Other News In Brief

Titanic Commemoration Service Held At Belfast City Hall

A service to remember the lives lost in the Titanic tragedy has taken place today, Monday 15 April, at the memorial grounds of Belfast City Hall.

1,512 men, women, and children died on the RMS Titanic's maiden voyage on this date in 1912, 107 years ago.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Deirdre Hargey, joined Susie Millar, President of the Belfast Titanic Society to lay wreaths at the memorial. The Lord Mayor said: "The tragedy of the Titanic is very close to home for the people of Belfast. Many of our citizens were on board when she went down and are remembered by relatives who have gathered with us to mark this occasion.

"The Olympic-class ocean liner was one of our finest, built by local craftsmen and remembered across the world for her top class design and engineering. The tragedy cast a cloud on our city and it says much for our resilience that we have found a way to deal with the loss, building a poignant Memorial Garden in the City Hall grounds and our new Titanic Quarter regenerating the former shipbuilding heart of the city which we can all be proud."

Dr Aidan McMichael, Chair of the Belfast Titanic Society, added: "The Titanic Memorial Garden at Belfast City Hall is a fitting backdrop to the annual Titanic Commemoration Service held each year on the 15th April. This year marks the 107th anniversary since the loss of RMS Titanic. As we in Belfast continue to develop the story of design, construction and launch of RMS Titanic, the Ship of Dreams, the Titanic Memorial Service remains a special time to remember all those who were lost in the tragedy."

Relatives of some of those on board the ship also laid white roses in the gardens.

Stained Glass Window Unveiled To Mark Final Season Of Game Of Thrones

A giant stained glass window has appeared in Belfast City Centre to mark the beginning of the final season of Game of Thrones, much of which was shot in Northern Ireland.

The window was unveiled opposite City Hall and is the first of six to be unveiled across Belfast, as the final episodes play out. The first appeared just hours after superfans stayed up until 2am to watch the first instalment of season eight.

Each window will highlight a key house from the show, and will be large enough for fans to pose in front of. The first has been dedicated to House Stark.

NI Weather Set To Soar This Weekend

Parts of Northern Ireland are set to see soaring temperatures over the Easter weekend, with temperatures expected to exceed 20C.

A dry and settled Bank Holiday weekend is expected across much of the country, with sunny intervals which may change to cloudy by nighttime.

"It will become much warmer than of late," according to the Met Office, with the region to hit 21C on Saturday, similar to temperatures in Scotland and Wales.



(JG/CM)