Did anyone see the Ghostbusters ECTO-1 car drive through Belfast yesterday. I was coming off the motorway at dargan yesterday morning and it was heading in the opposite direction

Spotted it in your local supermarket? Let me know - TIA!

I (F/33) got a job offer in Belfast BT1 for £45K starting Dec 2026. My husband, irish born & bred (M/42) is currently making £36K, full time Mon-Fri in Strabane. We’re considering relocating closer to Belfast as our current house BT81 is 2 hours away from Belfast. We live with his father, sharing a 5 bedroom house in rural area. We have 2 kids age 5 (primary school year 1) and 3. I’ve encouraged husband to look for other jobs near Belfast, doing same role but more senior level because his skill is quite niche (in engineering) and I know other companies value his skill more than what he’s making now.

He said he’s willing to drive 90 mins one way to reach Strabane if we move to Randalstown/Antrim/Lisburn if we buy a house there. Been married to him long enough I know he hates driving so much but he’s willing to compromise. I’ve been driving 1 hour one way, daily for my work, for 7 years. I’ve left my parents and career in my home country to start a family with him in Ireland. I reset my career in UK from zero, had no support or know anybody I remember my first salary was £18K lol. Right know I’ve had no choice to find other job because my company is sinking and firing hundreds of employees. I’ve went to many interviews but got no job offer other than that Belfast job. If i didnt look for job, we would’ve end up living with father, 2 kids, and single income £36K from husband.

I sent CVs and secured interviews for him from companies in Lisburn, Magherafelt, Cookstown, etc with salary range £42-45K but he’s seems scared about leaving his current job. He’s scared of senior level = means more responsibilities when his peers from school are already in managerial role.

I told him, don’t be scared they looked at your CV , knows your salary expectation and still invite you for interview that means they like what they see and willing to give you the money you want. We could pocket £90K yearly and living comfortable life, afford nicer house, be close to our kids, close to our work, afford weekly cleaner, pay holidays to my country once a year.

I like the areas to live: Lisburn/Antrim/Randalstown because it’s within 30 min drive to my work. I also can take public transport to reach work. I can take my kids to school, or be home early enough to help their homework. Also 20 years down the line, i can see my kids will want to go to uni in big towns like Belfast or Dublin and I’m gonna be within driving distance to them.
It’s my dream to be close to my kids and work because currently my work is far (2 hours drive daily) my kids go to childcare full time and i feel knackered having to drive so far to get everything that we want (attend swimming pool, take them to parks, shops, kids events). I’m just sick having to be sitting in car for so long every time we need to go somewhere!

Our mortgage DIP (Decision in Principle) say we could get a mortgage £400K but I’d like to budget £250-300K for 3-4BR house - I’d like to have safety buffer for moving costs. We currently own 2 investment houses that we are selling.

I’ve so much questions:

1. ⁠which area good for raising kids? I’ve heard Lisburn has great grammar schools. As parents, we are concerned about criminal rate, environment, shops distance, school distance, and distance to nearest train/bus station to reach Belfast. The towns we like so far: Antrim, Lisburn, Randalstown.
   
2. ⁠is my husband being silly for not taking the job opportunities ? Am i being reasonable by being high achiever? He’s complaining that I pressured him so much into changing career , but his role is the same? For example, if he cooks burger at Mcd, I’m asking him to be Senior Burger Cook at Five Guys for more money. I’m not asking him to be a pastry chef - I hope that analogy makes sense? Fyi husband is diagnosed with ADHD & takes daily pill to concentrate.
   
3. ⁠what is the process of moving my boy to different school? Can he get a few weeks off to settle in new town before going to new school ? I understand school in Northern Ireland pupil not allowed to miss school days.

