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[Annie McGinley @annie_mcginley]

If you pitched a sitcom where the BBC deletes a former loyalist’s on-air confession about collusion "montages", but then allows him on Nolan to warn about United Ireland conflict, it'd be rejected as too absurd.

Yet, here is the morning schedule. 🎭📻

[Piarais Mac Alastair @piarais91]

DUP blocking a bill to help Irish-Medium school children is pathetic, we all deserve better than this nonsense.

[Henry Joy @DiscipleElland]

Today's Irish News - (Saturday - Weekend Edition) - @irish_news

COLUMN BY BRIAN FEENEY.

"Noel Little (Emma Little Pengelly's father), ex UDR & leading Ulster Resistance figure, had already supplied a shoplist of weaponry to a meeting of South Africa's Armanscor at a meeting in Geneva in early 1987").

@duponline @little_pengelly

[Mairtín @Martin_BELFast]

@SuzyJourno @LucidTalk @JonBurrowsMLA
Take note DUP once tried to look down nose at SF voters
See how that worked out

[Garrett Hargan @GAHargan]

HBO would envy the drama at Stormont's education committee of late.

🔴Senior official(s) threatening to walk out of an evidence session.
🔴The Minister ordering officials to boycott the committee.
🔴Committee told that order could be unlawful and it may have to use legal powers to compel witnesses to attend.
🔴The Department/Minister looking to give £30,000 to a football team at a time when the school estate across the North is crumbling.
🔴Head of the Civil Service challenged over actions she has taken about the Minister allegedly bullying a former permanent secretary, and the mystery that still surrounds his departure.
🔴Strong opposition to plans for reform of the school curriculum.

Further back:

🔴The Minister's controversial trip to Israel, visiting a school in illegally occupied West Bank — with education departments in Britain saying they would not do that.
🔴The Lisneal College saga where the Minister awarded funding for a new pitch, despite the school submitting no application. He also approved millions for an extension at the same school, which includes a dance studio. And wanted to know how legal constraints 'might be overcome' to deliver a SPORTS DOME at the same school, despite a DUP colleague previously saying that was not possible as SPORTS DOMES are (unsurprisingly) not in the school building handbook.
🔴I revealed no Catholic or Irish Medium school in Derry has been approved for a new build for at least 14 years — as far back as records go.
🔴That 2 traditionally Protestant secondary schools in Derry have received millions more in funding than 8 majority Catholic schools as far back as records go.
🔴The significant issues with school roofs at local primary schools, including St Eugene's where pupils will remain displaced for around 900 days.
🔴That Bunscoil Cholmcille in Derry — a school waiting decades for a new-build — has a £1.4m backlog for rotting huts.
🔴The RAISE programme where the Minister/Department was accused of discriminating against Catholic areas and of 'punishing poverty'. The department won that court case but it's being appealed.
🔴Broken minor works system where schools can skip the queue above others who officially applied in 2017. The education committee Chair, Deputy Chair and others believe the minor works system needs to be reviewed in light of these stories.
🔴I revealed a plan to scrap that 2017 list despite thousands of urgent works not being completed from the list — the department itself was unable to say how many of its own prioritised list of 550 projects were progressed. Despite that, projects are being allowed to jump schools who've waited 9 years.
🔴The mysterious disappearance of the former permanent secretary Mark Browne, with the circumstances still kept secret. Files I had to fight to obtain via the Information Commissioner appear to show the Minister laying out reasons for disagreeing with Mr Browne in tense letters to the Head of NICS. Though those letters are largely redacted.
🔴The appointment of Richard Pengelly (husband of the deputy First Minister) to the top EA job.
🔴The appointment of DUP politician Mervyn Storey as EA Chair.
🔴The appointment of the Lisneal principal to one of the top education jobs at Strule as the controversy around funding unfolded — an appointment that also led to questions in the education committee at the time.
🔴Concern around the initial decision to stop girls from wearing trousers as part of the School Uniform Bill, which was eventually overturned after mounting pressure.

That's those I can recall.

Some issues above pre-date/crossover with the current Ministers tenure, though many are directly linked to his time in office.

That indicates one of two things:
1. The minister is drawn to controversy.
2. Or controversy is drawn to him.

[GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen]

@DarranMarshall @carlalockhart this now means 100% of DUP MPs are under investigation.

[Conor O'Neill @conoro]

This is how we'll remember Ciara. Never ever ever gave up.

[Gareth Burns @GarethBurns18]

Gosh, Is that why @TGastonMLA was so hesitant on @BBCNolan Live / #NolanLIVE ?

[Henry Joy @DiscipleElland]

TIMOTHY GASTON, THE BALLYMENA PROTESTANT BOYS, THE TUV, THE DUP & THE UDA...

@WorldNorthern

Here is the full story from journalist Steven Moore in today's Sunday World. Timothy Gaston was given the opportunity by the newspaper to comment on several occasions during the past week but he declined to do so.

The paper also reports that Tyler Hoey, the controversial DUP Councillor (who was slammed for liking a tweet glorifying the Greysteel Massacre and voicing support for the UDA) is also a member of the Ballymena Protestant Boys band as well as the Cloughfern Young Conquerors band. That band is also closely linked to the UDA.

Earlier this year DUP MLA @PhillipBrett21 defended his support for the Cloughfern Young Conquerors and said that he was proud to have secured £100,000 in funding for Loyalist bands across North Belfast.

Timothy Gaston, Phillip Brett, the TUV & the DUP regularly deliver 'moral sermons' in the Stormont Assembly about "links with terrorism"

Just a few nights ago, masked UDA Men carried out a violent gang attack in Rathcoole in the constituency that Phillip Brett represents. They remain a fully active paramilitary & criminal organisation.

