Van Morrison appears to address Northern Ireland health minister on new single ‘Dangerous’

Derry Girls actor Siobhán McSweeney has criticised the lack of education in English schools about Northern Ireland.The Channel 4 sitcom concluded its third and final season on Wednesday (May 18) with a 45-minute special where the characters voted on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to bring an end to decades of violence.The subject has added relevance following Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol implemented in 2019, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said needs to be “fixed” following political instability.Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael, said it was an “absolute disgrace” that many English viewers had said they learned more from watching Derry Girls than in school about the issues in Northern Ireland."It breaks my heart"Actress Siobhan McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael in Derry Girls, says that it was 'incredibly poignant' that the characters are filled with hope for peace at the end of the sitcomFull Interview: https://t.co/OXuxtNOvNV#R4Today pic.twitter.com/Yw9W0HGauM— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) May 19, 2022“I’ve woken up this morning to, no word of a lie, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of messages, and at least three quarters of them are ‘Derry Girls has taught me more about the history of Northern Ireland and Britain than anything that I have been taught in school’,” McSweeney said.“I think if you put aside the absolute disgrace it is that there’s such a gap in the educational system here that they have to look to a comedy to find out about Northern Irish politics that still have an effect today, I think it shows how good the medium of comedy can be to spread a message.”Addressing the show’s relevance in light of the threat to the Good Friday

William looked smart in his tailored tuxedo. However, fans were quick to point out an unusual feature on William’s shoes. The Crocket & Jones loafers had a silver plane attached in a nod to the fighter jet flown by Cruise’s character in the film.

Angel Olsen has shared her new single ‘Through The Fires’ – you can listen to the track below.The song is taken from her forthcoming new album ‘Big Time’, which is set for release on June 3 via Jagjaguwar. It’s the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Whole New Mess’, which featured a host of reworkings of tracks from Olsen’s 2019 LP ‘All Mirrors’.‘Through The Fires’ is the third preview of ‘Big Time’ to be released following its title track and her March single ‘All The Good Times’.Speaking about ‘Through The Fires’, which you can hear in the below lyric video, Olsen said that the track is “the centrepiece statement of this record”.“It’s a song I wrote to remind myself that this life is temporary, the past is not something to dwell on, that it’s important to keep moving, keep searching for the people that are also searching, and to notice the moments that are lighter and bigger than whatever trouble I’ve encountered,” she added.Olsen and director Kimberly Stuckwisch recently announced a new film, also titled Big Time, that will premiere on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and via the Amazon Music App next month.

Rina Sawayama has released ‘This Hell’, the first single from her new album ‘Hold The Girl’, which she announced earlier this week. She has also announced UK and Ireland tour dates for the autumn.“I had so much fun writing ‘This Hell”, she says of the Paul Epworth produced track.

Rina Sawayama has shared the first single from her forthcoming album ‘Hold The Girl’.Produced by Paul Epworth, ‘This Hell’ is described as a “joyous and roaring slice of pop-meets-country” which is “awash with glam rock riffs and lyrics that are peppered with tongue-in-cheek one-liners shouting out a pantheon of gay icons – Britney [Spears], Whitney [Houston] and Princess Di,” in a press release.“I had so much fun writing ‘This Hell,’ said Sawayama. “The past couple of years I’ve been listening to lots of female country singers and wanted to write a euphoric and tongue in cheek country pop song.

Irish alt-rock quartet Modernlove have announced the release of a brand new EP, along with an exceptional single. 

Boris Johnson’s government has been warned that it risks breaking international law and starting a European trade war by breaking up the Northern Ireland protocol.

Boris Johnson is preparing to trample over the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland and risk sparking a major trade war with the European Union.

Boris Johnson’s U-turn on junk food, with one denouncing the plans as “unConservative”. Boris Johnson (PA)The cost of obesity-related illnesses places a huge financial burden on taxpayers and the NHS, Lord Bethell said. The latest move was not “aligned with the kind of Conservative principles that I’m familiar with”, he added.

