Opinion Pieces | Belfast Media

THE WEEK IN VIEW: Sing up, Cliftonville – the IFA thinks your king and country demand it

THEY’RE going to play the English national anthem, God Save the King, at Windsor Park before the eagerly-anticipated Irish Cup Final clash between Linfield and Cliftonville. (Yes, Stewarty, it is the English anthem: the Jocks and Taffs have both booted it into Row Z.)

SQUINTER: Fans stunned after Bryson dropped for crucial six-pointer

THE Loyal Ulster team for the next anti-Protocol fixture has been announced, and there’s sensational news about the star striker, Jeff.

EYE ON THE PAST – April 1983: Poleglass Library versus Lisburn Council

We look back at the stories that were making the news this week in 1983

DÚLRA: Why I'm looking forward to the dawn chorus walk

OK, a stupid question – but why does a dawn chorus walk have to be so damn early?People are being asked to meet at 5am at the gates of Belfast Castle next month (Saturday May 18) where Black Mountain champion Aaron Kelly will lead the Dawn Chorus Dander on Cave Hill.

MOTORING: Don’t pay fines for other drivers’ offences

WITH the cost of car, maintenance and repair and insurance going through the roof, a worrying trend of cloned registration plates is spreading.

MOVIES & STREAMING: Bringing Amy's bitter sweet story to the big screen

CinemaCivil War

WE SAY: New Taoiseach's indifference is no big deal

IT WAS disappointing that outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar left it to the last minute of his time in power to issue his most passionate and stirring statement of support for a united Ireland. The departing Fine Gael leader, responding to a recent debate about the cost of reunification, said no price could be put upon the desire of the Irish people for independence.

JUDE COLLINS: Differing analyses on Irish unity converge on the same conclusion

THERE'S good news and bad news. First, the good: all of the political parties in the South aspire to a reunited Ireland (Hooray!). The bad news: the past century and more has seen those same parties mouthing platitudes, presenting the Northern Troubles as sectarian blood-lust, and since the Good Friday Agreement focusing on the need to win unionists over to the notion of a reunited Ireland before holding any border poll.

ANDREÉ MURPHY: Leo's last word a powerful message to begrudgers

NEVER in my lifetime has a Taoiseach been on Teilfís Éireann talking about the aspiration to Irish unification and put the case for its desirability. On his way out the door, Leo Varadkar managed to pull off the unlikely and the exceptional – he became the modern Irish patriot we needed in a week when small-minded begrudgers tried to reduce the national debate to the last farthing and tell us our boundaries for self-determination.

ARTS: Ted's modern masters are making their mark

WEST Belfast born and bred Ted Pim is currently exhibiting in London's Almine Rech Gallery. 'Never Odd or Even' focuses on mirrored images and the work is inspired by Dutch old masters, Baroque and Renaissance paintings. But as Ted creates his own reality the colour and echoes of modern life sneak into them.

GERRY ADAMS: GAA a living tradition that represents the best of us

24 YEARS ago I wrote a short piece for Antrim 2000. I discovered it this week when I was clearing out three decades of accumulated books, newspaper clippings and assorted pamphlets. Since then much has changed in the Gaeldom. The most important change is probably the growth of women's football. Until recent times women were confined to camogie. Now ladies' football is the fastest growing Gaelic game.

THE WEEK IN VIEW: TUV leader Jim not laughing at SDLP's cheep jokes

BUDGIES weren’t quite a red line for me – or even a yellow, green or blue one.

GAEILGE: Borradh faoi phobal na teanga arlíne

Tá borradh faoin Ghaeilge gan amhras i gcéin is i gcóngar. Tá sé cineál cúláilte anois Gaeilge a labhairt agus Gaeilge a úsáid. Athbheochan eile ar bhealach. Ó Gliders Bhéal Feirste go Cillian Murphy, an Corcaíoch clúiteach, ba mhaith le gach duine bheith Gaelach!

COMMUNITY GARDENING: Time to go full steam ahead with sowing and planting

SPRING has finally sprung, having passed the equinox on 20 March and the 31st marking the changing of the clocks.

HEALTHWISE: The sun’s your vitamin D friend

SOME of the best dietary sources of vitamin D3 include oily fish like salmon, sardines, pilchards, herring, and so on. But a portion of these would provide around fifty per cent (5ug) of the recommended intake of 10ug and it isn’t advised to take two portions of fish per day to achieve your recommended daily intake of vitamin D3 as this would be reckless due to mercury levels, among other things.

Soccer: Reds return to Cup final with Larne victory

Boxing: Wonderful Walker enjoys Beech party to land first title

Boxing: Farrell overcomes Kerr in title thriller

Gaelic Games: St Gall's see off Tír na nÓg in hurling opener

MINDFULNESS MOMENT: Unveiling the ancient origins of Easter

GERRY ADAMS: UN rep was right to censure Irish government 'zero' response to Gaza genocide

DÚLRA: How childhood spawned a love of spring

HEALTHWISE: Enjoy your Easter pleasures

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