Member's statement: Joe Hegarty
Member's statement by Ms Sian Mulholland on .
- MLA
- Ms Sian Mulholland
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 21 October 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Joe Hegarty
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4603439
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I congratulate Carey Faughs GAC on winning the intermediate hurling final on Saturday afternoon. First, though, I want to send commiserations. It was the beeziest pitch-side experience I have ever had, yesterday afternoon, when Dunloy faced Cushendall. I have been told to congratulate Cushendall on behalf of my colleague Danny Donnelly, but, obviously, I want to pay tribute to the North Antrim team of Dunloy first. To prepare for a county final, you have to sacrifice nights with your family. There are days heading to the pitch when you would really rather just be in the house doing something, but you work so hard, and that moment is everything to the team. However, the win on Saturday was so much more for the community of Carey, and I just want to make a few comments as to why. On August 16 this year, as the local MLA, I started to receive text messages and phone calls that something really bad had happened in Ballyvoy. I could not have prepared myself for the fact that, in a phone call, it was confirmed that the little boy who lost his life was a teammate and friend of my son. Wee Joe Hegarty had boundless enthusiasm. He was full of inquisitiveness, and fearless. As someone at his funeral said, five minutes after you met Joe, he knew you and you knew him. Having moved to Ballycastle a year ago, I can wholeheartedly say that. You would be forgiven for thinking that it was just Joe's father, Michael, who was the coach of the young team when, actually, it was wee Joe as well. Never more has a team and community needed a win like they did on Saturday. I pay tribute to the community. What I have seen over the past few months has been the best of rural community life. The Naomh Padraig and Carey Faughs GAC family did not let the Hegarty family walk a single inch of their journey from their home to the chapel to the grave alone. They walked every inch with them and have held them in that journey of grief ever since. As the cup was raised on Saturday, I looked around and saw quite a few teary-eyed people who said that it was a win for wee Joe. I pay tribute to the community, to our parish priest, Father Con, who has supported us all throughout this horrendous time, and to the Carey hurlers. After they lifted the cup on Saturday afternoon, and unfurled the banner that read, "No. 26, Wee Joe, always with us", I think that more than one mind went to that boundless little man, who would have been cheering the loudest from the stands.
453 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: 0.03 (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 (1.00).
- 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 | 0.06 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.02 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.90 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.06 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.01 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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