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‘EVEN THE HUTS HERE AREN’T FIT FOR PURPOSE' A Scandal in Plain Sight author GARRETT HARGAN investigates how Stormont’s neglect of Derry’s education sector is compounding the damage done by what John Hume called ‘the despicable criminal story of the second university’. Education is central to cognitive development.  But its importance stretches far beyond the acquisition of knowledge; when taken in the round, from primary to higher education, it can be the engine room that drives a city or a nation’s economy.  Why then, in Derry, has Stormont jammed a crowbar into the cogs of that engine? It should be alarming, not just for Derry folk, that 60 years after a call for a university of our own, that the government, along with a coterie of bean-counting civil servants seem intent on depriving the second city of major funding that would unlock its potential and allow it to fully contribute to the NI, and all-island, economy. Yet with the city historically pointing to lack of investment from unionist governments, there is now a strain of nationalism and republicanism in Derry that excuses neglect. They want to tell us how much the city’s economy has grown - that we are ‘thriving’.  A glaring example of this fantastical thinking was during an Economy Committee of recent times.  Sinn Féin and DUP MLAs for Foyle heaped praise on Invest NI for its commitment to Derry. It would then emerge, in the throes of probing questions during and after that meeting, that Invest NI had not brought one single new inward job to the city in 2024/25 – despite proclaiming to have a newfound focus on regional equality.  Invest NI chiefs seemed to think it was an accomplishment to get companies to venture west of the Bann to Derry, almost balking at the suggestion they need to bring jobs here. It is worth reminding our politicians that when the baseline is rock bottom, it is easier to talk of economic growth.  The cold hard fact is: Derry City & Strabane is the most deprived council area on these islands, according to reports.  If the height of a politician’s ambition is for Derry to be bottom of economic league tables, or maybe fighting to get out of the relegation zone, then they’re in the wrong line of work.  If this is ‘thriving’ then what does failure look like? Because this isn’t some abstract notion, deprivation impacts on every aspect of life: it means that people face greater health challenges, including dying younger; it impacts on educational attainment and much more.  So instead of wishing away the ugly realities, perhaps those in power can get to the root of the problem; call out inequalities; and stop gaslighting the public. * A city which uprooted the old sectarian order that dominated politics here for too long cannot be seen to be rewarded Let me be clear over the course of this analysis, education is one element of a much bigger picture.  It is nonetheless a core element that is important to explore. I’ve covered, in-depth, the issues facing the education system in Derry over recent years.  I felt it may be worthwhile, particularly for locals, if some of that information was amalgamated, rather than having it scattered around all corners of the internet. (I’m also conscious, in a world of fast news and short attention spans that most won’t sit and read 5,000 words.  That’s okay and the article will be here to dip in and out of for those who are interested in the subject matter). The university scandal is well-documented:  How Derry city was denied its own higher education institution in the 1960s in favour of Coleraine, due to what many view as a sectarian decision.  In 1970 John Hume would describe it as “the despicable criminal story of the second university”.  He even went as far saying it was “where all the present trouble started because that brought the awakening of the current public conscience”. Derry is still suffering as a result today, with subsequent missteps from power-sharing Stormont governments compounding problems here. The neglect of Derry is a recurring motif.  For the Derry city and Strabane area to be the most deprived on these islands, it isn’t just starved of one funding source.  The threads of neglect are interwoven and have fastened Derry into a straitjacket from which it needs to extricate itself. If a government denies a city the resources to build solid foundations, then it is hard, nigh on impossible, to build the necessary blocks on top.  By that I mean a university befitting a city of this size – which attracts inward investment – enabling and strengthening the case for investment in health, in better transport infrastructure, in sports facilities and the arts. As this piece is about education, it’s worth starting with primary and secondary schools and branching out. Through research, I discovered that not one Catholic Maintained or Irish Medium school in Derry received departmental funding for a new-build school for at least 14 years.  I accept that all school sectors in Derry and across NI have been impacted, but when you zoom out to look at the wider picture in Derry – the city is unique.  That is down to political choices.   Some would say, a city which uprooted the old sectarian order that dominated politics here for too long cannot be seen to be rewarded.  Obstacles are thrown in its way, excuses made that don’t surface when it comes to investment elsewhere – especially in Belfast which is lavished with billions of pounds by the power-sharing government. *  By now Stormont should have digitised all paper files at least dating back to 1998 The reason I’m restricted to 14 years is because Stormont cannot locate paper files that go further back, saying the task would be too arduous.  That in itself is a failure of governance, an oversight which is inexcusable.  Stormont should have digitised all paper files, in my view, at least dating back to 1998 – the period when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Why is that important?   Firstly, professional record-keeping by governments is simply good practice. It would allow government departments, in this case Education, to keep track of funding.  To see at a glance how much money each school has received. That in turn allows it to determine which schools have benefitted most and those that have been left behind. Stormont should have a database of the oldest schools and records of their structural condition, including roofs (more on the relevance of that later). Record-keeping is an issue for another day.  But, to me, it highlights the amateurish way in which NI is governed.  It is not the case with the British or Irish governments whose record-keeping appears to be far superior and often publicly accessible, whereas most of the data I dig out requires Freedom of Information requests.  Stormont’s default setting is ‘secretive’.  An inquisitive mind may wonder if it’s intentional.  If you keep poor records, then you can avoid unwanted scrutiny… Pragmatism isn’t Stormont’s strong suit, animus is the order of the day, every day .  Exchanges on the hill typically go as follows …  One MLA : “Constituents are telling me that potholes are getting out of control, we need to invest in our roads.”   Second MLA responds: “You’d know all about potholes wouldn’t ye!  You supported a terrorist organisation that blew potholes the size of craters in our roads.” First MLA:  “You’ve a cheek to talk about terrorism, your Party…” Speaker: “Order!  Order!  Can we get back to the matter at hand?” First MLA continues: “As I was saying, during the Troubles your Party was…” You get the jist.  Forever trapped in a pre-peace mindset.  Incapable of dealing with the here and now.  That is pretty much the level of debate that goes on at Stormont on a daily basis and explains why little is ever achieved. * Children were literally put in harm’s way PRIMARY SCHOOLS A high-profile local issue of recent times was two primary schools, namely St Eugene’s P.S. and Nazareth House P.S., both forced to close buildings as it emerged their roofs were at risk of collapse.  Both schools had, incidentally, applied for funding through the proper channels years earlier (more on adhering to protocol later). THINK ABOUT THAT.  Children were literally put in harm’s way due to a combination of mismanagement and a scarcity of funding. Schools that applied for funding in 2017 were left waiting.  Despite sounding the alarm over the roof’s condition, an inspection at St Eugene’s was not carried out until October 2024.  Widespread rot and decay of the wooden structure was found, as well as ‘saturated’ solid walls – showing that water had been seeping into the school over a lengthy period.  Given the extent of decay uncovered, the school building was immediately shuttered and children were displaced. More than 18 months later children are still unable to return.  They are having to be accommodated in a hut in the Senior school playground; the remainder condensed into classrooms in an old building with limited space. But, the principal, in a letter I uncovered under the Freedom of Information Act, urged the Minister to visit, saying the health & safety of pupils and staff was being impacted as they were “squashed” into substandard classrooms.  Education Minister Paul Givan rejected the invitation to visit the beleaguered school community. Fast-forward to November 2025 and it was discovered that children at a second school, Nazareth House, were forced out due to an unsafe roof in the mouth of Christmas – a time when the school community comes together for nativity shows and to celebrate the calendar year coming to an end. With Stormont looming over the city like The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the local community rallied round to offer a festive venue and to fill the void left by Stormont – an all-too-common theme in Derry. Another glaring example of Stormont neglect is the treatment of Bunscoil Cholmcille.  The second oldest Irish Medium primary school in the North, yet it does not have a solid brick building.  Children have no sports facilities.  To Stormont’s shame, they don’t even have an indoor toilet.  It is right to point out that Sinn Féin (1999-2016) minus collapses) and DUP Ministers (2016-2026 minus collapses) have held the education portfolio and failed to deliver for the school. Without the basics that any school should take for granted, there was a heartwarming sense of pride when I visited to speak to the principal; a palpable sense of community cohesion; a principal and staff devoted to the education of those children; and smiles on the faces of young people who are thankfully, blissfully unaware, that they deserve far better from their government. Moving to their site in 1993, Bunscoil Cholmcille was told it would only last five years before getting a permanent site and building.  The school remains in ‘temporary’ huts 33 years later.  Not only that, but Stormont can’t even maintain the huts, which I’d previously reported have a £1.4m maintenance backlog.  The huts they should not even be in aren’t even fit for purpose. * Millions of pounds more in funding has gone to two secondary schools which traditionally had/have more pupils from a Protestant background  SECONDARY The purpose of this piece isn’t to single out or criticise one sector over another.  It does however have to reflect reality in Derry city and I have previously reported on these matters.  Records show that millions of pounds more in funding has gone to two secondary schools which traditionally had/have more pupils from a Protestant background – namely Lisneal College and Foyle College – over eight majority Catholic schools.  (It should be noted that Foyle College in recent years has become the most integrated secondary school in the city, perhaps a reflection of the shifting demographics in the Waterside area). They are two of the largest, most modern secondary schools in the city.  Both were directly funded by Stormont whereas Catholic Maintained secondary schools in St Mary’s and St Cecilia’s had to be built via the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) – a problematic scheme that sees governments paying off private companies for up to 30 years and more.  Recently, concerns were raised about some of these buildings being handed back in poor condition across Britain.  The reason it is important to reference the PFI scheme is because it fits a pattern of major capital projects in Derry being outsourced for others to finance, such as the Irish Government and EU.  For example, the Irish Government is investing close to £40m in a teaching block at Magee.  Stormont’s Economy Department, responsible for higher education, invested only £18m at Magee over a 10-year period from 2013-2023.  That is a damning statistic for Stormont and an example of its indifference towards Derry.  The EU has funded the Peace Bridge and NW Transport Hub, and will also provide £9m+ towards an Ulster University sports dome. (I can’t think of a major investment in sports by UU/Stormont at Magee – again, why does it have to be outsourced when it comes to Derry?) Foyle College is without doubt the most impressive looking school in Derry.  Palatial compared to some others: fitting then that Princess Anne officially opened it.  The school has grounds in front of it that many would envy as their entire footprint. And while the department desperately tried to hide the level of sports facilities available at schools so that I could not compare them, I discovered that Foyle has a whopping 15 outdoor pitches and courts. 1 Hockey Pitch - Sand Dressed Astroturf 3G 4 Rugby Pitches - Grass 5 Tennis Courts - Sand Dressed Astroturf 3G 2 Cricket Squares – Grass 1 Hockey Pitch – Shale/grit 1 Rugby Training Pitch – Grass 1 Football Sports Pitch – Grass To reiterate, I don’t begrudge any school facilities.  There are however schools in close proximity with zero pitches to play on.  There are schools with roofs at risk of collapse.  There are children learning in rotting huts, while others have gold-standard facilities in the same city.  That is not giving children an equal opportunity to excel.  Sport is crucial for physical and mental health; moreover, if we want to produce elite athletes, and why shouldn’t Derry aspire to that, then schools need adequate facilities – that requires money! Then if we look at Lisneal College.  The school was given money for an upgraded 3G pitch and a multi-million pound extension months after meeting DUP Ministers.  The pitch was allegedly approved due to health & safety risks – the only way it could be at a time when ‘unavoidable works’ were supposed to be prioritised.  However, I then unearthed that the man responsible for inspecting the pitch could not attribute injuries to its condition.  THAT WAS THE VERY PREMISE ON WHICH FUNDING WAS AWARDED. After speaking to the school’s principal at the time, Minister Paul Givan also wanted to know how legal constraints might be overcome to deliver a sports dome at the same school.  Yes: A. Sports. Dome … when some others had/have zero or outmoded pitches. * Child safety is well down the list of priorities here when we could be bickering about a flag Research I conducted proved this was no one-off, Lisneal had received preferential treatment over many years.  It consistently got more money for maintenance, in the years after opening close to £940k, with another secondary school in the area getting just £52k over the same period; in 2012 it was one of only two schools in Derry noted to have a councillor on the board, notably a DUP Cllr who remained until recently; in 2021 it was the only school in the Foyle area to be granted a temporary variation in pupil numbers; in 2022/23 it was down as one of three schools to get additional accommodation as it was given additional Year 8 places; it was at one time (and still may be) the only school in the Western Trust area with a dedicated nurse; and secured a significant extension after being selected as one of only 10 schools across NI for a special educational needs pilot programme; in 2024/25 it received £1.7m for minor works, three other local secondary schools got £0, while the closest to Lisneal was St Joseph’s Boys’ School on £292k. Some other schools in the city can’t get funding for much-needed new builds, unavoidable roofing works, while a secondary school has to use council-facilities for sports. In the wake of the Lisneal controversy, EA officials said roofs would ‘always’ be prioritised.  I recently reported that hundreds of roofing applications from 2017 have been left in limbo.  So there could be many more schools in the same position as St Eugene’s.  With unsafe roofs above the heads of children.  It was interesting that there was a pretty muted response to that story (seemingly child safety is well down the list of priorities here when we could be bickering about a flag). A final point on this is that DUP politicians and Stormont officials were keen to repeatedly say that only Priority 1 projects or Unavoidable Works were being progressed at present.  But then Mr Givan decided to create a new curriculum-led capital programme to allow for physical education facilities at schools.  Nobody can argue that exercise is extremely important for children – it is extremely important for physical and mental well-being.  Yet that is besides the point, because for years the education department and EA were rejecting schools for such facilities because ONLY UNAVOIDABLE WORKS were being progressed.  Then Mr Givan decided that Priority 3 would be placed above Priority 1 projects.  