People over 50 still suffering PTSD decades after Troubles
By Jonathan McCambridge, PA, Belfast News Letter and Irish News, December 22nd, 2025
The legacy of the Troubles continues to impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people in Northern Ireland , a new study has concluded.
Led by researchers from Queen's University Belfast, the paper found that current post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in those aged 50 and over in the region is as high as 4.74%.
The research also highlights increased levels of depression, social deprivation and harmful health behaviours such as smoking and excess alcohol in those with PTSD.
The study was jointly led by Dr Claire Potter from the Centre for Public Health at Queen's alongside researchers from Trinity College Dublin .
Almost 60% of those with PTSD reported the Troubles as their worst traumatic exposure
Dr Potter was supervised by Professor Bernadette McGuinness , Professor Frank Kee and Professor Amy Jayne McKnight from Queen's.
Using data from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (Nicola), the study looked at more than 2,000 people aged 50 and over from Northern Ireland who reported a previous traumatic event.
Almost 60% of those with PTSD reported the Troubles as their worst traumatic exposure.
Researchers said this suggested long-term consequences of the Troubles.
It also found that those with symptoms of current PTSD had worse memory performance, were less likely to have completed higher educational degrees, twice as likely to be single and more than three times more likely to be living in the most deprived areas of Northern Ireland .
At greatest risk
The study said they were also more likely to have chronic and cardiovascular health conditions, to be smokers and have lower levels of physical activity and be more socially isolated.
Dr Potter said: "There is chronic underfunding of mental health in Northern Ireland that does not match the needs of our population.
"Commissioners need to support trauma informed training across health, social care and community sectors, integrate lifestyle and social isolation interventions in our communities, address workforce gaps and continue to support large population studies like Nicola that can inform these policy decisions."
Professor McGuinness said: "This study from a representative sample of our older population in Northern Ireland highlights the ongoing impact of the Troubles on our participants in terms of mental, cognitive and physical health.
"We call on policymakers to address these gaps in service provision."
The Nicola study was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council , the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Research and Development Division, Atlantic Philanthropies, Centre for Ageing Research and Development Ireland , Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister Northern Ireland and the Wellcome Trust/Wolfson Foundation , Queen's University Belfast.
The findings have been published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.
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Revealed: Church leaders at centre of sex and race discrimination tribunal
CHRISTOPHER WOODHOUSE, Belfast Telegraph, December 23rd, 2025
BELFAST TELEGRAPH CHALLENGE LAYS BARE DETAILS OF CASE COVERED BY NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
The names of Presbyterian leaders at the centre of a tribunal case taken by a woman alleging sexual and racial discrimination have been revealed.
Those Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) figures named in the tribunal — taken earlier this year by Renuga (Renee) Finnegan — include recently resigned moderator Dr Trevor Gribben; Dr David Allen, the current Acting Clerk of the General Assembly and Acting General Secretary of PCI, and Sarah Leung, its head of human resources since 2022.
A fourth individual who was not involved in the mediation and settlement cannot be named.
Ms Finnegan withdrew her allegations — all of which were denied — and signed an agreement containing both confidentiality and non-disparagement obligations, becoming, in effect, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) covering the case.
The case was then dismissed by an employment judge, and the written judgment which named the parties never published. However, a challenge by this newspaper has successfully revealed the nature of the case and the names of those involved from the PCI.
(See Page 6 below)
Presbyterian Church used NDA to hush sexual and racial discrimination claims
BELFAST TELEGRAPH CHALLENGE MEANS DETAILS OF CASE CAN NOW BE REPORTED
CHRISTOPHER WOODHOUSE
A woman took a tribunal case alleging sexual and racial discrimination against the Presbyterian Church that was settled with a confidential agreement, it can now be reported.
Renuga (Renee) Finnegan named recently resigned moderator Dr Trevor Gribben and other senior members of the church in her statement of claim lodged earlier this year.
But following judicial mediation Mrs Finnegan withdrew her allegations — all of which were denied — and signed an agreement containing both confidentiality and non-disparagement obligations, becoming, in effect, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) covering the case.
The case was then formally dismissed by an employment judge in a written judgment which named the parties.
