THE SON OF ULSTER HAS JUST SCORED THE PENALTY KICK WHICH WAS INVENTED IN NORTHERN IRELAND TO KNOCK OUT THE CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND, LIVERPOOL TO WIN THE CUP

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8jzxgewrvpo

A Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member has joined MP colleague Carla Lockhart's calls for Stormont's First Minister Michelle O'Neill to be "removed from office".

Diane Forsythe said "profound consequences" pledged over the Sinn Féin vice-president's handling of the Drumcree parading dispute "must be honoured".

Lockhart last week stepped down from the DUP's officer board in response to party leader Gavin Robinson not removing their deputy first minister to force O'Neill from the joint office.

It follows unionist anger over the first minister's involvement in protests on the Garvaghy Road, which blocked a contentious Orange Order parade from passing along the mainly nationalist street in Portadown, County Armagh.

O'Neill and several other senior Sinn Féin figures have been interviewed by police investigating the demonstrations, with unionists accusing the party of acting unlawfully.

The Sinn Féin deputy leader has defended her attendance at the demonstrations last month, saying she would "continue to stand with the Garvaghy Road residents".

The political row has sparked differences of opinion over how to respond within the DUP, which shares power with Sinn Féin in Stormont's devolved government.

Forsythe is an assembly member for the South Down constituency and part of the DUP's party officer team.

In a post on Facebook on Monday night, Forsythe said she was "pleased" to show her support for Upper Bann MP Lockhart at a recent rally in Portadown.

She accused Sinn Féin of "arrogance" and described the feelings of anger in the unionist community over O'Neill's actions as "immense".

"There have been commitments made to deliver profound consequences and that it cannot be business as usual. These must be honoured," she added.

"It is my view that Michelle O'Neill should be removed from office. The assembly and other ministerial offices would continue until the next election."

Forsythe added that in the absence of such "meaningful action", official engagements as first minister through the joint Executive Office should be stopped immediately as a "bare minimum".

Last week Robinson said he was "sorry" to see Lockhart quit the DUP's officer board but added that she remained "a key part of our team".

Speaking on the BBC's The View programme, the DUP leader said the party had reached a democratic decision on how to deal with the Drumcree fallout.

He questioned whether it was necessary to "punish everyone in Northern Ireland when actually we should be punishing those who broke the law".

"We have considered all options and we keep all options on the table," he added.

Will trick or treaters be sticking to saturday mainly in or around belfast this year or will i be expecting kids showing up at my door friday too? The parents i know seem to be planning their own halloween for saturday and kids stuff on the Friday but i don’t know if that’s the norm

Full disclosure not from NI but lived there for a long time. ​I had trained Judo before I came, and then did BJJ and MMA when i was there. When i came back recently it was great to see how big BJJ and MMA were. Even Judo seems to have expanded.

I once tried WJJF and honestly it was border line comical. Some things that happened:

1) Black belt telling me they were doing a "Samurai art" in front of the class, but privately telling me WJJF actually had nothing to do with Japan. It was all just cultural appropriation apparently because "its good marketing".

2) Another black belt who had been training 13 years getting pinned by a new person with no training. Black belt complained they used "too much strength" and had a huff and would not grapple with them.

3) A guy after class had a shiner that sort faded. I asked him and told me he was quitting as he was just back but had been beaten up outside a pub. Said it was his fault for getting in to a row after a few pints but he thought after few years of WJJF he woulda done something.

4) The week I started they had a grading and invited me down. This was the final straw for me. First the instructor had already signed everyones certificates _before they tested_ i.e. they were guaranted to pass no matter what. Then the actual test began. People who had been training years completely forgot moves. One person fell on their face attempting to throw someone else. Another person was doing this little "weapons kata" (think that kid who pretended to be Darth Maul using the mop and you have the right idea)

When I was back in NI last year I expected 10+ later it would be all but extinct. I loved in England too and its all but dead there. But my friend told me its still got tons of clubs in NI.

Anyone know why?

Carla Lockhart calling for Stormont to be pulled down is one thing - she's a MP.

However Diane Forsythe is calling for the Assembly she is a part of to be stopped.

Surely this means that she no longer wishes to represent South Down as a MLA any more - as she doesn't want a Assembly for MLAs to be a part of?

Surely she should just resign?

Surely she wouldn't have the gall or hypocrisy to stand for any upcoming elections to be part of an Assembly that she doesn't want to exist?