So while hundreds of Priority 1 roofing projects were left for nine years, threatening the safety of children, some other schools were getting new sports facilities.  And with a prioritisation system so utterly dysfunctional, how could we know if schools awarded funding were in greatest need. *  Strabane only got £53k between 2014-2023.  At the same time, the Economy Department dished out around £100m for FE colleges in Coleraine and Ballymena FURTHER EDUCATION Further Education in Derry is worth touching on as the Northland Building at North West Regional College was done under a PFI scheme.  Why does funding for Derry not come directly from Stormont? Then look at Strabane, one of, if not, the  most deprived areas in the North.  It was rejected for an FE build.  That now has to be done via the City Deal. Stormont is responsible for funding education – Stormont should be providing facilities for people in Strabane. It SHOULD NOT require a bespoke fund from the British Government, which then had to be matched by Stormont, along with contributions from Council and other stakeholders. The fact is, according to figures obtained under the FoI Act, Strabane only got £53k between 2014-2023.  At the same time, the Economy Department, run by a DUP Minister dished out around £100m for FE colleges in Coleraine and Ballymena – areas considered DUP heartlands.  More than £140m was spent on FE colleges in other areas too with, for example, Armagh getting about £35m. There was no shortage of money (UU Belfast cost £370m), but Economy Ministers were saying there was none for Derry to expand Ulster University’s Magee campus, nor for Strabane to get a modern FE College. * Derry’s chances of thriving were thrown on the scrap heap for another generation HIGHER EDUCATION The Magee saga is well-documented.  For emphasis, it is worth noting figures to show the chasmic gap in funding between Belfast and Derry. Nowhere on these islands has a higher proportion of the student population than Belfast.  In fact, nowhere else comes close.  Dublin is next in line with around 40% of the south’s student population, yet, you will get politicians in the south bemoaning its dominance.  Have a peak up North.  And don’t float the nonsense that NI is so small that investment in Belfast benefits everybody.  It doesn’t even benefit parts of West and North Belfast, which are among the most deprived in Ireland and Britain.  It most certainly doesn’t filter up to the NW, with Derry & Strabane topping the table as the most deprived council area on these islands. Belfast holds around 84% of NI’s student population.  Why?  Well, whenever Ministers/MLAs/civil servants were talking down the prospect of expanding Magee, on the basis that it would cost too much money, they couldn’t wait to approve the relocation of UU Jordanstown a few miles in the road to Belfast city centre.  It became an instant ‘flagship’ Executive project.  It was going to revitalise that part of Belfast city centre.  And so it has done, with businesses gravitating towards it. It’s a pity the same goodwill does not extend as far as Derry.  Sometimes MLAs or civil servants engage in subterfuge, pretending they are supportive of Magee expansion in public but there is a different story behind closed doors.  Take the current Communities Minister Gordon Lyons. I uncovered that back in March 2020 that he wrote on behalf of ONE student, arguing that health science courses should go to Coleraine instead of Derry and reminding the Economy Minister Diane Dodds that she held the purse strings.   Another example was a senior civil servant writing what was described as an anti-Derry attack sheet, which defied logic (and economics) by questioning the benefits of a university in Derry.   Other times candour is the order of the day. In the case of Diane Dodds she spilled the flavourless own-brand beans, cooked up privately by Lyons, in the most public of forums. When Ulster University eventually decided to move the Health Science courses to Magee (at a time when up to £100m of City Deal money was being dangled as a carrot), Mrs Dodds proceeded to make “very clear” to UU’s Vice Chancellor that it is “dependent on funding from my Department” – a not-so-subtle public rebuke and perhaps a warning about any plans for further expansion at Magee instead of Coleraine. The same politicians/civil servants are however completely convinced by the benefits of large-scale investment in Belfast and the east.  I can’t quite put my finger on why that is… As a result of politicians (of all hues) misguidedly agreeing that Belfast should get the sort of preferential treatment not afforded to any other main city on these islands, Derry’s chances of thriving were thrown on the scrap heap for another generation.   I say that, because even with plans for 10,000 students; even with a taskforce and Sinn Fein-run department adding fresh impetus, that target is decidedly modest.  Derry should be judged against a city of a similar size in Galway, which already has around 25,000+ students and is leaving Derry in the dust.  What happened when the Executive gifted Belfast 84% of the student population was that money then followed those students.  Close to one billion pounds flowed into Belfast, primarily to Ulster University and Queen’s University between 2013-2023 – amounting to around 95% of NI’s total capital spend on higher education. Over the same period Magee got just £25m (2.67%) of NI’s higher education capital spend – with pledges to expand the university here broken time and again. Yet when challenged over this mind-boggling disparity between first and second cities during a visit to Magee, former Sinn Fein Economy Minister Conor Murphy stood over UU Belfast saying it had revitalised that area.  Seemingly unapologetic about the repercussions for Derry city.  When further challenged over the lack of investment at Magee from the Economy Department over years, in October 2024, Mr Murphy began quoting higher figures without clearly stating the investment he was referencing included   Shared Island Funding and City Deal/Inclusive Future Fund – justifying the outsourcing of investment in Derry. * Set aside the nonsense excuses: Stormont and UU have little money left for Magee because monumental sums were spent in Belfast As facts are important,  where Sinn Fein deserves credit is in delivering the biggest single year investment at the campus when compared to the 12 years prior under DUP  and Alliance (Stephen Farry when it was the department for Employment and Learning) leadership.  Some of that is down to timing of course.  But Sinn Fein pushed for the acquisition of buildings to facilitate Magee expansion, it is hard to imagine a DUP Minister doing likewise given the party’s loyalty to Coleraine, c.f. comments of Mrs Dodds (referenced above). In recent weeks the NI Civil Service position on Magee expansion reared its head once more.  A senior official spoke of not having the £40m revenue funding necessary for expansion.  Straight away certain news organisation formulated excuses.  The bottom line is, given that c.84% of students are based in Belfast, that is where the vast, vast majority of revenue funding currently goes.  Stormont parties/NICS happily greenlight massive higher education expansion in Belfast then speak in solemn tones about being short of money for Derry – some things never change. Another excuse I heard on the radio, unbelievably, is that some people (presumably myself included) refer to the difference in spend between Belfast and Derry.  Yes, indeed I do, as it is very relevant.  The fact it is omitted from most discussions is an indictment of the media here and a prime example of Belfast-centrism.   The point was made that UU Belfast got a loan to finish the project.  Over 10 years from 2013/14 to 2021/22, UU Belfast/Jordanstown got £174m-plus in Financial Transaction Capital Loan Funding.  How is that offered up as a valid excuse?  It is a huge loan that was never in doubt.  There was always going to be collective agreement to see UU Belfast built.   The same united front has never existed when it comes to investment in Derry – demographics here may be central to that.  And with Executive agreement required for the £40m revenue that effectively means, if one of the big two parties doesn’t want Magee to move forward, they hold a veto. But let’s set the £174m+ loan aside for that period.  About £200m was still spent on the campus.  According to FoI figures I have, UU itself spent about £116m.  I’ll gently remind you, UU spent just £7m in capital funding at Magee over the same period.  Now it is regularly saying it does not have funds for purpose-built student accommodation in Derry.  I would suggest that is because it spent £116m in Belfast and has to pay back the aforementioned huge loan at an annual rate of £6.3m, with interest of around £400k per year. So, set aside all of the nonsense excuses fed to you by some news outlets and the omission of key figures: Stormont and Ulster University have little money left for Magee because monumental sums were spent in Belfast.  That is it in a nutshell.  Others want to obfuscate by making it sound more complicated.  And they want to tell you that in order for Magee to be expanded to a modest 10k students, then the whole higher education system needs to be turned on its head and student fees need to be hiked, while the Republic’s tuition fees are about half those in the North.  Magee expansion is being put on a collision course with higher tuition fees, whenever that threat never hung over higher education growth in Belfast. * Facts don’t lie and in 2024/25, Invest NI brought zero new inward jobs to Derry The higher education spend mentioned above is only the tip of a golden iceberg for Belfast.  Invest NI openly admits that because Belfast has the infrastructure, students, and domination over business sectors, that when investors visit NI, there is only one show in town.  Businesses want students with skills falling out the door and filling their offices, ergo the vast majority choose Belfast.  There seems to be little effort to spread wealth anywhere else, despite ‘regional balance’ becoming a buzz phrase at Stormont.  Facts don’t lie and in 2024/25, Invest NI brought zero new inward jobs to Derry.  When it comes to the arts, well, Belfast routinely gobbles up about three quarters of that funding too.  You can be sure that trend is then repeated with other funding pots, whether it be health (£700m for maternity and children’s hospitals), sports (tens of millions of pounds spent on Windsor Park, Ravenhill and potentially Casement in time) or transport (£340m dropped on Grand Central Station). To conclude, this all leads to an isolated North West.  It is right to acknowledge that Derry is moving forward, albeit at a glacial pace.  Aesthetically, it could be argued it is the nicest city in the North; the river front is a real asset; there is the contrast of ancient City Walls and a modern edge with the Peace Bridge leading to the newest public realm space in at Ebrington; and importantly, a friendly and welcoming population.  City Deal funding and a vision of transforming the riverfront would be a serious boost, allowing for a tree-lined and natural flow between the east and west banks.  But…  But…  Neglect from Stormont should never be excused.  And on the evidence laid out above, Derry city could and should already be a hive of energy, of youthful exuberance and capable of showcasing the best of itself to the world – if even given a moderate level of funding. The City Deal vision, finally delivering a long-awaited medical school ( why did it have to be outsourced? ) and other projects are likely to be dripped down over 10-20 years – it has already been five years since the City Deal announcement was made.  That is no cash injection.  It is funding any city should get.  Westminster and Stormont have saved themselves hundreds of millions of pounds through lack of investment in Derry over decades. Right now, many young people have no option but to leave the city aged 18 to study elsewhere and it's known that many never return.  Why would they when the government isn’t investing in their futures? What compels them to stay when Invest NI has been incapable of attracting one new inward job in 2024/25 and opines that it is difficult to even get investors to visit Derry?  When Arts Council NI justifies Belfast routinely sucking up three quarters of all arts funding?  When education chiefs say that the system is working as designed whenever a school that didn’t apply for a pitch is prioritised over those that applied for unsafe roofs to be fixed?  When the Environment Minister doesn’t have the funds to fix a toxic dump threatening Derry’s drinking water?  When the Sports Minister overlooks NW clubs for the NI Football Fund?  When the Health Minister says he does not have the ability to upgrade an old A&E at Altnagelvin Hospital but the Executive finds £700+ down the back of the sofa for Maternity/Children’s Hospitals in Belfast?  When the Infrastructure Minister dallies over £1m to equalise train services in the west so that Derry can avail of hourly trains on a Sunday, but Stormont splurges £340m on Grand Central Station? Ambitious young people will leave for pastures new in search of work, and who could blame them?   Until Derry breaks free of the Stormont straitjacket, it will never realise its full potential. * Ministers have to manage funding properly and demonstrate that there is a transparent and fair system in operation SIMPLE IDEAS As some people like to say, ‘it’s easy to complain, what would you do differently?’ Firstly, I’m not paid a massive salary as a politician or senior civil servant to find solutions. But here are a few simple points. Stormont should actually record data in an efficient manner.  They should have a database split into the different school sectors and areas.  So they know how much went to each school and how much money is going to each area of the North.  I’ve requested such information so I know it doesn’t exist in an easily accessible format.  Unless I’m being lied to.  If it were recorded properly, we would have some idea of whether money is being fairly allocated. Three historic schools within a one-mile radius of each other all had serious roofing problems and were left waiting for years until inspections were carried out.  I would suggest there should be a spreadsheet of the oldest schools and when they last had roofing works done.  Periodic inspections of roofs and structural integrity isn’t beyond comprehension in a first world country.  We are talking about child safety here, or am I being too optimistic?  There should be a clear and transparent prioritisation system.  That doesn’t mean one for the department (managing non-controlled schools) and a completely separate one for EA (managing controlled schools).  That is not fair in any way, shape or form.  One system for ALL schools so they are being treated on a par with one another. Once applications are prioritised, the department and EA should work through them from the school project ranked most immediate and move down that list.  That sounds like a basic principle, but it isn’t happening right now.  The 2017 minor works call attracted more than 6,000 applications – the department and EA prioritised 550 applications.  The department and EA couldn’t even tell me how many of those were completed.  It then moved to what appears to be a random selection system whereby schools raised concerns and the authorities reacted.  If the works are not being progressed based on a strict ranking system, then that clearly opens up the possibility of favouritism towards some schools or political influence.  In the case of Lisneal, it was progressed after emails were sent by the principal.  So it was placed above thousands of projects that were not progressed from 2017. Funding is clearly an issue with hundreds of schools competing for a small pot.  But every single department would love more funding.  Ministers/departments also have to manage funding properly and demonstrate that there is a transparent and fair system in operation. It is obvious that plenty of schools have to amalgamate.  Pupil numbers are contracting, thus there is less need for so many schools.  But politicians/school leaders/the likes of the Catholic Council for Maintained Schools seem reluctant to set out a plan to deal with that reality.  It is a vote loser for politicians so they don’t touch it.  In the absence of political courage, old schools are crumbling and children are learning in a substandard environment.  Though do not mistake that as an excuse for a government allowing schools to decay to the point of forced closures.  That should NEVER be tolerated.  If schools are to amalgamate, it should be done in a managed way, with agreement from communities and I think it could be done if the right people are willing to step up.  Politicians won’t grasp the nettle, someone else has to. Investment in Derry and Strabane should not be outsourced. Stormont should take the reigns for once by investing in major capital projects. A full-sized university should be built as soon as possible, with the necessary student accommodation, infrastructure and public transport improvements needed to facilitate growth at pace. That will require Ulster University treating Derry as a priority. It will require Executive agreement that Derry matters – commitment that has never been non-existent for most of Stormont’s existence. * Garrett Hargan pictured at the launch of A Scandal in Plain Sight (Colmcille Press) at Ráth Mór in August 2024. He was subsequently presented with a civic award by the Mayor for his campaigning work.