Following a change in the rules regarding registration of tribunal claims, which came into effect last December, the judgment was not entered into the publicly accessible register.
In an application by Mediahuis UK, publisher of the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life, reporter Angela Davison sought access to documents stating the nature of Mrs Finnegan's case and the names of those involved.
This was objected to by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) and the four individuals named in Mrs Finnegan's claim.
But following a ruling by Employment Judge Orla Murray it can now be reported who three of those people are and the fact they were named in Mrs Finnegan's claim. They are:
The Right Reverend Dr Trevor Gribben who was installed as Moderator of the PCI in June this year before his resignation last month.
Reverend Dr David Allen, the current Acting Clerk of the General Assembly and Acting General Secretary of PCI.
Sarah Leung, the head of human resources of PCI since 2022.
A fourth respondent, who cannot be named, was not involved in the mediation and settlement of Mrs Finnegan's case and was only informed after it had been agreed.
Various objections were made to the information regarding the claim being made public including the confidential nature of the settlement and potential reputational damage to PCI.
In a statement to the tribunal, Dr Gribben said at the time of the claim he had been nominated to become Moderator of the General Assembly of PCI.
Dr Allen's statement of evidence stated it could exacerbate medical issues he experiences if the information was disclosed, but no evidence was provided to support his statement.
Mrs Leung claimed she may suffer distress and stigma if the nature of the claims were disclosed as her husband is of a different race to her and she has a racially diverse family. She also said it may affect her standing with a professional body of which she is a member but no evidence was provided to support this.
Ms Davison said in her evidence she was seeking the information in relation to the workings of the tribunal, the effect of the change in rules of judgment registration and public access to information about claims settled following withdrawal. She also pointed out the ongoing and well-publicised difficulties of PCI and the wider debate in society about the use of NDAs.
Ms Davison said it would also allow her to report any apparent contradiction between public statements by PCI about transparency and its use of NDAs.
Mediahuis' barrister Bobbie-Leigh Herdman, instructed by Fergal McGoldrick of Carson McDowell, said PCI is a charity answerable to the Charities Commission.
She said Dr Gribben and Dr Allen are/were high ranking members of the church and have already been mentioned in relation to ongoing issues at PCI.
Ms Herdman said the principle of open justice was engaged as the documentation sought had been considered by a judge at various stages before the end of the case.
Public Interest
Using the names of the parties, she said, enhances the public interest and the survival of journalism with fair reporting ruling out any potential harm alleged by the named individuals.
In submissions a barrister for the respondents said there was no principle of open justice at play as no public hearing of the case had ever taken place.
He said Mrs Finnegan's claims were untested and denied and the respondents now have no way of clearing their names. The barrister also said the terms of settlement were confidential and PCI was entitled to privacy as a result with a potential “chilling effect” on future settlements in which confidentiality encourages settlement.
In her judgment Judge Murray said the settlement agreement did not specifically state the parties could not disclose the fact of the claim, the names of those involved and the nature of the claims.
She said the rule change about registration of settled claims was not part of the settlement. Judge Murray said the principle of open justice was engaged, stating: “The public are entitled to have a light shone on the result of the progress of this claim through the tribunal.
“Particularly in circumstances where Mrs Finnegan, as an unrepresented claimant, was not aware of the potential consequences of her agreement to settle by way of withdrawing her claim.”
Granting the application, Judge Murray added: “The fact this is a media application carries a particular weight because of the media's role as the eyes and ears of the public and its role as public watchdog in reporting on outcomes such as this.”
Renee Finnegan with her husband Tom. Right from top, Rt Rev Dr Trevor Gribben, and Rev Dr David Allen. Below, Sunday Life reporter Angela Davison.
Details would not have come to light without 'painstaking work'
ANGELA DAVSON, Belfast Telegraph, December 23rd, 2025
In a landmark case taken by Mediahuis UK Limited against the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) and other named church respondents, a judge ruled that this newspaper had the right to publish information concerning a discrimination claim subject to an effective NDA, where all previous hearings were held in private.
