NEWS

Sunday 8 November 2026 Motorists across Northern Ireland are being warned of potentially hazardous driving conditions overnight and during Monday morning's commute, with dense fog expected to reduce visibility to less than 100 metres in some areas. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning covering all six counties, with fog patches developing overnight and potentially causing disruption to travel as people make their way to work and school on Monday 9 November. The

DUP MP for Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart Friday 30 October 2026 DUP MP Carla Lockhart has publicly rejected her party's response to the Stormont crisis, accusing its leadership of failing to deliver the “profound consequences” promised over the actions of First Minister Michelle O'Neill. In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday evening, the Upper Bann MP said the measures announced by the DUP fell far short of what she believed unionists wanted, dismissing restrictions on

Friday 30 October 2026 Police investigating the Drumcree and Garvaghy Road protest have identified 60 suspects, with 18 already interviewed as officers continue gathering evidence over alleged offences linked to the operation. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has confirmed that a dedicated team of 30 officers is examining more than 70 hours of recorded material as part of what is expected to be a lengthy investigation. Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said evi

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart Wednesday 28 October 2026 The High Court has ruled that the Secretary of State acted lawfully in banning an Orange Order parade along Portadown’s Garvaghy Road, while delivering a significant warning about unlawful protests, respect for the rule of law and the involvement of elected representatives. Wednesday’s judgment has prompted renewed demands from Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart for First Minister Michelle O’Neill to be removed from office,

23-year-old Dylan McCann who sadly died following a road traffic collision in Co Armagh Tuesday 20 October 2026 A 23-year-old man who died following a four-vehicle road traffic collision in Newry on Monday morning has been named by police as Dylan McCann from the Cookstown area. The collision occurred at approximately 6.30am on Monday 19 October, at the junction of Armagh Road and Church Road. Two other people remain in hospital receiving treatment for serious injuries follow

Monday 19 October 2026 A man in his 20s has died and two other people have been seriously injured following a four-vehicle road traffic collision in Newry on Monday morning (19 October). The collision happened at approximately 6.30am on the Armagh Road, at its junction with Church Road, and involved a lorry, a van and two cars. Police confirmed that the driver of a blue BMW was pronounced dead at the scene despite medical treatment being provided. Two people taken to hospital

Tuesday 13 October 2026 A 28-year-old Portadown man has been sentenced to six months in prison after throwing a bottle at a police Land Rover during disorder linked to the Drumcree/Garvaghy Road dispute. Malachy McCann was sentenced at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday 9 October, having been convicted of disorderly behaviour and attempted criminal damage. The offences followed an incident on the Garvaghy Road on Sunday 27 September, when McCann stepped out from a crowd a

21-year-old Josh McKnight, who sadly died following a road traffic collision near Bannridge Saturday 10 October 2026 Police have named the young man who died following a road traffic collision near Banbridge on Friday morning as 21-year-old Josh McKnight from the Loughbrickland area. Josh died at the scene of a single-vehicle collision involving a Polaris Ranger on Old Mill Road on Friday 9 October. The collision was reported to police shortly after 5.50am, with officers and

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher Friday 09 October 2026 PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that forcing a disputed Orange Order parade through Portadown could have had “catastrophic long term consequences” for public confidence in policing, Northern Ireland's devolved government and the peace process. The stark assessment emerged as Mr Boutcher welcomed Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant's decision that the Portadown District Loyal Orange Lodge No 1 procession cou

Friday 09 October 2026 A disputed Orange Order parade at the centre of the Drumcree stand-off will not be allowed to proceed under its original authorisation, following a decision by Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant amid police warnings of serious injury, disorder and unrest spreading across Northern Ireland. The intervention follows unsuccessful negotiations between the Portadown District Loyal Orange Lodge and Garvaghy Road residents, with the Secretary of State

Friday 09 October 2026 A man in his 20s has sadly died following a single-vehicle road traffic collision near Banbridge in the early hours of Friday morning (9 October). The collision, involving a Polaris Ranger, happened on the Old Mill Road and was reported to police at approximately 5.50am. Emergency services attended the scene, but the driver was pronounced dead. Police appeal for witnesses Detective Inspector Stewart, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Collisi

Thursday 08 October 2026 Police investigating the Drumcree/Garvaghy Road dispute are moving to the next phase of a large-scale criminal investigation, with individuals suspected of committing offences set to receive letters about the police interview process. Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck confirmed that an experienced Senior Investigating Officer has been leading the investigation, with detectives examining evidence gathered during the policing operation. The latest dev

Tuesday 06 October 2026 Almost 50 prominent figures from the worlds of music, film, television, literature and the arts have signed an open letter backing Garvaghy Road residents and calling for an independent international mediator to help resolve the continuing Portadown parading dispute. The letter, sent to Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant at 3.30pm on Tuesday, includes Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher, Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon, The Smiths guitarist Joh

Stormont Parliament Buildings and (inset) TUV Party Leader & North Antrim MP Jim Allister, and the party’s North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston Monday 28 September 2026 The TUV has called for the DUP to bring down Northern Ireland’s power-sharing institutions unless the Orange Order parade along the Garvaghy Road is allowed to proceed, as the political fallout from Sunday’s blockade moved directly into the Assembly chamber. TUV leader Jim Allister MP and North Antrim MLA Timothy G

Monday 28 September 2026 The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has called for those who broke the law during the blockade of the Garvaghy Road to be held to account, while raising questions over the PSNI’s decision not to forcibly clear the route for an Orange Order parade. The intervention comes after Portadown District LOL No 1 was unable to complete its parade on Sunday despite a Parades Commission determination permitting it to proceed along the Garvaghy Road under specified

The scene at Drumcree Church in Portadown Monday 28 September 2026 A senior PSNI officer has said forcibly removing an estimated 1,000 people from the Garvaghy Road in Portadown would have risked serious injuries and made disorder “inevitable”, as police confirmed a dedicated enquiry team is now examining evidence of suspected offences. The assessment meant officers did not facilitate Portadown District Orange Order’s parade along the route determined by the Parades Commissio

Friday 25 September 2026 The Parades Commission has permitted Portadown District LOL No. 1 to parade along the Garvaghy Road on Sunday — the first time since 1998 that the District has been allowed to complete the disputed section of its traditional return route. The landmark determination allows the procession to follow its notified route through Portadown, but imposes extensive restrictions including a maximum of 35 participants, an 8am start, no bands anywhere on the route

Cannabis plants seized by police Police say they have dismantled a “sophisticated and well organised” cannabis cultivation operation after around 300 plants were discovered at a property in Portadown. A 32-year-old man was arrested after police said he attempted to make off from the scene when officers arrived at the property in the Moy Road area on Wednesday evening, 9 September. Around 300 plants recovered Local Policing Team officers made the discovery at approximately 7.1

Inset: Sinn Féin North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan Sinn Féin North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan has warned against attempts to revive contentious parading disputes, invoking the Harryville protests in Ballymena as he said Northern Ireland must not be dragged back towards heightened sectarian tensions. Mr McGuigan was responding to renewed controversy surrounding an Orange Order application connected to the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, arguing that almost three decades without an

Jailed: Samuel McCaughey, 35, from County Armagh A County Armagh man has been jailed after filming police vehicles inside the yard of Lurgan Police Station and distributing the footage through social media. Samuel McCaughey, 35, from Lurgan, was sentenced at Laganside Crown Court on Tuesday after being convicted of two terrorism-related offences under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The case dates back more than six years to May 2020, when McCaughey entered Lurgan Polic