It is vital that agriculture does not slip down the DAERA priority list. There are more than 24,000 farm businesses in Northern Ireland, employing more than 50,000 people. They should at least have equal priority to other aspects of the Minister’s portfolio.
The Twelfth of July is a day that I and many in the Northern Ireland community look forward to each year. I fully accept and respect that there are some within society that do not have any interest in the Twelfth, or the festivities that come with it. I welcome the focus that was placed on the Twelfth in last week’s Impartial Reporter, with its 15-page supplement, and the many contributions, including that of Gerry McLaughlin.
Tom Elliott looks at the success of Kieran McKenna and that of the many sportspeople from Fermanagh who excel at the highest level.
We regularly hear the response to the question, “What do you want to do when you leave school?”, is to play for their favourite football, rugby or other sports team, or maybe to make it to the top at snooker, tennis, darts or some other famous activity. Fermanagh man, Ipswich Town FC manager Kieran McKenna, is one of many such admirable figures to follow, and be proud of.
Recently, within two weeks, I attended very poignant events that were held in memory of two important community citizens who had been murdered by IRA terrorists.
Have you ever paused to consider the complex interaction between farming and climate change?
Momentous political moves under way at the moment are welcome, but there are broader issues to also keep in mind, such as Council rates, finances and editorial.
Tom Elliott: Following the news last week, we learn that Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) has refused the request for a complimentary portrait of His Majesty, King Charles lll. Perhaps it's unsurprising that a Republican-dominated council, with 21 Sinn Féin councillors, voted in block against the Ulster Unionist Party’s proposal.
