The Adams-Mitchell-US paradox
There's a paradox in George Mitchell being lauded for Adams management but being cancelled for Epstein links
MALACHI O'DOHERTY, Belfast Telegraph, February 10th, 2026
Gerry Adams is about to face a civil court action which seeks to prove that he was the leader of the IRA responsible for numerous atrocities.
This is happening because he denies that he had that role, that he was ever a member of the IRA and because no one has yet made an impregnable case that he is lying about that.
Yes, he represented the IRA in negotiating ceasefires with the rival Official IRA, indeed with his own brother-in-law who was senior in that other faction.
He represented the IRA in negotiations with British diplomats Frank Steel and Philip Woodhead in 1972 to bring about a ceasefire to enable talks with the Secretary of State, at which he would be accompanied by men that no one disputes were on the Army Council of the IRA.
And various security briefings for journalists named him as a member of the IRA Army Council himself.
I asked John Hume once if Adams was the leader of the IRA and he shirked the question but said: “There wouldn't have been much point in talking to him if he wasn't the top man.”
And much as Adams himself has insisted he was never in the IRA, none of those whose roles have been long admitted, like Gerry Kelly or Carál Ní Chuilín, have come forward to say that he wasn't.
Former IRA activists who have dissented from the peace strategy of the Adams leadership have not actually stepped up and said, this was the man who commanded me.
The exception was Dolours Price who said plainly that Adams had invited her to volunteer to bomb London in 1973, at a meeting in the Felons Club, but Dolours took her own life under the burden of shame and guilt so she cannot testify, and if she could her credibility would be impugned with reference to her mental instability.
Credible denial
Some people have come up with theories to explain how Adams might be able to credibly say he was not actually in the IRA.
Once such theory is that he was never actually sworn in. He had been with the Billy McMillan group on the Falls Road which later became defined as the Official IRA.
Volunteers at that time were sworn in at the Ard Scoil in Divis Street, a building I knew well because young Irish speakers would go there every month to hear a lecture from Brother Beausang and have a céilí dance.
Adams was from an IRA family, his father having served time for shooting a policeman. His uncle Dominic participated in the IRA campaign in England in the 1940s.
Maybe Gerry was never actually sworn in, some say, and then when he moved across to the Provisionals they presumed he had been. Another theory is that Gerry, as leader of Sinn Fein, had a right to sit on the Army Council.
I hear these theories and have no deep insider knowledge that would qualify me to evaluate them. Adams' position remains that he was never a member of the IRA, but will not “disassociate” himself from it.
And I was thinking about this when the news came that George Mitchell had been stripped of his honours by Queen's University over his association with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Mitchell has denied any wrongdoing and said he regrets having any contact with Epstein.
I see no way to credibly accuse George Mitchell of any offence against girls.
He was named in a deposition by Virginia Roberts Giuffre as one whom she had been ordered to have sex with but her identification of him has been questioned.
In her own book Nobody's Girl, Mitchell is named only once, in a list of associates of Epstein, and the charge that she was sent to have sex with him is not repeated.
There can be various reasons for that. Maybe she had doubted the identification herself by then or maybe she simply felt it wasn't legally safe to name him.
Defamation?
Could she have sustained a defamation threat?
But though I couldn't credibly accuse Mitchell, neither could I credibly defend him, and this was the dilemma facing Queen's University.
He did have some kind of relationship with Epstein.
He wrote in a birthday book for Epstein, five years before his first imprisonment, that knowing him was “a blessing”.
Several amicable messages from Mitchell to Epstein were noted by Epstein's secretary in the early years after his release.
An irony in the case of George Mitchell is that his role here was to help find political space for Adams and others who had endorsed mass murder and a vast range of other crimes.
There were people around Adams who stank of the blood of the innocents they had slaughtered and George Mitchell was brought in to help them transition from carnage and deception as a way of life to political responsibility.
He has been shunned on the suspicion that his connection with Epstein was unsavoury but elevated to reverence for his management of Gerry Adams and the killers around him.
He might be finding that a little paradoxical.
Widow of murdered US activist to recruit students on NI visit
ALLISON MORRIS, Belfast Telegraph, February 10th, 2026
EX-DUP MP BACKING PLAN TO LAUNCH BRANCH OF CHRISTIAN-RIGHT GROUP HERE
Leading US conservative Erika Kirk is expected to visit Northern Ireland as part of a tour to recruit young people to the organisation founded by her murdered husband.
Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University in September while speaking at an outdoor campus debate organised by Turning Point USA.
His widow Erika took over as CEO of the Christian-right student organisation, and is “being encouraged to come to Northern Ireland” as part of a wider European tour, it's understood.
Sources close to the project say talks for a Turning Point NI were at an advanced stage but “stalled” after the murder of Charlie Kirk, who was a close ally of President Trump and considered an influential figure in the MAGA movement.
Ian Paisley Jnr connection
It is understood that former DUP MP Ian Paisley, who has close links with US conservatives, has been consulted about setting up a branch of Turning Point in Northern Ireland and has been “encouraging” the move.
A source close to Turning Point said: “There have been talks ongoing for some time, and there is a real 'let's get this going' attitude. Charlie's murder paused the international operation, but people are keen to get it moving again.”
Talks are under way for a wider European tour by Mrs Kirk, now CEO of the right-wing think tank that hosts events for students in school and university campuses across the US.
It is understood that the former DUP MP Ian Paisley, who has close links with US conservatives, has been consulted about setting up a branch of Turning Point in Northern Ireland and has been “encouraging” the move.
The group focuses on recruiting students and young adults, aged 15 to 25, as activists to carry forward their Christian-right ethos.
Controversial political commentator Candice Owens is a former member of Turning Point.
Turning Point already has a UK branch, which hosts events at university campuses in England, Scotland and Wales for young conservatives.
Bad Bunny
The US chapter of the group hosted an 'alternative' Super Bowl half-time show this week, headlined by Kid Rock and billed as the 'All-American Halftime Show'. This was in opposition to Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, whose official Super Bowl half-time show, performed mainly in Spanish, was criticised by Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform.
Bad Bunny's 14-minute set included guest performances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, along with cameos from Pedro Pascal, Cardi B and Jessica Alba, and was watched by an estimated 125 million people.
President Trump responded, saying it was “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!”. He added that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying”.
The alternative Turning Point event was watched by over four million people and ended with a tribute to Charlie Kirk, showing photos and video of the organisation's founder.
Turning Point was founded in 2012, as a non-profit organisation, by conservative influencer Mr Kirk and Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery.
The US branch employs more than 400 people in its Arizona headquarters, with the organisation making over $90m a year in revenue from donations and fundraising.
In 2016, the organisation controversially launched the 'Professor Watchlist', a website listing academic staff that they claimed “discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom”.
Sources close to the project say talks for a Turning Point NI were at an advanced stage but “stalled” after the murder of Charlie Kirk, who was a close ally of President Trump and who was considered a highly influential figure in the MAGA movement.
Mr Kirk was shot with a single bullet by a gunman positioned on the roof of a nearby building.
Tyler James Robinson (22), from Utah, has been charged with murder.
Within days of Charlie Kirk's death, his wife, Erika, who is also the mother of his two children, took over as CEO of Turning Point.
Talks to set up a Northern Ireland branch are said to be at an advanced stage.
One source close to the organisation said: “There have been talks ongoing for some time, and there is a real 'let's get this going' attitude.
“Obviously, Charlie's murder paused the international operation, but people are keen to get it moving again.
“There are a lot of conservative young men here in Northern Ireland looking for a home in Turning Point, but there are less young women stepping forward.
“Erika Kirk is a role model to them, and so she's being encouraged to come to Northern Ireland. That will really boost the movement and get things moving.
“I'm confident it is going to happen soon. There are a lot of people working to make it happen sooner rather than later.”
Paisley invitation to White House
The Belfast Telegraph understands that former North Antrim MP Ian Paisley, who has strong links to the Trump administration and the American conservative movement, has been approached and is in favour of having a dedicated Turning Point NI branch of the organisation.
Mr Paisley attended the inauguration and official swearing-in of Mr Trump last year as a long-time friend, having first met him in 2003 along with his father, the Rev Ian Paisley.
Mr Paisley is expected to attend the White House's St Patrick's Day reception again this year at the invitation of the Trump administration.
Mr Trump's son Eric has also in the past stayed with the Paisley family in Northern Ireland.
When contacted, Mr Paisley declined to comment.
‘Dereliction of duty’ not to go to US for St Patrick’s Day
REBECCA BLACK, Irish News, February 10th, 2026
GORDON Lyons has said it would be a “dereliction of duty” not to take part in the annual trip to the US for St Patrick’s Day.
While uncertainty remains over whether First Minister Michelle O’Neill will travel to Washington DC, the communities minister said he looks forward to going to promote Northern Ireland on the traditional visit. He said it was “important to engage” and to “keep putting Northern Ireland on the map”.
