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The start of the 2022 Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
The start of the 2022 Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
The start of the 2022 Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.

42 things you might have forgotten happened in Northern Ireland in 2022

As we welcome in another New Year it’s time to remember some of the things that happened in the past 12 months.

By Maisie Laughton, Lyndsey Hodgkinson and Jonathan Traynor
Published 29th Dec 2022, 17:02 BST
Updated 29th Dec 2022, 17:37 BST

From worldwide stories to local tales of equal importance, plenty has happened this year that has been newsworthy.

There are a number of things you are likely to have forgotten, so here is a list of some of the headline-hitting news pieces from 2022.

1. Belfast City Council voted on the possibility of free public transport for young people - whilst it ultimately didn’t pass, Belfast City Council held a vote on whether or not to give free public transport to all young people. A Green Party motion went before a full meeting of Belfast City Council in the first suggestion of its kind. 2. Odyssey Ice Academy makes a comeback to offer future skills to young people - who have previously been in care or suffered from mental health problems a unique chance to learn through fun, educational activities. Launched in 2018, the Ice Academy supports young individuals by encouraging them to overcome challenges together, promoting better wellbeing and life chances. 3. Belfast hits the big screen - On January 22 Kenneth Branagh’s biopic Belfast premiered, providing an accurate showcase of Northern Ireland’s capital city during the Troubles on the big screen. It delved into Branagh’s own personal experiences growing up in Belfast, as well as including fictional elements for added entertainment value. 4. Belfast International Arts Festival welcomed its 60th birthday in 2022, offering a schedule filled with dance, music, visual arts and talks for the year. The line-up of events included performances of Frankenstein’s Monster as well as concerts from BBC Radio 3.

1. January

1. Belfast City Council voted on the possibility of free public transport for young people - whilst it ultimately didn’t pass, Belfast City Council held a vote on whether or not to give free public transport to all young people. A Green Party motion went before a full meeting of Belfast City Council in the first suggestion of its kind. 2. Odyssey Ice Academy makes a comeback to offer future skills to young people - who have previously been in care or suffered from mental health problems a unique chance to learn through fun, educational activities. Launched in 2018, the Ice Academy supports young individuals by encouraging them to overcome challenges together, promoting better wellbeing and life chances. 3. Belfast hits the big screen - On January 22 Kenneth Branagh’s biopic Belfast premiered, providing an accurate showcase of Northern Ireland’s capital city during the Troubles on the big screen. It delved into Branagh’s own personal experiences growing up in Belfast, as well as including fictional elements for added entertainment value. 4. Belfast International Arts Festival welcomed its 60th birthday in 2022, offering a schedule filled with dance, music, visual arts and talks for the year. The line-up of events included performances of Frankenstein’s Monster as well as concerts from BBC Radio 3. Photo: Press Eye

5 - February 6, 2022 marked Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, cementing her status as the longest reigning monarch and the first ever British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. A four-day bank holiday weekend was commissioned for June to celebrate the extraordinary anniversary celebration. 6 - Stormont set a target of net-zero emissions by 2050 - MLAs voted to decide the target date in which Northern Ireland would reach net-zero emissions, settling on 2050, 28 years away. Green Party NI passed their amendment with a majority of 50 to 38, confirming their stance as the last region in the UK to agree upon a net-zero emissions target. 7 - Iconic Northern Irish landmark Barry’s amusements was bought over by the Curry family.The family renamed the theme park to Curry’s to align with their already-owned Curry’s Fun Park in Salthill, Galway. 8 - Derry’s Festival of Theatre for Social Change - a new festival that showcased theatre productions as playing a crucial role in advocating for social change. The event ran from February 14-20 and addressed important issues such as the impact of Bloody Sunday, LGBTQ+ rights, disability awareness and many more.

