Need a break from the political noise? This thread is for anything *but* politics — books, hobbies, film recs, you name it. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things ...

Féile an Phobail is Ireland’s Biggest Community Arts Festival. This year, it is back with umpteen events from music to debates. I enjoy the debates and talks at St Mary’s. Yes, they do tend to have a ...

When I was in a bookshop with my son at the weekend, he asked for several books. I explained that no, he could only get one, but when he read it, he could get more. “Buying books and reading books are ...

Andrew McClean is the Northern Ireland Advocacy Lead at Cycling UK All this week, both the media and social media have hailed the huge success of the Open Golf tournament, held in Northern Ireland for ...

True, it’s an Executive dominated by the DUP and Sinn Féin. Yet Alliance is now the third largest party in government, and with that position comes accountability. As the SF/DUP farce continues to ...

On Saturday, I brought Junior down to the Pride parade in Belfast. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it. It’s quite the sight. It’s often said that nothing ever changes in Northern Ireland. But ...

Some recent conversations have raised questions about why fewer unionist voices are active in the comments. This article reflects on that and invites everyone to consider what helps make debate more ...

One of the big myths about the evangelical right-wing in the USA is that they were provoked into backing the Republican party by the Roe v Wade case that introduced the right to abortion across the ...

After listening to the 45 minutes of complaint by Mervyn Gibson on BBC Talkback, I read the Orange Order statement in full and as someone who grew up in a firmly unionist family, attending ...

Back in 2006, the case for devolving corporation tax powers to Northern Ireland was championed as an economic game-changer. Nearly 20 years later, the idea remains strong—but it’s been quietly shelved ...

Northern Ireland’s economic system is undergoing reform — again. The Lyons Review into Invest NI made headlines just two years ago, with its blunt assessment: the agency was underperforming and overly ...

Today, Wednesday, Sean will be cremated at Roselawn Crematorium. You will not know this as he left strict instructions there would be; no death notices, no mass, no eulogy, no memorial cards. Sean is ...