Irish News

Almost 70% of inmates being held in Northern Ireland’s largest prison in recent days were on remand, with severe overcrowding and the churn adding extreme pressure on staff, a senior prison officer said.

Cynicism over our Stormont structures has been running at serious levels for a prolonged period, but it will be in danger of going entirely off the scale if another proposed salary increase for MLAs is confirmed later this year.

A tourist tax in Belfast would place another ‘burden’ on businesses, Northern Ireland’s leading hotel and hospitality bodies have warned, despite claims the measure could raise millions for city services.

The number of Catholics held on remand in Northern Ireland is more than double that of those from a Protestant background, “deeply concerning” figures show.

Grieving families in Northern Ireland are taking their dead across the border to be cremated rather than face long journeys to the north’s only two crematoria and waits that can stretch beyond a week.

The discovery of a 400-year-old will left by an English soldier has raised doubt about the true ownership of Lough Neagh, a new book has claimed.

Nearly 100 prisoners have reached release dates over the last five years while still waiting to see a psychologist, new figures show.

SOMETIMES you have to pinch yourself to see if the north is in some kind of parallel universe.

September 21 1926 The Irish Free State, by offering itself as candidate for a seat on the League of Nations Council last week, has supplied the Imperial Conference with another topic, though the Conference had the broad question on its agenda in any case.

As Gaeilge, teanga=language.

AS funny new mum on the block – or, rather TikTok scene - Serena Terry’s online ‘Mammy Banter’ comedy sketches had fans rolling in the aisles of their own kitchens during the first Covid lockdown of 2020.

IT is more than a little disconcerting to look at familiar workplaces which were once occupied by vibrant institutions, packed with people, energy and intrigue, and realise how much they have been changed by the passage of time.

In the Old Testament, bread is referred to as the ‘staff of life’ and frequently mentioned as a basic necessity for survival, but that it requires hard labour to produce.

Normandy veteran Ken Hay, who survived capture just weeks after D-Day and spent years educating children about the war, has died aged 101.

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana will appear in court on Monday charged with assaults on prison staff at Belmarsh.

Kemi Badenoch has pledged to bring back tax-free shopping for tourists by reversing a post-Brexit rule change.

Food and milk producers in England and Wales have come under increasing pressure from extreme heat and drought, and Scottish producers have said they are looking north to fill in the gaps.

A father who underwent a life-changing kidney transplant is honouring the memory of his donor by continuing her love of football.

An “incredible” 90-year-old runner who completed a 10-kilometre race in just over an hour is believed to have set a world best time for his age.

A head teachers’ union has demanded a halt to graded Ofsted inspections and raised fears they still pose a risk to life.

Kenyan farmers who grow tea sold in UK supermarkets have warned that climate impacts are hitting yields and their already “scarce” incomes.

Olympic gold medallist Tabby Stoecker has said she wants to “go big” and hopes to make Strictly Come Dancing history.

An SNP MSP has written to the King “seeking clarity” on whether he will be paying higher rates of council tax on royal properties in Scotland.

Welsh actress Melanie Walters has said her Gavin and Stacey co-stars have been “hugely supportive” of her Strictly Come Dancing debut and that Joanna Page was “very excited” for her to hit the ballroom floor.

Hints of an “autumn bounce” were seen in the housing market in September, as the average price tag on a home increased month on month for the first time since May, according to a property website.

The Co Fermanagh distiller behind Boatyard Gin has announced plans to scale up production capacity with a £2 million investment.

Fears of being scammed are causing one in three UK consumers to abandon online purchases, according to a study.

Professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin has revealed he cried “tears of joy” when he was reunited with Dani Dyer on Strictly Come Dancing and would have been “jealous” to see her with someone else.

The BBC’s Children In Need fundraising campaign has launched with a limited edition T-shirt designed by Spice Girls star Emma Bunton.

Celebrity hairdresser Chris Appleton has said his friend and client Kim Kardashian could be cheering him on from the audience as he takes part in Strictly Come Dancing.

Sports pundit Shaun Wright-Phillips has said fellow former footballer and most recent Strictly Come Dancing winner Karen Carney offered him advice ahead of his debut on the ballroom floor.

What is it?

Businesses must be “at the heart” of the Prime Minister’s plans for devolution in next month’s Budget, the British Chambers of Commerce has urged.

Specialist courts to deal with rape and sexual offences will be rolled out across England and Wales, Andy Burnham has announced.

Killeavy 3-21 Carrickcruppen 2-7 Nine different players got on the scoresheet for Killeavy as they cruised through to the semi-finals of the Senior Championship with a comfortable victory over Carrickcruppen.

Former James Bond actor Daniel Craig, Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis and Adolescence co-writer Jack Thorne have performed readings of letters to younger future selves at a gala to celebrate 70 years of the National Youth Theatre.

Armagh Credit Union senior camogie semi-finals Crossmaglen 3-11 Derrynoose 0-3 Granemore 2-9 Ballymacnab 1-10 IT will be a repeat of last year’s final pairing in this year’s Armagh Credit Union Armagh county camogie decider in a fortnight with holders Cro…

Michael Carrick said fine margins are costing Manchester United after a 1-1 draw against Fulham stretched their winless Premier League run to three matches.

The grunge aesthetic of the 2010s made a comeback last autumn/winter with the revival of tartan midi skirts and chunky leather.

Northern Switchgear Antrim SFC quarter-final: Dunloy 5-15 Lámh Dhearg 3-12 DUNLOY and Lámh Dhearg might have shared eight goals and 27 points but the conversation in Cargin was only ever about events in Corrigan Park earlier in the afternoon.

Rivals star Danny Dyer, his daughter Dani, and singer Becky Hill have joined a protest demanding public ownership of the water industry.

Leadon Timber Frames Derry SHC final: Sleacht Néill 0-20 Kevin Lynch 1-14 Sleacht Néill dug into their reserves of experience as they won a 14th successive Derry senior hurling title on Sunday.

Antrim SFC quarter-final: Rossa 2-24 Roger Casement’s Portglenone 3-20 Rossa produced a remarkable late fightback to edge Portglenone in an extraordinary Corrigan Park thriller, eventually prevailing 2-24 to 3-20 after extra-time.

If ATHLOS is the future of track and field, you can expect a lot of flashing lights and blaring music in the years ahead.

A new attraction in Derry is set to be unveiled in time to mark the 40th anniversary of the city’s renowned Halloween festival.

A west Belfast photographer and video-journalist who has spent the past four years on the frontline of the Ukraine war has said that he hopes to turn a collection of his life’s work into a photobook following his first exhibition in Belfast.

The Canal Court and Spa Down senior championship Ballygalget 0-4 Liatroim Fontenoys 1-17 Ballycran 1-16 Ballyholland 1-1 Portaferry 1-8 Clonduff 1-15 WINS for Clonduff, Liatroim Fontenoys and Ballycran mean that the Canal Court and Spa Down camogie semi-f…

WENDING my way into this famous sporting amphitheatre, the sizeable attendance and the raucous atmosphere made me wonder if I’d got the throw-in time wrong – but it was ‘only’ a Junior Football semi-final as a curtain-raiser to the main event.

Connollys of Moy Tyrone SFC quarter-final: Loughmacrory 0-23 Omagh 0-8 Champions Loughmacrory cruised through to the Connollys of Moy Tyrone SFC semi-finals with a silky display at Páirc Colmcille where they combined grit with class to eclipse an Omagh si…

A comical own goal by Lisandro Martinez saw Manchester United fail to win for a third Premier League game in a row as they drew 1-1 with Fulham at Craven Cottage.