Thousands of people line streets for Belfast Pride
The theme this year was 'Not Going Back' which organisers said reflected their belief that rights already achieved were coming under pressure.
Stormont's four main executive parties, Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance and the UUP had been told that they were not welcome at the parade.
That is because they voted to approve an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for under 18s in Northern Ireland last December.
Stormont Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir who is a member of the Alliance Party took part in a personal capacity along with a church group.
The parade started at Custom House Square at 1pm and made its way through the city centre before finishing at Victoria Street.
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she was disappointed that executive parties had been asked not to attend.
She posted about Pride on social media this morning saying she wished those attending well and that she was "committed to building a future where everyone in our LGBTQIA+ is seen, valued and treated equally".
A number of organisations said they would not be attending the event in an official capacity. They include the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the PSNI.
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Extra.ie
21 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Mexican stand-off over Áras for Mary Lou and Micheál
Senior figures in Fianna Fáil believe a Mexican stand-off is developing between Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald where, if Ms McDonald declares for the Presidency, Mr Martin will feel compelled to take her on to keep the Áras out of the hands of Sinn Féin. The Fianna Fáil leader has struggled to resist the entreaties of a growing number of backbench TDs that he run for the Park. Asked on RTÉ's Morning Ireland last week if he is going to run, he said: 'No, I'm not. Definitely not.' Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Pic: Leah Farrell/ However, should Ms McDonald declare, the reluctant Mr Martin would come under serious pressure from his own party to save the Áras from Sinn Féin. One senior party figure said: 'Are we really going to put up Mary Hanafin against Mary Lou? Gerry Adams maybe… Mary Lou no.' Fianna Fáil has struggled to find a compelling candidate for its first tilt at the Áras in more than a quarter of a century, since Mary McAleese won in 1997. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. Pic: Fran Veale One despairing minister said: 'It has been a farce crossed with an embarrassment: the sad reality is that the option left for the parliamentary party is a choice between Mary Hanafin, Pat the Cope Gallagher and some academic no one knows a single thing about. ' Ms Hanafin has the strong support of the party whip, Mary Butler, but it ends there. Éamon Ó Cuív is apparently waiting for a call too. He had better tune up his political antennae for it will be very faint.' Mary Hanafin. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos Another minister confirmed the lack of any interest noting: 'It is an utterly second-tier election. Not even junior, let alone senior hurling.' In another addition to the list, they said: 'Newstalk's Ciara Kelly would be a good addition. She is a kind of a younger Miriam O'Callaghan.' Mr Martin is expected to announce his decision on who will represent Fianna Fáil in the third week of August. Several senior members of the party said that the strategic position would change utterly were Ms McDonald, who has displayed a similar lack of ambition for the job to Mr Martin, to be chosen to represent Sinn Féin. One senior Fianna Fáil figure said: 'That would completely change the game plan. There is no way Micheál could allow Sinn Féin to waltz in and take the keys of the Áras.' Dr Ciara Kelly. Pic: Fran Veale Another said: 'There is a bit of an accidental Mexican stand-off between Micheál and Mary Lou. 'He would be in a terrible bind. He could not stand idly by if such a possibility emerged. He would have no choice.' Another Fianna Fáil source said: 'The issue of how we deal with a Mary Lou McDonald challenge is a growing feature of our internal dialogue. A significant degree of momentum has built up behind the Micheál comeback. 'Let's be blunt about it. Who do you want taking on Mary Lou? Is it Micheál or Tony Holohan facing a host of questions about Cervical Check or his departure as CMO?' Tony Holohan. Pic: Sasko Lazarov/ But other senior Fianna Fáil sources counselled against getting 'too carried away over the Mary Lou Micheál stand-off.' One minister said: 'He is very good at calculating the political odds and may come to the conclusion that it is safe to calculate that Mary Lou won't win in the end. 'He will also have to factor in how much damage would be done to his authority if he were to ren and lose to Mary Lou. Would he even be able to campaign as a Taoiseach?'
