NEWS

All-Ireland Champions 2026 Legends Ladies – Angela, Alex, Anne Marie and Nikky Castle Rowing Club, based in Ballygally on the East Antrim coast, has returned from the 2026 All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships with two championship titles and six podium finishes following a memorable weekend of competition in Bantry. The club’s Novice Mixed and Legends Ladies crews were both crowned All-Ireland champions, while Castle rowers also secured two silver and two bronze results a

DUP Agriculture Spokesperson Carla Lockhart MP Serious whistleblowing allegations involving animal welfare, biosecurity and environmental practices at Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) should be subjected to a genuinely independent examination, a DUP MP has said. Upper Bann MP and DUP Agriculture spokesperson Carla Lockhart has questioned whether investigations into concerns at AFBI’s Hillsborough site can command public confidence when the organis

St Patrick’s Church, Ballymena Four hundred years to the day since King Charles I granted the Ballymena Estate to William Adair, people from across the town and wider borough are being invited to come together for a special Service of Thanksgiving marking the historic anniversary. The civic service will take place at St Patrick’s Church, Ballymena, on Tuesday 25 August at 7.30pm, forming part of this year’s Ballymena 400 celebrations. The anniversary provides a rare opportuni

Causeway Hospital Friday 21 August 2026 No decision has yet been made on the future of emergency surgery at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, MLAs have been told, with Department of Health officials stressing that the assessment process remains “not complete”. Officials also told Stormont’s Health Committee that there are no plans to close Causeway’s emergency department and said any eventual business case must demonstrate better health outcomes before it would be recommended t

(L-R) – Ciaran Long, Forward, Belfast Giants; Jordan Kawaguchi, Forward, Belfast Giants; David Goodwin, Forward, Belfast Giants; and Scott Conway, Forward, Belfast Giants. Belfast Giants have unveiled four new jerseys for the 2026/27 season as the reigning Elite Ice Hockey League champions prepare to return to the ice — with O2 appearing on the front of the team’s shirts for the first time. The new home, away, alternate and Challenge Cup designs mark the beginning of O2’s ti

Motorists travelling through Rasharkin are being advised to allow extra time this evening as road closures are put in place for an annual band parade expected to involve 25 bands. Ballymaconnelly Sons of Conquerors Flute Band will hold its annual parade through the village tonight, Friday 21 August, beginning at 7.15pm and expected to finish by 9pm. Parade route through Rasharkin The parade will leave the Turnpike at Church Road before proceeding along Main Street, Moneyleck

Northern Ireland has no identified link to a rare case of classical BSE — commonly known as mad cow disease — confirmed on a farm in Scotland, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has said. The case was discovered on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway and identified through routine BSE surveillance. Movement restrictions have now been put in place while investigations continue to establish the origin of the case. Importantly, the affected animal did not enter the human food chain, a

Graffiti sprayed on Rasharkin Orange Hall in July Police have renewed their appeal for witnesses and footage as investigations continue into sectarian graffiti sprayed on Rasharkin Orange Hall last month. The criminal damage happened in the early hours of Tuesday 14 July, when graffiti was sprayed on the building in the Main Street area of the village. The PSNI is investigating the incident as a sectarian hate crime and is again asking anyone who was in the area at the time t

The newly resurfaced Galgorm Road in Ballymena The resurfacing of a key route from Galgorm into Ballymena has been completed, bringing an improvement to a stretch of road which local representatives say had caused concern among residents for some time. TUV councillors Stewart McDonald and Matthew Armstrong have welcomed the completion of the works on the main road into the town, saying carrying out the scheme during the summer holidays helped avoid some of the worst potential

Northern Ireland livestock farmers are being urged to remain vigilant for signs of bluetongue as cases of the disease rise sharply across Great Britain, with nearly 500 now confirmed and vaccine supplies coming under pressure. The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has warned that an increase in cases in Northern Ireland could have serious consequences for livestock movements, farm businesses and the wider agricultural supply chain. Nearly 1,000 individual animals have been infected