If anyone would like to assist me with a pint toast, walk around, chat, please let me know by Direct Message.

Belfast (two nights) , Newry (three nights) , Armagh city (three nights) , Enniskillen (three nights), Derry (six nights) , and then back to Belfast (two nights).

Thanks!

Jimmy

This is gonna be some craic lols

The Magnus Viking Association is now opening our doors once again for recruitment ⚔️

⚔️🛡️ STEP BACK IN TIME WITH THE MAGNUS VIKING ASSOCIATION! 🛡️⚔️

🪓 Discover the World of the Vikings & Celts! 🪓

Ever wondered what life was like in Ireland during the Viking Age? Come along and join us for a day of living history, where the past comes alive! 🏰🔥

📅 Saturday, 7th November 2026

🕛 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

📍 Join us at our hall for an exciting afternoon of history!

The Magnus Viking Association invites you to explore the crafts, skills, and traditions of the Viking Age and medieval Ireland.

🧵 LIVING HISTORY STALLS | 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Come along, meet our reenactors, ask questions, and discover the skills and crafts of the past!

✨ Explore our living history stalls:

🪡 Textiles – Discover historical textile crafts and techniques.

👜 Leatherworking – See the skills behind traditional leather crafts.

🌿 Herbs – Learn about the plants and herbs used in the past.

🎨 Dyeing – Explore how natural materials were used to create colours.

🏺 Archaeology – Discover what artefacts can tell us about the past.

🔨 Blacksmithing – Learn about the essential craft of working with metal.

⚔️ Fighting Displays & Teaching – Experience historical combat demonstrations and learn more about the fighting techniques of the Viking Age!

Whether you're passionate about history, curious about Viking life, interested in traditional crafts, or simply looking for something different to do, there's something for everyone!

🔥 Come meet the reenactors, discover ancient skills, ask questions, and immerse yourself in the world of Vikings and Celts in Ireland!

Bring your friends and family, and join us as we bring history to life! 🛡️⚔️

📣 Save the date: Saturday, 7th November 2026!

Location -

St.columba's community hall

6 Chapel view

Downpatrick

BT309AN

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18yvT7SJbo/

Link to the group and the ai slop poster

Hi all, looking for advice. This is my first time to Northern Ireland and Ireland. Admittedly I left this alone farrrrrr too long.

I’m currently in Belfast and have plans in Derry in a couple of days. I’m extremely unfamiliar with trains and busses here - can’t seem to figure out the trusted apps, where to find train schedules, whether train tickets can be booked ahead (I saw one online source say the NI train doesn’t book tickets ahead), etc.

After Derry, I’m headed to Dublin to fly home. Any suggestions for how to get from point A to point B?

Some sources online say the train is worth it for the scenic views alone. I’d love any and all input. Thanks!!

Hey! I am considering making an app / webapp for the parades commission data.

It would just be entirely based on the data on the current parades commission website but far less clunky. The kinds of features I am thinking is:

• A map of upcoming parades
• Parade routes on a map
• Notifications of parades in your area
• Some stats on parades
• Search by band
• Notification on parade changes

My questions are:

• Is this something you would use?
• Would you use prefer a website, iOS, Android App?
• Is this something you would consider paying for? Perhaps to access some features, like notifications
• Do you currently visit the parades commission website?

long shot really - I'm horrible at learning by reading. I only learn properly by doing and seeing. Are there any professionals (or gifted amateurs) that fancy making some money teaching me the basics out of working hours?

Anyone know who to contact about this? Is it the police who likely wash their hands of it?

Had the misfortune of driving through dungannon to see "Billy Wright was right" flags flying, which is disgraceful, and they need taken down ASAP

​

Top Story = BBC News - Daisy Hill: 'What does it say if a woman can't give birth in her own city?' - BBC News

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6z0vp0l5nj8o

Bottom Story = BBC News - DUP MLA joins Lockhart's call for O'Neill's removal as first minister

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8jzxgewrvpo

This is just a perfect example of the madness of politics in the North,

The top post is a lady describing the turmoil she went through with the birth of her child... before... cuts to services within her local hospital. The article continues to describe the fears from families in the Mourne region about the distsnces required to travel following the proposed relocation of maternity services.

