Thousands of people turned out for the rally organised by United Against Racism. There were speakers from Sinn Fein, Alliance, SDLP and the Green Party. The loyalist counter protest was dwarfed by sheer numbers.
Its good to see that the people of Belfast wont stand for this past weeks violence.

Yesterdays protest march saw large numbers of people turn out from across Northern Ireland to protest the FAI's refusal to withdraw from Ireland vs Israel match over the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

There were speakers from IPSC and Gaels Against Genocide, as well as Senator Frances Black.

The Stop the Game petition currently has over 6,000 signatures.

Yesterday saw a large crowd march on Stormont to demand action at Lough Neagh. The blue-green algae is destroying the largest freshwater lake on the island.

The full photo gallery can be found here.

If you can carry stuff to the beach, you can carry it home again.

The problem is that regardless of how well they bag up the rubbish, seagulls (and rats) just see it as an obstacle to great snacks.

.

Testing out a few shots with my new smart telescope. Pain in the ass having so much light pollution here so it takes a bit longer to capture image.... roughly 1.5hrs on the first two pics and about 30 seconds on the sunspot pic.

Being from Wales, it occurred to me and my partner that we'd been all around Britain, but we haven't been to NI. This weekend we went for the first time and wow, what a lovely capital you guys have with Belfast. Warm people, stunning countryside nearby, lots to do and see, and a lot of fun. We can't wait to go back to see more, especially outside of Belfast!

That full moon last night lined up pretty perfectly with the local church pinnacles while I was out on my walk yesterday evening. I was able to get a few pics on my phone.

I've not seen the beach so packed before. I got stuck the last time I drove on the sand a few weeks ago.

Spotted outside Tesco Castlereagh

I just wanted to thank your beautiful country for making us all feel so welcome when we were over on holiday over the past few days.

Being from Scotland it was so similar to home but still so perfect a country the people we met were a credit to the country and the place is beautiful. We

Portrush is now my favourite beach I've ever been too.

Thank you guys for having us and we'll be back soon.

The streets were alive with music, laughter, and record-breaking crowds as Belfast closed out the Fleadh in unforgettable style. From trad tunes echoing through Cathedral Quarter to spontaneous dance circles under the city lights.

✨ Record numbers. Electric atmosphere.

#FleadhBelfast2026 #IrishTradition #BelfastNights #LiveMusicMagic #FestivalVibes

Haven't been down the towpath in a while since moving back out to the countryside about 5 years ago. Nice to see there are still Kingfishers dotted about the place.

My phone was near max usable zoom so they aren't the best quality shots but we were lucky to see a pair of Kingfisher chasing each other around

Caught this guy down near Whiterock on my walk yesterday after trying to finally get him sitting still for the past few months. Often all you get is the blue flash going past so I was lucky he sat still for so long.

Video and original quality pics here to avoid Reddit compression

The Mela parade today was brilliant, an excellent display of the different cultures here in Belfast and good fun in general.

I am looking forward to Mela Day in Botanic next Sunday.

My whole photo collection is available here.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c69wzr9qr7qro

Newcastle's 'Bendy Tree' has been crowned UK Tree of the Year 2026 - the first time a tree in Northern Ireland has won the national title since it was launched in 2014.

The 150-year-old wych elm on the central promenade took more than 30% of the national public vote.

The theme of the Woodland Trust's annual competition was Against All Odds, with trees across the UK shortlisted for being impressive, beautiful and sometimes baffling examples of how nature can survive adversity.

Northern Ireland director John Martin said he was rooting for the "whimsical" tree to win and said tens of thousands across the UK had clearly felt the same.

"It's a great testament to the resilience of nature."

Last tree leaning

The Bendy Tree in County Down saw off competition from a small yew that has been growing from the masonry of a Devon church tower for 200 years, a Scottish ash that survived a lightning strike, and a Surrey yew, in which early 19th Century villagers found an embedded English Civil War cannonball.

The wych elm is the last remaining tree of a row that was planted along the original promenade in the 19th century, to shelter it from the sea breeze.

The rest of the trees were felled in the 1980s during redevelopment.

The wind it protected people from has made its trunk grow almost horizontal.

