A former paratrooper has been found not guilty of murdering two people on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.

Known only as Soldier F – he was also found not guilty of five counts of attempted murder.

Thirteen people were shot dead, and 15 others injured, when soldiers opened fire at a civil rights demonstration in a predominantly Catholic part of the city.

Soldier F - the only military veteran to be prosecuted over the shootings - was screened from public view. The trial took place without a jury, with verdicts delivered by Judge Patrick Lynch.

On today’s episode, Tara Mills is at Belfast Crown Court, Declan Harvey is in Derry.

We’ll hear from families, veterans and have political reaction.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

People in the arts community who have sympathy with Israel are treated “basically like a Nazi” according to the writer of a major new TV drama.

David Ireland has said that the situation in Israel and Gaza is an “impossible thing to talk about” for some people working in the arts.

Ireland is the writer behind the ITV crime thriller Coldwater staring Eve Myles and Andrew Lincoln, as well as The Fifth Step, a play currently starring Jack Louden and Martin Freeman and showing at the Soho Place in London.

Born in Belfast, Ireland has said that there is a natural affinity between unionist communities in Northern Ireland and Israel.

In this episode of The State of Us, he explores that, and much more – including his relationship with alcohol, God and the rest of the arts community.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

The parents of a SEN teenager have been convicted for their son’s non-attendance at school in a case that has cost them £30k.

The Education Authority took the case against James and Leigh Bryson after their son Archie, who is autistic, missed almost a year of school.

The couple join Tara and Declan on the podcast to talk about having their lives dissected in court and feeling victimised by the process.

We also ask them about being found to have failed to meet their legal duty to ensure their child has access to education.

A spokesperson for the Education Authority said that following a long period of engagement, during which they say the Brysons were not cooperative, they were left with no other option but to pursue court action.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Donald Trump says the next stage of negotiations over his Israel/Gaza peace plan to end the war are under way.

There are no details yet though, about when, where or how that will be carried out.

The PM Keir Starmer says the focus in the days and weeks ahead is "the relentless implementation of this peace plan", which he calls "no small challenge."

With Tony Blair being tipped to potentially help oversee governance of post-war Gaza, his experience in helping to bring about peace in NI is being lauded as a blueprint for negotiations in the Middle East.

We are familiar here with talk of decommissioning, prisoner release and special envoys.

But can the diplomacy that took place then, really be useful now?

Kevin Connolly was a BBC foreign correspondent for more than 40 years.

He has covered his fair share of peace declarations and the aftermath, including here in Northern Ireland during the years leading up to and after the Good Friday Agreement.

He gives Tara and Declan his expert analysis about how much Northern Ireland's history can help in drafting a plan for the Middle East.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Want to hear more about the Good Friday Agreement?

Have a listen to Tara and Declan on the Year ’98 podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0f6ltxb

When a man was convicted of raping a woman last month, he went on the run. His victim says she felt down when it took police nearly two weeks to publish his picture.

Ahmed Abashar, 31, from University Avenue in Belfast, was convicted of rape last month but failed to appear in court.

Jane, not her real name, said the lack of action made her feel the police "weren't taking it seriously".

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said sexual crimes were "incredibly complex to investigate" and supporting victims was a priority.

Abashar raped Jane in March 2023 after they met on an online dating site.

A trial commenced on 23 September 2025 and he was convicted in court in his absence on 30 September. A bench warrant was then issued for his arrest.

Jane said his image should have been released by police as soon as he failed to appear, adding that the "sooner you get it out, the sooner everyone can be on the lookout".

So why did it take the PSNI so long to release the image? What is their policy on ‘mugshots?’ Why is it different to GB?

BBC reporter Brendan Marshall tells Tara Mills & Declan Harvey that victims feel ‘ignored and not taken seriously’ when no mugshot is issued.

Also today – our verdict on The Celebrity Traitors.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Childhood vaccination rates in Northern Ireland are dropping year on year. Experts are worried. The Public Health Agency is warning that if rates drop further we will start to see the return of “diseases of the past” such as polio, diphtheria and tetanus. Measles returned to Northern Ireland last year. So why are people so divided about vaccines?

