Freya McClements
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Freya McClements
@freyamcc.bsky.social
240 followers 91 following 20 posts
Northern Editor, The Irish Times
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Seamus Heaney’s Ribbons: A beautiful poem about his sisters, published for the first time

www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...
Seamus Heaney’s Ribbons: A beautiful poem about his sisters, published for the first time
The reader is transported by Heaney’s illuminating memory: we’re in a school, a photographer is visiting and the girls are having their picture taken
www.irishtimes.com
October 4, 2025 at 11:34 AM
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Sue Grey: The daughter of Irish emigrants who became ‘Britain’s most powerful woman’

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
The daughter of Irish emigrants who became ‘Britain’s most powerful woman’
Sue Gray became a household name when she led investigation into lockdown gatherings at 10 Downing Street
www.irishtimes.com
September 29, 2025 at 8:47 AM
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Why new Troubles legacy deal is seen as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
Why new Troubles legacy deal is seen as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity
Inquests halted by the Legacy Act will resume and the ban on Troubles-era civil cases will be lifted
www.irishtimes.com
September 20, 2025 at 8:53 AM
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Troubles victims will wait to see whether new legacy deal represents the ‘sea-change’ promised

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
Troubles victims will wait to see whether new legacy deal represents the ‘sea-change’ promised
New joint framework is certainly different from the controversial Legacy Act
www.irishtimes.com
September 19, 2025 at 9:42 AM
freyamcc.bsky.social
‘We cannot save these trees’: The Dark Hedges, made famous by Game of Thrones, are dying

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
‘We cannot save these trees’: The Dark Hedges, made famous by Game of Thrones, are dying
Beech trees, made famous by their appearance on Game of Thrones, are 250 years old and ‘way, way beyond their expected life expectancy’
www.irishtimes.com
August 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
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Parents of teen killed after being left on roadside by emergency services: ‘They failed Shannon’

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Parents of teen killed after being left on roadside by emergency services: ‘They failed Shannon’
Inquiry into 2018 incident in Derry found PSNI officers breached duty of care to the law student and her boyfriend
www.irishtimes.com
August 15, 2025 at 3:37 PM
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With Michelle O’Neill in her home village of Clonoe, Co Tyrone: ‘The British state killed local people. Those moments contribute to who you are’

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
Michelle O’Neill: ‘The British state killed local people. Those moments contribute to who you are’
Northern Ireland’s First Minister discusses party leadership, presidency, teen pregnancy and ‘precious gift of peace’
www.irishtimes.com
July 28, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Reposted by Freya McClements
josephinemcdermott.bsky.social
The story of the passion and drive behind the creation of Voice of America and its reporting in the 1940s was an important one to tell so I’m thrilled my programme ‘The Start of Voice of America’ was a BBC Radio 4 pick of the week #VOA
July 20, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Freya McClements
antainemacaoidh.bsky.social
Pick of the Week from the green of Portrush this evening, with @freyamcc.bsky.social teeing us off at 1815, including @josephinemcdermott.bsky.social @laurenlaverne.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - Pick of the Week, Freya McClements
Freya McClements presents a selection of the best bits of audio across the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 20, 2025 at 11:15 AM
freyamcc.bsky.social
It was an absolute treat to listen to even more radio than usual this week, all for Pick of the Week on BBC Radio 4. Find out how I got on at 6.15pm www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - Pick of the Week, Freya McClements
Freya McClements presents a selection of the best bits of audio across the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 20, 2025 at 1:58 PM
freyamcc.bsky.social
‘We’re now in the golden years of Portrush’: Why golf’s Open has the town smiling all over again

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
‘We’re now in the golden years of Portrush’: Why golf’s Open has the town smiling all over again
The world’s oldest golfing tournament is bringing a feel-good factor as well as 270,000 spectators from across the globe
www.irishtimes.com
July 19, 2025 at 8:31 AM
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‘It is more fun to be involved’: Open golf score records down to two local women

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‘It is more fun to be involved’: Open golf score records down to two local women
Alison Algeo and Sammy Barry are chief recorder and chief scorer at the Portrush tournament
www.irishtimes.com
July 14, 2025 at 9:34 AM
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Rathlin Island’s puffins: We have quite a lot of people who arrive and say, ‘So, where exactly are the penguins?’

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
Rathlin Island’s puffins: We have quite a lot of people who arrive and say, ‘So, where exactly are the penguins?’
The island, with its rare golden hare, corncrakes and large seabird colonies, sustains a tourism economy
www.irishtimes.com
July 4, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Freya McClements
newwritingnorth.bsky.social
We’re thrilled to announce @valmcdermid.bsky.social is the new chair of the Gordon Burn Prize!

