Peacebuilding a shared Northern Irish society
Policing divided societies: Kosovo and Northern Irelandby Mihane HOXHA and Allan LEONARD29 November 2024 Would further exchanges between the police services of Kosovo and Northern Ireland be beneficial, or have recent challenges proved too great? Olga Stefanović is from the Serbian community, from the village of Lešak in the Leposavić municipality (in northern Kosovo). She... Continue Reading →
‘Nothing for the likes of us to be afraid of’: Me Oul Segocia reviewby Allan LEONARD13 November 2024 “We’re quiet, decent folk. There’s nothing for the likes of us to be afraid of,” says Danny, who wants to assure his fiancée Eileen that the increasingly deteriorating security situation in their neighbourhood won’t seriously affect them... Continue Reading →
Kosovo revisited: crucial role of civic conversations remainsby Allan LEONARD5 September 2024 On the desk of my hotel room in Pristina was a postcard inscribed, “Dear Allan, Welcome back to Kosovo! As a returning visitor we’re sure you’ll enjoy your time here!” It was signed “AJK Team”, from the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, the... Continue Reading →
Impossible Peace: a conversation with Brian Rowan by Allan LEONARD 5 September 2024 In a room packed with dozens of guests at the newly established Black Mountain Shared Space, journalist Mervyn Jess facilitated a conversation with Brian Rowan about his Impossible Peace project, to marry old cassette tapes with a document archive to mark the... Continue Reading →
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The Memories of Others: the Irish work of Akihiko Okamura by Allan LEONARD 12 April 2024 Highlighting the exhibition and book of the Irish work of Japanese photographer Akihiko Okamura, Photo Museum Ireland hosted a curators’ panel discussion and a publisher’s presentation. Several dozen attended two hour-long sessions, surrounded by framed colour photographs from his... Continue Reading →
‘Imagine a time we can draw hope together’: dreams and visions from Korean children by Allan LEONARD 8 January 2024 From 8–12 January, Ulster University hosted at its Belfast York Street campus an exhibition of drawings by children of Korea and its diaspora. The drawings were created as part of programmes in partnership with Okedongmu... Continue Reading →
‘A floating process’: drafting the Downing Street Declaration by Allan LEONARD 6 December 2023 The thirtieth anniversary of the Downing Street Declaration was marked by a panel discussion organised by ARINS (Analysing and Researching Ireland, North and South) and held at the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) in Dublin. RIA member Professor Katy Hayward chaired the... Continue Reading →
Free press crucial for transformative justice in Venezuela: a talk with Luis Carlos Díaz by Allan LEONARD 30 October 2023 Luis Carlos Díaz, an accomplished journalist from Venezuela and deemed a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was a guest keynote speaker at an event organised by the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) at Ulster... Continue Reading →
Anonymous Ulster Photos Rediscovering lost images of Ulster lives A fascinating aspect of researching one’s family history is viewing vintage photographs of ancestors you never knew, sometimes with those that you did know, intrigued by their youthful appearances. Then there are the random images where identities and details are uncertain. Or a shoebox or album... Continue Reading →
‘Don’t get used as a propagandist’: visual storytelling of Ulster’s loyalist community by Allan LEONARD 19 October 2023 As part of its two exhibitions, “Not Surrendering” by Mariusz Smiejek and “No Surrender: The Protestants” by Ed Kashi, and to celebrate the launch of Smiejek’s book, Belfast Exposed hosted an artist talk with both photographers, facilitated... Continue Reading →
Book Review — The Working Mind and Drawing Hand of Oliver Jeffersby Allan LEONARD17 October 2023 Oliver Jeffers is known for his charmingly illustrated children’s books, with a sense of play and wonder. He is less known for his fine art work, which is arguably underappreciated. This included me, and as Jeffers himself remarks in... Continue Reading →