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The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
7 things we learnt from Nicola Sturgeon's autobiography Frankly
Across more than 400 pages, Frankly takes the reader through the highs and lows of her political career and personal life. Among Sturgeon's reflections on the high political dramas which defined her time in power and her journey rising up the ranks, some titbits jumped out during our initial rapid glance over the book. Here are seven things we learnt from Nicola Sturgeon's Frankly… A voter called her a 'Fenian b*stard' Sturgeon wasn't a successful candidate until her election to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 but she cut her teeth standing for Westminster seats before devolution. The first time she 'had even a remote prospect of winning' was in the 1997 election campaigning for Glasgow Govan against Mohammad Sarwar (below). Glasgow Southside would later become her constituency but Sturgeon expressed shock at encountering rabid sectarianism in the area at the time. READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon's book on sale 3 days before release – Waterstones issue statement 'I was chased away from one door with shouts of 'Fenian b*stard' ringing in my ears, but more sinister were the whispers percolating around the constituency, which I knew were being stoked by elements in the local Labour Party, that I was an active supporter of the IRA.' 'Sneering' Jeremy Corbyn Sturgeon is relatively forgiving about former Tory prime minister David Cameron, saying they enjoyed a 'constructive' relationship though they deeply disagreed on much. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gets a less warm review. 'I never warmed to Corbyn. I met him a few times during his leadership of the Labour Party and he exuded the same aura of aloofness and sneering superiority that I have detected in many men on the far left of over the years, particularly around women.' Carol Vorderman's detox diet Casting her mind back to 2003, Sturgeon describes a happy period in her life which saw her take trips to Canada and Croatia as she enjoyed the life of a single young woman living in Glasgow. But the revelation that she signed up to a fad diet might surprise some. (Image: PA) 'I even went on a health kick, becoming a committed disciple of the Carol Vorderman detox diet. Whatever people say about fad diets, it worked out and I lost a lot of weight.' The Telegraph's 'atrociously bad journalism' Sturgeon is no fan of the print media, that much is clear to even the most casual observer of her career. But Frankly reserves special ire for The Telegraph, after the paper reported that Sturgeon would prefer a Tory government over a Labour one. READ MORE: George Galloway to stand as candidate for Holyrood 2026 election 'Before publishing such a potentially damaging and, as it turned out, wholly inaccurate story about me, The Telegraph should have offered a right of reply. It didn't, no doubt because they feared that my flat denial would have destroyed the story. It was atrociously bad journalism.' Isla Bryson case wasn't flagged Sturgeon's legacy will be defined for many by her stance in the trans debate. In Frankly, Sturgeon admits she was 'like a rabbit caught in the headlights' when asked about it. She puts this down to a lack of forewarning from advisers and the prison service. (Image: PA) 'I had no advance warning the case was pending. To this day, I don't understand how it could be that no one in the Scottish Prison Service or Scottish Government officialdom thought it important to flag it up to me.' Her 'soft spot' for the Daily Record Like many working-class west of Scotland families, the Sturgeons were a Daily Record family. READ MORE: Wikipedia loses Online Safety Act legal challenge 'The Daily Record's role in helping me learn to read and the fact that in later years my Uncle Iain […] would become its assistant editor, meant that, even when it openly backed Labour or encouraged Scotland to vote No in 2014, I still had a soft spot for it.' 'Sordid SNP love triangle' The morning that Sturgeon was to be reinstalled as first minister in 2016, news broke that then-MPs Stewart Hosie (below) and Angus MacNeil had both had affairs with the journalist Serena Cowdy. She was apoplectic with Hosie, then the deputy leader of the SNP: 'I didn't trust myself not to lose my temper with him.' MacNeil – a 'colourful character', as Sturgeon describes him – gets off a little lighter: 'In some ways, Angus's involvement was no surprise.'