Colmcille Press and North West Regional College have partnered to trial new voice replication technology*, designed to help authors and independent publishers create professional audiobooks quickly and affordably. For the first of three pilots, produced by Aaron McKeever, Consultant at NWRC's XR Hub, author Felicity McCall reads the title story from her new short-story collection What We Did on Our Holidays . Voice replication software uses deep-learning algorithms and neural networks to extract unique acoustic features—such as pitch, timbre, and prosody—from a target speaker's audio data to synthesise a high-fidelity digital replica capable of generating new speech with the original speaker's vocal identity. It has the potential to enable the automated production of personalised audiobooks, so allowing authors to narrate their own digital works indefinitely. Other applications include preserving a parent's vocal presence for reading to children, and streamlining cost-effective, high-volume audio content creation for publishers.

Carrying Light pays tribute to Derry and Donegal luminaries, from Pat Hume to Dinny McLaughlin and from Sr Clare Crockett to Canon McDyer Deirdre Devine lives in County Derry, overlooking Lough Foyle and the Donegal hills. Born in the village of Culdaff, County Donegal, she studied art in Belfast and taught for several years in Derry. In 2001 Deirdre published Pictures in the Window  an illustrated biography of the Culdaff artist Willie Doran.  Joining the creative writing group in Limavady in 2002, her work has been included in anthologies, both in Donegal and in Northern Ireland. Her first poetry collection In Applause  was published in 2014, followed by a second in 2020, Beginning - A Spiritual Journey in Poetry . Carrying Light - A Life in Poetry  is her latest collection and is published by Colmcille Press, Derry.  Growing up in a family of eight children, Deirdre’s parents were the owners of Mc Grory’s Hotel in Culdaff, a venue that has long been known for promoting the cultural and musical life of Inishowen. Though living in County Derry, she returns to Culdaff frequently with her husband and extended family. Carrying Light  is a personal tribute to many people from the North West where Deirdre has spent her life and the poems reflect her memories of a place that continues to inspire her imagination. The late Dinny Mc Laughlin from Buncrana is celebrated in The Fiddler’s Story : ...And what can I say, but under a moon again, recall how a tune could lighten the step of all who had the chance to be there that night to hear him, when he made the fiddle dance. The role of Pat Hume in helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland is also highlighted in Mother of our Peace . ...You bloomed beside him, calm and faithful gardener of his growth; host to the table of hospitality, shoulder for tears of failure or prize. Deirdre Devine’s interest in spiritual poetry has inspired Clare of Derry , a poem based on the life of Sister Clare Crockett, comparing her growing influence to a ‘ …little spring / who rose beyond the city’s walls, / and would become a river full / of grace and love for Him… ’ Mary Hayward, Limavady author and poet writes, 'From years of quiet observation, Deirdre Devine documents the miracle of the everyday, the gifts of music, the natural world, the rhythms of birth and death, changing patterns and seasons. People and places are lovingly remembered. She celebrates those who have had an influence on her writing journey; mentors, poets, politicians, playwrights, neighbours, friends and especially "the love that flows unbidden from grandchildren". This collection is quietly spiritual and light flows seamlessly from every page.' Carrying Light is available from Colmcille Press, priced £9.95.

