NEWS

Thursday 29 October 2026 The Democratic Unionist Party has announced plans to obstruct elements of Sinn Féin's business at Stormont and suspend joint activities between Northern Ireland's two most senior ministers, warning that the power-sharing institutions cannot continue as normal following the controversy surrounding the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. In a strongly worded statement, the DUP accused First Minister Michelle O'Neill and her Sinn Féin colleagues of undermining c

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald Monday 19 October 2026 Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald have confirmed they will be interviewed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) this week in connection with protests on the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. Both senior Sinn Féin figures have publicly defended their participation in the protests, insisting they were standing in solidarity with residents opposed to an Orange Ord

Former Ulster Unionist Party leader Lord Empey Tuesday 13 October 2026 Twenty years after the St Andrews Agreement reshaped Northern Ireland’s power-sharing arrangements, former Ulster Unionist Party leader Lord Empey has accused the DUP of making a “strategic blunder” that ultimately allowed Sinn Féin to secure the office of First Minister. Marking the anniversary of the October 2006 negotiations, Lord Empey claimed that changes to the rules for appointing Northern Ireland’s

Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher Monday 12 October 2026 Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has defended the PSNI’s handling of the Garvaghy Road parade dispute, warning that attempting to force the procession through could have triggered prolonged disorder, injuries and consequences extending beyond Portadown. His comments come amid renewed political disagreement following a Court of Appeal ruling upholding the Parades Commission’s determination, with

Tuesday 29 September 2026 Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows has called on Sinn Féin to replace Deirdre Hargey on the Northern Ireland Policing Board while the investigation into events on the Garvaghy Road, and any resulting proceedings, remain ongoing. He has written to the Board’s chair seeking an urgent decision before Thursday’s meeting, arguing that a member involved in events under investigation should not scrutinise the officers responsible for policing them. Th

(L-R) Antrim and Newtownabbey Sinn Féin councillors Taylor McGrann, Maighréad Ní Chonghaile, and Eamonn McLaughlin. Tuesday 29 September 2026 Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has voted to refer three Sinn Féin councillors to a standards watchdog over allegations relating to their presence near a protest at Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The proposal passed by 20 votes to seven, with seven abstentions, at a full council meeting in Mossley Mill on Monday evening, 28 Septemb

Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill MLA and Declan Kearney MLA Tuesday 22 September 2026 Sinn Féin has selected Declan Kearney to contest South Antrim in next year’s Northern Ireland Assembly election, with the sitting MLA seeking to retain the seat he has held since 2016. Kearney’s candidacy was announced at a party selection event at the Dunsilly Hotel in Antrim on Tuesday evening, as Sinn Féin begins preparing for the combined Assembly and council elections on 6 May

Sitting Sinn Féin North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan with the party’s deputy Dáil leader and finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TDPearse Doherty TD. Friday 18 September 2026 Sinn Féin has selected sitting MLA Philip McGuigan to contest the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election in North Antrim, as parties begin preparing for voters to go to the polls next May. McGuigan, who currently chairs Stormont’s Health Committee, confirmed his candidacy at a party event in the Marine H

Ulster Unionist East Antrim MLA John Stewart Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart has accused First Minister Michelle O’Neill of engaging in “smoke and mirrors” as she joins nationalist leaders from Wales, Scotland and Ireland in Cardiff today for talks focused on greater co-operation and constitutional change. Speaking on Sunday (August 13), the East Antrim MLA said any declaration agreed by Sinn Féin, the SNP and Plaid Cymru could not be made on behalf of Northern Ireland or it

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

MLA’s join with cancer survivors, sufferers and members of Cancer Focus NI on the steps of Stormont to call for cancer services to be funded and protected. Cancer services must become a protected and fully funded priority after the next Northern Ireland Assembly election, a leading charity has said as figures expose the scale of the waits facing patients. Cancer Focus Northern Ireland has launched its 2027 Election Manifesto, calling on every political party to commit to fast

New Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Sinn Féin Councillor Henry Cushinan A political milestone has been marked in Antrim and Newtownabbey after Councillor Henry Cushinan was officially appointed as the borough’s first Sinn Féin Mayor. The historic appointment was confirmed during the council’s Annual Meeting on Monday evening, June 1, marking the first time Sinn Féin has held the mayoral chain in the borough since local government reorganisation created Antrim and Newtownabb

North Antrim Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland at the scene of the incident in The Diamond, Ballycastle Political representatives have warned that the deliberate fire at the derelict Antrim Arms building in Ballycastle must act as a turning point in how long-term vacant properties are managed, as concerns grow over safety, disruption and the future of the site. Mulholland: fire exposes dangers of long-term dereliction Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland said the arson attack had deeply

North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston A sharply contested debate at Stormont over Sinn Féin’s proposed Irish Language Education Bill has exposed fresh political tensions over the future shape of Northern Ireland’s education system, with TUV MLA Timothy Gaston accusing the legislation of creating a “two-tier” model that would place Irish-medium schools above every other sector. The Bill, brought forward by Sinn Féin, was debated in the Assembly on Tuesday and centres on placin

The poster placed at two roadside junctions in Ballycastle, and inset, TUV MP Jim Allister and Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan Political placards which had become the focus of local concern in Ballycastle have been removed following intervention by the Department for Infrastructure, prompting a fresh political row over standards for public displays in the town. The signs, located at the junction of Mary Street and Cushendall Road, were taken down after North Antrim MP Jim Allis

Sinn Féin political banner opposite Ballycastle Presbyterian Church, and the banner subsequently removed. A political banner placed opposite a church in Ballycastle ahead of St Patrick’s Day has been swiftly removed after concerns were raised by North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows , who said the move helped protect the town’s tradition of positive cross-community relations. The Ulster Unionist Party leader said the large Sinn Féin banner had appeared opposite Ballycastle Presbyteria

The former Antrim Arms Hotel in Ballycastle town centre Seventeen months on, a closed street and an unresolved building safety issue are now threatening the future of a £2million investment designed to rejuvenate Ballycastle town centre. Sinn Féin MLA for North Antrim, Philip McGuigan , has called for urgent collaboration between the owner of the Antrim Arms and statutory organisations to address structural safety and planning concerns that have left Fairhill Street closed —

21-year-old Chloe Mitchell who was murdered in June 2023 in Ballymena North Antrim elected representatives have called on the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) to grant a dispensation in its ongoing strike action to allow the trial of the individual charged with the murder of Chloe Mitchell to proceed as planned. The appeal comes as a deadline to prevent further delays in the Chloe Mitchell trial is fast approaching. Six representatives — Sian Mullholland MLA, Timothy Gaston MLA

Sinn Féin councillor in Ballymena, Bréanainn Lyness A Sinn Féin councillor in Ballymena has abstained from voting on a 2.95 per cent rates increase, breaking with party colleagues who supported the rise at Monday night’s rates-setting meeting. Bréanainn Lyness said he could not “in good conscience” back the increase, citing the continued decline of Ballymena town centre and the impact rising costs are having on local businesses and traders. During last night’s vote DUP, All

Artist’s impression of the new building for Mary Queen of Peace Primary School in Glenravel, County Antrim. Confirmation that a contractor has been appointed to deliver the new £7.28 million school building for Mary Queen of Peace Primary School in Glenravel has been welcomed as a major milestone for the local community. The rural primary school in the Glens of Antrim has faced a lengthy journey to reach this stage, with the announcement bringing renewed optimism for pupils,