Irish Independent
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Artist reveals story behind Wexford's latest eye-catching mural – ‘I wanted it to be something local significance'
The owner of Moska Tattoo Studio on Thomas Street, Nirman Kadel has seen his business rapidly expand in recent years with a stable of talented tattoo artists working there. It resulted in the requirement for a bigger premises and the studio is now making the move closer to the heart of things, taking the corner unit on Barrack Street. Aware of the imminent approach of the Fleadh, Nirman decided to pump time and money into making the building eye-catching. "I thought it would be nice to do it up a little and have it looking nice in time for the Fleadh,' he says. 'I had to work with the weather though and I had hired the cherry-picker and everything, so I ended up working on the mural from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in order to get it done in time.' The results, as you would imagine from a master of his craft, are extremely impressive. "When I thought about doing this, I wanted it to be something of significance to the local area – a local figure or a bit of local history,' Nirman explains. 'I got in touch with Leonard Kelly and he suggested the work of local historian Nicky Rossiter.' The story so impressively depicted on the walls is a folk tale of how Wexford, or Loch Garman, got its name. Thousands of years ago a Fenian warrior named Garman Garbh was said to have stolen the crown of the queen of his tribe. Seeking its return, the queen enlisted the help of a local enchantress or priestess who released a great torrent of water. The deluge engulfed Garman and he was drowned. The crown was retrieved and when the waters abated and settled in the lowlands of the South East, they formed a lake. It supposedly resulted in this part of the country being given the name Loch Garman. "I was delighted to do my own interpretation of the story and I just thought it was nice to have a piece that tells the origin story of the name of the town and county.' As for Nirman and his crew, they hope to move into the all new Moska Tattoo Studio, possibly the week after the Fleadh, and the beautiful mural on the walls is sure to be a solid advertisement for the great work he does.
Glasgow Times
28-07-2025
- Glasgow Times
Bigoted Lanarkshire businessman attacked pregnant woman
Jonathan Murphy, 35, put a pillow over the woman's face and then choked her in 2017. Murphy also hurled sectarian abuse towards the woman - who was from Northern Ireland - and called her a "tarrier f***." Murphy was further violent and abusive to three other woman including his current business partner. The pair run Electricaire Ltd - an electrical contractor and wholesale firm based in Bellshill, Lanarkshire. During one attack, she believed Murphy was going to kill her and fled to a neighbour's home in her bare feet. Murphy pleaded guilty today at Glasgow Sheriff Court to two charges of assault. READ NEXT: Rapist behind bars after police approach 5 victims to snare serial abuser READ NEXT: Graphic CCTV shows killer stab man to death after they appear to 'embrace' He also admitted engaging in a course of conduct which was abusive of a partner ex-partner. Murphy further pleaded guilty to two charges of theft and a single charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. The charges span between March 2014 and December 2023 at properties in Glasgow as well as Johnstone and Paisley, Renfrewshire. The court heard that Murphy and the woman were in an on-off relationship between March 2016 and August 2023. Murphy was initially verbally abusive towards her which included slurs about her weight. Prosecutor Danielle McGuinness added: "(She) is from Northern Ireland and would refer to her as a tarrier f*** and that he was up to his knees in Fenian blood." Murphy was first violent in September 2016 when he grabbed her by the wrists and twisted it. In February 2017, She was four months pregnant when she confronted Murphy about a man he knew urinating in their hall. Miss McGuinness said: "Murphy threw her on a bed and put a pillow over her face. "He thereafter placed both his hands around her neck and compressed. "(She) struggled to breathe and was wheezing, gasping for breath as she tried to get Murphy off of