NEWS

A powerful night of remembrance, music and community spirit in Ballymena has raised more than £20,000 for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, with a special fundraising event held in memory of two young women whose lives were tragically cut short. The Bingo Music Bonanza, hosted at the Tullyglass Hotel, brought together hundreds of supporters for an emotional evening dedicated to Naomi Lynn and Lydia Ross , who both died in separate car accidents. Organised by Ritchie Entertainme

Optical advisor Carol-Ann Kirkpatrick with 23-year-old daughter Rachel. Mother’s Day will be extra special at Asda Antrim this year, where four mums will celebrate the occasion alongside their own children who work as colleagues in the store. From quick chats between shifts to shared laughter on the shop floor, the families say working together brings a unique bond – even if it sometimes means seeing a little too much of each other. Among them is optical advisor Carol-Ann Kir

Inset: Northern Ireland Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald Households facing a sudden surge in energy costs must receive urgent and meaningful support, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald has said following discussions with the British Government. Speaking after a meeting on Saturday evening, 14 March, with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Martin McCluskey MP, the Minister said intervention must be “meaningful, targete

The Top of the Crop choir will be guided by local music teacher and experienced musician Philip Kerr, with practice sessions planned for Thursday 26 March and Thursday 30 April from 8pm-9.30pm in Cullybackey Business Centre, Main Street, Cullybackey. A brand-new community choir is set to bring voices together in Cullybackey, offering rural residents a welcoming space to sing, socialise and build friendships. The new ‘Top of the Crop’ choir is the latest initiative from the No

Sean and Fiona McAllister celebrate their recent wins! A long-established pedigree sheep flock from County Antrim has celebrated a major run of success after securing multiple top honours at the annual Kerryhill Society prize giving. Crookmuir Pedigree Kerryhills, owned by Sean and Fiona McAllister from Ballycastle, achieved a series of impressive results at the annual Kerryhill Prize Giving Dinner, including the prestigious title of Overall Champion Irish Flock. The couple a

Families across the borough are being invited to a magical spring adventure as Dobbies Garden Centres partner with DreamWorks’ popular children’s show Gabby’s Dollhouse for a special free event next month. The themed Little Seedlings Club workshop will take place on Saturday 4 April at Dobbies stores in Antrim and Lisburn , offering children a fun-filled hour of crafts, discovery and Easter-themed activities. A spring adventure for young gardeners The event will transport ch

Northern Ireland Finance Minister John O’Dowd Northern Ireland’s Finance Minister has warned that any new government support to help households with rising energy costs must fully include families who rely on home heating oil — a common reality across communities including Ballymena. John O’Dowd said the UK Government must ensure any assistance announced by the Chancellor is “meaningful, timely and delivered” in a way that supports households using oil-fired central heating,

(L-R) Christian Reynolds, Managing Director of Wrightbus; Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester; John McLeister, Wrightbus Sales Managing Director for UK and Ireland Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has confirmed a new order for 55 electric buses from Ballymena manufacturer Wrightbus, reinforcing confidence in UK manufacturing and strengthening the region’s growing zero-emission transport network. The announcement came during a visit to the company’s headquarters and

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford pictured with Darren Tweed, wife Amber, and son Jack at Mayoral reception to recognise Darren's extraordinary commitment to fundraising. A Ballymena man whose personal journey has inspired extraordinary fundraising efforts has been formally recognised by the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim after completing a remarkable 100km charity run. Darren Tweed was honoured at a special reception hosted by Mayor of Mid and East Antri

Belfast city (Pic: K. Mitch Hodge) Visitors heading to Belfast for St Patrick’s Day celebrations are being urged to plan ahead, with police warning that several major events will bring traffic disruption across the city centre. A packed schedule of festivities on Monday will see thousands gather for the popular SPAR Craic 10K and the annual carnival parade, prompting road management measures and diversions throughout the day. Police say motorists should expect delays and foll

(L-R): Dr Darren Mornin Principal of Limavady High School, Cian Canning Head Boy, St Mary's High School Limavady, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins, Harry Kealey, Head Boy, Limavady High School and Sean Mullan Principal of St Mary's High School. One of the biggest changes to driver licensing in Northern Ireland in almost 70 years is set to reshape how young people learn to drive — with new rules aimed at tackling the high number of serious road collisions involving new driv

Pictured: William Houston sadly died falling an incident at a County Antrim quarry. A quarry company has been fined £110,000 after a subcontractor died when a large stone fell from height at a County Antrim site. FP McCann Limited was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Friday (13 March) after pleading guilty to a single health and safety offence following the death of subcontractor William Houston. The prosecution followed an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive f

