NEWS

David Kelly flew to his first ever ITRC win on the Circuit of Ireland. (PHOTO: D Harrigan Images) The countdown is on to one of Northern Ireland’s biggest motorsport weekends, with the 50th Modern Tyres Ulster Rally set to bring thousands of competitors, fans and visitors to Ballymena and across County Antrim on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August. The landmark anniversary event will feature many of the UK’s and Ireland’s leading rally drivers, iconic closed-road stages through no

Photo: D Harrigan Images Ballymena will become the centre of Northern Ireland motorsport next week as the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally celebrates its 50th anniversary with a new home and the return of some of the country’s most famous stages. For the first time in seven years, the rally has moved north from Newry, with Ballymena Showgrounds serving as the hub for the landmark event on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August. The venue will host Rally HQ, the service park, scrutiny, media

A leading County Armagh historian will visit Broughshane this week to give a public presentation examining one of the most significant events in Irish and British history ahead of the annual Relief of Derry commemorations next month. The Broughshane Branch of the Apprentice Boys of Derry is hosting historian Quincey Dougan for an evening exploring the Siege of Derry and the history of the Apprentice Boys, with the talk taking place on Wednesday 29 July at Broughshane Orange H

Football clubs and other users of Knockan Road Playing Fields in Ballymena are continuing to face problems with ageing facilities and maintenance issues, according to a local councillor who says action is needed to improve the site. Ulster Unionist Party Braid councillor Alan Barr has highlighted a series of concerns affecting the popular playing fields, including the continued use of shipping containers as changing rooms and toilets, alongside a list of maintenance defects h

The Halfway House Country Pub The Halfway House Country Pub outside Broughshane has been recognised among the very best rural pubs in the United Kingdom after receiving a Highly Commended honour at the Grand Champions of the 2026 Countryside Alliance Awards in London. The prestigious recognition was announced on Wednesday, July 8, at the House of Lords, where the Carnlough Road venue represented Northern Ireland after being crowned Countryside Alliance Northern Ireland Champi

Planning permission has been approved by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for a proposed indoor golf simulator and covered putting area at Ballymena Golf Club. A planning officer’s report said the proposed development would be located on a “rectangular-shaped, fairly level grassed area between the existing club car park and the course”. The club is situated in the countryside on Raceview Road between Ballymena and Broughshane. The report stated: “The proposal involves the

Broughshane village celebrating a previous year’s popular Mini Twelfth parade. (Photo: Brian Millar) Broughshane is set to welcome hundreds of spectators this week as one of the village’s best-known annual traditions returns with the Mini Twelfth and Arch Opening. The popular event, organised by Broughshane LOL 503, will take place on Wednesday evening, July 8, bringing marching bands and members of the Orange family together for a colourful parade through the heart of the vi

Amy Barr from Broughshane, Co Antrim was awarded with the Erne Veterinary Group Cup. Congratulating Amy is Jane Elliott, Head of Equine, CAFRE. Students from across Northern Ireland have marked the culmination of years of study, early mornings and hands-on industry experience as CAFRE’s latest cohort of equine graduates celebrated their achievements at a special graduation ceremony. Among those recognised was Broughshane student Amy Barr, who received one of the event’s stand

Victoria Craig from Broughshane, graduated on Monday, receiving her PhD in Nursing at Queen's When Catherine Craig was born 12 weeks early at Antrim Area Hospital in 2006, her mother Victoria had no idea that the frightening weeks which followed would shape the rest of her life. The tiny baby arrived at just 28 weeks and one day gestation following an emergency caesarean section and would spend the next 10 weeks in the hospital’s Neonatal Unit fighting through the earliest da

Groggan Primary School recently marked the occasion as principal Cathy Humphrey prepares to retire from a lifetime dedicated to education “That I cared.” After a lifetime spent helping children learn, grow and find their place in the world, that is how retiring Groggan Primary School principal Cathy Humphrey MBE hopes former pupils will remember her. For a woman who was recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List in 2023 with an MBE for services to education in Northern Ir