Thursday, August 20, 2026 Around 5,000 members of the Royal Black Institution will march through Larne on August 29 in one of five major demonstrations marking the end of the 2026 parading season. The Co Antrim gathering will see 76 preceptories and 71 bands take part, with organisers expecting up to 10,000 spectators. Six districts will be represented, including Ballymena No 2, alongside Lisburn, Antrim, Larne, Ballymoney and Ballyclare. The main parade will begin at 12 noon

Ballymena Health and Care Centre Scaffolding that has surrounded Ballymena Health and Care Centre for around seven months is expected to be soon removed as work continues to permanently resolve problems with the building’s roof capping system. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust confirmed the timetable to Love Ballymena after local people questioned how long the prominent structure would remain around the multimillion-pound healthcare facility off Cushendall Road. Storm

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Dawn Huggins, pictured with Paul Ross, whose Sky Blue Ribbon fundraising appeal was named Fundraising Volunteer Group of the Year at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Northern Ireland Awards. A County Antrim father who has turned the devastating loss of his 21-year-old daughter into a fundraising movement that has raised more than £100,000 for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland has received special recognition from the Mayor of

Pupils from Cambridge House Grammar School who received their GCSE results on Thursday morning. More than 32,000 young people across Northern Ireland have received their GCSE results today, with a slight increase in the proportion achieving the key benchmark of grade C/4 and above. Figures released on Thursday, 20 August, show 83.6% of students achieved grade C/4 or higher, compared with 83.5% in 2025. The proportion receiving the highest grades also rose marginally, with 31.

Causeway Hospital, and (inset) newly appointed Health Minister Robbie Butler Robbie Butler has been confirmed as Northern Ireland’s new Health Minister, taking charge of a health and social care system facing severe waiting-list pressures and major decisions over the future of hospital services. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows announced the nomination on Thursday, less than two days after Mike Nesbitt resigned amid a political dispute over emergency general surgery a

Ulster Unionist Party MLA Robbie Butler Ulster Unionist Party MLA Robbie Butler is set to be confirmed as Northern Ireland’s new Health Minister, taking over one of Stormont’s most demanding roles following Mike Nesbitt’s resignation. The Lagan Valley representative will inherit responsibility for a health service facing severe waiting-list pressures, difficulties accessing primary care and continuing controversy over the future configuration of hospital services. Among his m

A Land Rover Defender restored on the television programme Car SOS will take centre stage when Motorfest NI brings cars, motorcycles, trucks and live emergency-service displays to Ballymena this Sunday. The family event opens to the public at Ballymena Showgrounds at 11am on Sunday 23 August, with admission costing £5. Organisers say 100% of the money raised will go to Community Rescue Service Central. From television restoration to rescue service The distinctive Defender und

Cheryl Lamont, pictured with her mother, Nan McVicker, who has received care through the Hospital at Home programme. A 93-year-old woman has been able to receive hospital-level treatment in familiar surroundings as the Northern Health and Social Care Trust expands its Hospital at Home service into more care homes and people’s own homes. Nan McVicker’s family said they “couldn’t commend it highly enough” after consultants visited her at home and provided the intravenous medica

Glenshesk Drive, Ballymena North Antrim MLA Paul Frew has urged motorists to obey the one-way system on Glenshesk Drive in Ballymena after receiving several complaints from residents about vehicles travelling in the wrong direction. The DUP representative said the incidents were particularly concerning because children regularly play near the road, including on an adjacent grass area. Residents report recent incidents Glenshesk Drive has operated as a one-way street for a num

Causeway Hospital, Coleraine The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has stood by its proposal to centralise emergency general surgery at Antrim Area Hospital, warning that the current two-hospital model is becoming “increasingly unsustainable”. Its intervention follows Mike Nesbitt’s resignation as Health Minister after a political dispute with Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows over the proposed removal of emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital in Colerain