‘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 beyond
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 Troubles
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 practice
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 →
Exploring Nonviolence: Lessons from McAleese and the Humes
The power of peacebuilding: McAleese’s personal toll and Hume’s enduring call for dialogueby Allan LEONARD20 February 2026 The John and Pat Hume Foundation recently hosted a significant gathering at Clonard Monastery to reflect on the enduring legacy of John and Pat Hume in achieving peace and reconciliation in Ireland. Father Ciaran O’Callaghan, Vice-Director of Clonard,... Continue Reading →
UTMB Arc of Attrition 2026 review
Waiting to board the Ryanair flight from Dublin to Newquay, the sight of fellow passengers wearing running trainers and inspecting their phones with the LiveTrail running app, confirmed that I was among a pack travelling to participate in the UTMB Arc of Attrition race. Before leaving the tiny airport at Newquay, I met fellow runner... Continue Reading →
Book review — The Wonder Wheel: Harold Feinstein (Centre de la photographie de Mougins)
Book review — The Wonder Wheel: Harold Feinstein (Centre de la photographie de Mougins)by Allan LEONARD28 November 2025 Harold Feinstein (1931–2015) is the most unjustly overlooked master of the post-war “New York school of photography”. A child prodigy whose work was acquired by MoMA at age 19, Feinstein was described by his peers and students... Continue Reading →
“I am not a law-breaker by nature…”
“I am not a law-breaker by nature, but I am proud to stand here with 15,000 Derry people who have broken a law which is in disrepute. I invite Mr Craig to arrest the lot of us.” —John Hume, as organiser of Derry Citizens’ Action Committee march in Derry/Londonderry, which successfully defied ban by Northern... Continue Reading →
Book review — The Race that Changed Running (Doug MAYER)
Book review — The Race that Changed Running (Doug MAYER)by Allan LEONARD14 November 2025 Trail runners know about UTMB — Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc — the 100-mile race around the mountain and its cols, covering three countries of France, Italy, and Switzerland. In a 208-page book, The Race that Changed Running: The Inside Story of UTMB,... Continue Reading →
A celbration of music journalism and Belfast’s musical legacy
A celebration of music journalism and Belfast’s musical legacy:book launch event for The Song is Nearly Over by Stuart Bailieby Allan LEONARD6 November 2025 On a memorable evening at The Deer's Head, music journalist Stuart Bailie launched his new book chronicling 40 years in music journalism — The Song is Nearly Over. The event featured... Continue Reading →
Mourne Skytrail 20K review
Completing my first trail race (beyond my high school years) was a personal accomplishment, while revealing some truths about terrain, distance, and performance. It was my longest time spent running, at over four hours, and I was very glad to approach the finish line — I was pretty spent by the end. The morning after,... Continue Reading →
Preparing for my first race with trail running kit
Just over 40 years ago, I learned how to run competitively by joining a high school cross-country team. To get any sort of hill climbing on the otherwise flat terrain of Midwest America, we’d go to the reservoirs and river valleys. One of my fondest memories was a race that took us through a forest... Continue Reading →