How different is everyday life in the North of this country, compared to the Republic? In Our Lives in the North, journalist Una Kelly looks behind the flags and the politics of Northern Ireland, to explore real life north of the border. Is the NHS still as great as people think? Are houses cheaper? Is the Cost of Living as high? Do paramilitaries still have influence? The series begins with that look at the NHS born out of idealism and paints a picture of two different places, but not always in ways we might expect.
The new six-part series will air on RT Radio 1 every Wednesday for 6 weeks from September 4th at 6:30pm. The episodes will also be available as part of RT Podcasts and will be available on the RT radio app (or wherever you get your podcasts). A new episode will be published every Wednesday for 6 weeks from September 4th.
Our Lives in the North is presented and produced by Una Kelly. Alistair McConnell is the Executive Producer.
The first episode in this new series examines the health system. NHS waiting lists in the north are the worst in the UK, with patients waiting for more than half a million hospital appointments. Compared to the south waiting lists in the north are at least twice as long. The NHS a health service free for all is highly prized in terms of British identity. It's embedded in the psyche of the UK and that makes it relevant to everyone on this island because healthcare could influence people in any future vote on Irish unity. People feel attached to the NHS but does that service still exist?
Contributors in the first episode include Dr Gareth Hampton- Daisy Hill Emergency Department, Dr Grace Downey a junior doctor on strike, Dr Karen Humphries who left the NHS in the north to work as a consultant in the HSE, Deirdre Heenan professor of social policy at Ulster University, Claire Scott- pancreatic cancer survivor and Dr Tom Black a GP in Derry.
Journalist Una Kelly said: I'm really grateful to the people who shared their personal stories with me for this series, especially when they found themselves in difficult circumstances. It's always a privilege to be granted that time and trust. I met a range of remarkable youth workers, teaching staff, health workers and others who work hard every day for their communities.
The remaining episodes in the series will focus on education, housing, paramilitaries, ethnic minorities and the cost of living. See Notes to Editor below for further information.
Radio billings with contributor details and further information will be available weekly on the Radio section of the RT Press Centre https://presspack.rte.ie/
Notes to Editor:
The episode on education will examine the religious separation of schools dating back to the partition of the island in 1921. More than a century later, only around 7% of children in NI attend a formally integrated school. Why has the pace of change been slow, and what consequences does this have in a post-conflict society?
The housing episode will focus on record waiting lists for social housing and record homelessness as the north is facing an unprecedented level of need for homes. Housing issues have a long political history in the north; discrimination in housing allocation kicked off the civil rights movement. 60 years later, it still resonates in a society facing a lack of affordable homes and residential segregation.
45% of young people in the north are impacted by paramilitaries, according to government officials. One young man tells his story of how he ended up in drug debt to his local paramilitaries and was faced with the prospect of either paying up, joining the organisation or being badly beaten. At one point he tried to take his own life. His friends have been shot, joined up, or are in prison. He describes an endless cycle' where the only route out is often death or prison'. But he managed to pull himself out of the situation and is now speaking out to let other young people know there is a way out. He describes how paramilitaries operate in plain sight in his community and exercise coercive control over the people there.
From a tiny base, the number of ethnic minority people in the north has grown five-fold in the past 20 years. After decades of conflict, it's a sign of a more normal' society, where people see the north as a peaceful destination to live their lives in safety. Inequality and prejudice still exist ethnic minorities are under-represented in politics and the needs of the community have sometimes been overlooked in policymaking. The community is still reeling after racially motivated violence flared in the summer. In a society that too often views things through a prism of orange and green, what role might ethnic minority communities play in the future of the north?
The episode on cost of living will explore the common perception that life, and houses, are cheaper north of the border. But as the cost-of-living bites, and wages in the north are often well below those in the Republic, ordinary people are struggling.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
How different is everyday life in the North of this country, compared to the Republic? In Our Lives in the North, journalist Una Kelly looks behind the flags and the politics of Northern Ireland, to explore real life north of the border. Is the NHS still as great as people think? Are houses cheaper? Is the Cost of Living as high? Do paramilitaries still have influence? The series begins with that look at the NHS born out of idealism and paints a picture of two different places, but not always in ways we might expect.
