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

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

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

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.

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

Heavy showers and thunderstorms could cause travel disruption and flash flooding across Northern Ireland today after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning. The warning takes effect at 12 noon today, Wednesday 19 August, and remains in place until 11.59pm tonight. Some areas could receive up to 20mm of rain in an hour or less, while a few places may see as much as 30mm within two hours. Heavy showers moving from west to east According to the Met Office, a band of heav

Almost one in three victims of domestic abuse crimes recorded in Northern Ireland last year were male, according to figures released as part of a new campaign challenging the stigma that can prevent men from seeking help. The Police Service of Northern Ireland recorded 5,817 domestic abuse crimes against male victims between April 2025 and March 2026. Men represented 32% of all victims recorded during the 12-month period, while the crimes involving male victims had a sanction

Mike Nesbitt MLA Mike Nesbitt has resigned as Northern Ireland’s Health Minister following a major political dispute with Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows over emergency general surgery at Causeway Hospital. In a strongly worded resignation letter sent to Mr Burrows on Tuesday evening, Mr Nesbitt said the UUP leader had created “shock waves” across the health and social care system by publicly backing the retention of emergency surgery at the Coleraine hospital. The f

Changing facilities at the local Broughshane Community Centre Mould, leaking water, inadequate toilets and concerns about water close to electrical installations have prompted a renewed demand for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to take urgent action at Broughshane Playing Fields. UUP Councillor Alan Barr and TUV Councillor Chrissy Jamieson say local clubs, players and volunteers have endured “plainly substandard” changing facilities for long enough and now need a firm pl

Police have confirmed they are at the scene of a sudden death in the Wakehurst Park area of Ballymena. The incident was reported shortly after 10am today, Tuesday 18 August. Air ambulance lands at King George’s Park Witnesses reported seeing a number of police vehicles responding to the incident, while the HEMS Air Ambulance Northern Ireland landed nearby at King George’s Park on Larne Street. A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: “Police are at the

Young anglers are being offered a free evening of fishing at Kilgad Lakes near Ballymena as a local club brings its summer programme to a close. Kells, Connor and Glenwherry Angling Club has exclusively booked the lakes from 5pm to 9pm, on Wednesday 19 August, allowing its junior members to fish free of charge. Equipment available for beginners All junior anglers are welcome, and anyone who is not already a member can apply to join the club by tapping the button below. Fishin

(L-R) Laura McMinn, Tesco Northern Ireland Buying Manager, Alvin Donaghy, Commercial Manager at K&G McAtamney, Kenneth Herron, Tesco Northern Ireland Lead Fresh Buying Manager - Northern Ireland Product, Gordon McAtamney, Managing Director at K&G McAtamney, and Clare McCormack, Tesco Northern Ireland Assistant Buyer. Two long-established Ballymena meat businesses are supplying 12 products for Tesco Northern Ireland’s summer barbecue range, bringing decades of local butchery e