Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS

Senior Parliamentary Researcher for Gregory Campbell MP, Alderman @CausewayCouncil and Governor @limavadygs. All views are my own.

[Tim Cairns @timcairns]

Frankly this is appalling, but also a glimpse behind the curtain of a “new Ireland.” Noted

[LLCoLondonderry @LLCoLondonderry]

Cutts House at Castleroe- The Governor of the Society explained the Society’s strategy for the coming years and how it will grant aid groups and people across the County and beyond . Are you eligible ? https://t.co/xverk9a7Xj

https://t.co/xverk9a7Xj

[Veterans Commissioner for Northern Ireland @niveteranscomm]

We’re looking ahead to the Limavady Veterans Roadshow & Lunch

📍 United Services Club, Limavady
📅 Tuesday 16 June 2026
⏰ 12pm–2pm

A great opportunity for veterans, friends & family to connect with local support services and organisations.

Register 👉 https://t.co/bjHef2yyZo

[Daniel N. Gullotta ⚓️ @DanielGullotta]

Terrible news. And so close to America250.

https://t.co/I7hksRQtXU

[Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS @acallan87]

@dcsandbrook @TheRestHistory Any chance of doing something stand alone on Ulster Unionism? Perhaps a podcast on Sir James Craig the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

[Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS @acallan87]

Matthew Thornton was born in Ulster his family lived and emigrated from Londonderry.

[National Mall NPS @NationalMallNPS]

The three signers from New Hampshire honored at the Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence are Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, and Matthew Thornton.

Bartlett was the first delegate to vote for independence and the second signer after John Hancock. A merchant before the Revolution, Whipple signed the Declaration and then served as a general in the New Hampshire militia. Thornton did not arrive in Philadelphia until November 1776 but insisted on adding his signature so he could have the “privilege to be hanged for patriotism.” #Freedom250

[Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS @acallan87]

@petermartindup @FightingOnFilm I love that one too!

[Lord Hanson of Flint Labour Peer & Minister @RTHondavehanson]

In a corner of parliament at the far end of the Royal gallery a box lies permantly open containing sand from all five Normandy beaches -a reminder to both houses of the sacrifice & the cause of freedom fought for by brave service people on DDay June 6 th 1944. #DDay

[Communities NI @CommunitiesNI]

On the cusp of America’s 250th anniversary, Minister @GordonLyons1 has launched the Ulster-American Treasures: The Migration Story, celebrating the contributions of Ulster settlers to the establishment of the US. 🇺🇸

👇 Check out the electronic version of the publication and other #USANI250 projects:

https://t.co/vnbr5rI1ih

@PRONI_DFC
@America250
@UlsterScotsAgen
@USAInNI

[Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS @acallan87]

Delighted to meet with former US Ambassador David McKean today in Ballymoney with the Mayor Cllr Dawn Huggins. David has written a book and has a forthcoming programme on his Ulster Scot Ancestor Thomas McKean who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. @USAinNI

[Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS @acallan87]

Stanley Baldwin on Bonar Law – the only Ulster-Scot to serve as UK Prime Minister – as a man who “gave his life for the country”, such was his wartime service and sacrifice. @UlsterScotsAgen

[Ameer Kotecha @Ameer_Kotecha]

The red box saga is a perfect illustration of how government and especially the senior ranks of the civil service - for whom reputational risk and ‘optics’ is everything - will be consumed by minutiae while failing to prioritise what matters. More senior time and attention will have been spent on this red box than working out how use our diplomatic levers to get Pakistan (for example) to take back its people who we are trying to deport

[Quincey Dougan @_quincey]

#OTD 31 May 1923, the Boyne Obelisk in Drogheda, erected to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne, was blown up by landmines from an Irish National Army camp in the name of Ireland. At one time the tallest man-made structure in Ireland, it had stood for close to 200 years.

[Belfast Telegraph @BelTel]

The CEO of Microsoft Ireland has said Northern Ireland could become “an AI innovation hub globally” as new research found businesses here are adopting artificial intelligence faster and with greater confidence than organisations in the Republic of Ireland.
https://t.co/ouuevpGLQh

[Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS @acallan87]

@DanielJHannan Really enjoyed the talk tonight and hearing Edmund Burke mentioned tonight was a highlight. 1776 a crucial year with not only the Declaration of Independence but also the Wealth of Nations published by Adam Smith.

[Communities NI @CommunitiesNI]

Northern Ireland...home of the American Dream! 🇺🇸

Check out this snippet of ‘From Here to the White House’, a 1987 film tracing the incredible links between the Ulster-Scots and America.

Courtesy of @BFI, @NatMuseumsNI, and @NITouristBoard, the full film is available to watch for free through @NIScreen’s Digital Film Archive:

🔗 https://t.co/ufWCrNqMiC

#America250 #NorthernIreland #UlsterScots #NorthernIrelandScreensDigitalFilmArchive #USANI250

@America250
@UlsterScotsAgen

[Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS @acallan87]

Delighted to attend a reception at Queen’s University Belfast to mark the visit of the New Zealand High Commissioner Hamish Cooper.

Many thanks to @CarolineKeenan2 for the kind invitation and the opportunity to speak about Limavady’s own William Massey and his enduring legacy.

[Susan McLaughlin @SusanMcLaughli2]

#MemorialDay
One of my favorite quotes: "If all else fails, I will retreat up the Valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region, and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger."
General George Washington at Valley Forge 1777;

[Ald. Aaron Callan FRSA MIoL MRHistS @acallan87]

‘All Politics is Local’ - Tip O’Neill