Police are investigating after a pipe bomb exploded outside an occupied home in Broughshane late on Wednesday night, causing extensive damage and leaving residents shaken but unharmed. The attack happened in the Rectory Gardens area at around 11pm on Wednesday, May 27, when a device was reportedly placed on the living room window ledge of the property while three people were inside. The explosion caused major damage to the home, blowing out windows and damaging the living roo

The Gallaher Trust has committed £100,000 to Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership’s Delivering Options through Tailored Solutions (Dots) social enterprise. Pictured are, from left, Chrissy Havelin, Finance and Systems Team Lead, Rebecca Rea, Dots Service Coordinator, Jenny Marshall, Executive Director of Community Programmes and James Perry MBE, a Trustee at The Gallaher Trust. More than 550 older adults across the Ballymena area are set to receive expanded practical supp

Unionist representatives Sam Patton and Councillor Alan Barr raised the ongoing issues of electric scooters following contact from local residents Police have confirmed privately owned e-scooters cannot legally be used on public roads, footpaths, cycle lanes or other public spaces in Northern Ireland, following concerns over their misuse in Kells and Broughshane. The clarification was issued by Sergeant Stevie Allen, from the Mid and East Antrim Local Policing Team, in respon

The Israeli flag at a car park on Knockan Road in Broughshane A complaint made to police over an Israeli flag being flown in a public area in Broughshane has resulted in no further action after the PSNI determined that no offence had been committed. Police confirmed officers attended the Knockan Road area on Saturday, 16th May, after receiving a report regarding the flag, which had been erected in the car park area. The incident has since prompted political reaction locally,

Braid Ulster Unionist representatives Sam Patton and Councillor Alan Barr Residents in Kells and Broughshane have warned that it is “only a matter of time” before someone is seriously injured amid growing concerns over the dangerous misuse of e-scooters by children and young people across the area. Braid Ulster Unionist representatives Sam Patton and Councillor Alan Barr say they have been contacted by multiple worried residents who claim e-scooters are being driven recklessl

Detectives in Ballymena are appealing for information after a house in the Broughshane area was reportedly targeted twice within 48 hours, with cash stolen during the latest break-in. Police said entry was gained to a property in the Rathkeel Road area at around 2am on Sunday morning, 17th May, before a sum of cash was taken from inside the home. The incident has sparked fresh concern among residents in the rural area, particularly after detectives revealed they believe the s

The Rathkeel Road in the Broughshane area of Ballymena A quiet rural stretch outside Ballymena was plunged into uncertainty on Thursday night after three men reportedly jumped from a trailer transporting animals and fled into the surrounding countryside, prompting a police search involving a helicopter. The incident unfolded between approximately 9pm and 10pm on 30 April in the Rathkeel Road area near Broughshane, with residents left shaken as officers moved quickly to track

Car enthusiasts, families and local residents are being invited to gather in Broughshane this weekend as Kirkinriola Primary School PTA launches a community fundraising event aimed at helping fund new play and sports facilities for pupils. The Coffee & Cars event will take place on Saturday 18 April at Broughshane Community Centre, 21 Knockan Road, Broughshane, BT42 4JY , with organisers hoping to attract a wide range of vehicles and strong public support to raise money fo

Winnie with her three daughters pictured outside Winnie’s 1975, in Broughshane. A much-loved Broughshane café and gift shop is entering a new chapter this week as the family behind Winnie’s 1975 prepares to hand over the keys after ten years at the heart of village life. In an emotional statement issued today, Wednesday 1 April, Winnie, owner of Winnie’s 1975 on Main Street, confirmed that the family has made the difficult decision to step away from the business, with new ow

Eight-year-old Daisy Doherty In a world that can often feel a little heavy, one young girl from Broughshane is bringing a powerful reminder of kindness, compassion and hope. Eight-year-old Daisy Doherty, a pupil at Broughshane Primary School , is preparing to take on a remarkable challenge this July as she donates her hair to help create a wig for a child who has lost theirs through illness. Inspired by the work of Little Princess Trust, the charity which provides real-hair w