Le fotheidil dhátheangach Bímse i gcónaí ag radaireacht: I’m always flirting. Ceann de na torthaí aisteacha a bhí ar an dá theanga in Éirinn teacht i dteagmháil lena chéile ab ea an t-amhrán macarónach nó dátheangach, de réir mar bhí an Béarla ag teacht i dtreis sa tír ón 18ú Céad ar aghaidh. Is sanpla éadrom aerach den seánra an port béil seo; tá na focail simplí agus inathraithe in áit na mbonn ag brath ar cé bhí i láthair agus ag éisteacht. Mura raibh Cití i láthair, mar shampla, b’fhéidir go raibh duine éigin eile ann. Tugtar faoi deara, áfach, gur ag Cití atá an focal deireanach. One of the products of the contact of the two languages in Ireland is the macaronic or bilingual song, which began to appear from the 18th century onwards. This port béil, or song lilt for dancing to, is a light-hearted example of the genre. The lines are simple and could be extemporised to suit the company - if Cití wasn’t nearby, maybe somebody else was. Notice, however, that Cití has the last word. Bímse i gcónaí ag radaireacht, I’m always flirting, Ag radaireacht, ag radaireacht, Flirting, flirting, Bímse i gcónaí ag radaireacht, While Cití is convenient. Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um,togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, while Cití is convenient [x2] Nuair a bhainim póg i ngan fhios di, When I steal a kiss from her  I nganfhios di, i ngan fhios di, Unbeknown to her, unbeknown to her, Nuair a bhainim póg i ngan fhios di, Deir Cití: “Sir, how dare you!” Says Kitty: “Sir, how dare you!” Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um,togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Deir Cití: “Sir, how dare you!” [x2] A’s mé ar ais an dara huair, And when I’m back (for) the second time, An dara huair, an dara huair, The second time, the second time, A’s mé ar ais an dara huair, Deir Cití: “What delayed you?” Says Kitty: “What delayed you?” Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um,togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Deir Cití: “What delayed you?” [x2] Ceanglaítear ar maidin sinn, Let us be tied (in marriage) in the morning, Ar maidin sinn, ar maidin sinn, Us in the morning, us in the morning, Ceanglaítear ar maidin sinn, Deir Cití: “It’s just dandy.” Says Kitty: “It’s just dandy.” Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um,togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Deir Cití: “It’s just dandy.” [x2] Anois ó tá muid ceangailte, Now since we are tied, Ceangailte, ceangailte, Tied, tied, Anois ó tá muid ceangailte, Deir Cití: “Rock the cradle.” Says Kitty: “Rock the cradle.” Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um,togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Togha-radhdil-adhdil-um, Deir Cití: “Rock the cradle.” [x2] Beautiful version from Sláine Ní Chathalláin here/Leagan álainn ó Shláine Ní Chathalláinar fáil anseo. Bailiúchán de 121 amhrán as ciste ceoil na Gaeilge, arna roghnú agus léiriú ag Risteard MacGabhann, is ea Claisceadal cois Baile. Claisceadal cois Baile is a collection of 121 songs from the treasure store of the Gaelic song tradition, selected and presented by Risteard MacGabhann.

