Peacebuilding a shared Northern Irish society
EcoTrail Wicklow 46k reviewby Allan LEONARD26 September 2026 The forecast for good weather proved true, as I lightly jogged the kilometre down the road to the beachside esplanade of Bray town. This was confirmed by a live broadcast link with race crew at Bray Head, announcing the perfect conditions. The race director, Seán Clifford, declared... Continue Reading →
‘Days of conversation, centuries of consequence’: Benjamin Franklin at Hillsborough Castleby Allan LEONARD16 September 2026 The Linen Hall Library in Belfast hosted the final event in its five-part series marking the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. The talk, introduced by Patsy Horton, the library’s cultural programmer, was delivered by David Orr, Castle... Continue Reading →
Violence receding, foundations lagging: findings from new Northern Ireland Peace Indexby Allan LEONARD2 September 2026 Queen’s University Belfast’s Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice hosted the launch of the first Northern Ireland Peace Index (NIPI). The Index is the result of a partnership between QUB and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an independent, non-partisan global think... Continue Reading →
'It's all here to be told': Ulster's role in the American declaration of independenceby Allan LEONARD25 August 2026 The Linen Hall library in Belfast hosted a panel discussion as part of its USA-NI 250 exhibition programme, marking the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. The event, “The American Declaration of Independence: American and... Continue Reading →
‘Parental choice is an illusion’: the gap between integrated education demand and provisionby Allan LEONARD6 August 2026 As part of this year’s Féile debates and discussion programme, the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) hosted a public event at St Mary’s University College in Belfast, to launch new research into the reality of parental choice in school selection in Northern Ireland. The event was chaired... Continue Reading →
Songs of the blackberry path: Tia Bow maps a journey from the Troubles to discoveryby Allan LEONARD30 July 2026 Blackberry Path is a forthcoming album by Belfast-based songwriter Tia Bow (Fionnuala Fagan-Thiébot), with her bandmates Clare Galway and Danny Trouton. Their one-hour live performance of all of the album’s songs delved into Fagan-Thiébot’s personal narrative, exploring themes... Continue Reading →
UTMB Speedgoat 32k reviewby Allan LEONARD24 July 2026 Driving the 9% climb up the mountain indicated what was in store for my attempt to climb 2,000m over the Speedgoat 32k course, with a maximum altitude of 3,337m at Hidden Peak. I have been training for this event for several months, as well as heat and... Continue Reading →
‘Productive discomfort’: artists grapple with identity’s contradictions in live ARINS podcastby Allan LEONARD8 May 2026 Belfast Exposed gallery on Donegall Street hosted a live recording of the ARINS “My Identity” podcast on 8 May 2026, as part of the BIEN programme — an ongoing series of exhibitions and events under the title “British? Irish? Either?... Continue Reading →
‘The violence is continuing’: scholars examine embodied memory of conflictby Allan LEONARD6 May 2026 The International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) at Ulster University hosted a seminar to mark the exhibition “Aftershocks: The Sensory Afterlives of Violence”, on display at the university’s Belfast campus until 13 May. The seminar brought together Professor Roísín Higgins (Maynooth University), who organised the event... Continue Reading →
From tartans to Guinness: Identity in Northern Ireland and beyondby Allan LEONARD21 April 2026 Belfast Exposed photography gallery on Donegall Street hosted "Why Is Identity So Difficult?", a public lecture and discussion delivered by Professor Dominic Bryan of Queen's University Belfast. The event was organised by the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression (OICE) and... Continue Reading →
Curating the conflict: Everyday Objects and the challenge of representing the Troublesby Allan LEONARD18 March 2026 An online panel discussion hosted by The Peace Museum in Bradford brought together museum professionals, academics, and heritage practitioners to explore how the conflict in and about Northern Ireland has been represented in exhibitions. Chaired by Dr Louise Purbrick of the... Continue Reading →
Navigating fraught legacies with trauma-informed archival practiceby Allan LEONARD24 February 2026 The Quill Project recently hosted a comprehensive event focusing on the examination of archival practice, care, and ethical responsibility in a post-conflict context. Hosted by the Quill Project — a digital humanities research enterprise based at Pembroke College, Oxford, which is currently focused on... Continue Reading →