Two men who have been battling it out on social media, come together on the pink sofa to talk through it all.

Paul Frew, DUP MLA and Dr Connor Bamford, Virologist at Queen’s University Belfast go head to head in our great big vaccine debate.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Has the world of golf gone mad?

Swearing, shouting, and lobbing pints – that was the Ryder Cup 2025.

Stephen Watson is one of the closest journalists to NI golfer Rory McIlroy.

He's just back from Bethpage Black, where he said the atmosphere sometimes felt like a Trump rally.

He has followed Rory's career since he was a kid; through Masters wins and defeats, and at countless Ryder Cups.

But Stephen tells Tara Mills and Declan Harvey that the abuse the golfer received in New York was like nothing he has ever seen before.

A furious McIlroy swore at American fans during one of many heated moments of the golf tournament.

Is all of this just par for the course in a Ryder Cup competition, or is it time to call Fore! on golf’s bad behaviour?

This episode contains references to strong language.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Following on from our chat with Rachel and Louise, two mothers living in poverty in Northern Ireland, the minister heading up the executive anti-poverty strategy defends his plan.

Minister Gordon Lyons joins Tara and Declan in The State of Us studio as they discuss the 28-page paper which sets out the proposed route to tackling poverty over the next 10 years.

It outlines efforts already being taken by various departments to help minimise the risks of people falling into poverty in Northern Ireland, as well as reducing its impacts and ways to help people get out of poverty.

Tara and Declan put some of the criticisms the strategy has faced directly to the minister.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

A bonus episode of the State of Us after the terrorism case against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was thrown out.

Kelly Bonner joins Declan from outside Woolwich Crown Court to bring us how the case fell apart as well as reaction from the band.

The rapper who performs under the stage name Mo Chara was charged in May after allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, in November 2024.

He denied the charge and has described it as political.

We examine the technicality that brought the prosecution down, and what this means for Kneecap.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Julian O’Neill joins Tara and Declan on The State of Us after new details were revealed on how the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) unlawfully used covert surveillance powers. A report has uncovered how the PSNI used journalists' phone numbers to check for any leaks of information by its officers or staff, and also revealed there were 21 unlawful uses of covert powers to attempt to uncover reporters' sources. Its author, lawyer Angus McCullough KC, said he found that the PSNI's surveillance of journalists and lawyers is not "widespread or systemic". PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the report "rightfully highlights that we have to improve our processes, and we will". Julian, Tara and Declan take you through everything you need to know. Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Nominations for the next president of Ireland close on Wednesday.

Already there has been some controversy around this race to the Áras.

BBC NI’s new Dublin correspondent Gabija Gataveckaitė joins Declan Harvey to talk about what we can expect from this campaign.

Who are the runners and riders?

What does the president actually do? Or, perhaps more crucially, what don’t they do?

Confirmed candidates so far include Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys.

Will Maria Steen get the required support to enter too?

Michael D Higgins' time as president of Ireland will come to an end in November.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Action, some laughs and a lot of tears are to be expected as BBC One's police drama Blue Lights returns for its "most emotive season yet".

The long-anticipated third season of the show, which follows rookie cops navigating law and order in a post-conflict Northern Ireland, is set to air from Monday 29 September.

After scooping up a Bafta award for best drama earlier this year – producer and co-creator Louise Gallagher joins Tara Mills to talk about the huge success it has been.

While the premiere of season three is a matter of weeks away, headway is already being made on season four, with filming pencilled in for February.

Will Louise give Tara any spoilers?

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

It was a case that shook the equestrian community. Now a new series explores the secret investigation that led to a murder trial.

Tara Mills speaks to Rachel Hooper and Natalie Maynes, producers from ‘Walk on Air’ films about events that led up to the death of 21-year-old showjumper Katie Simpson.

In a new documentary series, recorded over a period of years, Rachel and Natalie delve into the coercive control so many women experienced at the hands of Jonathan Creswell.

He’s the man accused of Katie’s rape and murder, and was found dead one day after going on trial.

Police initially thought Katie had taken her own life, and were it not for the tenacity of a small group of people, the case would likely have ended there.

For help and support: www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Radio presenter Stuart Robinson started his broadcasting career 3 decades ago, as a wide-eyed 16 year old.

