12/06/2026
It hasn’t been a great week for Northern Ireland. The thuggish, racist behaviour of a tiny minority has left the rest of us feeling a mixture of sadness, anger and really quite mortified.
All I really want to say here is that the picture that has been painted of Belfast, in particular, this week, is not the real Northern Ireland. I went out for a walk in our town of Donaghadee on Wednesday evening and while many businesses had closed, The Cabin was open for ice cream, local bars and restaurants were open, the sailing club was out on the water and people were out on the pier with their families and dogs. And it was so lovely to see, my faith in humanity was restored just a little bit.
If you’re keen to see a little bit more of what Northern Ireland is really like, check out The Emerald Explorer ☘️, LOVE BELFAST ❤️ | News & Events and Discover Northern Ireland. Men in black balaclavas or, indeed, boxers masquerading as balaclavas, do not represent the majority of the people who call this wee country home.