Northern Ireland news thread

Noel Thompson is something of a legend, I guess. Does he ever still appear on BBC Breakfast during the summer, like he used to?

Will any of the coverage be included within the main BBC bulletins, one wonders?

Don't think Noel has been on Breakfast since early 2009 when the new titles/backdrop were introduced - same with Sonia Deol.

Indeed there's an extended 25-minute late Newsline at 10.25pm tonight. I suppose there's more interest from the North than usual in this election, given Martin McGuinness's involvement - even though he's out of the running.

Just watching RTE's rolling coverage at the moment - billed to be anchored by Bryan Dobson and Miriam O'Callaghan, but I haven't noticed Miriam appearing at all today so far. The coverage is being anchored from the regular Studio 3 in Donnybrook, with election themed graphics on the Barcos. Using the same theme tune and a similar GFX package as was used for the General Election in February.

I've dipped in and out of coverage during the day and there's been no sign of Miriam - Dobbo's been presenting links, discussion and analysis all from the studio desk.

Don't forget the other candidate from that city in the North West - Dana, even if she's trailing the results with two declarations so far...

Dana, as in, Eurovision Dana? Is she running? ????????

Yes, here is her official campaign website http://danaforpresident.ie/

Miriam's just popped up outside Dublin Castle.



'All Kinds of Everything' Dana, to be exact, as opposed to Dana 'International' It's her second stab at running for the Irish presidency, she first stood as a candidate in the 1997 poll - but tbh at each election, she's not stood any chance of election; her conservative Catholic ideology hasn't proved as popular in Ireland in modern times as would have done in the Republic's past.

An observation: UTV have been playing around with the name straps on UTV Live; with the name now taking precedence over the status line. Can anyone shed light on when they did this?

That's an understatement, she polled second last with 2.9% of first preferences, was eliminated on the first count, and has "lost her deposit" (since the Supreme Court ruled taking deposits illegal, now means she can't claim back her expenses). Irish president is elected using AV (the Constitution mistakingly calls it PR-STV, but you can't be proportionally represented in a single seat).

Oddly, though the count's still ongoing, RTÉ appear to have no more special coverage on TV, though there was a Morning Ireland special on radio. That appears to be it, even though there are two referendums also to be counted, one of which looks like it might be defeated.

As I caught the lunchtime bulletins before heading back to England today...

Not so much a cock-up, but Noel Thompson knocked his glasses off the desk in the sofa area of the Newsline set, but ever the trooper, carried on regardless!

Rita Fitzgerald is back reading news bulletins on UTV and still hopeless at it. So much for thinking the general standard of news presentation at Havoc House would make a slight improvement when Sarah Clarke goes off on maternity leave.

So... when did the BBC Newsline headline sequence change?

From banter with the team on Twitter:

nornironyorkie What is that on the @bbcnewsline headline sequence? A snooker ball? A concentric atom particle? An Everlasting Gobstopper?

bbcnewsline @nornironyorkie best one so far is Pokéman ball

Its been like that for at least a couple of weeks now, Col. It's pretty worthless, and not particularly pleasing to the eye. Change for the sake of change, IMO.