Latest news with #BelfastCity
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Belfast: Man arrested after sectarian attacks on homes
A 45-year-old man has been arrested by police investigating sectarian-motivated attacks on houses in north Belfast. Masonry was thrown at properties on Annalee Street and Alloa Street by masked suspects on 21 May.A number of families whose homes were targeted in the cross-community housing development later said they planned to leave the man, who was detained on Tuesday, has been charged with criminal damage and is expected to appear in court in Belfast next month.
The Guardian
30-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
Ghost Wedding by David Park review – a thought-provoking novel about the power of the past
Time is layered in Northern Irish writer David Park's latest novel. The past ever present, it underpins but also threatens to undermine the two protagonists. The story opens in present-day Belfast, with Alex, a man caught up in wedding plans. He loves his Ellie, but doesn't love all the fuss over venues and seating arrangements. The pair are paying a visit to the Manor House, a grand hotel outside the city; Ellie has her heart set on the boathouse by the lake for their reception, and wants Alex to feel the same excitement. This first chapter finds him distracted, though. Impatient with deadlines and invitations, but also keen just to be married; more specifically, to let go of his old life and his old pals from his single days. We're not told why, only that he is tired of 'all the pretences and games' and that marriage represents his 'best opportunity to loosen the connection'. Chapter two returns us to the same place but a century earlier. The Manor House is home to the Remingtons, and the lake and boathouse of Ellie's future dreams are as yet under construction, under the supervision of George Allenby. A young architect, George is also a veteran of the first world war. The fighting is not long over and he, too, would rather put his past behind him. But the lake excavation and the daily sight of his workers in the mud and rain is proving an awful reminder of the trenches. There, he was an officer; here he is once again in charge of men. George is sorely aware of their toiling, and the precarity of their employment set against the wealth of the Remingtons. George's employers are new money, and he finds himself embarrassed at their ambitions to pass as landed gentry. He knows the lake he is constructing is part of this: a charade doomed to failure. Returning to Alex, we find he is also uncomfortable in his work. He's employed by his father in property development. Regeneration in 21st-century Belfast provides riches for some, Alex included, but he sees those left behind, not least the tenants in the shopfronts his father lets out. Among them is a barber and a tattoo artist; Alex pays them visits as landlord, but strives to be more than that, to make human connections. So Ghost Wedding is about class and power as well as the past. This finds its best expression in George's story, in the relationship that develops between him and Cora, one of the Manor House maids. What starts as an allyship against the housekeeper – and against the awful Remington Junior – soon becomes more than that, with Cora visiting George at the cottage in the grounds where he is billeted. She's a gift to him – and to the book. Her sharpness is beguiling, as are her appetites, her humour, her determined independence. Park is one of those rare and precious male writers – like Roddy Doyle, like Colum McCann, who have both championed his work – who write women well. Park describes George falling for Cora extremely well too. Will this love prove impossible? It's beautifully drawn and perfectly chosen for a novel that wants its characters – and readers – to see beyond boundaries. Above all, Park wants us to look beyond the now: beyond 'the calendar on the kitchen wall that pretends to control the space of days wherein we live'. Alex and Ellie are to marry by the lake that George is excavating while he falls in love with Cora; these couples are separated by a century, and by nothing at all: prey to the same dilemmas, hemmed in by the same structures. The past isn't past. When Alex visits his father's building projects, lying empty and derelict, he finds a kind of peace there; but Park fills the rooms for his readers, bringing us the spirits and stories of Titanic dockyard workers, and seamen who crewed the supply boats in wartime. Conflict and shipbuilding are the twin forces that have shaped Belfast and the lives of its people, and Park excels at making this tangible. Alex himself is less finely drawn. We know there's a darkness in his past; that something unspeakable took place, in a tent, at a festival. We learn there was a young woman – too drunk, too high, and left too vulnerable. But what part did Alex play there? And what of his old friends he wants to discard? They and his memories are rather too thinly dispersed through the book to provide drive. It's a hinterland left underexplored, and one that feels less integrated with the novel as a whole. But in George and Cora, and in the Belfast ghosts, there is more than enough to move us – and to prompt thought. 'Time shuffles itself lightly, like a pack of cards. Who can tell what sequence it will deal? Who can tell what will fall across our future days?' Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Ghost Wedding by David Park is published by Oneworld (£16.99). To support the Guardian, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
BreakingNews.ie
27-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Historic art deco cinema going back to the future in major revamp