Both the DUP & TUV now need to be fully scrutinised about their support for Loyalist bands who are directly linked with active Loyalist terrorist organisations.

The hypocrisy is frankly breathtaking...

@TGastonMLA @phillipbrett @tuv @duponline @bbcradioulster @UTVNews @BBCNewsNI @bbcnewsline @williamcrawley @BBCTalkback

[Henry Joy @DiscipleElland]

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026
Belfast City Centre - Saturday Morning. Absolutely fantastic!

#fleadh #fleadh2026 #belfast

[Wat_the_deuce 🍀🇮🇪☘️ 2 @wat_thee_deuce_]

"More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish" 🧒🏾 🐶 🇮🇪

[Conradh na Gaeilge ⭕️ @CnaG]

NEWS RELEASE
Friday 16 October 2026

BBC Irish Language Unit ‘decimated’ as 60% of Irish language staff to lose jobs

Conradh na Gaeilge has reacted to news that BBC will be cutting 60 % of the full-time roles within the BBC Irish Language team. It is understood staff were informed of the cuts on Thursday (15th October 2026) via a Microsoft Teams presentation. Conradh na Gaeilge has called the cuts entirely “disproportionate” in comparison to other units, teams and departments within the BBC, identifying the "devastating impact” they will have on the BBC live Irish language programmes. The cuts will most likely mean live (and award-winning) BBC Radio Ulster Irish language programmes such as Blas will come to an end.

President of Conradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, commented:

“We understand that of the 5 full-time jobs in the BBC’s Irish Language team, 3 of those are being cut. That is a 60% cut to the Irish language workforce. At a time where the Irish language is going through phenomenal growth across society, between Irish Medium Education, adult classes, families using Irish in the home, it is difficult to comprehend any logic or rationale to cut 60% of the BBCs Irish language team whilst the Irish language audience is growing and expecting increased provision. Those levels of cuts, to what is an award-winning broadcast team within the BBC’s Irish Language Unit, will be devastating to the Irish language in broadcasting here in the north, and seem to be entirely disproportionate to the cuts taking place elsewhere within the BBC. We cannot imagine any other sector, team or unit is facing a 60% staffing cut.”

“As things sat prior to these cuts, the Irish language was already the poor cousin in the context of BBC’s provision for our indigenous languages. In Wales, there are 2 bespoke Welsh language radio stations, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Cymru 2, broadcasting around 200 combined hours per week, with an annual budget of £12.8m. In Scotland, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal broadcasts for at least 90 hours a week and has an annual budget of £3.7m. Here, there is no Irish language BBC station. None. We get around 30mins a day, or around 5 hours a week on BBC Radio Ulster. And now BBC are cutting 60% of the team providing that already limited service. Those who have made these cuts should be ashamed. The Irish language team’s expertise and experience should all be protected and indeed increased to allow them to address the growing needs of the Irish language community and those with an interest in the language here.”

“The BBC, however, seems to be becoming an increasingly hostile space for the Irish language. They have no Irish language corporate policy. They have no dual-language signage on their premises. They have an embarrassingly small library of content for young people and families. They have no Irish language Radio station. And now they are disproportionately targeting Irish language jobs and reducing an already reduced team. BBCNI will only have 2 Irish language staff amongst their 650 workforce. Live Irish language output will be decimated as a result of these cuts.”

“We would remind the BBC, and in particular the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, of their duties under the Good Friday Agreement, namely to take “resolute action to promote the Irish language” with bespoke reference to the relative British authorities regarding broadcasting. We believe these devastating cuts must be raised within the Executive, with the Secretary of State and directly with Culture, Media and Sport Minister Lisa Nandy MP, with the Irish Government, and ultimately with BBC Director Adam Smyth.”

[An Dream Dearg 🅾️🦸🏽‍♀️🦸🏻‍♂️ @dreamdearg]

"Now they are disproportionately targeting Irish language jobs and reducing an already reduced team."

“BBC here will only have two Irish language staff amongst their 650 workforce. Live Irish language output will be decimated as a result of these cuts.”

https://t.co/xDFhwPvuBW

[Squinter @squinteratn]

The Parades Commission met the UVF/UDA to discuss the Garvaghy parade. Both organisations are active, armed and engaged in a wide range of criminality, from murder to trafficking; from extortion to ethnic cleansing.
The DUP has asked the Chief Constable for a report on the IRA.

[Michelle O’Neill @moneillsf]

Our health workers deserve fair pay. Nothing less.

My responsibility is to our workers, not to the British Secretary of State.

Scotland receives £3bn more in funding than us. Wales £1bn more.

The British Government is underfunding our services and treating our workers with contempt.

I will not accept it. I will keep fighting for fair funding and fair pay.

[Amanda Ferguson @AmandaFBelfast]

“Harryville Primary School saw its roll drop from 235 pupils on the Monday of the riots to 120 on the Tuesday. Forty-one pupils never returned.”

[pinkmiss @LynneCampbell5]

Good morning

[Henry Joy @DiscipleElland]

Jounalist Aoife Moore in today's Irish News:

[Rev Karen Sethuraman @KarenSethuraman]

**UPDATE**

🚨 We now have 480 signatures.

@RhonddaBryant @HMcEntee

Friends, you can still add your name 👇

https://t.co/Bb7NvsOd0U

[Rev Karen Sethuraman @KarenSethuraman]

🚨 Open letter from people of Protestant backgrounds concerning the Garvaghy Road

🚨 We feel compelled to speak publicly about what is happening in Portadown. 

🚨Over the past few hours we have collected over 140 signatures.

@RhonddaBryant @HMcEntee