Then Northern Ireland deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill apologised for the hurt caused by her attendance at the funeral of Bobby Storey during a period of Covid-19 restrictions. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire“Deep tensions” over Brexit hampered the pandemic response in Northern Ireland and contributed to a disconnect between the approaches taken by the governments in Dublin and Westminster, the UK’s Covid-19 Inquiry has found. “No steps were taken to prevent this group from entering Northern Ireland and travelling on to the Republic of Ireland,” the report states. It states Ms O’Neill’s attendance at the Storey funeral and her initial failure to apologise “contributed to tensions” in the executive. Ms O’Neill told the inquiry that the Republic’s decision “was not good enough” as it took Northern Ireland by surprise.

Source: The Irish Times November 21, 2025 04:13 UTC