Earlier this year, the Belfast Telegraph reported that the Presbyterian Church had reached two separate settlements with former PCI lecturer Rev Professor Laurence Kirkpatrick and former trainee Presbyterian minister Mr Tom Finnegan. It's understood both signed confidentiality agreements.
The Belfast Telegraph can now reveal that, at the same time as Mr Finnegan's case reached settlement, his wife, Mrs Renee Finnegan also reached a settlement with the church in a separate case but subject to both confidentiality and non-disparagement obligations. Mrs Finnegan was a former Communications Assistant with PCI.
As none of Mrs Finnegan's hearings were held in public and new laws had been introduced removing the requirement judgments in withdrawn cases are published on the Employment Tribunal website, no information around Mrs Finnegan's case was available to the public without being challenged in court.
Only after noting the absence of information on the website and writing to the Department for the Economy was this newspaper informed of the change in law, which was implemented on December 12, 2024, bringing Northern Ireland into line with practice in Great Britain.
Mediahuis wrote to the tribunal requesting copies of documents in the case citing the public interest in open justice, and the importance of the media's ability to scrutinise the court process, explicitly recognised by the UK Supreme Court. This newspaper argued that the case itself is of public interest, especially in the current light of significant events within the Presbyterian Church.
Failed attempt to suppress information
The fact that the church tried, through the court and expense of a legal team, to stop the publication of details of this third claim and its NDA-bound settlement seems to openly contradict the church's recent claims that it will move forward in openness and transparency, something also reiterated by some of the respondents during the court proceedings.
“The case is another illustration of our commitment to pursuing stories that are in the public interest and would not have come to light without Angela Davison's dogged, painstaking work,” said Editor-in-Chief of the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life, Eoin Brannigan. “We welcome Judge Murray's ruling that the application advances the open justice principle. Thanks to our legal team led by Fergal McGoldrick of Carson McDowell and barrister Bobbie-Leigh Herdman.”
Criticism of the church's use of NDAs has come from many quarters and the Labour Government is currently trying to push through new legislation which would prevent the use of NDAs being used in workplace harassment cases.
Mrs Finnegan, whose case was against the PCI and four other respondents over sex and racial discrimination claims, said: “By representing myself against the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, I was not aware of the change in the law in December 2024 that prevented my case from being reported on.
“Attending the Special Assembly last week was the first time I was in the building since being dismissed three years ago. As re-traumatising as it was, I understood the significance of me attending in support of the many others who have been subjected to similar and worse than myself.”
A spokesperson for PCI said: “With the original tribunal proceedings having been settled following mediation between the parties, it is important to state that the allegations of discrimination and unfair dismissal that were alleged in this case were denied and disputed by all named respondents.
“While we acknowledge and accept the tribunal judgment ordering the release of some of the information requested, we considered it was important to seek a tribunal determination on the application, given the confidential nature of the resolution of the case and our responsibility to protect the confidentiality of individual members of staff.”
There’s just one problem with Ulster Scots. Unlike the Irish language, it doesn’t exist
Newton Emerson, Irish Times, December 18th, 2025
There is a great deal of cynicism about Ulster Scots among unionists. Many consider it a desperately contrived counterweight to Irish
Lee Reynolds, Northern Ireland’s new Ulster Scots commissioner, is a thoughtful and intelligent man. Yet even he is wrestling with the fundamental contradiction of his office: the Ulster Scots language does not exist.
A dialect of Scots does exist in parts of Ulster, or at least it did. Scots is often considered a dialect of English. There is truth in the old joke that a language is a dialect with an army and a navy, but Ulster Scots does not have an army and a navy. It has public funding and public bodies, of which the commissioner is the latest example. His role is part of a complicated compromise to create an Irish Language Commissioner, agreed under the 2020 New Decade, New Approach deal to restore devolution, although only now being set up.
In an intriguing interview with the Belfast Telegraph on Monday, Reynolds declared Ulster Scots to be a language whose revival and promotion would be at the heart of his work. While it might be assumed he has to say this, Reynolds has been given unique scope to expand his work beyond language. He has previously acknowledged that he and the Irish Language Commissioner, Pól Deeds, do not have “mirror image” roles.