A TERRIFIC review of Conor Bowman's short-story collection 'The Half-Life of Edith Hopkins' by Anne Cunningham has this week been published in several regional Irish newspapers. She writes: In my review of a previous Bowman book some years ago, I wondered why there isn’t more pot-banging about this author. He easily matches many of our big literary talents and paddles in the same thematic streams but seems to be somehow overlooked. I have no idea why, but I admired Horace Winter Says Goodbye a lot, and this new anthology of short stories is even better. The title story is a novella and traces the life of Edith Hopkins, retired piano teacher, now scraping through her final days, riven with dementia in a nursing home. The fog of her half-memories leads to a clearing as we are taken through her life; a promising tennis career ruined by a spell in the Tuam Mother and Baby Home, the trafficking of her son to America, never to be seen again and the half-life she lived afterwards. It’s harrowing but elegantly told and not the only story containing the suffering of memory. An old man travels from his New England home to a disused railway station in County Galway to re-live a memory of his grandfather. He never returns. In a stylish flight of fancy, an author is summoned to a sumptuous supper in an exclusive Stephen’s Green club, only to be met by characters from his many works of fiction, ‘brought to life’ as it were, from the page. I could pot-bang on and on, but alas a short review can’t do justice to this gem of an anthology. It is one of my highlights so far this year. Bowman's new work, which focuses on the Tuam Mother & Baby Home, has also recently featured in the Irish News and the Belfast Telegraph – and on BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday Sequence Programme.

(Claisceadal cois Baile,/Singing Irish Songs at Home, Cló Cholmcille 2023) Siúil, a Ghrá – Walk, My Love Amhrán a thugann chun cuimhne críoch thubaisteach Chogadh an Dá Rí in Éirinn nuair ab éigean do na sluaite fear óg, a throid in arm Rí Séamas, an tír a fhágáil agus liostáil in airm na Mór-Roinne; ‘Na Géanna Fiáine’, ainm a thug an file Conchúr Ó Briain (1671-1720) orthu i ndán leis. Léiríonn an t-amhrán cuid den dólás agus an crá croí a tháinig orthu siúd a fágadh ina ndiaidh, sa chás seo bean óg a fágadh ag caoineadh imeacht a leannáin. A song recalling the final dramatic stages of the Jacobite campaign in Ireland, when many of the young men, who formed the great mass of King James’ army, were forced to leave Ireland and seek employment in the armies of continental Europe - na Géanna Fiaine / the Wild Geese, a phrase first used in a poem by Gaelic poet Conchúr Ó Briain (1671 - 1720). This song captures some sense of the toll of misery caused to those left behind by this loss of many of the young men of the land, in this case a young woman lamenting the loss of her love. A bhuachaillín aoibhinn álainn ó Gentle, beautiful lad, Ba leathan do chroí a’s ba dheas do phóg, Broad was your heart and sweet your kiss, Mo léan gan mise leat féin go deo, Alas that I am not with you forever, A’s go dté tú, a mhuirnín, slán. And may you go, sweet love, safely. Curfá/Chorus Siúil, siúil, siúil, a ghrá, Walk, walk, walk, my love, Níl leigheas le fáil ach leigheas an bháis, There’s no cure to be had but the cure of death, Ó d’fhág tú mé is bocht mo chás, Since you left me, poor is my plight, A’s go dté tú, a mhuirnín, slán. And may you go, sweet love, safely. Is minic a bhréag tú mé ar do ghlúin, Often you beguiled me on your knee, Ag cur do scéil dom féin in iúl, Telling me of your life (lit. story), Ach chaill mé thú ‘s is tú mo rún, But I lost you and you are my darling, A’s go dté tú, a mhuirnín, slán. And may you go, sweet love, safely. Curfá Ach cuireadh ar Rí Séamas ruaig, But King James was routed, A’s d’imigh na géanna leis ar luas, And the geese went with him at speed, A’s d’imigh mo bhuachaill leo, monuar, And my lad went with them, alas, A’s go dté tú, a mhuirnín, slán. And may you go, sweet love, safely. Curfá Gm Beautiful version from Na Casaidigh here/Leagan álainn ó Na Casaidigh ar fáil anseo. Chan an grúpa tíre Meiriceánach Peter, Paul and Mary leagan den amhrán dar teideal Gone The Rainbow  ar thaobh B a mbuaic If I Had a Hammer  (a chum Pete Seger) i 1963. The American folk group Peter, Paul and Mary sang a version of the song called Gone The Rainbow on the B-side of their US Top 10 hit If I Had a Hammer in 1963. Bailiúchán de 121 amhrán as ciste ceoil na Gaeilge, arna roghnú agus léiriú ag Risteard MacGabhann, is ea Claisceadal cois Baile. Claisceadal cois Baile is a collection of 121 songs from the treasure store of the Gaelic song tradition, selected and presented by Risteard MacGabhann.

In this extended interview, the veteran campaigner and writer Eamonn McCann recalls the Derry of the 1950s and 1960s, and the events that him to write one of the most famous modern histories on Ireland.

Sa cheann is déanaí i sraith agallamh le húdair ó iarthuaisceart Éireann, labhraíonn cathaoirleach Iontaobhas Dhomhnach na Fola, Paul Laughlin, faoi na rudaí a spreag é chun a leabhar nua a scríobh. Go raibh maith ag Declan McLaughlin (Music), Oisín Farrell (Production) agus Derry City & Strabane District Council.

Míle buíochas le Fiachna Ó Braonáin as an bhfíseán seo de féin ag léamh ó bhailiúchán Paul Laughlin, Dorn San Aer (Filíocht ó Dhoire go Gaza). Thug an t-amhránaí Bronagh Gallagher cóip den leabhar dó i ndiaidh cheolchoirm Hothouse Flowers i Halla na Guild an tseachtain seo caite.

A new bursary commemorating the author and musician Risteard Mac Gabhann (1938-1923) is being set up to support Irish language cultural practitioners in the North West. Broadcaster Joe Mahon made the announcement at the unveiling of a specially-commissioned portrait of his lifelong friend at the Derry Cultúrlann. Mr Mahon has generously started 'Ciste Mhic Gabhann' with a donation of £5000 and says he hopes other funders will now also contribute to it. More than 100 people attended the ceremony on January 2, where the unveiling was conducted by Risteard Mac Gabhann's family, including his wife Joan, daughters Ciara, Áine and Treasa, and grandsons Fionn and Cian. The portrait was created by Derry artist John McCandless and was sponsored by the Ultach Trust. Colmcille Press, which published Mr Mac Gabhann's magnum opus Claisceadal cois Baile shortly before his death in May 2023, will help administer the new bursary along with Ciara Nic Gabhann, the Derry Cultúrlann and Joe Mahon himself. Tá sparánacht nua á bunú in ómós an údair agus cheoltóra Risteard Mac Gabhann (1938-1923) chun tacú le cleachtóirí cultúrtha na Gaeilge san Iarthuaisceart. Rinne an craoltóir Joe Mahon an fógra ag nochtadh portráide speisialta dá chara-saoil i gCultúrlann Dhoire. Tá 'Ciste Mhic Gabhann' tosaithe go fial ag an Uasal Mahon le síntiús de £5000 agus dúirt sé go bhfuil súil aige go gcuirfidh maoinitheoirí eile leis anois freisin. D’fhreastail níos mó ná 100 duine ar an searmanas ar an 2 Eanáir, áit ar reáchtáil teaghlach Risteard Mac Gabhann an nochtadh, lena n-áirítear a bhean chéile Joan, a iníonacha Ciara, Áine agus Treasa, agus a gharmhic Fionn agus Cian. Chruthaigh an t-ealaíontóir as Doire, John McCandless, an phortráid agus rinne Iontaobhas Ultach urraíocht uirthi. Cuideoidh Colmcille Press, a d’fhoilsigh magnum opus Claisceadal Cois Baile an Uasail Mhic Gabhann go gairid roimh a bhás i mBealtaine 2023, an sparánacht nua a riaradh in éineacht le Ciara Nic Gabhann, Cultúrlann Dhoire agus Joe Mahon féin.

