AOH Back In Fermanagh

THE Ancient Order of Hibernians has been re-established in Co Fermanagh for the first time in 60 years.

The new Fermanagh County Board was established and members initiated into the organisation at a meeting earlier this week.

It is believed to be the fist time since the 1950s that the AOH been active in the county.

A Catholic organisation, the AOH has members in Ireland, America and parts of Britain.

Organised into divisions, its members take part in annual parades on St Patrick’s Day and mark the Feast of the Assumption each August.

Tyrone county president Gerry McGeough said the expansion in the organisation follows the establishment of three new divisions - including a pro-life division - in his home county in recent months

“We are witnessing the emergence of a new Hibernianism”, Mr McGeough said,

Mr McGeough also revealed that the organisation is currently in the process of setting up an Irish-speaking Division, Craobh na nGael, which will be on parade at this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Rasharkin, Co Antrim.

Employment Rates Equal In The North

The unemployment rates among Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland are equal, the latest figures have shown.

According to the Labour Force Survey Religion Report for 2015, both stand at 6%.

It said the rates have converged over time, from 1992 when the corresponding rates were 18% for Catholics and 9% for Protestants.

The report, released by the Executive Office on Wednesday, also showed a decrease in the difference between the proportion of working age Catholics and Protestants in employment.

In 1992 it was 70% for Protestants and 54% for Catholics, but in 1995 it was 68% and 70% respectively.

The report added that between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of the population aged 16 and over who reported as Protestant had decreased by 12 percentage points from 56% to 44%.

The proportion who reported as Catholic increased by six percentage points from 38% to 44%. 

Meanwhile, over the same period, the proportion of the population reported as “other/non-determined” has doubled from 6% to 12%.

UK Government Lose Article 50 Challenge

Majority of 8 to 3 vote against government.

The World Richest Men

1. Bill Gates (US): co-founder of Microsoft (net worth $75bn) 

2. Amancio Ortega (Spain): founder of Zara owner Inditex (net worth $67bn) 

3. Warren Buffett (US): largest shareholder in Berkshire Hathaway (net worth $60.8bn) 

4. Carlos Slim Helu (Mexico): owner of Grupo Carso (net worth $50bn) 

5. Jeff Bezos (US): founder and chief executive of Amazon (net worth $45.2bn) 

6. Mark Zuckerberg (US): co-founder and chief executive of Facebook (net worth $44.6bn) 

7. Larry Ellison (US): co-founder and chief executive of Oracle (net worth $43.6bn) 

8. Michael Bloomberg (US): owner of Bloomberg LP (net worth $40bn)

Is Joint Authority The Only Option For The North

Is British/Irish joint Authority the only option for the North. The collapse of Stormont after Martin McGuinness resignation has left a political vacuum which needs filling. The SDLP leader has discussed the issue with the Irish Government. A return to direct rule from London is not a option for Nationalists who tried to make Stormont work despite every roadblock placed in their way.