John Laverty

The former Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life sports editor, who sadly passed away last week at 68 after a battle with cancer, is fondly remembered by his long-term colleague and close friend John Laverty

The former Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life sports editor, who sadly passed away last week at 68 after a battle with cancer, is fondly remembered by his long-term colleague and close friend John Laverty

“Oi, you northern lads — try keeping us off yer f***ing front pages now!” That was a grinning, bombastic Jack Charlton, barking at me, Jackie Fullerton (BBC) and the late, great Jim Gracey (Sunday Life) in the bowels of the New York Giants stadium after the Republic of Ireland’s sensational World Cup win over hot favourites Italy.

Us Nordies get the climate we deserve — unapologetically mild. We complain when it’s splitting the stones, or when it’s freezing the balls off a brass monkey.

It was as if someone had just switched the power off. There we all were — well, vicariously via backseat presenter/passenger Stephen Nolan — in a PSNI car, powering through Belfast city centre in pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

Ian Paisley Jnr will be remembered at Westminster as a groundbreaking MP — but not in the way he hoped. The former North Antrim representative made parliamentary history in 2018 by becoming the first member of the House to face a “recall petition” — the process whereby a sitting MP can be ousted following a suspension.

Things can only get better... but maybe not when a mural you don’t like is already up there. The writing was on the wall, and Peter Cunnah’s dismay was obvious.

Their eyes met — as reported in Hello magazine — via a mirror in a beauty salon where she was getting a pedicure and him a haircut.

Last month, a man charged with a serious offence was granted bail and released from Maghaberry Prison.

The question, chosen randomly for me online, was a corker: “Describe two problems faced by the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1923. Allotted time, 1 hour.”