Tate McRae has shared another new single from her forthcoming debut album ‘I Used To Think I Could Fly’.‘What Would You Do?, which you can listen to below, follows previous releases ‘She’s All I Wanna Be’, ‘Chaotic’, and ‘Feel Like Shit’ and her EP ‘Too Young To Be Sad’, which was released last year.The track was co-written by Tate, Blake Slatkin (Lil Nas X, The Kid Laroi), Alexander Glantz aka Alexander 23 (Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez), Charlie Puth (Ava Max) and produced by Slatkin, Glantz and Puth.Her new album is set to drop later this month on May 27 via Ministry Of Sound Records.McRae is also set to kick off a tour in the UK and Ireland on June 12 at Manchester’s O2 Ritz. The singer will also be a special guest on Shawn Mendes’ 2022 tour.

Dermot Kennedy returns this week and nabs the highest new entry on the Irish Singles Chart with his new single Something To Someone. 

Emmerdale fans thought they could have been saying goodbye to not just one but two Dingle's during the latest hour-long edition of the ITV soap. There was more drama during the special week of flash-forward episodes as Cain Dingle went in pursuit of rival Al Chapman.

While this week’s local elections in the UK have led to increased speculation about the future of Ireland’s borders, the region’s animation industry has come together to increase opportunities for creativity and collaboration.

Sinn Fein has become the biggest party at Stormont for the first time after it gained 27 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly election, pushing the DUP into second place.

Everything Everything have shared their latest single ‘Pizza Boy’ – you can watch the song’s accompanying music video below.The track is the final preview of the band’s forthcoming new album ‘Raw Data Feel’, which is set for release on May 20 via EE’s own imprint Infinity Industries / AWAL.Speaking about the meaning behind ‘Pizza Boy’, Everything Everything said in a statement: “The song is about recovering from trauma, by focussing on both hedonism and solitude.”The band have also shared a video for ‘Pizza Boy’, which features the four-piece performing the track live during their recent UK and Ireland tour. You can check out the clip below.‘Pizza Boy’ follows on from Everything Everything’s recent singles ‘I Want A Love Like This’, ‘Bad Friday’ and ‘Teletype’.Those songs will all feature on ‘Raw Data Feel’, which was sparked by frontman Jonathan Higgs feeding select information – including the entire terms and conditions of LinkedIn, the ancient epic poem Beowulf, 400,000 4Chan forum posts and the teachings of Confucius – into an A.I.

Tom Blyth was immediately lassoed in when he was offered to play gunfighter Billy the Kid. The British-born, New York-based actor is taking on the role of the legendary outlaw for a new EPIX series titled "Billy the Kid." The 27-year-old, who grew up watching American Westerns, said he was eager to explore the brief and bloody life of the 19th-century gunslinger. "I grew up with Westerns — reading and watching them," Blyth told Fox News Digital.

Ireland Baldwin is opening up about a medical condition. The 26-year-old model is set to appear on Wednesday’s episode of “Red Table Talk”, and, in an exclusive clip from the interview, Baldwin reveals her experience with cardiophobia.

Kelly Lee Owens has shared a further preview of her imminent new album ‘LP.8’ – hear ‘One’ below.The producer and musician will release the follow-up to August 2020’s ‘Inner Song’ digitally this Friday (April 29) before a physical release follows on June 10 via Smalltown Supersound.Last month, the album was announced alongside the release of two new tracks, ‘Sonic 8’ and ‘Olga’.New four-minute song ‘One’ is an eerie cut in which Owens repeats the line: “You are the one.” Watch the visualiser for the new track below.‘LP.8’, as a press release explains, was “born out of a series of studio sessions” in Oslo and “created with no preconceptions or expectations: an unbridled exploration into the creative subconscious”.The record was made along with the avant-noise artist Lasse Marhaug, who has previously worked with the likes of Merzbow, Sunn O))) and Jenny Hval, and inspired by such artists as Throbbing Gristle and Enya.“For me, ‘8’ meant completion – an album that will ripple infinitely with me personally,” Owens has said of ‘LP.8’.Kelly Lee Owens is set to tour in the UK, Europe and Australia this summer – you can see her upcoming live dates below, and find UK tickets here.