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Michelle O'Neill: ‘The British state killed local people. Those moments contribute to who you are'
As Michelle O'Neill walks in her home village of Clonoe, east Co Tyrone , there is not a person she passes who does not say hello or a driver who fails to wave from a passing car. O'Neill greets them all in return. Eventually, The Irish Times inquires as to whether she has adopted her own special wave like Queen Elizabeth II's ? 'They do tease me about that,' she says with a laugh. Clonoe is where the First Minister of Northern Ireland and Sinn Féin vice-president spent her formative years and where she still lives. As O'Neill shows us around, it is evident how her family, her village and her community have shaped the person she is and the politician she has become. READ MORE 'I'm Michelle who's from this area. There's no airs and graces, but sure, this is my home. This is where I feel comfortable.' At the heart of this staunchly republican village is Clonoe O'Rahillys GAA club with modern pitches and a redeveloped clubhouse, which also houses the community centre. A plaque commemorates its official opening by the then MP for the area and O'Neill's 'mentor', Martin McGuinness , in November 1998. Michelle O'Neill standing by the pitch at Clonoe O'Rahillys GAA club near where she grew up in Co Tyrone. Photograph: Alan Betson Was she here that day? 'Absolutely.' She was 'a young mummy, my child was four … it was, 1998, the Good Friday Agreement , such a moment of hope and opportunity for people, and the club being opened captured, in a very local way, that new beginning and that new hope'. Outside, she shows off the Gaelscoil, the village's business park and her favourite walking route along the canal path. 'This is part of my mindfulness, my relaxation, keeping myself right, going out walking with friends … get a bit of head space to talk about things that aren't in the political sphere,' she says. 'Because we're all human at the end of the day, even those of us in politics, so I like that – I need that, actually, to keep doing what I'm doing.' She was born in Fermoy, Co Cork , in 1977. The family returned to nearby Coalisland when O'Neill was a baby, then to her father's homeplace of Clonoe to a new row of bungalows her father helped build and where her mother, Kathleen, still lives. In 1968, discrimination in the allocation of housing in east Tyrone helped spark the first civil rights march, from Coalisland to Dungannon. 'When we got the opportunity to move, my mummy didn't believe my daddy, actually. She said to Daddy, 'Brendan, we're not the kind of people who can buy a home' and he said, 'Yes, we can'.' O'Neill speaks warmly of a 'good family life' with 'strong role models around us', including her mother who gave up work so Michelle could go back to school after she became pregnant at 16. O'Neill has spoken previously about how she was prayed over by some at her Catholic grammar school, how she sat her GCSEs a few days after giving birth and then the 'huge fuss' made about her returning for A-levels. Michelle O'Neill: 'Partition failed my community, failed every community across the island.' Photograph: Alan Betson 'It was difficult,' she says, but also says 'I suppose it does make you more resilient' just as 'being a young mummy shapes who you are, being responsible for this beautiful little being and wanting the world to be better for her'. From an early age, O'Neill was aware she 'grew up in a family, in a society, in a community that was discriminated against, that was treated with inequality on a day-to-day basis'. There was 'a lot of loss in the community, many moments when the British state killed local lads, local people, local people that weren't much older than me … all those moments contribute to shaping who you are'. Among them was her cousin, Tony Doris, one of three members of the IRA's East Tyrone Brigade who were on 'active service' when they were shot dead in a SAS ambush in nearby Coagh in 1991. O'Neill was 14. 'It was horrendous for his immediate family, obviously, and all these things have lasting impacts, and that's the same for every family that lost. My experience, unfortunately, was felt by far too many people.' O'Neill's father, Brendan Doris, was an IRA prisoner and local councillor. 'He was such a community activist. He was a man who was very much wedded to his community, and I liked what he did. I liked how he helped people. So I suppose, maybe it was always organic that I would go down the route that I took in terms of going into politics.' Even then, her goal was 'Irish unity. I think partition failed my community, failed every community across the island', she says. 'But I'm somebody who was gifted the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. I had just turned 21 and that gave me that precious gift of peace. 'It made me determined that I am going to go out and I'm going to work this because this is a democratic pathway towards the unification of this island and I am going to grab it. That's really been my journey ever since.' O'Neill joined Sinn Féin in her early teens. In 1998 she officially started working for the party. She was elected a councillor in 2005, then to Stormont in 2007. Michelle O'Neill with fellow Sinn Féin politicians Francis Molloy, left, and Martin McGuinness following their election in 2007. Photograph: Eric Luke A former minister for agriculture and then health, in 2017 she replaced McGuinness when he stood down as deputy first minister. Last year, she became First Minister, making history as the first nationalist to do so. As she walked down the grand staircase into the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings and then into the Chamber, she allowed herself a smile. 'There's no doubt it was a moment of pride, personal pride, pride for my community, for my family,' she says. 'I suppose I felt the weight of the moment of history on my shoulders, I felt the expectation on my shoulders, but that in itself is a motivator. 'You know you have to go out and give it your 100 per cent and I hope that's what people can see. I give it my 100 per cent every day.' O'Neill's maiden speech, delivered shortly afterwards, was about setting the tone for her term. She promised to be a 'First Minister for all' and 'inclusive and respectful' of everyone regardless of background or identity. 'I've fulfilled that pledge,' she says. She lists examples, including her attendance at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and King Charles III's coronation, a PSNI graduation and the official Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Belfast last November. Michelle O'Neill shakes hands with Liz Truss, left, then British prime minister, in September 2022 during at a service for the late Queen Elizabeth II at St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast. Photograph: Liam McBurney/Getty Was this difficult, given her own experience? 'Personally, given the experience of my community at the hands of the British state, then, yes, from that perspective it is. 