Colm McCann

Belfast boy, daddy, music-lover and tech-addict.
Retweets are probably endorsements...
GMMA

[Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt @FranceskAlbs]

Day 1,060 of genocide.
A fragment of life in Gaza, where children and their parents continue to be turned to smithereens by the most immoral army, with Western-manufactured weapons.

[GBC @GBC_Press]

🚨🇮🇱 Jewish protester in Tel Aviv:

"Israel is now committing a Holocaust in Gaza worse than what Nazi Germany did to Jews in 1942, and I hope this time the world intervenes."

🇮🇱 Amram Zahavi:

"I appeal to the world to help us from outside because Israel is now committing a Holocaust in Gaza worse than what Nazi Germany did to Jews in 1942. I hope this time the world intervenes, boycotts Israel, forces it to withdraw from Gaza, and stops the massacre and Holocaust we are committing in Gaza."

"I am a 78-year-old Israeli citizen, and I have been protesting for eight and a half years. I have been arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and trampled by horses, but what they cannot do is stop me from speaking about the evils of the Israeli government and the IDF."

[Matt Bradley @MattMcBradley]

We’ve been covering settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank for years.

But yesterday, we found ourselves on the menu.

A group of masked settlers beat our team and pummelled the 51 year old woman we were interviewing unconscious.

We’re all ok now - and Aida is out of the hospital - but this is just one incident among an unprecedented surge in settler violence across the West Bank.

Here’s out story on yesterday’s attack on Sunday Today on @NBCNews.

#Israel #WestBank @TODAYshow

[shameen suleman @shameensuleman]

🟥 THEY CALLED IT A “BOARD OF PEACE”. ATHENA RAYBURN JUST EXPOSED THE SMOKESCREEN.

▪️27 August 2026.🧵🧵🧵

🔳Finally, someone with the position, the evidence and, frankly, the guts to stand inside the UN Security Council and say what Palestinians and humanitarian workers on the ground have been documenting all along.

🔳Athena Rayburn is Executive Director of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), representing more than 100 humanitarian and development NGOs working across occupied Palestine. She did not walk into that chamber with slogans. She walked in with the reality of what this so-called “peace” has actually delivered.

▪️And that is the question that matters: what has changed for Palestinians?

🔳Since the October 2025 ceasefire was announced, more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,000 injured. Around two-thirds of Gaza remains inaccessible or under severe access restrictions. Approximately 1.9 million Palestinians remain displaced. Even the UK told the Security Council yesterday that “averting starvation cannot be the benchmark”.

▪️Rayburn went much further.

🔳She described approximately two million Palestinians trapped and dependent upon humanitarian assistance “controlled and restricted by the State that has designed this scarcity”. More than 30 international humanitarian organisations have been deregistered by the israeli authorities. The humanitarian organisations capable of independently witnessing, documenting and treating what is happening are themselves being restricted.

▪️And then you get to the details that expose just how grotesque this system has become.

🔳Scissors. Crutches. Wheelchairs. Prosthetic limbs.

▪️Items needed by a population in which thousands have been maimed, amputated and permanently disabled have been rejected as supposed “dual-use” goods. Specialist medical personnel have faced restrictions. Engine oil has been restricted to the point Rayburn said its price reached 45 times normal levels, pushing humanitarian operations towards breaking point.

🔳And then there are WATERMELONS AND ONIONS.

▪️Fresh produce for a population recovering from what Rayburn herself called an “engineered famine”, rejected under an israeli “humanitarian policy”.

🔳You could not write the obscenity of this if you tried.

But perhaps the most important part of these nine minutes is not the watermelon, the scissors or even the prosthetic limbs.

It is CONTROL.

Control what enters Gaza. Control who enters Gaza. Control which NGOs remain. Control where they operate. Control the food. Control the fuel. Control the medical equipment. Control movement. Control humanitarian access. And create an environment in which organisations know that speaking publicly about what they witness can jeopardise their ability to continue operating.

🔳That raises the obvious question:

What are they so frightened of the world seeing?

More than 400 humanitarian workers have been killed during this catastrophe. Those who remain are not random observers parachuting into Gaza with opinions. They are trained professionals embedded within Palestinian communities, documenting conditions with their own eyes.

🔳And still the space in which they can operate is being squeezed.