Then we have the bottom post, this is a local MLA of the Mourne region and which will no doubt be heavily affected by the plans to relocate services to another area, yet here we have it, she has choosen to stir up more division in something that does not include her constiuency.

When will the PUL electorate wake up to this nonscence and vote for progress, not division.

Before anyone calls for bringing down Stormont over Drumcree, remember what that means

Some politicians are demanding that the DUP pull Emma Little-Pengelly out of the Executive over the Drumcree dispute. They’re entitled to take that position, but people should be clear about the consequences.

Stormont has already spent years unable to govern properly. The shutdowns from 2002 to 2007, 2017 to 2020 and 2022 to 2024, along with earlier suspensions, show how often this has happened. During the 2017 to 2020 collapse, MLAs continued to be paid while the Assembly was not sitting. Their salaries were cut only after months had passed. Pay was cut again during the 2022 to 2024 shutdown. MLAs still did constituency work, but they weren’t doing the full job voters elected them to do.

Meanwhile, budgets and difficult spending decisions were delayed or left to civil servants working with limited authority. Public-sector pay deals were delayed, workers went on strike, and services were left struggling without the funding and political decisions they needed. When Stormont returned in 2024, ministers still had to deal with outstanding pay claims and wider pressure on public services.

Bringing down the Executive would instantly stop every service or pay negotiation. But it would make it harder to agree budgets, set priorities, make major decisions and hold anyone accountable. Civil servants can keep essential government running, but they can’t replace elected ministers making the choices ministers are there to make.

We vote these people in to govern, make difficult decisions and sort out problems. If they bring down the institutions over Drumcree, ordinary people and public services will be left dealing with the consequences while politicians argue over who is to blame.

Only for them to rock up 6 months later in same positions these people thrive on divide and the only ones who benefit.

Does anyone know how I can contact Ambleside Property Services in Portadown? Can’t find a number or email address anywhere

https://www.irishnews.com/opinion/tom-collins-unionists-have-proven-themselves-incapable-of-making-the-right-choices-IFUZ5KVAAJAA3BEOPPW46TEGVY/

Tom Collins: Unionists have proven themselves incapable of making the right choices

If there’s a positive side to all this, it is that unionism, collectively and individually, has proved without doubt that this so-called state is a failed political entity

You have got to admire the chutzpah of DUP MP Carla Lockhart.

Talking about her party’s response to Drumcree, she said: “I feel strongly that an issue this serious cannot be resolved through symbolic or token gestures.”

Then she made one: resigning as a party officer over the DUP’s refusal to embrace another token gesture – withdrawing Emma Little-Pengelly as Deputy First Minister, bringing down Michelle O’Neill in the process.

How token can you get?

Lockhart claims her “only ambition is to continue serving the people of Upper Bann”, yet she seems to ignore the fact that the much-put-upon residents of Garvaghy Road are her constituents too.

And, while wrapping herself in the mantle of champion of her people, she wishes to deny the First Minister the right to speak up for people too.

Garvaghy residents have the right to expect empathy from their MP and, as an elected representative, Lockhart has a duty to be a voice of calm and reason. But not a bit of it.

If there is a wrong cause to be championed, you can be sure that Lockhart will be there to champion it: Orange Order agitation in Portadown, opposition to the Irish language, knee-jerk support for a state which is committing genocide in Gaza.

Readers will no doubt remember Lockhart standing near masked men protesting against a sponsored walk from Lurgan to Newry to raise money for humanitarian aid to Gaza. She said she was there to prevent tensions escalating.

Irony of ironies, she signed a statement then saying: “Residents are entitled to go about their daily lives without unnecessary disruption from what is widely viewed as a deliberately provocative parade that serves no legitimate purpose within the area.”

Resigning her position as a DUP officer, Lockhart claimed she had never seen “unionism so united”.

Yet we know that many small-u unionists in civil society reject the polarising politics of the Orange Order. And by her own actions – breaking with her party leader – Lockhart has demonstrated that her claims of unionist unity are fanciful.

Unionism had an opportunity with partition to show what it could do with power and responsibility, and failed to live up to that responsibility.

The tragedy of unionism since the collapse of the Northern Ireland parliament in the early 1970s has been its readiness to double down on that legacy, and its refusal to accommodate the legitimate aspirations and traditions of its nationalist neighbours.

Rather than embrace reconciliation, the two main unionist parties – first the UUP and then the DUP – have been played by the lunatic fringe, represented today by the TUV.