There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have contributed to the DUG campaign for an independent, cross-border university in northwest Ireland over the past year. We are grateful for all the support - and would like to mention a few in our first annual awards list. Parliamentarian of the Year (Stormont) Winner: Sinead McLaughlin MLA (nominated for her work on the new Regional Balance Bill) Honourable Mention: Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA (nominated for refusing to raise student fees)  *** Parliamentarian of the Year (Dáil Éireann) Colm Burke TD (nominated for his long-term championing of an independent university as the last unresolved civil rights demand) *** Parliamentarian of the Year (Westminster) Mike Kane MP (nominated for his recent work on the NI Select Affairs Committee and long-term support for a cross-border NWU) *** Most Significant Government Intervention (Belfast, Dublin & London) £40m Shared Island funding of the new Magee Teaching Block, as sanctioned by Taoiseach Michéal Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris)  ***   University Leader of the Year (Atlantic Coast) Dr Orla Flynn (President of the multi-campus, federal university, ATU)  *** University Leader of the Year (Eastern Coast) Dr Eucharia Meehan (President of the Dublin Institute for Advance Studies and former co-chair of the Royal Irish Academy Futures All-Ireland Research and Innovation Committee.) *** University Partnership of the Year Queen's University Belfast and Dundalk IT (nominated for the announcement of their formation of a cross-border, federal university) *** Investigative Reporter of the Year Winner: Garrett Hargan, Belfast Telegraph NW Reporter and author of ‘A Scandal in Plain Sight’ *** Newspaper Column of the Year Nominees: Tom Collins (‘Time to stop the rot and give Derry the university it needs and deserves’, Irish News); Tom Collins, (‘UU award cannot disguise its neglect of the North West’, Irish News); Brian Feeney (‘Keep the civil service away from decisions on Derry’, Irish News); Conal McFeely (‘Governments must team up to deliver the NWU’, Derry Journal); Pat McArt (‘So tell me… what are you going to do for the North West?’, Irish News) Joint Winners: Tom Collins (for ‘Time to stop the rot and give Derry the university it needs and deserves’), Brian Feeney & Pat McArt. *** Best Book ‘A New Ireland - A Five Year Review’ by Paul Gosling *** Best Blog Winner: Conal McFeely (Derry must move now to establish its own cross-border university, colmcillepress.com ) *** Find of the Year The Derry Journal’s extended report from July 31, 1850, detailing plans to open an independent university in Derry and to fight Belfast attempts to steal the funding. (Sourced by Seamus Breslin.)  *** Special Award To Professor Gerry McKenna MRIA, who receives the North West University’s Honorary Doctorate 2025, for services to cross-border education in Ireland. [*Garrett Hargan received the first honorary doctorate from NWU upon the publication of his investigative history ‘A Scandal in Plain Sight’ in 2024] ENDS

Oíche Chiúin: Stille Nacht: Silent Night Ceacht 6: Úrchnoc Chéin Mhic Cáinte ~ The Lush Hill of Cian Mac Cáinte Ag ceiliúradh foghlama na Gaeilge trí sheanamhráin ~ Celebrating learning Irish through old songs Curtha in eagar ag Risteard Mac Gabhann Edited by Risteard Mac Gabhann Iomann Nollag a chantar chomh forleitheadach sin ar fud an domhain, gur bhronn UNESCO i 2011 gradam air mar ‘shaothar cruthaitheach dobhraite d’oidhreacht an domhain’. Cumadh an ceol in 1818 ag an cheoltóir Ostaireach Franz Gruber agus na focail ag sagart óg Ostaireach Joseph Mohr. Ó shin i leith, rinneadh é a aistriú go dtí na céadta teanga. Is é Tadhg Ó Donnchadha (1874-1949) a rinne an t-aistriúchán breá Gaeilge seo. Is ón bhunleagan le Mohr an véarsa láir anseo le hómós do bhunús Ostaireach an iomainn. A Christmas hymn, which is so widely known throughout the world that it was declared by UNESCO in 2011 ‘an intangible world heritage creation’. The music was composed in 1818 by the Austrian musician Franz Gruber and the original lyric by a young Austrian priest Joseph Mohr. Since then, it has been translated into hundreds of languages. This fine Irish translation was done by Tadhg Ó Donnchadha (1874 – 1949). The middle verse is from the Mohr version to acknowledge the carol’s Austrian origin. Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé, Silent night, the night of the son of God, Cách ina suan, dís ar aon, Everyone asleep, the couple both, Dís is dílse ag faire le spéis, Most faithful couple, watching intently, Naíon beag gnaoigheal, ceananntais caomh, A little infant beauty-bright, soft-browed gentle, Críost ‘na chodladh go séimh, Christ softly sleeping, Críost ‘na chodladh go séimh. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Silent night, holy night, Alles schläft, einsam wacht All are asleep, except the watching, Nur das traute hoch heilige Paar. Faithful, most holy pair, Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar, Holy infant in curling hair, Schlaf ’ in himmlischer Ruh , Sleep in heavenly peace, Schlaf ’ in himmlischer Ruh Oíche chiúin, oíche mhic Dé, Silent night, the night of the son of God, Aoirí ar dtús ‘ chuala an scéal, Shepherds first heard the news, Alléluia! aingil ag glaoch, Alleluia! angels calling, Cantain suairc i ngar a’s i gcéin, Joyful singing near and far, Críost an Slánaitheoir féin, Christ the saviour himself, Críost an Slánaitheoir féin. Christ the saviour himself. Beautiful version from Enya here/Leagan álainn ó Enya ar fáil anseo: Oíche Chiúin

By Conal McFeely, Derry University Group The Belfast Telegraph's North West Correspondent, Garrett Hargan, was given a civic award in October 2024 by Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr following the publication of his history of the Derry university saga, A Scandal in Plain Sight. (Pic: Martin McKeown) For more than 60 years Stormont, under the guise of its university, NUU/University of Ulster/Ulster University, has deliberately restricted Derry’s growth - and it is continuing to do so today.  This is not a matter of opinion - this is a matter of hard fact. Those in need of comprehensive data and evidence need look no further than Garrett Hargan’s superlative, and aptly-titled, investigative history of UU, A Scandal in Plain Sight.  Almost a decade ago, in the wake of Brexit, it rapidly became apparent that there could be major opportunities and benefits for Derry as the only major city abounding both the EU and the ‘UK’.  Talk was rife of free ports being opened and us becoming the new Hong Kong. In the immediate aftermath of Brexit, the Derry University Group met with the Irish government and proposed that an independent cross-border university could become the cornerstone for regenerating this most disadvantaged region of the island. The new institution, we argued, would also stand as a permanent monument to future good faith between Britain and Ireland - serving as a bridge, not a border. And before long, it became clear that the Irish government was listening. In  2021, the Oireachtas, through its educational leaders in the Royal Irish Academy, formally proposed a new North West University, stretching from Coleraine to Sligo, with Derry as its main hub. Dublin then sponsored a specialised RIA taskforce to produce a more detailed blueprint as to how this could work. The following year, following a meeting with the Derry University Group, the London government also included the proposal for a Derry-centred cross-border university in its first command paper on Legacy. Then in 2024, the Irish followed up with its in-depth roadmap paper on a North West University from the RIA, which was consolidated by Dublin’s offer of £40m for a new university teaching block for Derry. Conal McFeely (r) and Kevin Hippsley of the Derry University Group at the 2022 unveiling of a 55-foot long mural calling for action on the university.   Ulster University and Stormont, however, have relentlessly opposed the move to give Derry any autonomy at every level from the outset - culminating in an extraordinary performance at the NI Select Affairs Committee in Westminster last month, when the clearly-rattled UU Vice Chancellor attempted to dismiss the two RIA papers as some sort of unsanctioned pipe dreams. That, however, was the very same day that Queen’s University and Dundalk IT announced a new partnership to open the island’s first cross-border university - on that model first mooted by the Derry University Group and blueprinted by the RIA.  So UU, yet again, was exposed for what it has been for sixty years - an institution that puts Belfast’s interests first and holds Derry back. The border town of Dundalk - a town less than half the size of Derry - has been struggling for a a long time to acquire university status for its IT campus, which is roughly the same size as Magee. But the cross-border masterstroke only came into being in the last few months. This time last year, it was being suggested Dundalk would attempt to join the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) - which would not have made sense geographically, as it is more than 120 miles from any of the campuses. And the Queens partnership, as roadtested by the RIA, made a lot more sense and was developed in a matter of months - not years. Foyle MP Colum Eastwood has raised the case for an independent cross-border university with the Irish government - and has backed a universities Oversight Commission for the North as recommended by the Royal Irish Academy. Derry is so ready to move forward - independent from the restraints of UU, its anti-North West bias and its crippling debt. UU, remember, has repeatedly refused to invest any of its own resources into Derry - leading to a chronic physical infrastructure shortfall and an accommodation crisis. Its failure to allocate courses in any fair or accountable way, has, for generations, led to our city fighting for scraps with our equally-neglected neighbours in Coleraine, while Belfast (formerly Jordanstown) fills its boots.  We have the support from Dublin (though incredibly UU wasn’t able to find any spare change in the £40m grant it was allowed to administer to erect bilingual signage – as is now the law here), we have the student numbers to make an autonomous NW viable, and the blueprint, as devised by the academy is waiting. The Department of the Economy, which supervises Higher Education, is promising an all-encompassing review of the sector. And we will be demanding some genuine game-changers in the form of new all-Ireland HE structures and the introduction of a HE Regulator, which would both scrutinise the North’s university sector and also oversee the dissolution of UU into its component parts.  We will also be calling on Derry, Donegal, Sligo and Coleraine to develop a regional economic/educational partnership to deliver the RIA’s NWU vision, in tandem with sponsors such as the Dublin government and others. This needs to happen immediately. Dundalk went from bit player to being a partner in the island’s first cross-border university in a matter of months.  Dundalk and Queen’s have shown what can be done when the civic and political will is there. And done quickly. Derry’s urgency is even greater. It is time for the political and civic elite - and for the Executive and Derry/Strabane Council - to decide what side they’re on.  The campaign for an independent university was established by John Hume (r) more than sixty years ago. The Nobel Laureate is pictured here with Nationalist MP Eddie McAteer (l) and Derry's unionist mayor Albert Anderson on the steps of Stormont after 25000 people took part in a cavalcade from Derry in February 1965.

