Peacebuilding a shared Northern Irish society
At a café in Llanberis, I met up with Duncan, who told me that he has had his kit officially inspected for his UTMB Snowdonia 100k race, with the exception of a mandatory cold weather item of “clear glasses” that have to cover his eyes. We returned to the UTMB Snowdonia village, where I took... 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 →
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)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, 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)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 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 →
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 →
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 →
‘A feasible bite out of a big apple’: outcomes from ARINS/Irish Times North–South surveys 2024by Allan LEONARD13 March 2025 The ARINS (Analysing and Researching Ireland, North and South) project recently held its first event in Belfast, focusing on constitutional futures and the socio-political landscape of a potential United Ireland. After a keynote presentation by Professor... 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 →