'But is it the right thing to do to try and reconcile the people on this island? Yes, it is. 'So, for me, that outweighs any personal feeling.' But equally she says: 'I go to republican commemorations because that's who I am. I've never shied away from that. I don't distance myself from that.' Can she understand why this is difficult for many, particularly those who lost loved-ones to the IRA? 'I do think about it,' she says. 'I understand there are many people out there that have a different narrative than me and I respect that that's their view. It's also perhaps their lived experience, but mine's different.' But, she says, part of reconciling is 'actually understanding that it's okay – we may have different narratives, but we need to respect that is actually the case. 'That understanding is what allows me to say what I can say – what I said whenever I became First Minister – because I absolutely am sorry that anybody lost a loved one. I'm so sorry we lived in a society that [had] a conflict. 'But the job of leadership of 2025, the job of leadership since the Good Friday Agreement, all of my life's work, is about building on what was achieved then [in 1998] and continuing to drive us into the next 25 years.' For O'Neill, this means a united Ireland. She stands by Sinn Féin's aim of a Border poll by 2030, but is 'less fixated on a date' for unity, 'more interested in that the actual planning and preparation is done and that we get it right'. She says: 'The Irish Government really, really need to treat this with urgency … give people the tools in which to make an informed decision.' How is this to be achieved, given that neither the Irish nor the British government – which must ultimately call the poll – have given any indication they intend to do so in the near future? 'Well, governments say many things … then they're forced to take a position just because of the public demand for it. We will continue to make the case,' O'Neill says, arguing that even her own election as First Minister 'speaks to the change that's happening around us' and, coupled with potential of elections ahead, 'all these things can become the tipping point for Irish unity'. She believes there are 'many people' – including unionists – 'open to being persuaded … and they'll be convinced because it's in their best interests. The argument to be made is that there is something better for all of us.' UK prime minister Keir Starmer will not, she says, have 'the luxury of burying his head in the sand and ignoring the call for constitutional change'. In the meantime, as the joint head – with the Deputy First Minister, the DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly – of the four-party Northern Executive, there is much work to be done. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and First Minister Michelle O'Neill speak to the media last February after Stormont ministers agreed a programme for government. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA 'Emma and I are completely different characters, completely different backgrounds, completely different outlook, but also very understanding of the fact that we have to work together to try and lead the Executive.' Challenges facing Stormont include the crisis in the health service, the worst waiting lists on these islands, and a lack of funding almost across the board. Often, the public perception is that little practical is achieved amid much political point-scoring. 'There are lots of things we work on together and there are differences, but you have to manage those things. That's just the nature of it.' O'Neill is critical of the 'lack of leadership in political unionism, particularly when it comes to issues of bonfires' and its 'faux outrage at times around particular issues'. 'The constant attacks on the GAA tell people who support the GAA and people from an Irish national identity that they're not welcome in this place. Political unionism would need to think about that.' But O'Neill defends the Executive's record: 'We're 18 months in … we have a programme for government, the first in over a decade. We've prioritised health waiting lists and we've put finances in that direction. We've been able to deal with public sector pay.' She also cites 'a whole new economic strategy … advances on childcare, advances on a strategy to end violence against women and girls'. On two major infrastructure projects, the rebuilding of Casement Park and the upgrade of the A5, she says they will be built. 'I've said they'll be built on my watch. I will stand over that.' There is also the matter of the Irish presidential election. O'Neill bats away the names of any potential candidate – Mary Lou McDonald , Gerry Adams , her own – with the same response. Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald with Gerry Adams and party vice-president Michelle O'Neill during a pro-unity group event in Belfast. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA 'The party is still deliberating. We're actively having conversations. We've seen others enter into the field and we'll make our position known very shortly.' Will McDonald lead Sinn Féin into the next general election? 'Absolutely,' she says. Is O'Neill a future leader of her party? 'Well, there's no vacant position,' she says with a laugh. One day? 'I also love being vice-president … and working alongside Mary Lou. She's described me before as her wing woman. That's very much who I am.' The role of First Minister 'is my priority, and that's where I need to be focused … I'm more than content with where I am'.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Thousands of people line streets for Belfast Pride
Thousands of people have taken part in Belfast's annual Pride parade while thousands more lined the route as the march made its way through the city centre. The theme this year was 'Not Going Back' which organisers said reflected their belief that rights already achieved were coming under pressure. Stormont's four main executive parties, Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance and the UUP had been told that they were not welcome at the parade. That is because they voted to approve an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for under 18s in Northern Ireland last December. Stormont Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir who is a member of the Alliance Party took part in a personal capacity along with a church group. The parade started at Custom House Square at 1pm and made its way through the city centre before finishing at Victoria Street. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she was disappointed that executive parties had been asked not to attend. She posted about Pride on social media this morning saying she wished those attending well and that she was "committed to building a future where everyone in our LGBTQIA+ is seen, valued and treated equally". A number of organisations said they would not be attending the event in an official capacity. They include the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the PSNI.