2. February

5 - February 6, 2022 marked Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, cementing her status as the longest reigning monarch and the first ever British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. A four-day bank holiday weekend was commissioned for June to celebrate the extraordinary anniversary celebration. 6 - Stormont set a target of net-zero emissions by 2050 - MLAs voted to decide the target date in which Northern Ireland would reach net-zero emissions, settling on 2050, 28 years away. Green Party NI passed their amendment with a majority of 50 to 38, confirming their stance as the last region in the UK to agree upon a net-zero emissions target. 7 - Iconic Northern Irish landmark Barry’s amusements was bought over by the Curry family.The family renamed the theme park to Curry’s to align with their already-owned Curry’s Fun Park in Salthill, Galway. 8 - Derry’s Festival of Theatre for Social Change - a new festival that showcased theatre productions as playing a crucial role in advocating for social change. The event ran from February 14-20 and addressed important issues such as the impact of Bloody Sunday, LGBTQ+ rights, disability awareness and many more. Photo: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

9 - MLAs proposed the Access To The Hills scheme that proposed a “transformation impact” on the West Belfast community, claimed MLAs. The primary idea was to reopen pathways to the Black Mountain and improve access overall to the green tourist attraction. 10 - Mobo Award-nominated musician set to create NI jazz scene - drummer and composer David Lyttle created Jazz Juniors in the hopes of inspiring the next generation of talent through Northern Ireland’s first ever junior improvisational jazz ensemble. David found there were very few opportunities for young players in the country, which was forcing aspiring musicians to move away for work, with the hope that Jazz Juniors could change that. 11 - This year’s BAFTAs saw Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast win the Outstanding British Film award at the London award ceremony.The film, which debuted in January, was a box office hit and received critical acclaim, featuring Irish A-list actors such as Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds. 12 - West Belfast prevention charity West Wellbeing provided over 1,000 hours of mental health support to men, women and children during their first few months of opening. Set up in the Colin area of the city last year, the aim of the charity was to reduce the growing suicide rates as well as bettering individuals’ mental health and wellbeing. 13 - Celebrity sightings are relatively common in Northern Ireland’s capital, but no one expected Kevin Hart to pop up randomly in Belfast. During his extended stay at the Europa Hotel whilst filming his upcoming Netflix series, he also performed multiple shows in locations across the city including Limelight.

3. March

9 - MLAs proposed the Access To The Hills scheme that proposed a “transformation impact” on the West Belfast community, claimed MLAs. The primary idea was to reopen pathways to the Black Mountain and improve access overall to the green tourist attraction. 10 - Mobo Award-nominated musician set to create NI jazz scene - drummer and composer David Lyttle created Jazz Juniors in the hopes of inspiring the next generation of talent through Northern Ireland’s first ever junior improvisational jazz ensemble. David found there were very few opportunities for young players in the country, which was forcing aspiring musicians to move away for work, with the hope that Jazz Juniors could change that. 11 - This year’s BAFTAs saw Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast win the Outstanding British Film award at the London award ceremony.The film, which debuted in January, was a box office hit and received critical acclaim, featuring Irish A-list actors such as Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds. 12 - West Belfast prevention charity West Wellbeing provided over 1,000 hours of mental health support to men, women and children during their first few months of opening. Set up in the Colin area of the city last year, the aim of the charity was to reduce the growing suicide rates as well as bettering individuals’ mental health and wellbeing. 13 - Celebrity sightings are relatively common in Northern Ireland’s capital, but no one expected Kevin Hart to pop up randomly in Belfast. During his extended stay at the Europa Hotel whilst filming his upcoming Netflix series, he also performed multiple shows in locations across the city including Limelight. Photo: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press

14 - Belfast threw its name in the hat as host of the final for the new UEFA Conference League next year, as was revealed at a committee meeting for Belfast City Council. There was also a discussion on a possible future payment to the Irish Football Association to support its bid for the event in 2023. 15 - The Curry family, who operate Curry’s Fun Park in Salthill Co Galway, brought a new lease of life to the former Barry's Amusements complex in Portrush, opening up to great excitement on April 9. 16 - April saw the 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking, with the Belfast tribute museum displaying one of only six life jackets still remaining from the ship to mark the event. It was the first time that the specific life jacket had been on display to the general public in Ireland and was free to visit for two and a half weeks before it was taken away again.

4. April

14 - Belfast threw its name in the hat as host of the final for the new UEFA Conference League next year, as was revealed at a committee meeting for Belfast City Council. There was also a discussion on a possible future payment to the Irish Football Association to support its bid for the event in 2023. 15 - The Curry family, who operate Curry’s Fun Park in Salthill Co Galway, brought a new lease of life to the former Barry's Amusements complex in Portrush, opening up to great excitement on April 9. 16 - April saw the 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking, with the Belfast tribute museum displaying one of only six life jackets still remaining from the ship to mark the event. It was the first time that the specific life jacket had been on display to the general public in Ireland and was free to visit for two and a half weeks before it was taken away again. Photo: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

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