Last Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed he would visit the White House for the Irish premier’s annual bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Mr Martin had faced calls to drop the trip last year, as Mr Trump began his second term as president, over the US administration’s approach to Gaza. Those calls have been amplified in the wake of the US’s rescinded threat to take over Greenland, and Mr Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown in the city of Minneapolis and elsewhere in the US.
Last week Ms O’Neill said she would take “international factors” into account when deciding whether to attend.
She did not attend last year in protest over Gaza, and she said the situation has since “got even worse”.
‘More important than ever’
However Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said it is “more important than ever” to engage with the US. Yesterday, her DUP party colleague and Communities Minister Mr Lyons said he would be travelling to Washington DC to attend a number of events.
“I’m delighted to announce that we will also be holding our own event in Washington DC to celebrate those links between Northern Ireland and the United States,” he said.
“Really pleased that we have got considerable interest from the business world and from politics, who want to hear more about this, and want to hear more about Ulster’s role in particular in the foundation of the United States.
“I’m going because I think it’s important to engage, I think it’s important to talk with those who are involved in business, in politics, in the US administration and in Congress because we need to keep putting Northern Ireland on the map.
“We know how important it is for investment and for tourism, and I think it would be a dereliction of duty if we were not there doing our job on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland.”
Mr Lyons also went to Washington DC last year, and met Mr Trump.
“We were able to talk about areas under my responsibility such as golf, he was certainly very knowledgeable about The Open coming to Portrush – he was able to tell me what was happening on the course in terms of the 18th hole so that was very interesting that he knew about that,” he said.
“I’ll take the opportunity to meet with anybody, be it the president or anybody else, to tell them about who we are, where we come from and where we are going, to tell them about what happened in the past in terms of people from Ulster who did so much for the foundation of the United States, and everything else that we’re currently doing today.
“I love Northern Ireland, I’m passionate about Northern Ireland, I want to promote Northern Ireland, and I will use every opportunity to do that, and I look forward to doing that in March with whoever I can.”
Bonfire builders make early start in collecting material for Eleventh Night
CONNLA YOUNG, Irish News, February 10th, 2026
LOYALIST bonfire builders across Belfast have started work on Eleventh Night pyres a full five months before the annual July event takes place.
Dozens of pallets have been collected in parts of south, east and west Belfast over recent weeks.
Despite still being in the grip of winter, youths have been snapped in the Shankill area of west Belfast pushing trolley loads of pallets through the streets.
A builders’ hut has been constructed in the Sandy Row area of south Belfast where dozens more pallets are being stored.
Elsewhere, loyalists have already laid out the base of a bonfire on a greenway in the Flora Street area of east Belfast, while a stacks of pallets has been stashed nearby.
The Flora Street site, which is part of the Connswater Greenway, was one of the first pyres to gather material last year.
Located close to a primary school and a leisure centre, the greenway is popular with walkers and cyclists and cost £40 million to develop.
In recent years, there has been controversy over loyalist bonfires with some concerns focusing on health and safety issues.
Last July, loyalists ignored warnings about the presence of asbestos at a bonfire site in the Meridi Street area of south Belfast, setting the large pyre alight.
Other fears had been raised over the supply of power to two major hospitals due to the proximity of the bonfire to an electricity substation.
Pallets and a hut for a Eleventh Night bonfire on Sandy Row; (above left) Youths push a trolley loaded with pallets in the Shankill area; (right) the base of a bonfire laid out on the greenway near Flora Street in east Belfast
It later emerged that asbestos was discovered in the remains of a bonfire in Randalstown, Co Antrim.
Failing to act over flags is not an option’
CONNLA YOUNG, Irish News, February 10th, 2026
PSNI officers have been told that “failing to act” over controversial public displays, including paramilitary flags and emblems, is no longer an option for the force.
Details of the shift in policy have been revealed at a meeting of the Policing Board by Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton after he was asked about the display of racist material.
Police have previously come in for criticism over their approach to dealing with displays that glorify paramilitary groups.
Every year, thousands of flags are put up in loyalist and mixed districts, paying tribute to loyalist paramilitary groups, including the UVF and UDA.
Paramilitary flags are also often on display during loyalist band parades across the north every summer.
A day after Mr Singleton spoke about the new policy, the PSNI issued an image of a man appearing to carry a UDA banner during an Apprentice Boys of Derry parade in the city last August.