Reynolds’s full job title is the Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British Tradition. Legislation specifies his remit as language, arts and literature.
A people or a tradition?
Does the Ulster Scots in the title refer to a people or a tradition? If the latter, it is part of the Ulster British tradition. The novel term “Ulster British” remains undefined. It presumably encompasses the English ancestry of the Protestant population.
There is no doubt as to why this tortuous job description was formulated, even if nobody has been gauche enough to spell it out. Ulster Scots is not a counterpart to Irish, so balance requires a broader remit.
Reynolds must be fully aware of this. He was the DUP’s director of policy during the New Decade, New Approach negotiations, then special adviser to DUP leader Arlene Foster when further details of the language deal were pinned down.
That does not mean he fully agrees with the outcome. The DUP belatedly tried to tweak the job title to Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and Ulster British Traditions, which would have partitioned Scottish and English heritage.
Various human rights, equality and language groups have objected to commissioner’s expansive role. They complain it conflates Ulster Scots with unionism and sits oddly with international standards on the treatment of minority languages.
A traditional Ulster British response would be to tell these people to wise up. Of course Ulster Scots is a unionist issue and of course its asymmetry with Irish must be balanced to reflect the reality and practice of politics in Northern Ireland.
If there is any concern here, it is for unionism itself. Tying Britishness to a single-community cultural and ethnic project hampers any attempt to sell the union as a larger political idea. That complaint might require wising up as well.
There is a great deal of cynicism about Ulster Scots among unionists. Many consider it a desperately contrived counterweight to Irish, although where nationalists find this amusing or insulting, unionists might find it frustrating that their elected representatives did not concoct a better trade-off for political deals.
British dimension
From this perspective, Reynolds should use his extra scope to nudge the language from the centre of his work to a quiet corner, until its nonexistence ceases to matter. Ulster British language, arts and literature should take its place, creating a de facto unionist cultural commissioner. Enough Ulster Scots culture does exist for worthy inclusion, thanks to Scottish influence and plantation history. One of the few successes of the Ulster Scots project has been the historical documentaries made (in English) by its dedicated broadcasting fund.
Reynolds gave some hints in his interview of looking in this direction. However, his most specific proposal was in the opposite direction: embedding Ulster Scots in schools by creating GCSE and A-level qualifications.
The New Decade, New Approach language legislation established a duty on Stormont to “encourage and facilitate the use and understanding of Ulster Scots in the education system.”
It seems Reynolds has been drawn towards this, although he could safely keep his distance: the duty falls to the education minister, currently the DUP’s Paul Givan.
Givan has never mentioned creating Ulster Scots qualifications – and no wonder, as they would be completely unviable. Only 282 people took Irish A-level in Northern Ireland last year, despite a growing Irish medium sector and the subject’s prevalence across the Catholic half of the school system. Also, the Irish language exists.
There will be no sympathy for anyone suggesting to pupils in the other half of the system, or to their parents, that they study Ulster Scots. The response to that would be in Anglo-Saxon.
Belfast City Council backs motion supporting pro-Palestinian hunger strikers in England
Conor McParland, Belfast Media, December 23, 2025
SERIOUS CONDITION: Qesser Zuhrah has been on remand for over a year and is on her 52nd day without foodSERIOUS CONDITION: Qesser Zuhrah has been on remand for over a year and is on her 52nd day without food
BELFAST City Council has backed a motion supporting pro-Palestine activists on hunger strike in England.
The prisoners are being held on remand awaiting trial for alleged offences linked to the Palestine Action group, including criminal damage. They deny the charges, with some having been in custody for over a year. Out of eight who start a hunger strike last month six are still refusing food.
At a special meeting of the council on Monday evening members voted in favour of a motion tabled by People Before Profit councillor Michael Collins, with 28 for and 13 against.
“Council notes with deep concern the ongoing hunger strike of six Palestine solidarity activists in Britain," stated councillor Collins' motion. "Two of these activists, Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib, are on their 51st day of hunger strike and are consequently in critical condition.
"Council calls on the British government to immediately allow medical access to all of the activists, to end the censorship of their communication from inside prison and, to enter negotiations in earnest to ensure the hunger strike can come to an end before lives are lost.
