Member's statement: Conrad Kirkwood
Member's statement by Mr Phillip Brett on .
- MLA
- Mr Phillip Brett
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 23 June 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Conrad Kirkwood
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5636738
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Last evening, Conrad Kirkwood ended his remarkable tenure as president of the Irish Football Association (IFA) after five years of exemplary service and dedication to our game. It is right that we, as a House, thank Conrad for the work that he has done over the past five years. He ensured that at the heart of all of his dedicated work were volunteers and the growth of the women's game. His many wonderful achievements include securing Michael O'Neill as international manager for the next seven years, overseeing the unprecedented growth of women's football and helping to secure the Women's World Cup for Northern Ireland in 2035. Conrad's leadership at the helm of the IFA has been characterised by integrity, humility and an unwavering commitment to the sport that he loves. Whether visiting grassroots football clubs across the country or representing Northern Ireland on the international stage, Conrad treated everyone equally. Even while facing personal health challenges, he continued to serve with courage and determination, earning the admiration and affection of the entire football community. As a proud member of the green and white army, I pay tribute to his presidency. As one chapter closes, another one opens. I am absolutely delighted that Mr Raymond Kennedy was elected last evening as the new president of the Irish Football Association. We stand in remarkable times for Northern Ireland.
When I was in France just two weeks ago, we witnessed the youngest-ever team play an international game for Northern Ireland. People of all backgrounds, traditions and none came together to represent their country on the world stage. Let this be the last World Cup during which I am in the House and not supporting Northern Ireland.
283 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.99).
- Subject area: Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.07 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.03 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.01 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.86 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.10 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.02 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.01 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:07 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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