1,500 people turned out on Saturday morning 2 January for the funeral of Peter McCallion, a former blanketman who was killed when he was attacked by a gang outside a Chinese restaurant on Derry's Racecourse Road on New Year's Eve. Free article

A delegation from the County Monaghan Roma Support Group met Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Dublin two days before Christmas. The Group supports the Roma community of 47 people currently living in Castleblayney, County Monaghan, and awaiting the outcome of their appeal against orders for their deportation from Ireland. Free article

A Catholic workman narrowly missed death when a loyalist bomb exploded on a building site in Magherafelt in South Derry on Wednesday 6 January. Free article

On New Year's Eve, in a fitting tribute to 1798, pikemen and women from Wicklow and Wexford braved pouring rain to unveil three plaques in the Wicklow hills. Pike people came from Glen of Imaal, from Carrickbyrne, Courtnacuddy, Coolgranny, Enniscorthy, Bunclody. Free article

South Belfast Sinn Fein councillor Sean Hayes has said that UVF members from Donegall Pass were involved in a series of sectarian attacks over the Christmas period which have left a Catholic man from East Belfast critically ill in hospital. In a separate incident loyalists attempted to fire on two men with a handgun but the weapon jammed and they escaped. Free article

The Training and Employment Agency (T&EA) in the Six Counties has been roundly criticised for precipitating a crisis in the community sector when it sent a circular to community groups over the Christmas period announcing proposals to end the ACE employment scheme. Free article

The decision of the Arts Council to withdraw its funding for the four-day Draiocht West Belfast Children's Arts festival has been described as ``outrageous and disgraceful'' by Gerry Adams, MP for West Belfast. Free article

The Sligo community and local republicans especially have been enveloped in a deep sense of shock and grief since the tragic Christmas Eve drownings of brothers Sean and Cronan McCarrick of Joe McDonnell Drive, Cranmore. Free article