her." The victim was left with bruising on the side of her neck as a result of the attack. Murphy was in a relationship with another woman, 46, between March 2021 and September 2023. His violence towards her included throwing her across a kitchen which caused her to suffer a fractured wrist. In another incident, Murphy returned home late from a night out and shouted about money. Murphy threw her down a landing and later grabbed her by the hair to throw her around a room. Miss McGuinness added: "(She) was terrified and thought Murphy was going to kill her." Murphy tailed her to a garage where she hid behind a car before she fled to her neighbour's home in her bare feet and t-shirt. Her neighbour noted that she had a lump on her head and marks on her arm. A third woman who was in a relationship with Murphy between June 2012 and September 2015 had her bank card stolen by him. She noted £1,000 had been taken to purchase a room at a hotel in Loch Lomond. Murphy had attended a hotel with another woman while invited to a wedding and used the cash from the room as well as drinks. Another woman initially had £1,246 taken from her account by then partner Murphy to pay his daughter's nursery fees. She later noticed £3,130 was spent on her account which Murphy admitted to. The hearing was told that Murphy's father paid the woman £9,000 to pay money back which was taken. Murphy also slapped the woman during sexual intercourse when she tried to give him a love bite. Miss McGuinness added: "Murphy admitted that he did this as he was seeing another woman and didn't want to be marked when he saw her." Murphy was further violent towards her in February 2020 when he claimed someone was chasing drug money from him, The woman refused to give Murphy cash before he grabbed her by the neck and threw her onto a couch. He then made off with her bank card which was hidden from him in a couch cushion. Tony Graham KC, defending, will make his plea in mitigation at September's sentencing. Sheriff Matthew Jackson KC called for background reports and granted Murphy bail meantime. The sheriff told him: "You must be under no illusion to what might happen when you come back. "This was an extremely serious set of circumstances involving four victims."
Sunday World
14-07-2025
- Sunday World
Loyalist bomber and Loughlinisland massacre suspect led part of Orange Order parade
Gorman McMullan (71) is a flag carrier in the well-known UVF Regimental Band from east Belfast. Gormy McMullan a notorious loyalist terrorist who featured in an RTÉ documentary about the murder of six Catholics during the Troubles, was out marching with the East Belfast band yesterday. McMullan, a serial jailbird was a leading suspect in the shocking Loughinisland massacre, is to tie the knot with stunning Asian beauty Bannapon Nuch Jathasan. Interior of O'Toole's bar in Loughinisland the morning after the UVF shot dead 6 people. A convicted loyalist bomber and major suspect in the shocking Loughinisland massacre stepped out in the summer sunshine on Saturday to lead part of the largest Orange Order parade in Northern Ireland, the Sunday World can reveal. Gorman McMullan (71) is a flag carrier in the well-known UVF Regimental Band from east Belfast. And despite his age, McMullan was one of the front runners in the colour party as the khaki-clad marching men made their way into Belfast city centre to meet up with other lodges and bands. McMullan and his mates appeared to revel in the applause they drew from onlookers who cheered loudly as the bandsmen passed by. He had an air of respectability about him as he kept perfect step on his seven-mile journey through the streets of the city over the weekend. Interior of O'Toole's bar in Loughinisland the morning after the UVF shot dead 6 people. He told the Sunday World: 'I've had a great day. It's half-time, I've had a wee drink and we are about to start our journey home.' But it was clear that very few of those standing on the sidelines had any idea that the flag-carrying pensioner has in fact a lengthy loyalist paramilitary past. And that he was still a suspect in one of the worst atrocities of the entire Troubles. Six men died when the UVF carried out a machine-gun attack on the Heights Bar in the sleepy Catholic village of Loughinisalnd in rural Co Down. Five others were seriously