Any tips or recommendations welcome!

https://archive.ph/8HyDJ#selection-483.76-483.151

My friend, Lord Diljit Rana, came to Belfast in 1966 when he was 29 years old. It was a very different place back then. There were no peace lines. Linfield supporters from the Shankill would cross the Falls Road on their way to Windsor Park. Some of them made trouble, though actually penning them in hadn’t been seriously considered. We had the first sectarian killings in a long time. In one case, a shooting had seemed such an unlikely cause of death that it wasn’t even considered. John Scullion’s body was exhumed for a second look to confirm that was the case. Diljit had seen more sectarian violence than most people in Belfast. At the age of 10, he had had to flee with his parents from Pakistan after the partition of India. He was on one of the trains that were fired on by Muslim fanatics and still remembers seeing grown men weep and cringe in terror as bullets pinged off the carriage walls. The train’s driver fled, and a soldier ran after him, ordering him back at gunpoint. Had this not happened, then the history of hotel development in Belfast might have been different, for that has been Lord Rana’s major contribution to the city. When he first came here, he set himself up as a door-to-door salesman with the help of the Indian community. There were others doing the same thing. I remember one who went round Riverdale with a selection of plastic brushes to sell out of a battered suitcase. He also claims to have invented the curried chip. Diljit’s first restaurant was a chippy in Victoria Square, which was already failing. He revived it, and his approach of opening late and offering Indian dishes, as well as fish suppers and pasties, brought us the famous chips and curry sauce. It’s not disputed that other people across the UK might have had the same idea. What’s interesting about Rana is that he was nearly wiped out by the Troubles, yet while many business people were keeping the lowest possible profile, he built a business empire and attempted to facilitate political dialogue at the same time. His first four restaurants collapsed with the start of the Troubles, and being a self-employed businessman, he was not entitled to any welfare benefit. His restaurant, The Burlington, on Belfast’s Dublin Road, was destroyed by a fire after a series of incendiary devices exploded in a neighbouring warehouse. He lodged a compensation claim for £5,000 and got £300. Read moreBelfast Telegraph Property Awards 2026 shortlists revealed across 19 categories ahead of glittering ceremony (Front row from left to right) Mark Graham, Co-Ownership; Martin Doherty, Belfast City Council; chair of judging panel Sharon McClements, Ulster University and Hazel Bell, Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations. (Back row left to right) Gerard Kelly, Queen’s University Belfast; Ciarán Fox, Royal Society of Ulster Architects and Brian Reid, RICS Northern Ireland He had a mortgage on a big house, a big car and no income. From that sorry position, he started importing Indian clothes and set up a boutique in Queen’s Arcade, which his wife ran while he manned market stalls in Newry, Enniskillen and Aughnacloy. The hotels came later. In the 1980s, Richard Needham was the Northern Ireland Office minister, with the job of nurturing commercial development here. He got to know Rana as a businessman who took risks and wanted to expand. Few others wanted to build hotels that were only going to be bombed at some stage — as many of Rana’s were. He says he was bombed 27 times, including twice in one day — June 22, 1992. He was on the second floor of the Belfast Plaza when the first bomb went off and was covered in dust. Rev Ian Paisley visited the scene and told him he was drawing too much attention to himself. He said, “Boy, you are too much on the box”. Rana found the second bomb that day in a sofa and carried it out himself. He was also robbed at home. He arrived back at his house after a day’s work to find his wife and children being held hostage by gunmen who demanded money and took jewellery. This was reported to the police, but never publicised. Rana tells the story in his autobiography, which is published this month by Andras House. I got to know Rana when I was unexpectedly invited to a dinner party that he was hosting for Liberal Democrat David Steel. More invitations followed, and I discovered that he had essentially set up a private discussion forum for batting ideas around. He had started this back in the 1980s, with the help of Needham and brought unionists together with NIO officials and ministers when officially they were boycotting them in protest against the Anglo-Irish Agreement. I heard good stories at some of those dinners, including a few about people who would be miffed if those stories were repeated. I have also twice stayed at the college he established in Sanghol in the Punjab. One day we came across an injured cobra in the grounds, and he sent for milk to try to feed it. On Friday, at the Indian Consulate, I will be helping to launch his memoir, Diljit: The Long Road from Partition in India to Peace in Northern Ireland.

