BELFAST'S new Lord Mayor has called on everyone to come together this summer and put on the best of our city as it prepares to welcome visitors for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
GIVEN the generous approach of nationalists to the peace process – the other cheek turned, the open hand proffered – there may be a temptation to simply ignore the ongoing and desperate efforts by unionist spokespersons to restore the tarnished reputation of the RUC.
A FEW weeks after the Good Friday Agreement was agreed in April 1998 I brought a delegation of the Board of Governors of Bunscoil Phobail Feirste on the Shaws Road in West Belfast to meet the British Secretary of State Mo Mowlam.
WHILE the upcoming Fleadh Cheoil is a much welcomed development for Belfast, for those of us with short term lets in our community it also brings a sense of dread. In my small inner city community of tightly packed two up two down terraced houses there are eight short term lets. None of them have planning permission to operate as short term lets. Last year I reported one operating in my street to Planning NI and Tourism NI . Nothing has been done. This very busy short term let is still operating at full tilt and it still does not have planning permission.
