Pat Finucane: Inquiry set to begin into the Belfast solicitor’s murder

The murder of Pat Finucane is one of the most notorious of the troubles. The 39-year-old Belfast solicitor was shot dead at his family home in north Belfast in 1989 by UDA gunmen. A series of investigations revealed collusion with the state. The first hearing of a public inquiry into the killing is…

Noah Donohoe inquest, week 16: Jury hears of ‘terrifying’ conditions

The jury in Noah Donohoe inquest have heard a sixteenth week of evidence. The schoolboy was just 14 when his naked body was found in a storm drain tunnel on June 27, 2020. He had been missing for six days. On Thursday, an expert witness gave testimony on the CCTV footage of Noah leaving his fl…

Ulster's Lost Counties: Ed Burke on Loyalism and Paramilitarism in Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal

In 1920 a momentous decision was finalised - three Ulster counties, Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan would not be included in the new Northern Ireland. It was felt that the new entity would be more secure without those counties which had nationalist majorities. But they also had large, Protestant, Union…

Tattle Life: Why the case against gossip site fell apart

Tattle Life is a self-described “commentary website”. Supporters of the site say it’s free speech, protects consumers, and that influencers are fair game, with the website saying it has a zero-tolerance policy to any abusive, hateful or harmful content. But critics claim users have published priva…

David Graham: When my kids are 40 there won’t have been border poll, but unionism needs a reset

David Graham is a former DUP councillor, and a former advisor to education minister Peter Weir. The political commentator has been a teacher and has worked for both Linfield and Rangers. Recently, he’s been writing about the need for the unionist parties to bring in fresh talent. He joined …

100 years of Fianna Fáil: The highs, the lows, the controversies

his week, Fianna Fáil turns the ripe old age of 100. But is the house that Éamon de Valera built in disarray? Irish Independent political correspondent John Downing reckons “they’re a very pale, poor shadow of what they were”. So, how did Dev shape the party in the first place? How did Seán Lemass …

Kew Files: Sam McBride finds harrowing letter in Bloody Sunday files

Top civil servants had debated whether to effectively admit that Bloody Sunday was not as Widgery had claimed. Documents uncovered in the formerly secret Kew Files reveal much debate among officials as to how they should deal with the legacy of the of the 14 deaths against the backdrop of the n…

Noah Donohoe Inquest: ‘I’ve f***ked it’ - Stormont employee’s panic over unlocked hatch

An access hatch on the inlet to a culvert in which Noah Donohoe was found should have been locked six months previously, an inquest into his death has heard. But the jury also heard the storm drain was in good condition and had no history of unauthorised accessThe 14-year-old’s body was discovered …

Suzanne Breen on the ‘DUP Civil War’ - five years on

Five years ago, the DUP was in largest party in Northern Ireland, lurched to open civil war. The party had been led by Ian Paisley for 37 years – but an unprecedented outbreak of factional politics saw three different leaders in just 50 days. The middle one, Edwin Poots, lasted a total of j…

Sam McBride’s hunt for Stormont’s secret civil servant on a vast salary

There is a very senior, well-paid civil servant, working in the higher echelons of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Only a handful of officials work at that level and with every one of these individuals we are entitled to know who they are, what they do and what they are paid – but not when it…