wounded. Shortly after 10pm on June 18, 1994, two UVF gunmen walked into the packed pub and shouted 'Fenian bastards' before opening fire on the customers who were watching Ireland playing in the World Cup. The dead were Adrian Rogan (34), Daniel McCreanor (59), Eamon Byrne (59), Patrick O'Hare (35), Barney Green (87) and Malcolm Jenkinson (53). As the gunmen fled to their red Triumph Acclaim car, they were heard to be laughing at the bloody handiwork they left back in the bar. Gormy McMullan is still suspected of being the getaway driver of the vehicle, which was found abandoned in a field between Crossgar and Ballynahinch the following day. No Stone Unturned – an award-winning documentary by Alex Gibney on the atrocity – names McMullan as the 41-year-old getaway driver. Gormy McMullan a notorious loyalist terrorist. News in 90 Seconds - Monday July 14th And a bestselling book Shooting Crows by investigative reporter Trevor Birnie does the same. McMullan was one of several suspects arrested and questioned after the attack, but he was never charged. Decked out in a replica World War I army uniform complete with woollen tunic and puttee leg wraps, Gormy – as McMullan is known in loyalist circles – appeared to weaken in the searing heat as the parade pulled up outside Belfast City Hall for a break. 'Our band's uniform is identical to what the men wore in World War One,' said McMullan. And the veteran loyalist added: 'We even wear long johns underwear, so we are melted in the heat.' It's exactly a year ago this week since the Sunday World revealed that former ladies man McMullan had decided to tie the knot with Asian beauty, Bannapon Nuch Jathasan. A tiler by trade and a well-known singer in the loyalist pubs and clubs in east Belfast, McMullan was inundated with messages of congratulations and goodwill. It is understood the couple met two years ago during one of Gormy's many trips to Pattaya in Thailand. He is known to enjoy extended holidays to the tourist hotspots of Thailand and Vietnam. And he took to Facebook to officially announce his engagement. And when the Sunday World contacted him days later to pass on our regards, Gormy said: 'Aye dead on. Thanks very much.' He also remained tight-lipped regarding exactly where the couple planned to live after they tie the knot. On Saturday, Belfast businessman Jim Murtagh, who has known McMullan from childhood, told us: 'I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think Gormy and Bam Bam got married recently. I know, she refers to him as her husband,' Originally from the Clarawood estate in east Belfast, McMullan first came to the attention of the authorities shortly after the Troubles erupted in August 1969. At that time, he was a member of the ruthless loyalist paramilitary group the Red Hand Commando. And he was caught 'red-handed' blowing up the Catholic-owned Hillfoot Bar on the edge of the Braniel estate. McMullan was sent down for eight years. Behind bars, McMullan built up a close relationship with members of the notorious Shankill Butchers murder gang, including its psycho leader Lenny Murphy. In a BBC TV documentary called Loyalists, McMullan told veteran journalist Peter Taylor he believed Lenny Murphy and his mates in the Shankill Butchers were 'a decent bunch of lads'. On his release from prison, McMullan maintained his new-found links with the Shankill Road UVF and he took part in and armed robbery at a meat plant in the Woodvale area. But he was caught again and this time he went down for five years. In 1985, McMullan was scooped at the ferry port of Stranraer. Travelling to Scotland to see his beloved Rangers, he refused to fill in a Disembarkation Card – a requirement under the Prevention of Terrorism Act – and he was arrested. An associate who was with him was fined £100. But McMullan was sent to Barlinnie Prison for 30 days. In a recent exchange with the Sunday World, McMullan declined to discuss his paramilitary past. 'I'm expecting big things from the Rangers this season,' was all he said. When we challenged Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland secretary, the Reverend Mervyn Gibson, about people with a paramilitary criminal past marching in Orange Order parades, he told us: 'If they have gone to prison and paid their debt to society, then there is nothing to stop them.'