A historic Belfast picturehouse is set to go back to the future in a major transformation. The Strand, which is also Belfast's only operational art deco cinema, has released a first look at its £6.5 million (€7.7 million) face lift, with new CGIs that reveal a return to original art deco features with a contemporary twist. Advertisement The attraction in east Belfast is set to reopen in summer 2026 following the work supported by Belfast City Council and a £1.8 million commitment from the Belfast Investment Fund. The Strand is Belfast's only operational art-deco picturehouse. Photo: Strand Arts Centre/PA It originally opened on December 7th, 1935, and survived the bombing blitzes of the second World War and changing entertainment tastes in the intervening decades while scores of picturehouses and cinemas closed. The images show the restoration of architectural features that were lost over the decades. For the first time, the Strand's name will stand atop its roof, using the original font that previously graced the side of the picturehouse in 1935, while the building's front facade will be restored with hand-glazed, blue-green terracotta tiles in the same material and style used when the doors first opened 90 years ago. Advertisement Meanwhile the canopy that spanned the front of the building has been removed, restoring the original 1935 profile of the Strand and allowing south-facing sun to fill a new cafe bar space, creating a bright and welcoming hub at the heart of the venue. The ground floor will feature a Crittall-look window, echoing the original curved glass shopfront on the street corner. Bike stands outside will support active travel, while level access and a new lift will make the building fully accessible for the first time, widening the venue's ability to cater for a diverse range of audiences. The Strand originally opened in 1935 and survived the bombing blitzes of the second World War Strand chief executive Mimi Turtle said it is a celebration of the building's heritage. Advertisement 'We are thrilled to be sharing these highly-anticipated CGIs, which give people a taste of what the new and improved Strand will look like when we reopen our doors next summer,' she said. 'It was essential to us that the building's heritage was both protected and celebrated, while implementing vital enhancements and features that will strengthen the Strand's offering for future generations to come. 'Over the coming months, our team will continue to support the wider community and keep everyone connected to our treasured venue. 'We've been hosting our popular silver-screenings in Belmont Bowling Club, and we're looking forward to sharing further updates on both the restoration progress, and community activities being held across different locations.' Advertisement Entertainment Cillian Murphy and his wife buy Dingle's only cine... Read More Alongside the support of Belfast City Council, additional funding has been secured from Levelling Up Funding UK, Belfast City Council's Belfast Investment Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Garfield Weston, Foyle Foundation, Ulster Garden Villages, and a number of private trusts and the support of the Strand's patrons. Meanwhile in the lead up to the Strand's summer 2026 reopening, the venue's fundraising initiative, Name a Seat campaign is calling out for both corporates and individuals to take part and purchase its last remaining plaques that will be placed in its new screen rooms. To find out more about the campaign, or further information about the Strand, visit or connect with @StrandBelfast on Facebook and @ on Instagram.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Assembly Rooms: Belfast council considers purchasing historic building
The historic Assembly Rooms in Belfast may soon be taken out of private ownership and bought by Belfast City Council.A potential deal is being considered that could pave the way for the restoration of the derelict building, which dates back to the 18th was the site of the famous Belfast Harp Festival in 1792, which led to the preservation of the ancient tradition of Irish of the proposed deal are confidential. The matter was discussed behind closed doors at a city council committee meeting on Friday. Councillors are expected to meet again within the next seven days, and if it is agreed to make a formal bid for the Assembly Rooms, the move will need approval from the full council on 2 historic building belongs to Castlebrooke Investments, which is behind the delayed Tribeca development in Belfast's city in 1769, the Assembly Rooms are at the corner of North Street and Waring Street. In spite of the building's historical and cultural significance, it has fallen out of use in the past two Assembly Rooms has been placed on a list of global 'at risk' heritage sites by the World Monuments Fund. 'Great historic significance' The leader of the Alliance Party group at City Hall, Michael Long, said final details have yet to be worked out but he was "really hopeful" a deal could be done."The reality is that we now have an opportunity to take hold of the building, which is of great historic significance in Belfast."This will help to regenerate and revitalise this particular area of the city, which has suffered in recent years."So many buildings have been lost in Belfast, this is an opportunity to save this really important building." Green Party councillor Áine Groogan said she too is hopeful a deal can be done."There have been countless political discussions about this over the last number of years. I think there now seems to be a general political willingness and acknowledgement that this is important."The Assembly Rooms is a building that has massive cultural and historical significance for this city but it also has massive economic and regeneration potential."We have large parts of our city centre just sitting there derelict and really needing proper investment and that's what I see this as."BBC News NI approached Castlebrooke Investments about the possible sale of the Assembly Rooms. The company made no comment.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- BBC News
Belfast: Bricks thrown through windows in racist attack
Bricks have been thrown through two windows of a house in Belfast, which the police are treating as a racially-motivated hate crime. The attack happened in Kincraig Avenue in the east of the city shortly after 23:00 BST on Tuesday. Three males wearing grey tracksuits were seen running from the scene, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). There were no reports of any injuries. "No one should be victimised or intimidated due to their ethnicity and there are no excuses," a PSNI sergeant said. "Hate has a far-reaching and damaging impact on the whole community and we are committed to doing everything possible to prevent incidents, support victims and pursue perpetrators."