This is why the argument about “more aid entering Gaza” is such a spectacular distraction.

You cannot destroy a population’s ability to sustain itself, reduce roughly two million human beings to dependence upon humanitarian assistance, retain control over that assistance and then demand applause because some of it was permitted through.

That is not humanitarian success.

It is managed dependency.

And this is where Rayburn went directly for the Board of Peace.

“By these basic measures, the Board of Peace is failing.”

No.

Failing suggests something was genuinely implemented and then went wrong.

[Dónal O'Connor @doconnormusic]

Suaimhneas síoraí ar Eithne Vallely.

Eithne was a huge inspiration. Her quiet leadership, kindness and, with Brian, the extraordinary legacy of @Armagh_Pipers inspired so much.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

https://t.co/s7nc6yZie0

[GBC @GBC_Press]

🚨 BREAKING:

Pope Leo: “We cannot believe in Jesus and promote war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent. We cannot believe in Jesus and abandon those who suffer, those who weep, those who flee from misery.”

[Ounka @OunkaOnX]

Francesca Albanese: "Israel has unveiled its vision for Palestine-which is none. No Palestine between the river and the sea. The genocide is a state enterprise. The apartheid is a state enterprise. There is no good Israel and bad Israel -it's all Israel. Sanction Israel. Isolate Israel. Cut trade. No more arms. The Nakba has never been over."

Albanese-the UN Special Rapporteur-just delivered the most brutal diagnosis of Israel's project.

This is not about Netanyahu. This is not about the far-right. This is Israel

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

Distressing reports continue to arrive of innocent people being killed and injured in Ukraine and Russia. These incidents are occurring one after another, indeed they are multiplying, resulting in ever-increasing numbers of civilian victims, including children. My thoughts are with the victims’ families, the wounded and all those who are suffering due to the ongoing conflict.

[Belfast TradFest @BelfastTradF]

🎻 Belfast TradFest is looking for a TikTok Creator!

Do you love traditional music? Are you always creating great content for TikTok? Fancy getting behind the scenes at one of Ireland’s biggest traditional music festivals?

We’re looking for a member of the Belfast TradFest community to become one of our official TikTok Creators for the festival.

We’re not looking for polished TV production. We want someone who can capture the atmosphere, the music, the people and the magic of TradFest as it happens.

Think:
🎶 Live music snippets
🎻 Behind-the-scenes access
🎤 Quick chats with artists and tutors
💃 Céilís and sessions
☕ Festival life around Belfast
✨ Those unexpected moments that make TradFest so special

If you’re creative, confident on your phone and know what works on TikTok, we’d love to hear from you.

To apply, send us:
• A short introduction about yourself
• A link to your TikTok (or examples of your video content)
• A few lines on why you’d like to tell the story of Belfast TradFest

You’ll receive:
✔️ Behind-the-scenes access throughout the festival
✔️ Credit across our social media channels
✔️ The opportunity to build your portfolio while documenting one of the world’s leading celebrations of traditional music
✔️ This is a paid opportunity

DM us your application

Come and help us share the music, the craic and the stories of Belfast TradFest with the world.

#BelfastTradFest #TradTok #TraditionalMusic #IrishMusic #TikTokCreator

[Dónal O'Connor @doconnormusic]

We launched the 8th annual edition of @BelfastTradF and will welcome 1,000 artists to take part in almost 600 events in 40+ of Belfast’s finest venues.

We hope to welcome over 1,000 students to our summer school delivered in partnership with @UlsterUni

[Belfast TradFest @BelfastTradF]

Michael McGoldrick Big Band live at Mandela Hall! 🎷🪈

Get ready for a massive night of trad, jazz, and funk. This 12 piece band is bringing their powerhouse all-star lineup for their first Belfast gig in over two decades!

Don’t miss this one-off, boundary-pushing musical collaboration as part of Belfast TradFest 2026.

📍 Mandela Hall
🗓️ Sun 26 July 2026
🚪 Doors 7:30 PM

Tickets are on sale now!
Hit the link in our bio to book yours. 🎟️🔥

#BelfastTradFest #EmbraceaGiantSpirit #TradMusic #UlsterUniversity #VisitBelfast

[Reuters @Reuters]

Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the occupied West Bank, an independent UN inquiry said https://t.co/61poVhRzmR

[Middle East Eye @MiddleEastEye]

On Thursday, The Oxford Union, the world's most prestigious debating society, hosted a debate with the motion: "Israel never truly wanted peace with Palestine".
The house won the debate, as tensions rose during the event.