Mr Singleton suggested the approach previously adopted by the PSNI fell short.
”Our feeling as a team was that we just weren’t dynamic enough on these issues when they were appearing,” he said.
PSNI to take firmer stance to deal with flags and emblems
The PSNI has vowed to take a more dynamic approach to dealing with the display of paramilitary flags and emblems
”And that’s a reflection on us as a service but also how we work with our partners.
”These sorts of complaints around public displays, whether it’s words, flags or emblems, are something that we are used to dealing with.
”We receive them regularly, they are a daily occurrence, and of course they spike around a particular time of year, and I don’t need to explain to people when they would be.”
Mr Singleton said the recent ‘service instruction’ is clear on what PSNI officers are expected to do.
“The purpose of the instruction is to make sure that officers are clear in terms of what our expectations are of them in particular circumstances,” he said.
“How we want them to respond, how we want them to report and how we want to investigate the incidents in public spaces.
“Ideally, what we are looking for is for them to be confident in terms of their understanding of what their role is.”
While Mr Singleton appeared to suggest the PSNI will retain “discretion” about their approach, he said taking no action is no longer an option.
“Importantly though, we still retain the discretion to determine what steps can be lawfully taken within our statutory functions and in accordance with human rights,” he said.
“The emphatic thing in this policy position is, however, not making a decision, doing nothing or failing to act is not an option.
“Whilst the new instruction acknowledges that assessing and formally documenting risk and community impact considerations will remain relevant for us, what it also makes very clear is that those processes and the decision making surrounding them shouldn’t unduly delay us from doing what we need to do as an organisation.”
Last year, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher revealed plans to remove paramilitary “displays” and confirmed he had been in contact with the British government’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, about the move.
Another special meeting called at Presbyterian HQ over 'pressing' issues
BRETT CAMPBELL, Belfast Telegraph, February 10th, 2026
Another special general assembly is set to take place at the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) next week to discuss “pressing matters” that have come to light as a result of the ongoing safeguarding scandal.
Church leaders will meet at the Assembly Buildings in Belfast next Wednesday, February 18, where they will be updated on how measures agreed at the first special gathering in December have progressed.
A letter has been sent to ministers explaining that the process of appointing “a suitably qualified candidate” to the role of Clerk of the Assembly will be on the agenda.
The current moderator, Rev Dr Richard Murray, who was reinstated to the position after Trevor Gribben resigned at the end of November, states that the meeting will “address some pressing matters that have arisen as a consequence of our safeguarding failures”.
The church leader also said the assembly will be briefed on updates on progress regarding general council task groups set up at the end of last year.
However, the correspondence makes clear that the meeting will primarily address two specific issues.
The first is “to consider ceremonial and reporting aspects of the 2026 June Assembly, and second, the urgent matter of approving the appointment process of a new Clerk of the General Assembly”.
Dr Murray said it is hoped that “a suitably qualified candidate” will be appointed to the key role at the annual General Assembly in June as he promised all reports, resolutions and the order of business will be sent to delegates as a PDF and be publicly available on the PCI website within days. Hard copies will be available on the day.
“In relation to the ongoing work regarding the safeguarding failures identified last year the moderator assured ministers that these are being addressed in many ways, with progress being made in the production of new policies, recruitment of new safeguarding staff and responding to the institution of a statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission,” ministers have been informed.
It comes almost a week after Rev Richard Kerr was chosen as the 180th moderator.
DfI legal costs increase to more than £700k in a year
CONOR COYLE, Irish News, February 10th, 2026
THE Department for Infrastructure has seen its legal costs mushroom to more than £700,000 in a year – primarily due to a large rise in costs at the Driver and Vehicle Agency.
Legal costs associated with fighting a High Court challenge to the £2billion A5 Western Transport Corridor are also believed to have contributed to the increased spend on legal representation by Liz Kimmins’ department.
The figures were released by the infrastructure minister in response to an Assembly Question from People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll.
The West Belfast representative asked Ms Kimmins to detail the spend on legal counsel representation in the last five years.
The total spend in 2024/25 by the department and the DVA, which is an executive agency of DfI, was £702,000.
The total represents a 40% increase in the same fees compared to the previous 12 months, which amounted to £416,000.
The department spent the majority of the financial year in a legal dispute with the Alternative A5 Alliance, which successfully argued that the road scheme breaches Stormont’s own climate change legislation. The department is currently appealing that court decision.
