Ballymena Riots 2025

So, Ballymena is at it again. And this time, far too close to where my family live.

Once more, we’re in ‘whatever you say, say nothing’ territory. A passing comment to a neighbour about the hate and madness of it all, and you might catch a look that tells you they’re not quite on the same page - some sympathy for the protestors, plenty of hostility toward the ‘foreigners’.

It’s racism, plain and simple. It’s hate and it’s stupidity squared.

I once believed, naively perhaps, that my Irish grandchildren would grow up in a time of peace and civility. Instead, just around the corner from where they live, masked thugs have spent the past two nights rampaging through the streets, attacking police, wrecking property and burning families out of their homes.

They claim it’s a response to a horrific assault on a young woman. But how does terrorising innocent families deliver justice?

My heart goes out to her. She deserves justice, compassion, and the full support of the community - not this chaos done in her name.

They are racists, plain and simple, with their hatred and ignorance on full display.

December Daily Post, No. 14

What goes through the mind of  a person bent on destroying something that does not belong to them? Today we visited what remains of a horticultural unit where people with learning difficulties used to work. It had been broken into and entered on two occasions, vandalised and set on fire. The offices, potting sheds, glasshouses and equipment had all been destroyed. It was so sad to see it like that as the evidence of all the good work carried out was still visible. What remained were thousands of potted plants, abandoned and untended for more than a year. Amazingly, many of them were still just alive, in need of some serious TLC.

We were taken to the project by the former manager, a friend of ours, and we were able to take a van load of the plants home with us. It should be satisfying to bring them back to health. And it will please our friend who, with the trainees, had put so much effort into growing them. Years of work to build up the unit and grow the stock, a couple of hours to destroy it. Our friend said the culprit was only a boy. I wonder if he'll ever grow enough to feel shame for his actions?