Moved into house about a year ago and one of the things that sold me was the wood fired hot tub. We got the keys to the house and it was clear once the house was sale agreed the sellers neglected the hot tub.
I want to get the hot tub up and running again. The heating element/ electronics/ pump in the hot tub works but the tub itself which is made from wood is rotten and fallen apart. Filled it up last night and water was leaking out everywhere. Any advice or recommendations for local northern Irish companies ? Any idea how much it would cost as well ? Thanks

Hello, our group plays 6-a-side every Tuesday at Avoniel and every Thursday at Queens Pec.

The group is easy-going and is typically 25+ with people from lots of different countries.

If anyone wants adding to the group then let me know!

Particularly in reference to the storms over the last few days. Half the street has left their gate open and they seem completely insensible to the massive bang every 90 seconds when the wind catches it and slams it against the gatepost.

I honestly don't get it. How can you be so bovine you don't care about the noise. I go out and quietly close and latch the gatesq, and the following day they've left them open again.

There are many more examples with stuff like parking, dogs barking and kids who are apparently okay to just screech as loud as humanly possible for 12 hours a day, but the gates is the example that is freshest in my mind, as it's happened twice in the time it took me to write this.

When did the concept of consideration for your neighbours stop being a thing.

Hi everyone,

I just moved in Belfast in September and moved in an apartment 20 days ago still I am having trouble setting up the electricity account. I could really use some advice.

The letting agent provided me with an opening meter reading and serial number and advised me to choose an electricity supplier and register an account.

However, when I contacted NIE Networks, they informed me that the meter serial number provided by the letting agent is registered to a different apartment in the same building. I have an MPRN, but I'm unsure whether it corresponds to the correct apartment.

I've tried contacting SSE Airtricity, but their online registration and WhatsApp chatbot keep asking for an existing customer account number, which I obviously don't have yet.

I'm considering switching to Power NI, but I'm unsure how to proceed while the meter registration is potentially incorrect.

I have a few questions:

1. Has anyone experienced a situation where an electricity meter was registered to the wrong apartment? How was it resolved?
2. Should I contact NIE Networks, SSE Airtricity, or my letting agent to get the meter registration corrected?
3. Do I need to open an account with SSE Airtricity first, or can I register directly with Power NI?
4. How can I make sure I'm not charged for the previous tenant's electricity usage or another apartment's bills?
5. For someone living in a relatively small Belfast apartment, would you recommend Power NI, SSE Airtricity, or another provider in terms of cost and customer service?

This is my first time arranging electricity in Northern Ireland, so I'm unfamiliar with the process. It is so frustrating as I don't know if I shall use electricity or not.

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Theres been a van parked outside my house for around 2 months now. I haven't seen anyone go in it at any point since its been there. Can i have it towed or something?

Me and my mum have tickets for Westlife at the O2 Arena on the 31st of October and are wanting to wear costumes, but we don't want to walk in and be the only ones in costume then stick out like a sore thumb so my question is anyone going to said concert and wearing a costume or do you know if people will be in costume?

I will also post this to r/Westlife. I posted here as I didn't know which one to post to.

UPDATE - I'm going as Pennywise, and I think my mum said she was being a skeleton or something along those lines.

Thank you to everyone who helped reassure her and help her come out of her shell a bit. I'm forever grateful 💕

Hi all,

Mortgage survey says need a damp and timber inspection done. Looking for recommendations please.

Thanks in advance xx

I asked about this year's ago now, and last week I was told that BRA have agreed to purchase it! Just sharing that in case any one was interested :)

does anyone know any adult gymnastics classes for someone who has never done it before? preferably in the west or close to city centre, thank you

Need a mobile mechanic belfast area,

That can sort belt issue.

Can anyone recommend anyone

Can someone recommend a decent electric blanket. Bought this one of amazon thinking 80watt would be warm but its shit. https://amzn.eu/d/06I6P0VS