Your starter for ten: what has been the fasting-selling local book in the North West this season? And for your bonus: why shouldn't you be alarmed? You've guessed it – the first run of The Handy Wee Quiz Book, released just a fortnight ago, is almost sold out. But don't worry, a second print is heading rapidly towards Derry from the printers and will be at our offices well in time for the Christmas market. Colmcille Press is delighted at the success of the book, which has featured on both BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show and in the Derry Journal. Director Garbhán Downey said: 'Many people are buying it for older members of the family, who might have competed in Derry's quiz scene in its heyday, as a Christmas gift. Others say they're intending to use it to organise a quiz for all the family after the Christmas or Stephen's Day dinner. There's plenty in it for all ages - from Derry Girls to local social media celebs, and from ancient history to the North West's massive cultural heritage. 'You can find copies of the book at Waterstones, Foyle Books, Visit Derry and at our offices in Ráth Mór - and we're delighted to announce that our much-depleted stock will be replenished at the weekend with the arrival of our second print.'

Derry authors Felicity McCall, Ken Thatcher, Paul Gosling, Colum Arbuckle and Pat McArt were among the audience at Ráth Mór on Friday December 5 for the launch of Conor Bowman’s new fiction The Half-Life of Edith Hopkins. In a very well-received speech, the Meath-based barrister explained his personal motivations for writing the work, which centres on the Tuam Mother & Baby Home. Bowman himself was born in Castle pollard home in the 1960s.

Author KEN THATCHER writes about his recent trip through the badlands of the NHS and how how he was forced to endure a 120-hour wait in Altnagelvin Hospital's Emergency Department before finally getting a bed on a ward 'We were a band of mostly elderly people trying to squeeze as much comfort as possible from a hard chair, praying for a moment of sleep which never came' TO BEGIN, a bit of background. I am no stranger to our NHS and am a firm advocate of it, Having suffered from Crohn’s Disease for the last thirty plus years I am quite familiar with how the system works, I have experienced a flare-up of my symptoms for several months which had necessitated visits to my GP, the Out of Hours doctors and when needs must to the Accident and Emergency Department. By the last weekend of October, Halloween, my symptoms had become entirely unbearable. I was no longer counting the number of visits I was making to the facilities but the number of toilet rolls I was using in a day. On the Friday I visited my GP who knows me well. He was sufficiently concerned to phone my consultant at Altnagelvin who arranged to have me seen at my next infusion visit the following Tuesday in four days’ time. This happened and my medication was changed and a follow-up arranged. By the weekend things had become worse. On Sunday morning I could no longer contain myself, before ten o’clock I had visited the toilet no less than twenty times. I phoned the Out of Hours doctor and got an appointment for 12.15. I saw the doctor on duty who gave me a very thorough examination and concluded very rapidly that my condition was above his paygrade, and the sensible course of action was to go to the ED .  I was swiftly transported by wheelchair to the ED, arriving at about 1pm to begin my adventure. From the Waiting Area I was swiftly taken to Triage where I had bloods taken, a medical history given and then returned whence I had come. Sometime later I was triaged as appropriate for further examination and brought back into the inner sanctum where I was transferred from the care of a nurse and was seen by a doctor. Time had also passed, but you expect that in ED. I was becoming well versed in the recounting of my ailment and so when I spoke to my second doctor, he decided I was worthy of a canula and further investigation. By this point time had become irrelevant. My long-suffering wife decided she needed a break and a breath of fresh air and went home bristly.  It was by now 6pm, Six hours in ED. My wife returned from home only marginally refreshed. Inexorably time moved on. We all know how hospitals operate; at key moments some tasks are no longer possible. As we approached one of these deadlines my wife sought out one of the more senior doctors and demanded to know what the plan was. There was a plan of sorts. I had been admitted, was in the system and wheels would turn. And so began the slow grind of finding an appropriate spot to spend the night. My wife went home for some well-deserved rest. Myself and three or four others tried to find an appropriate spot to spend the night. We found ourselves at a particularly awkward intersection in an area called Minors. There was considerable badinage as we tried to keep each other’s spirits up. Even on a Sunday night we hoped, maybe prayed that something, anything, might happen. Before I continue, I should familiarise you with the layout of the ED. In the waiting area there are two toilets, in the nearby Triage area there was one toilet. As one progressed into the building there were  undoubtedly more but were hard to find. I’m sure that the facilities satisfied all building regulations, but do they take account of people like me. People with Crohn’s or similar diseases of the bowel? Let me tell you I think not. The long and the short of it is this; no matter what lengthy expedition I undertake I now protect myself with disposable pull-up underpants, just in case. As my sojourn in the ED rolled inexorably on so did the feral matter in my bowel. As I walked briskly towards the toilet a person nimbly stepped in front of me and nipped into the WC closing the door firmly in my face. Things were beginning to trundle or more likely to flow. I strode as best I could to the next facility, perhaps twenty metre or so away. Calamity, occupied. I hobbled back, hips clenched, towards my original destination and gained access. Disaster, I could no longer hold. The inevitable happened. My only source of protection, my pull-ups, were now out of commission, I adjusted my dress, disposed of the pull-ups and left. Once again, I reclaimed my chair. By good fortune I was wearing a dressing gown, long enough to cover any mishaps.  My little group tried to console one another by reflecting on our good fortune on having been admitted with the expectation of treatment and a bed, eventually. The night wore on. Once again, I had trouser issues which I resolved in the toilet by various scrapings and rubbings. Suddenly a nurse appeared. I was on the move at last. We set off up unknown corridors, I dreamed of stretching out on a nice clean bed, even a trolley would do. We crunched to a halt. My reverie interrupted, I found myself confronted with some of the patients I had seen earlier on the outer periphery of the department. My chair was parked up against the wall, but at least I had moved. As I gathered information from my fellow sitters, I realised that we had penetrated the inner sanctum and whats more we were being fed, shaky plates balanced on shaky knees with measured portions of pasta bake. We were a band of mostly elderly people trying to squeeze as much comfort as possible from a hard chair, praying for a moment of sleep which never came, In the course of the night I had the misfortune to witness the stress caused by lack of sleep. Voices were raised, tempers flared, fuelled by tiredness and a lack of hope, family groups disintegrated. Dawn doesn’t break in the ED, they simply turn the lights on Day two dawns Somewhere in my head I have a notion that I had seen a senior doctor who had  found my condition serious and stated that when a bed became available I would be taken straight to a ward. Knowing what I do about hospitals, I thought it unlikely that wards would discharge patients first thing on Monday so I braced myself for a wait. In the meantime, we all ate a healthy breakfast of pancakes and tea. My insides were beginning to calm down , presumably thanks to the medication which I was being given. Around 8am the ED began to come to life and all of a sudden there were doctors everywhere, reviewing the patients who had accumulated overnight. I kept looking for a familiar face. About 9am I made inquiries and was assured that doctors from Gastroenterology were on their way. I overheard a conversation and guessed that this was the person to whom I should speak. I was informed that my name was on their list and that I would be seen in the course of time. Being well brought up, I knew to defer to doctors, that they knew best. I resumed my seat but, all the while , keeping an eagle eye on the doctors. Suddenly I was approached by yet another doctor from the Gastro department. They couldn’t find a room to afford me some privacy so, if I didn’t mind being seen in the corridor, in the public gaze, then I could tell my story. I was by now, well-rehearsed in the relating of my symptoms to which the doctor listened politely, then, pointing out that the doctor from the night before had had no authority to promise me a bed, said he would be back after he had seen other patients. I felt I had done my best and retreated to try to find some sleep. Sleep eluded me. The rest of the morning was spent waiting for lunch to arrive which it duly did. Pasta Bake. There was much chat among our little band but no one came and no patients left for pastures new. In the afternoon a doctor arrived and tried to persuade me that I could be treated at home. I explained that that had already been tried the month previously and here I was back with the same problem. I needed to be seen and treated. As the afternoon wore on I realised that I had not had an opportunity to wash or brush my teeth, there were no facilities for such. My long-suffering wife arrived with a change of clothing and a toothbrush, that was the highlight of the afternoon. The day wore on without any sign of movement. Our little band remained constant. Nurses passed amongst us from time to time but no one moved out and no one arrived. Any questions we had elicited the same response. There were no available beds, the wards were full. Tea-time came and went. My only consolation was that there was a toilet nearby and my innards were calming somewhat. Tea and toast came about eight o’clock and that was it for the night. We were still about five or six souls living in hope. And so we faced into our second night in the ED still without any significant sleep. I think it was about this stage that I began to have hallucinations. At one stage I believed that I was playing a part in a drama which had been laid  on for our entertainment, at another stage I thought that one of my fellow patients was being held against their will and I began to hatch a plot to facilitate their escape. This would involve violence and the use of my walking stick, as luck would have it my natural bent for cowardice won the day and I did nothing. I dread to think what the various nurses with whom I shared these thoughts made of me. The night wore on and I managed to avoid making a spectacle of myself. Nurses came and went giving me the appropriate  medication and  as dawn broke I gathered my wits once more. Come to think of it, dawn doesn’t break in the ED, they simply turn the lights on. Eventually I was pushed into my allocated space. I was still in the ED and my space was a small square no bigger than the trolley, immediately outside a toilet and adjacent to a heavily used pathway between departments. My wife was horrified, I was too far gone to care. At last breakfast arrived with the welcome cup of tea and pancakes. The ED began to stir and we braced ourselves for the day ahead. Doctors came and went. I recall speaking to one of the consultants who was familiar with my complaint, that gave me some hope. The day wore on, nothing happened. After lunch my wife returned with more fresh clothing, I had not had a proper wash for seventy two hours, I’m sure I had  developed a bit of an odour. Sometime in the late afternoon there was a breakthrough. Rumours of free bedspaces swept through our little band, Our number began to dwindle, I remained unmoved. Suddenly a senior member of staff arrived, space had been found for the three remaining patients. My spirit soared and once again I began to dream of lying down, of sleeping. A nurse appeared with a trolley to transport me to a place of comfort. My wife was with me to help get me sorted, I was pushed on the trolley for a minute or two then we came to a halt. Things began to get a little weird. I thought I was outside waiting for an extension to the hospital to be completed before I could get my space for a bed. Even worse, I thought for some reason I had been put into a Tesco trolley to travel to  my destination. Eventually I was pushed into my allocated space. I was still in the ED and my space was a small square no bigger than the trolley, immediately outside a toilet and adjacent to a heavily used pathway between departments. My wife was horrified, I was too far gone to care. Fortune was on my side, a consultant whom I had seen earlier happened to pass by. My wife nabbed her and in no uncertain terms told her what she thought of my circumstances. The doctor was in complete agreement with my wife and was very sympathetic but unable to do anything.  Suddenly the nurse accompanying me spotted an opportunity and myself and the trolley were whisked towards a vacant space just opposite the nurses ‘  station.  At last, after two nights on a chair, a space to call my own. Who would have thought a cubicle could  have fell so grand. Progress had been made. You might have thought so but, Tuesday night came and went. Being at the nurses’ station might have  sounded interesting, but it was busy. Everything and everybody passed that way, all that lay between me and them was a curtain. But sure we were on the move. Treatment for my complaint seemed to be working and the sense of urgency was declining. All I had to do was wait, and wait and wait. And wait I did, Wednesday became Wednesday night.  At one o’clock on Thursday morning I was shaken awake. Once again I didn’t know where I was  I thought there was a fire and the ward was being evacuated but I was finally on the move, off to a proper bed in a proper ward and the promise of a proper sleep. I had been in the ED for more than one hundred and twenty hours. I woke early as you do in hospital and began the day with a long-awaited shower. A doctor came and explained how they intended to treat me and I lay back to enjoy hospital routine. In the afternoon, and not for the first time, I experienced the dubious  pleasures of a sigmoidoscopy, Three days later I was discharged with a plan, a fistful of drugs and a hope for improvement. To conclude. In my five days on a chair and on a trolley in ED I never experienced a cross word from any member of staff. I was always treated with respect although the understanding of the Crohn’s sufferer could be improved as might the understanding of the anxiety and urgency that they experience. During my stay I watched the staff as they went about their business. They never strolled to a task they strode. They were efficient and quick, remained patient and were I believe doing their very best in trying circumstances. Eight days as a guest of the WHSST,  hopefully never to be repeated but , being a bit of a polyglot, 'Qui sait?’ or ‘Que sera, sera.’ KEN THATCHER is currently working on the second volume of his memoirs, the sequel to The Wife Sister's Wee Boy, (published by Colmcille Press in 2023).

