Normality of a sort returning to schools â but big questions remain Education Minister Peter Weir is pictured in late March meeting Upper Sixth students, Sara O'Hare and Rachel Wilson at Wallace High School, Lisburn - some more of the children who have recently returned to school across Northern Ireland. Mr. Weir and WITH four devolved nations and a border with the Republic of Ireland a few miles down the road, there’s a lot of noise going on in the background as we digest news bulletin upon news bulletin of headline-grabbing stories about lockdowns, relaxations and restrictions – all slightly different from one another, and all ever-changing.