Northern Ireland

Why is Ireland divided? A balanced, plain-English guide to partition: the Plantation of Ulster, Home Rule and the 1912 Ulster Covenant, the Government of Ireland Act 1920, Northern Ireland’s first parliament in June 1921, the Treaty opt-out of December 1922 and the 1925 Boundary Commission. Plus why Northern Ireland is in the UK but not Great Britain, the Good Friday Agreement’s consent principle, border polls and what crossing the border is like today.

Brown Eyed Girl, recorded in 1967 by Belfast’s Van Morrison, went top ten in America and never left the dance floor. The story behind the song.

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, fronted by Bangor man Gary Lightbody, is the most-played song on UK radio this century. The Grey’s Anatomy moment and the story behind it.

Watch every shot of Rory McIlroy’s final round at the 2025 Masters, the playoff win over Justin Rose that completed his career Grand Slam after an 11-year wait.

Watch the best Derry Girls scenes and find out why Lisa McGee’s sitcom about five teenagers in 1990s Derry became a worldwide hit, from Sister Michael to the finale.

Watch Shane Lowry win the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, the first Open in Northern Ireland for 68 years, and the story of the Offaly man’s walk up the 18th.

Watch the Charlie’s Bar Christmas ad, the homemade video from an Enniskillen pub that moved six million viewers. The story behind it, the song and the man in it.

This week, I am sharing the Irish poem Casualty By Seamus Heaney. It’s a piece that reflects a critical period in Irish history and showcases Heaney’s incredible skill in capturing …