Sunday World
18-06-2025
- General
- Sunday World
UVF boss ‘Winkie' Irvine changed birth name because it sounded too ‘Catholic'
Young 'Winkie' was regularly made a figure of fun by his 'Prod' friends, who ridiculed him for having a 'Fenian' name Deposed UVF boss Winston 'Winkie' Irvine changed his name by deed poll, because it sounded too 'Catholic', the Sunday World can reveal. And as this replica birth certificate proves, Irvine - who celebrated his 50th birthday on Friday June 13 in jail - was originally known by the Irish Gaelic name 'Gibney'. Meaning son of the smith, the Gibney name originated in Ireland around the 10th century. And it was later adopted by Irish families dispossessed of their lands during the British Conquest of Ireland. But a recent Sunday World investigation into 'Winkie' Irvine's past, revealed his father - also Winston Gibney - was a taxi driver from Newtownabbey. And his mother Elizabeth - known as Lily - was a member of the Braiden family from Belfast's Shankill Road. After giving birth to a bouncing baby boy in the maternity wing of Belfast's City Hospital on June 13 1975, Elizabeth Braiden and her partner Winston Gibney, took their infant son back to their new home at 125c Hopewell Crescent, in the Hammer district of Belfast's lower Shankill area. Winston Irvine However, on July 18 1975,when the parents came to register the new-born boy's name, Lily Braiden used the surname Irvine and she signed the certificate accordingly. The Sunday World has learned that as a child growing up in the greater Shankill area, young 'Winkie' Gibney was regularly made a figure of fun by his 'Prod' friends, who ridiculed him for having a 'Fenian' name. 'You can imagine, the abuse Winkie took as a youngster over his Irish name. It was relentless. His name was Gibney and that doesn't go unnoticed in a place like the Shankill. ' said one of Winkie's childhood friends. And just days after celebrating his 32nd birthday, Winkie visited a firm of solicitors in Belfast, with a request to officially change his surname name from Gibney to Irivine. Notices of Intent were placed in the Belfast Telegraph and The Gazette, the public record publication. And on June 22 2007, Winston Gibney - shelled out a fee of £50.32 - to officially changed his name to Winston Irvine. Thompson Crooks solicitors, acted for the said Winston Irvine, formerly Winston Gibney. Notice of Intent in The Gazette Notice of Intent in the Belfast Telegraph Writer Martin Dillon, whose book 'The Shankill Butchers' is still a best seller at airports around the world, devised the theory and the Butchers' Gang leader Leonard Hugh Murphy's propensity for extreme violence, was partly fuelled because he detested his perceived 'Catholic' name. Fifty years ago, Murphy and his men terrorist the Catholic community in Belfast in a series of brutal cut-throat killings. Over a seven year period the Butchers' Gang - which was linked to the UVF – was responsible for over two dozens deaths. But Lenny Murphy was also known to lash out at loyalist friends if the poked fun at his name. And in support of his argument, Dillon pointed out, how many times the Murphy family had moved house around the loyalist districts of Belfast. He said: 'There were very few families in the Shankill with the surname Murphy. And if neighbours asked too many questions about their origins, Lenny's mother Joyce, just upped sticks and moved house.' Last week, the Sunday World revealed how Winkie Irvine spent only 14 days behind bars before applying to be released on compassionate grounds to attend the funeral of a relative. He was jailed in the Crown Court after a judge found him guilty of the illegal possession of arms and ammunition. Irvine had asked the authorities at HMP Magaberry - where he is serving an 18-month sentence - for permission to attend the funeral of former loyalist welfare worker Jim Braiden, who was related to his mother. Winston 'Winkie' Irvine News in 90 Seconds - June 17 But the Sunday World learned Irvine had also planned to attend a top level meeting of the UVF where his future was being discussed. His application for temporary release was turned down. And his former paramilitary pals decided he had no future in the UVF. Earlier this week, Irvine was transferred from the loyalist wing at HMP Maghabbery, to the hospital area where he spent two hours. As he made the short journey, non-paramilitary prisoners ridiculed Irvine repeatedly. On Friday, Irvine learned his case is to be referred to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that his sentence was too lenient. It is expected he will learn his fate within a matter of weeks. In a completely separate development, also on Friday, former UDA boss Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair made a rare and fleeting visit to his old stomping ground on Belfast's Shankill Road. It is believed Adair had travelled on the early morning ferry from his home in Ayrshire. He was spotted driving his car around the Lower Shankill estate and it has been speculated that he may also have called on his close loyalist friend Glen 'Mr. X' Kane, at his Riga Street home. Asked by the Sunday World to explain his presence in the city, the former UDA Brigadier said: 'I had some personal matters to attend to. That was all.'