But its leafy rainbow over the path means it is still protecting people - just slightly differently.

"The council have put a bench underneath it where people can come and sit in the shade and enjoy views of the Mournes and of the sea," Martin said.

"I think the whimsical nature of it and the fact that it's showed a lot of resilience over 150 years has proven it the winner this year."

A survivor

But it has survived more than the weather.

As a native elm tree, it also resisted Dutch Elm disease, which destroyed most of the 30 million elms around the UK in the 1960s.

Martin said it had shown "remarkable resilience" to live as long as it has and added that it was "great" to see a tree of this age acknowledged.

The Ancient Tree inventory lead at the Woodland Trust, May Chemais, said it was an "astonishing and bizarre" tree that had endured a lot.

"The Bendy Tree has been blasted by extreme winds, over and over again, for well over a century.

"But it has continued to exist and remain rooted, adapting to its surroundings and flourishing into this unusual shape that is providing shade and joy to its community.

"We've all been through changes and hardships that have shaped who we are - I think that's why the Bendy Tree has struck a chord with people."

She added that older trees like the Bendy Tree are part of a community's culture, providing shade and stories.

Poor woodland cover

Northern Ireland has one of the lowest rates of woodland cover in Europe (8.7%).

In UK terms, it lags behind Scotland (19%), Wales (15%), England (10%) and also the Republic of Ireland, which has 11% cover.

A tree-planting action plan has been launched, with a target of 12% woodland cover by 2050.

But tree-planting rates need to more than triple to get on track for that.

Newcastle's 'Bendy Tree' has been crowned UK Tree of the Year 2026 - the first time a tree in Northern Ireland has won the national title since it was launched in 2014.

The 150-year-old wych elm on the central promenade took more than 30% of the national public vote.

The theme of the Woodland Trust's annual competition was Against All Odds, with trees across the UK shortlisted for being impressive, beautiful and sometimes baffling examples of how nature can survive adversity.

Northern Ireland director John Martin said he was rooting for the "whimsical" tree to win and said tens of thousands across the UK had clearly felt the same.

"It's a great testament to the resilience of nature."

Last tree leaning

The Bendy Tree in County Down saw off competition from a small yew that has been growing from the masonry of a Devon church tower for 200 years, a Scottish ash that survived a lightning strike, and a Surrey yew, in which early 19th Century villagers found an embedded English Civil War cannonball.

The wych elm is the last remaining tree of a row that was planted along the original promenade in the 19th century, to shelter it from the sea breeze.

The rest of the trees were felled in the 1980s during redevelopment.

The wind it protected people from has made its trunk grow almost horizontal.

But its leafy rainbow over the path means it is still protecting people - just slightly differently.

"The council have put a bench underneath it where people can come and sit in the shade and enjoy views of the Mournes and of the sea," Martin said.

"I think the whimsical nature of it and the fact that it's showed a lot of resilience over 150 years has proven it the winner this year."

A survivor

But it has survived more than the weather.

As a native elm tree, it also resisted Dutch Elm disease, which destroyed most of the 30 million elms around the UK in the 1960s.

Martin said it had shown "remarkable resilience" to live as long as it has and added that it was "great" to see a tree of this age acknowledged.

The Ancient Tree inventory lead at the Woodland Trust, May Chemais, said it was an "astonishing and bizarre" tree that had endured a lot.

"The Bendy Tree has been blasted by extreme winds, over and over again, for well over a century.

"But it has continued to exist and remain rooted, adapting to its surroundings and flourishing into this unusual shape that is providing shade and joy to its community.

"We've all been through changes and hardships that have shaped who we are - I think that's why the Bendy Tree has struck a chord with people."

She added that older trees like the Bendy Tree are part of a community's culture, providing shade and stories.

Poor woodland cover

Northern Ireland has one of the lowest rates of woodland cover in Europe (8.7%).

In UK terms, it lags behind Scotland (19%), Wales (15%), England (10%) and also the Republic of Ireland, which has 11% cover.

A tree-planting action plan has been launched, with a target of 12% woodland cover by 2050.

But tree-planting rates need to more than triple to get on track for that.