Alf McCreary

A week before Christmas, festive cheer was in short supply at the Presbyterian Church’s Special General Assembly.

Christmas is a time for families, church services and festive cheer. This year, however, there are dark clouds hovering over the seasonal celebrations, both locally and internationally.

​​The Ulster Orchestra under the direction of Alfonso Casado Trigo ended 2025 with a concert titled ‘The Magic of Christmas’ to a packed audience in the Waterfront Hall on Sunday night.

In his mind, it’s always 1976. The years, and the decades, may pass by, but Alan Black can never escape that awful January night.

In his mind, it’s always 1976. The years, and the decades, may pass by, but Alan Black can never escape that awful January night.

Trump’s clash with Pope Leo sparks claims of blasphemy and a wider attack on Christianity’s role in public life

The near-capacity audience at the Ulster Hall on Friday night was given an unexpected treat when Barry Douglas surprisingly took to the stage as the soloist in Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, in place of the scheduled soloist Alim Beisembayev who was unfortunately indisposed through illness.

International travel used to be more enjoyable, before potential passport woes came into operation, writes Alf McCreary

The Ulster Orchestra ended its 2025/26 season memorably with music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Richard Strauss and Edward Elgar, in a well-filled Ulster Hall on Friday evening.