the audience, determined to keep up with what everyone was doing. And always encouraging.
Heaney tribute
I was in the Whitla Hall when Seamus Heaney announced from the stage, before his own reading, that John Hewitt had died. He paid tribute to him by reading one of his poems.
So Hewitt is the right person to name a summer school after, because if he was still alive he would be in the audience, puffing on his unlit pipe, paying as much attention to the raw beginner as to the big names who will be there next week, like novelists David Park and Donal Ryan and Vona Groarke, the new Ireland Professor of Poetry.
And part of the genius of the John Hewitt International Summer School, which this year runs from July 28 to August 2, is that it draws in all generations. There was a time, say, ten years ago, when few young people came. It seemed a cosy gathering of old men and women.
That has changed, and it is in the spirit of Hewitt's regard for young writers that it should have done so.
Many of those who will be at the summer school next week will be there for free. Every year the committee allocates bursaries which cover attendance at all events, including food and board and training workshops in different kinds of writing.
And some of the people who have been there on bursaries and attended the workshops in the past, taking guidance from published writers, have come back in later years as guests reading their own published works.
Most of the events each year are held in the Marketplace Theatre. These range from lectures on politics to poetry readings, interviews with major writers to concerts and plays.
This year, Frankie McCafferty is performing Lisdoon Nirvana, a one-man show.
I'm particularly looking forward to hearing from Cauvery Madhavan, a writer from Cork. I haven't read her latest book yet but I laughed out loud reading her early novel, The Uncoupling, which reads like mix of Evelyn Waugh and RK Narayan with a splash of erotica.
My wife, Maureen Boyle, will be interviewing her and leading a creative writing workshop on memoir.
Identity
Wendy Erskine will be talking about her wonderful new novel, Benefactors. It profiles the nuanced class and gender distinctions in Belfast around allegations of a gang rape and the efforts of families on both sides of the case to stand by their own.
The programme of events is online and too full to be covered here.
I will be chairing a discussion with Davy Adams, Lata Sharma and Aleksandra Łojek, on identity and living in places where you are perceived to be different.
Former loyalist Davy's story includes his recent discovery that he is part Indian.
I will be interviewing Sally Hayden, a journalist with an awesome record of working in troubled developing countries. She has been reporting this week for the Irish Times on the killings of Palestinians by settlers in the West Bank. Her book My Fourth Time, We Drowned — a journalistic masterpiece — is a troubling account of the experiences of refugees fleeing to the West and their cruel treatment facilitated by the European Union and the United Nations.
And there will be tributes to two major Irish poets who died this year, Michael Longley and Paul Durcan. Both were past guests at the summer school and stayed on after their readings to socialise — so there will be personal memories shared about them not just in the theatre space but also in the bars afterwards.