"Council further calls on the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to intervene in their official capacity to relay these demands to the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Council, and the sizeable Palestinian community for whom Belfast is home.”
The motion was seconded by Sinn Féin councillor Ronan McLaughlin.
Speaking afterwards, he said: “Tonight, Belfast City Council called on the British government to act immediately to resolve the protest and save the lives of the prisoners currently on hunger strike in British jails," said Councillor McLaughlin
“With every passing hour, this situation becomes more dangerous, endangering the lives of the protesters. It is time for the British Prime Minister to find an immediate resolution to this protest."
Utterly ridiculous
DUP group leader Councillor Sarah Bunting described the motion as "utterly ridiculous".
"This motion asks the government to give political concessions to activists linked to a proscribed organisation who have chosen to starve themselves to manipulate the justice system.
"A hunger strike is not persecution. It is a strategy. It is not oppression. It is self-inflicted.
"My message tonight is simple. We uphold the law. We defend the justice system. We do not bend because someone chooses to starve themselves to force the government's hand. This motion is not about compassion but capitulation."
SDLP deputy Lord Mayor Paul Doherty said the motion “addresses a situation that is both urgent and grave and I think it deserves to be treated with the seriousness that it demands”.
"This is life and death we are talking about here," he added. "Standing up against genocide and war crimes is not a criminal act, nor will it ever be."
Green Party councillor Ainé Groogan said: “We have a moral and legal duty to speak out against genocide anywhere where it is happening, and the restriction of non-violent political protest.”
Organisations gather to shape the future of community development in West Belfast
Conor McParland, Belfast Media, December 23, 2025
COMMUNITY organisations from across the city have come together to discuss the way forward in strengthening community development.
The Department for Communities (DfC) Neighbourhood Renewal funding programme stems from 'People and Place – A Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal', which was launched by government in June 2003. The strategy marked the formal beginning of a long-term, place-based approach to tackling deprivation, with funding targeted at some of the most disadvantaged communities here.
While the Neighbourhood Renewal budget has remained largely unchanged for more than 20 years, the scale and complexity of delivery by community organisations has grown significantly. During that time, demand for services has increased sharply, with local groups now delivering a wide range of frontline, preventative and crisis support.
In 2020, under then Minister Carál Ní Chuilín, the Department for Communities announced a strategic review of the People and Place programme, acknowledging the need to reassess how Neighbourhood Renewal operates and how it can be strengthened to meet current and future needs. That review process is ongoing.
As part of the review, West Belfast Partnership Board has played a key role in coordinating responses from across the community and voluntary sector, engaging with organisations within the 36 Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership areas. The process has now reached a critical stage, with discussions underway about the future direction of the programme and what a new model of delivery could look like at a local level in West Belfast.
The West Belfast Partnership recently brought together community groups from across the area to explore a potential way forward with an event at St Comgall's.
Discussions focused on community development, empowerment and capacity building, as well as the challenges facing the sector and the potential role of an anchor organisation to support and strengthen delivery.
Speaking at the event, Joe Duffy, WBPB Strategic Development Co-Ordinator, said: “It is great to see so many organisations represented here today and actively playing a role in shaping the future of community development and service delivery across West Belfast.
"We want to ensure that any new model provides strong governance support, alongside training and development opportunities for local organisations, so they are equipped to deliver first-class services for our communities.
"Any future approach must be based on partnership, bringing out the very best of what West Belfast has to offer.”
Peter Lynch, CEO of West Belfast Partnership, highlighted both the value of the community sector and the pressures it currently faces.
“The community sector plays a vital role in our communities every single day. During times of crisis, it consistently leads the way — not only in providing grassroots support, but in developing strategic, outcomes-focused responses," he said.
"However, we also know the serious challenges organisations face around staff retention, recruitment and job security. These issues must be addressed in any new model of Neighbourhood Renewal.
"We need government departments to work with us to create stability in the sector and to recognise and value community organisations as key partners. That is how we will deliver real, lasting change across our communities.”
"The discussions mark an important moment for West Belfast, as local organisations seek to influence the future of a programme that has shaped community development for more than two decades."