Val will be joined by @beardedgenius.bsky.social , @freyamcc.bsky.social ‬ Andrew McMillan + Jude Rogers.

Publishers - deadline for submissions is 1 Aug
newwritingnorth.com/gordon-burn-...
June 12, 2025 at 12:34 PM
freyamcc.bsky.social
Meabh Quoirin on life after her daughter’s death in the jungle: ‘Nóra was meant to be here by our sides’

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Nóra Quoirin's family reflect on what would have been her 21st birthday: ‘My universe is still filled with her’
Franco-Irish teenager Nóra Quoirin was discovered dead in the jungle nine days after she went missing from a resort in Malaysia in August 2019. For her family she remains a cherished inspiration
www.irishtimes.com
June 7, 2025 at 9:56 AM
freyamcc.bsky.social
Best of luck to Oscar and the rest of the Christ’s College Cambridge team in tomorrow night’s final!

University Challenge Irish finalist: ‘There’s always a Shakespeare question, so I read his complete works’

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
University Challenge Irish finalist: ‘There’s always a Shakespeare question, so I read his complete works’
Quiz show is ‘one of the rare places that knowledge without purpose is celebrated’, says Oscar Despard
www.irishtimes.com
May 11, 2025 at 8:25 PM
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US tariffs: For distillery north of the Border, the picture is further complicated by Brexit

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US tariffs: For distillery north of the Border, the picture is further complicated by Brexit
‘You add tariffs on anything coming from the US whiskey industry, then that is a major issue,’ says Wild Atlantic Distillery cofounder
www.irishtimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM
freyamcc.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
‘Management aren’t open to it’: Why remote working rates are lower in Northern Ireland
Economist warns the lack of work-from-home opportunities in the North could affect recruitment and retention of staff
www.irishtimes.com
March 24, 2025 at 10:15 AM
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‘Nell McCafferty belonged to the Bogside’: Derry mural commemorates late journalist and campaigner

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
‘Nell McCafferty belonged to the Bogside’: Derry mural commemorates late journalist and campaigner
The gable mural is being unveiled to mark International Women’s Day
www.irishtimes.com
March 8, 2025 at 9:50 AM
freyamcc.bsky.social
Man due to marry week after Omagh bombing tried to save life of one of youngest victims

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
Man due to marry week after Omagh bombing tried to save life of one of youngest victims
Omagh Bombing Inquiry chair praises bravery and heroism of Garry McGillion in his efforts to save the life of his 20-month-old niece Breda Devine
www.irishtimes.com
February 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Freya McClements
museumofchildhood.bsky.social
Six in 10 adults in North had a childhood trauma in ‘major public health challenge’
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025... @freyamcc.bsky.social @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social @irishtimes.com #children #childhood #Ireland #health #mentalhealth #museumofchildhoodireland
Six in 10 adults in North had a childhood trauma in ‘major public health challenge’
Four or more adverse childhood experiences – a threshold more likely to lead to poorer health and educational outcomes – reported by 17.6% of people surveyed
www.irishtimes.com
February 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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Omagh bomb: Public inquiry begins hearing

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
Omagh bomb: Public inquiry begins hearings in Co Tyrone
Bereaved families and survivors gather at the Strule Arts Centre, Omagh
www.irishtimes.com
January 28, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Freya McClements
martindoyle.bsky.social
Michael Longley: ‘Most men don’t like intelligent women. I just hang on their every word’. Published last July to mark his 85th birthday and the publication of Ash Keys, his Selected Poems, this is a brilliant interview by my colleague Freya McClements

www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Michael Longley: ‘Most men don’t like intelligent women. I just hang on their every word’
The poet met his wife, Edna, as a student at Trinity College Dublin. She has been the constant in a life that Longley reflects on in his new selected poems
www.irishtimes.com
January 23, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by Freya McClements
martindoyle.bsky.social
Award-winning poet Michael Longley dies aged 85. RIP. He was a great poet and a kind and generous man. I was very grateful for his permission to quote his beautiful
poem The Linen Industry in full in Dirty Linen. Thinking of his wife Edna and his three children

www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Award-winning poet Michael Longley dies aged 85
Longley, from Belfast, received several awards for his 13 collections, including the Feltrinelli Prize
www.irishtimes.com
January 23, 2025 at 2:14 PM
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The Irish Times best books of 2024: Anne Enright, John Boyne, Joseph O’Connor, Mia Levitin and more reveal their favourites

www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
December 3, 2024 at 11:01 PM