A survivor of a home for unmarried mothers and babies in Northern Ireland has called for the doors of secrecy around the institutions to be flung open.
This very day a year ago I got a phone call from the BBC in Belfast asking if I would take part in a discussion programme on Radio Ulster later in the week. On the Sunday, the show’s host Dearbhail McDonald, a couple of other panel members and I dissected current events. Two of the stories included the passing of SDLP giant Seamus Mallon and the restoration of Stormont following a so-called new deal. Every January is different in one sense, but in another the beginning of 2020 was much like any other. One of the stories we briefly touched on at the end was from the other side of the world, people being affected by a new virus in a place called Wuhan in China.
The founder of the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association (BMCA) has said learning of a racist arson attack on the charity was like a "dagger to the heart".
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey at the scene of the fire at the Belfast Multicultural Association last week (Sinn Fein/PA)
The building was being used as a food bank, with volunteers distributing packages to vulnerable people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms Hargey told the Stormont Assembly her priority was to get the association back in the building as soon as possible.
She said she was working with Belfast City Council to find a temporary home for the association and its work. She said the council had offered the use of the Waterfront Hall.
“With this attack there’s obviously been a rise in fears within the community,” the minister told MLAs.