[Belfast TradFest @BelfastTradF]

It’s launch day!

Wish us luck as we launch the 8th edition of Belfast TradFest today with special guests Gino Lupari (Four Men and a Dog), Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz & Le Chéile! 🎻🎶

Our full programme of events is now available on our website.

Who’s ready for a weeklong celebration of traditional music song and dance this July 26th - August 2nd?

Let the countdown begin! 🤩

Check out the link in our bio to view the programme! 👆

[Belfast TradFest @BelfastTradF]

📸 What a launch! ✨

A massive thank you to everyone who joined us last night at The Watson for the official launch of the 2026 TradFest Programme. The energy in the room was incredible, and we are counting down the days until the summer! 🎶🪕

A special word of thanks to our wonderful speakers who helped us mark the occasion:

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Róis-Máire Donnelly, Traditional Arts Officer with ACNI Fióna Ní Mhearáin & Director of the Vice-Chancellor's Office Fiona Kane.

The music last night was nothing short of world-class. Huge thanks to our phenomenal performers:

- Regina Pendleton & Andy McGregor for giving our guests the ultimate welcome with piping arrival 🎶

- The exceptionally talented @TG4TV Gradam Ceoil / Belfast City Council Bursary Recipients: Eimear Magee, Peadar Connor, and Jack McGoldrick 🌟

- All-Ireland Champion Flute Player Étain Murphy 🪈

- New Yorks finest Kaitlin Cullen Verhauz with Cian McGrory 🎤

- The legendary Gino Lupari of Four Men and a Dog 🐶

- Le Chéile for absolutely closing out the night with some groovy tunes ⚡️

Our Summer Festival Programme (26 July - 2 Aug) is officially ON SALE NOW! Grab your tickets before they’re gone—hit the link in our bio to explore the full lineup. 🎟️👆

Music - Lead the Knave- Le Chéile & Dónal O’Connor
Video - Sean McMahon

@belfastcc @ourbelfastmusic @ArtsCouncilNI @UlsterUni @FionaKane @RoismairedSF
#TradFest2026 #BelfastTradFest #ulsteruniversity #BelfastEvents #TraditionalMusic

[Belfast TradFest @BelfastTradF]

🚨 THE FULL BELFAST TRADFEST 2026 LINE-UP IS HERE 🚨

Concerts, Céilís, Festival Clubs.

One unforgettable week of traditional music, song & dance 🎻🔥

From legendary performers to the best emerging talent, Belfast TradFest 2026 is shaping up to be our biggest celebration yet.

🎟 Tickets are ON SALE NOW and they’re moving fast.

Grab yours via the link in bio 👆before they disappear 👀

#BelfastTradFest #DiscoverNI #VisitBelfast #EmbraceAGiantSpirit #RTESupportingTheArts

[Ounka @OunkaOnX]

A Global Sumud Flotilla participant just testified from the depths of an Israeli detention center

"I was illegally kidnapped by Israel - like 425 other people."

"Handcuffs on my hands and feet. Dragged me. When I couldn't walk, they dragged me on the ground."

"They hit us. Hurt all of us a lot. Handcuffs so tight my hands lost feeling."

"They laughed all the time. Super sadistic."

"Took off my shirt. Took pictures. Mistreated us all night long."

Then she delivered her message to the world:

"Shame on you. Shame on all of you. Shame on every government that keeps trading with Israel. My government is complicit. Europe is complicit. The whole world is complicit."

[Middle East Eye @MiddleEastEye]

British actors and performers have joined with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to call for people to join the Nakba day march in London on 16 May.

The march will take place on the same day as a protest organised by far-right British activist Tommy Robinson

[Channel 4 News @Channel4News]

Channel 4 News was at the scene of an airstrike in Lebanon that hit near a hospital just moments after a team of paramedics attended a funeral for one of their colleagues in Nabatieh.

It comes as President Trump has announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will begin later tonight.

More than a million people have been displaced by the Israeli invasion of the south, while airstrikes have struck across the country, targeting villages and major cities.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth. #ApostolicJourney #Cameroon https://t.co/bKteFZ3iWE