Still looking for that perfect Christmas present? Signed books from a range of our authors are now available online will also be available at Conor Bowman's launch at Ráth Mór this week, including copies of:  * BBC broadcaster and latter-day seanchaí Ken McCormack's collection of curious old tales from the North West, The Lady in Black * Guitar maestro Colum Arbuckle's memoir, Radio, Romance & Rock'n'Roll (CA will also be playing a tune or two) * Royal Literary Fellow Felicity McCall's  new short story collection, What We Did on Our Holidays * Gerry Quinn of Creggan Country Park's exquisitely-produced angling bible, Fly Fishing for Trout and Salmon on the Faughan * Financial journalist Paul Gosling's analysis on preparations for a border poll, A New Ireland: A Five Year Review * Garbhán Downey's Handy Wee Derry Quiz Book * Novelist Jim Simpson's warm celebration of Derry culture, craic and politics, True Colours , and * Bailiúchan nua ón file Paul Laughlin, Dorn San Aer: Filíocht ó Dhoire go Gaza . Dozens of other books are also available in our online shop and will also be available at the launch along with loads of interesting authors and friends.

Writer Conor Bowman at the cemetery in Castlepollard Mother & Baby Home, where he was born COLMCILLE PRESS is hosting a pre-Christmas  launch and Oíche Airneáil at Ráth Mór’s Hive Studios on Friday, December 5. Proceedings will open at 5.30pm with the launch of ‘The Half-Life of Edith Hopkins and Other Stories’, new fiction collection centring on the Tuam Mother & Baby Home, penned by barrister Conor Bowman.  Following on from this, the guitar virtuoso and recent author, Colum Arbuckle, and his guests will serve up music and chat. Then, for those out searching for that special Christmas gift, there’ll be a chance to get signed copies of books by authors from the Colmcille Press stable, many of whom will be in attendance. Work published by CCP in 2025 includes: Felicity McCall’s short-story collection, ‘What We Did on Our Holidays’; Colum Arbuckle’s memoir, ‘Radio, Romance & Rock’n’Roll’; Paul Laughlin’s poetry collection, ‘Dorn San Aer: Filíocht ó Dhoire go Gaza’; ‘Flight of the Swallows: Journeys of Lived Experiences’ by the Foyle Foodbank;  Paul Gosling’s political critique, ‘A New Ireland, A New Union: A Five Year Review’; The Handy Wee Derry Quiz Book (edited by Garbhán Downey & Joseph Martin); and Deirdre Devine’s new collection, ‘Carrying Light: A Life in Poetry’.  All these titles and dozens more – and, of course, Conor Bowman’s new collection – will be available to purchase on the night. Proceedings get underway at 5.30pm, admission is free, and light refreshments will be provided. Conor Bowman SC is a highly-acclaimed writer with nine titles under his belt including one in Irish. 'The Half-Life of Edith Hopkin and Other Stories' begins with a novella (the title story), which tells of a teenaged mother whose infant baby is removed from her at the Tuam home in the 1960s and how her life unfolds in the aftermath. It is a nuanced, compassionate and elegant tale, made more significant by the fact that the author himself was born in the Castlepollard Manor Mother & Baby Home in 1965.  Full interview with Conor Bowman by Garrett Hargan from the Belfast Telegraph, November 24, 2025 here .