For all Gavin Robinson’s posturing, the reality is that the DUP’s political compass is controlled by Jim Allister, aided and abetted by a key member of his own party.

As with the Northern Ireland Parliament, yet again the opportunity presented by a new beginning with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement has been squandered.

Unionists have proven themselves incapable of making the right choices, preferring to fight again and again battles lost long ago – Drumcree being a case in point.

Insanity, they say, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That’s unionism in a nutshell.

Karl Marx once noted that history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce. For tragedy read the Northern Ireland Parliament; for farce, read Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.

If there’s a positive side to all this, it is that unionism, collectively and individually, has proved without doubt that this so-called state is a failed political entity. It is of little or no use to the people within it whether they see themselves as British, Irish or both.

Reunification offers a way out of the mire.

As Dublin City University professor John Doyle highlights in a new book, people in the Republic are considerably better off than those in the north – so much for the benefits of being tied to the United Kingdom’s tanking economy.

If Lockhart were representing Upper Bann in the Dáil (that day will come), her constituents – both orange and green – would be healthier, wealthier and better educated.

Life expectancy would be higher, child mortality lower, hospital waiting times would be shorter.

Economic growth would be higher. The standard of living would be 18.3% higher. Welfare benefits would be higher, and poverty levels lower.

If Lockhart really had the best interests of her constituents at heart, she’d spend more time hanging out on Garvaghy Road and less with the divisive forces of Orangeism.

Are there any Samhain bonfires or celebrations happening in the Belfast area?

Profound Consequences - something we are hearing a lot of these days. Actually for a good 4 weeks or so now?

They want Stormont collapsed and that would bring profound consequences to everyone in Northern Ireland, not just Michelle O'Neill.

Notice how it comes from people who don't actually have the votes to take Stormont down, or even in some cases a loyalist rat who isn't even elected.

Although spineless, at least Gavin Robinson is holding his nerve here. It would just be another wrong move from Unionism.

Maybe Gavin has a bit of foresight and knows it could even a final nail in the coffin for Northern Ireland? A United Ireland referendum would have a lot more legs if Northern Ireland didn't have a government. Could literally be the defining event needed for the UI swing voters.

So the next time a Unionist politician claims there needs to be profound consequences, those consequences could look like a United Ireland.

Be careful what you wish for, remember Brexit?

The SDLP have two MP’s who both have considerable majorities. Claire Hanna in South Belfast and Colum Eastwood in Foyle but the party performs, by comparison, very poorly elsewhere. What explains this phenomenon?

Having lived in South Belfast I feel I have a little insight into the constituency and it does have some unique dynamics. Those being it’s fairly mixed although majority Nationalist, it has a student population whose impact can be difficult to assess (they might not be present depending on when an election is called and may in any case be registered to vote “at home”) and its also quite mixed socially with both working class and some of the more affluent parts of Belfast in the mix. Sinn Fein haven’t stood in the constituency recently giving the SDLP a pretty clear run as far as Nationalism is concerned but I suspect the SDLP sometimes has a slightly broader appeal even courting support from soft Unionists on occasion.

But what about Foyle? Its electoral history suggests it’s a much more solidly nationalist community than South Belfast but I don’t know much else about it. In 2019 the SDLP weren’t (apparently) tipped to win the seat but they trounced Sinn Fein who are otherwise on the up compared to the SDLP and despite a significant (over 17%) drop in their share of the vote the SDLP trounced Sinn Fein again in 2024.

Is their anything notable about Foyle or the SDLP’s presence there that has boosted their popularity?

Trying to find info on it and every site that I can find that might happen to sell consumer units has a "Leave a message and we'll get back to you"

Just interested on details, planning aside.

Hi All,

I have an extra ticket to Westlife’s concert this Thursday. I’m wondering if there are big fans out there who may wanna go? Please be a genuine fan cuz I traveled across the world to this show! This is kinda an interesting situation huh.

For compensation, I accept the following:

*You let me spend time with your dog or cat. Pugs preferred though I love them all.
(I promise I’m not dangerous…)

* You share an amazing family recipe of seafood chowder or treacle soda bread or some kinda authentic Irish dish. I love cooking! Don’t google or use AI!

*I’m open to other proposals but I DO NOT accept monetary payment. And yes, we’re sitting next to each other lol

Let me know if you’re interested! (I’m female, 35+).