NEWS

Taking shape: Work progressing at the new Ballycastle Leisure Centre. Saturday 10 October 2026 Ballycastle’s new leisure centre is taking shape, with its swimming pool, climbing wall and outdoor facilities reaching significant construction milestones as work progresses on the major development at Quay Road. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has confirmed that the pump track is now complete, the bouldering wall has been installed and most of the tiling in the swimming p

Sozopol old town on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria Thursday 08 October 2026 Northern Ireland holidaymakers can now book their summer 2028 getaways, with Jet2 launching flights and holidays to 21 destinations from Belfast International Airport – including a brand-new direct route to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. The airline and tour operator has released more than 618,000 seats for summer 2028, with up to 56 departing flights each week during peak periods, giving families and c

Krakow, Poland, Main Market square in the winter season, during Christmas fairs decorated with Christmas tree. Sunday 04 October 2026 Northern Ireland travellers can now book Christmas market flights from Belfast International Airport to Krakow and Vienna for the 2027 festive season. Jet2 has released almost 6,000 seats across the two routes for Winter 2027/28, with both destinations served twice a week in the run-up to Christmas. Two festive destinations Flights to Krakow an

FEAT4’s new premises opening soon in Belfast Monday 28 September 2026 Two Dungannon brothers are preparing to open a major new padel and wellness destination in Belfast next month following a multi-million-pound investment that will create 15 jobs. FEAT4, developed by brothers Charlie and Edward Conroy, is transforming the former Ulster Tatler headquarters at 39 Boucher Road into an indoor sport, recovery and social venue combining padel courts with Pilates, physiotherapy, re

Thursday 24 September 2026 Holidaymakers planning ahead for summer 2027 have 18 new easyJet routes to choose from, including new connections to Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Montenegro, Germany and Bulgaria. The airline has put the new flights on sale from 10 UK airports, with fares starting from £35.48 and package holidays also available across every destination announced. New destination joins easyJet network Among the biggest additions is Girona, which easyJet will

Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena Wednesday 16 September 2026 Mid and East Antrim councillors have backed plans to restore bank holiday opening at the borough’s three main leisure centres, giving members access to facilities in Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus on public holidays. The council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee, meeting at The Braid in Ballymena on Tuesday evening, approved the move, which would see the centres open from 8am until 4pm on bank h

Northern Ireland holidaymakers looking to squeeze in a late-summer getaway have been given some inspiration, with Porto named among Ryanair’s three top UK destinations for summer 2026 — and it can be reached directly from Belfast. The Portuguese city joins Bergerac in France and Pula in Croatia in the airline’s top three, revealed on Wednesday 26 August as the main summer holiday season draws towards a close. For travellers from Ballymena and across Northern Ireland, Porto is

Alan McCullough, Project Manager at GRAHAM; Councillor Dawn Huggins, Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens; Jake Mailey, Capital Projects Officer at Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council; and Brian Tohill, General Manager (Sport & Wellbeing), during a visit to the new Ballycastle Leisure Centre. Ballycastle’s new leisure centre remains on course for completion in April 2027, with the building’s internal fit-out now under way and its outdoor pump track nearing completion. The m

Northern Ireland’s skiers and snowboarders can now book their Winter 2027/28 flights to the Austrian Alps after Jet2.com launched its latest ski programme from Belfast International Airport. The airline has put its weekly Saturday service to Salzburg on sale, giving travellers the opportunity to secure flights more than a year in advance for the 2027/28 ski season. Weekly flights to Austria Jet2.com said the service will operate from mid-December 2027 and continue throughout

A husband-and-wife team who transformed a Ballymena warehouse into one of Northern Ireland’s most popular family attractions are about to do it again. This August, Chris and Joanna Robinson, the founders of the hugely successful Honeybees Playtown, will open the doors to LEVEL UP Entertainment Centre — a brand new attraction designed to bring children, teenagers and adults together for a completely different kind of family day out. Opening next door to Honeybees in Pennybridg

Metropole Park, Portrush Campaigners hoping to see a dedicated skatepark and urban sports facility on the North Coast are a step closer to that ambition, with work set to begin next month on a masterplan for the long-awaited Metropole Project in Portrush. The study, due to begin in August, marks a fresh attempt to bring forward proposals for a major outdoor recreation space after more than three decades of campaigning and several previous schemes that failed to reach construc

Northern Ireland will gain a new direct air link to Scotland next winter after easyJet announced it will launch flights between Belfast International Airport and Aberdeen. The new service, which begins on 4 January, will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, with easyJet becoming the only airline to offer a direct connection between the two cities. The route is one of three new winter services unveiled by easyJet⁠ on Wednesday, alongside a new Bristol–Strasbourg route

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

L-R: Shannon Brown, Spa Manager, Salt Spa; Carl McGarrity, Director of The Salthouse Hotel; and Elizabeth Dillon, Guest Experience Manager, The Salthouse Hotel. A £5 million investment has transformed one of Northern Ireland’s most distinctive hospitality destinations into a fully realised luxury wellness retreat, with the opening of a major new spa creating 30 additional jobs and completing the final phase of development at The Salthouse near Ballycastle. The launch of the n

Jet2 has unveiled an exclusive new Norway and Fjords programme from Belfast International Airport for Summer 2027, giving travellers in Northern Ireland direct access to one of Europe’s most spectacular destinations for the first time through the airline. The new programme means Jet2 will be the only airline operating flights from Belfast International Airport to the Norwegian city of Bergen during Summer 2027, opening up opportunities for holidaymakers seeking culture, scene

Benone Holiday and Coastal Park A major expansion of caravan and motorhome provision at Benone Holiday and Coastal Park has moved a step closer after Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council backed plans to explore space for an additional 70 touring pitches. The proposal comes amid growing demand for caravan tourism across the north coast, with councillors saying the current Benone site becomes overcrowded during busy periods and now risks falling behind expanding private hol

A young people’s group is to be given a key role in helping shape plans for a new skate park in Antrim. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has approved proposals for a new “granite-style skate plaza” with floodlighting at the Peace Play Park beside Antrim Forum. Councillors backed the project during a meeting of the local authority’s Operations Committee last month. A report presented behind closed doors said the project would “adopt the design and engagement approach us

Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena A review of leisure centre opening hours is set to be carried out by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council after councillors called for a rethink on bank holiday closures. Speaking at last week’s council meeting at The Braid in Ballymena, Larne Lough Alliance Councillor Maeve Donnelly proposed a motion calling for leisure facilities to open during bank holidays. Cllr Donnelly said: “For many of us, bank holidays are a welcome opportunity t

Passengers travelling from Belfast are set for a significant boost in choice this winter after easyJet confirmed two new direct routes from Belfast International Airport, opening up both a major European capital and a popular Red Sea resort with year-round sunshine. The airline will begin flying from Belfast International to Sharm El Sheikh on 25 October, followed by Rome on 26 October, with both routes operating twice weekly and forming part of a wider nine-route expansion a

The Bedford Hotel, set within the historic Scottish Mutual Building in Belfast city centre A landmark piece of Belfast’s architectural heritage has been brought back to life as The Bedford Hotel officially opened its doors to the public today, Wednesday, April 8, following a multi-million-pound restoration that has transformed the iconic Grade B1 listed Scottish Mutual Building into an 82-bedroom luxury boutique destination. The opening marks a major new addition to Belfast’s