Shoppers in Belfast will now find a splash of pink – and plenty of cake – waiting for them at CastleCourt after popular bakery brand Dougies Goodies officially opened a new pop-up store in the shopping centre today (13 March 2026). Located in the busy CastleCourt food court, the vibrant new space offers customers a chance to grab the bakery’s much-loved cakes, bakes and sweet treats while taking a break from browsing the shops. The pop-up is stocked with a range of Dougies Go

Police have issued a stark warning after victims across Northern Ireland lost more than £5 million to investment scams, with some people losing their entire life savings to sophisticated online criminals. The alert from the Police Service of Northern Ireland comes after investigators linked a growing number of cases to fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes, where scammers build relationships with victims before persuading them to invest increasing amounts of money. Des

Angela, John and Jim, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with (L-R) Angela Mulholland, West Bann Development, Jim McIlroy, Harryville Men’s Shed and John Hunter, Community Sports Network, Shankill at a!ln event in Ballymena. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has praised the “anything but small” impact of community investment across Northern Ireland during a visit to Ballymena, where local organisations shared how government funding is helping transform services, creat

Police have arrested 36 people during a coordinated 12-hour operation targeting suspects linked to domestic abuse, serious assault and a range of other offences across several districts in Northern Ireland. The large-scale operation, carried out by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on Thursday, 12 March, focused on the areas of Lisburn and Castlereagh, Ards and North Down, Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim, and Antrim and Newtownabbey. Officers targete

Competitors demonstrating traditional horse ploughing during the Ballycastle & District Horse Ploughing Society’s annual St Patrick’s Day match — the only all-horse ploughing event still held in Ireland. One of Ireland’s most remarkable farming traditions is set to return this St Patrick’s Day as the Ballycastle and District Horse Ploughing Society prepares to stage what is believed to be the last remaining all-horse ploughing match in Ireland. The annual event, expected to t

A man has been arrested after a suspected deliberate house fire in Moneymore left one man injured and forced neighbouring residents from their homes. Emergency services were called to the incident in the Rockview Park area shortly before 2pm on Thursday, March 12, after reports that a property had caught fire while people were inside. Police say a man and a child were inside the house at the time the blaze broke out. The child escaped unharmed, while the man was taken to hosp

Missing man: Andrew Christie Police have issued an urgent appeal for information to help locate Andrew Christie, who was last seen in the Ballycastle area on Wednesday afternoon. Officers say they are growing increasingly concerned for his whereabouts and are asking the public to come forward with any information that could assist in tracing him. Andrew was last seen at around 2.30pm on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, in the Ballycastle area. Description of clothing When he was las

Aaron Carey, Preservoir; Peter Gilleece, Vikela; Gabi Burnside; Entrepreneur Acceleration Manager, Ulster Bank; Sarah McKegney, Percy & Pop and Cormac Venney, HIP Psychology. A Loughguile entrepreneur is within touching distance of a £50,000 investment after securing a place in the final of the Ulster Bank Accelerator Pitch 2026. Aaron Carey, founder of fintech cash-management platform Preservoir , impressed judges at a highly competitive semi-final this week, earning a covet

(L-R) Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA, John Stewart MLA, Jon Burrows MLA, Prime Minister KeirStarmer, Secretary of State Hillary Benn MP and Chief Executive Jayne Murray. Ulster Unionist Party leaders have pressed Prime Minister Keir Starmer to deliver targeted support for households reliant on heating oil and increase defence investment in Northern Ireland during what they described as a “frank and constructive” meeting in Belfast. Party leader Jon Burrows MLA met the Prime Minister

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Julia Cleeland, Operations Director, Mid & East Antrim Community Advice Service, and Paul Frew MLA at a recent visit to Mid & East Antrim Community Advice Service. A major programme designed to help people access debt advice earlier and more easily will continue into the next financial year after strong early results across Northern Ireland. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed that the Integrated Advice Partnership F

North Antrim MP Jim Allister and Health Minister Mike Nesbitt Men in Northern Ireland with prostate cancer are being denied access to a life-extending drug already available to patients across the rest of the UK — prompting warnings of a “postcode lottery” that could cost lives. The drug, abiraterone, is prescribed across the UK for men with advanced prostate cancer that has spread. But while patients in England, Scotland and Wales can now also receive it for certain high-ri

A 58-year-old man has been charged with stalking and child abduction following a report of a man approaching a child in Whitehead earlier this week. Police confirmed the charges relate to an incident reported in the Belfast Road area of Whitehead on Tuesday, March 10. The man is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 12. Court appearance scheduled The charges were brought following a police investigation into the reported approach involving a child