Separate to the DVA, the department itself has seen a £100,000 increase in its legal representation costs compared with the previous year, rising to £485,000 from £389,000.
However, what caused the largest increase in the department’s legal counsel costs is a 700% rise from the DVA, which is responsible for licensing and testing vehicles and drivers in the north.
Soaring legal costs
In 2023/24, it spent £27,000 on legal representation, but a year later that figure sat at £217,000.
A spokesperson for DfI said the increased costs for the agency were due to “a contract termination, a contractual adjudication process, and an increase in the number licensing appeal cases heard through the court”.
The DVA were locked in a legal row with a private contractor last year, in which it was forced to pay the firm a £1.5m settlement and incurred a further loss of £3.6m following a dispute over equipment at its test centres.
“The department engages legal counsel for advice and representation on a range of matters including public liability cases, major road schemes, planning applications, procurement and contracts, employer liability cases, and judicial reviews,” a departmental spokesperson said.
“The increased amount spent on legal counsel by DVA in 2024-25 is mainly attributable to costs associated with a contract termination, a contractual adjudication process, and an increase in the number licensing appeal cases heard through the court. The A5 appeal is ongoing.”
Mr Carroll told The Irish News the minister needed to provide a “clear explanation” for the rising costs.
“The infrastructure minister owes the public a clear explanation regarding this steep increase in legal fees, especially resulting from the DVA,” he said.
“Settlements to private firms and disputes over test centre equipment point to a much wider, systemic issue across the entire executive; the corrosive role of private companies in delivering public services.
“A dire lack of oversight and a weak procurement system will only result in increased legal expenditure in future years.”
‘Blockage’ stalling minimum alcohol pricing says Nesbitt
CLAUDIA SAVAGE, Irish News, February 10th, 2026
“TIME is running out” to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol, the health minister has warned.
During health questions in Stormont yesterday, Mike Nesbitt said he is “passionate” about introducing the scheme but is experiencing “blockage” from his colleagues in the executive.
The minister’s department undertook a public consultation exercise on setting a minimum price for alcohol in 2022 and Mr Nesbitt has previously stated that alcohol misuse costs Northern Ireland £900 million a year.
Minimum unit pricing (MUP) was introduced in Scotland in 2018 and means alcohol such as beer, wine and vodka cannot be sold for less than 65p per unit.
In 2023, there were 341 registered alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland, accounting for 2.0% of all deaths.
While slightly lower than the 356 recorded in 2022, deaths have risen by more than 65% in the last decade.
Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly said Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride told Stormont’s Health Committee “evidence for the minimum unit pricing of alcohol is irrefutable”.
“We’ve also heard this from many health organisations and charities who work in this area,” he said.
“What is the minister’s understanding of barriers to this being legislated for in this mandate, and not becoming a missed opportunity to save lives and to reduce the pressure on the health service?”
Mr Nesbitt said: “I applaud the chief medical officer because Professor Sir Michael McBride is passionate about introducing minimum unit pricing for alcohol.
“I am passionate about MUP for alcohol, and there is really solid evidence.
“Most recently, the chief medical officer and I attended a presentation from Sheffield University who have looked in real detail on the impact on the population here in Northern Ireland from that alcohol misuse.
‘I need executive to support me’
“There is a blockage. I need the executive to support me and as yet I have not had full executive support.”
UUP MLA Alan Chambers said the minister had taken “demonstrable action” to try to make progress on the issue.
He asked: “Does he agree with me, however, that we are now in the rapidly shrinking window of opportunity to make progress with the Bill, and that if the executive blockage isn’t soon removed, that the opportunity to progress this vital MUP legislation in this mandate will be lost?”
Mr Nesbitt replied: “The policy requires the support of the executive, I shall await formal confirmation of the position of executive colleagues.
“Time is running out, and I would just add to that, prior to April 6 coming, I’m required to either bring forward legislation to set that minimum unit price or make a statement to the Assembly of why it has not been reasonably practical to do so.
“That’s a requirement in the Licensing and Registrations of Clubs Amendment Act Northern Ireland 2021, I fear I am going to be doing the latter, and I very, very much regret that.”
Mr Nesbitt has frequently spoken out about tackling health inequalities in Northern Ireland.
Earlier in the session he told MLAs: “I really think I would encourage the next mandate, the next executive, to think about health inequalities, educational underachievement, economic inactivity, because the social determinants of all three are basically the same, and they affect the areas of deprivation, those families, those people, the most.
“And it’s generation to generation to generation, and it’s time we took a chunk out of that.”