He has risen through the ranks of commercial radio and is now controller of NI’s most successful commercial radio portfolio – Cool FM, Downtown and Downtown Country.

In this interview he goes ‘behind enemy lines’ to tell Tara Mills and Declan Harvey just how real his public spats with Stephen Nolan and Barra Best are.

He also discusses why he’s critical of the BBC licence fee, and how successful the cash call has been.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

It was a story of institutional inhumanity – which, at first, many found unbelievable.

Hundreds of babies and children, buried in an unmarked mass grave, at the site of an institution for unmarried mothers near the west coast of Ireland.

St Mary’s Home operated in Tuam, County Galway, from 1925 until 1961.

A religious order ran the institution, at a time of moral taboos when there was a social stigma around pregnancies outside of marriage.

It’s 11 years since a local amateur historian uncovered evidence of the scandal – and now, an excavation has begun to try to identify the lost children.

BBC Ireland Correspondent Chris Page tells Tara Mills and Declan Harvey about his long association with this horrifying news story, and has the very latest on the excavation.

For organisations that can offer help and support visit: www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Gardaí continue to search a site in Donabate, north county Dublin, for a missing child, who is presumed dead.

Since the authorities last contact with the family - five years ago - the child disappeared. He would have been aged two at the time.

The case is disturbingly similar to that of Kyran Durnin, and gardaí have renewed an appeal for information on him a year on.

The last known images of Kyran were taken in June 2022, when he was six-years-old.

He was reported missing from his home in Drogheda, County Louth, in the Republic of Ireland in August 2024.

Despite extensive and ongoing enquiries carried out by Irish police, they have been unable to locate Kyran or determine what has happened to him.

How can two boys disappear for years, and it go unnoticed?

Tara Mills and Declan Harvey speak to Eimer McAuley, a correspondent for TheJournal.ie about the latest in both cases.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Summer is over, its back to the benches for our MLAs – how are relations on the hill?

BBC NI Political Editor Enda McClafferty tell Tara Mills and Declan Harvey what’s coming up in the 18 months left of this political mandate.

Also: Why the Stormont canteen resembles an American TV drama, and Declan’s terrible taste in ties.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Tara and Declan talk to the women taking on the government over the cost of raising a family in NI. Louise McCullough and Rachel Benson are single mums, who are desperately trying to get themselves and their families out of poverty. Louise has two degrees, and is working towards her Masters qualification, she works 20 hours a week, the maximum she’s allowed to to retain her benefits. Rachel works part-time, but can’t afford to take on more hours. On The State of Us today, they give us their assessment of the long-awaited draft Anti-Poverty Strategy, which was agreed by Executive parties in May. They say there are too many barriers for them to be able to lift themselves out of the position they’ve ended up in. Almost 75 charities and anti-poverty organisations have called for the Northern Ireland Executive to withdraw the draft strategy, saying that families "deserve better". An anti-poverty strategy was first committed to by Stormont 19 years ago. In the next few weeks, we will be speaking to the Minister for Communities, the department behind the strategy, Gordon Lyons. For help and support: www.bbc.co.uk/actionline Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Are we in the grips of a cocaine crisis? It is the most prevalent Class A drug in Northern Ireland, and there has been a dramatic increase in use according to those working on the ground.

BBC Reporter Kelly Bonner tells Tara Mills and Declan Harvey about the people injecting it 20-30 times a day, and the devastating consequences of their addiction.

Also – is Ireland the gateway for the drugs trade from South America into Europe?

And what can be done about it?

Help and support is available at: www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk

Máire Mhic an Fhailí is the 74 year old woman who was arrested in Belfast earlier this month under the Terrorism Act.

She was wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “We are all Palestine Action”.

Palestine Action became a proscribed organisation in July under the Terrorism Act, making membership of or support for the group a criminal offence.

MPs voted to proscribe the group after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in June, spraying two Voyager aircraft with red paint and causing £7m worth of damage.

Palestine Action said it was behind the incident.

Máire tells Tara Mills and Declan Harvey about what led up to that arrest, why she feels so strongly and inextricably linked to the people of Gaza, and what she would do if she was sent to prison.

Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk