Mervyn Story, the unionist politician in the mould of Ian Paisley, (thats him on the right behind Big Ian) is making his way to one of the fonts of Irish culture today when he arrive s on Inis Oirr.
Its an historic official visit to one of the Irish-speaking islands made famous by 'Father Ted'. The Islands are also hotbeds of Irish Republican sentiment.
Story is a Bible thumping creationist, and Inis Oirr has been home to all sorts of crackpot cults down the years. he should feel at home, at least in that regard.
Over the decades they have provided quiet hideaways for Republicans keeping their heads down during 'the troubles.'
Storey's fact-finding mission to Inis Oirr (smallest of the Aran Islands with a population of over 260 inhabitants) is with Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Eamon O Cuiv and Northern Ireland's Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy.
Storey is Democratic Unionist Party MLA for North Antrim, a creationist and a member of Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church.
BACKSTORY
He was last in the news on 14 July after trouble flared in Rasharkin following a Twelfth parade as nationalists attacked police officers. They were pelted with petrol bombs and fireworks, while golf balls and other
missiles were also thrown at bandsmen and Orangemen.
Earlier, an Independent Orange parade in the village had passed without incident.
Storey said the violence was the worst he had seen for many years.
"Clearly there was an attempt by republicans to inflict damage and injury to people involved in the feeder parade.
"There are people who cannot hide their sectarian hatred of anything Protestant or a different culture to their own.
"There were senior citizens and children in this parade so they didn't care who they hit as long as it was a Prod.
"I'm happy to say the police acted to protect the parade and I hope now that arrests will follow."
The MLA said the situation in the village appeared to be worsening.
"This comes on the back of a litany of sectarian bigotry - of petrol bomb attacks on the Orange hall and numerous attacks on Protestants living in the village - it's the worst I've seen in a number of years."
On Sunday in the village, petrol bombs were thrown at an Orange hall on Main Street and a house on Lisnahunshin Road, but all failed to ignite.
A 38-year-old man has been charged with attempted arson in relation to the attack on the Orange hall - the same premises which had earlier been daubed with sectarian graffiti.
Tensions were running high across North Antrim following a series of attacks.
DUP North Antrim Assembly member Ian Paisley Jnr has described an arson attack on a Protestant family in Ballymena as "sickening".
The house in the town's mainly Catholic Dunclug estate was extensively damaged in the incident, which took place around 9.15pm on Sunday.
Although the family was not at home at the time, Mr Paisley said that they were jeered on their return by a group of bystanders.
He said the family had been "systematically abused" by what he described as "local thugs" on the estate.
The SDLP's North Antrim MLA, Declan O'Loan, said: "Everyone has to be on their guard against rising sectarian tensions and provide all the help possible to the PSNI in dealing with incidents."
Meanwhile, in the Rosnashane area outside Ballymoney, an Ancient Order of Hibernians hall was broken into.
Paint was thrown inside the hall and a number of musical instruments were damaged during the attack on Sunday night.
In Fermanagh, the Wattlebridge Orange Hall near Newtownbutler was smoke damaged after a tyre was set alight and placed against the wall of the property at about 3am yesterday.
In a separate incident, the door of a church hall in High Street was also damaged.
Police are treating all the incidents as sectarian.
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