Peacebuilding a shared Northern Irish society
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 →
‘It’s about life and death’: Frampton vs Kielty by Allan LEONARD 25 June 2023 As the finale event of the Docs Ireland film festival, boxing legend Carl Frampton and comedian/presenter Patrick Kielty had a one-to-one conversation with an audience of over a hundred at the Cineworld complex, interspersed with clips from their documentary films and... Continue Reading →
Acknowledging deep hurt and pain: Day of Reflection at Belfast City Hall by Allan LEONARD 21 June 2023 Belfast City Council hosted an annual Day of Reflection event for a second year, providing an opportunity for people and communities across the city to acknowledge the deep hurt and pain caused by the conflict in and... Continue Reading →
'Forcing carers out of work doubly disastrous': Good Morning Ulster interview with Allan Leonard 5 June 2023 Joel TAGGART: Now many of Northern Ireland's unpaid carers are begging for help for greater support from the health service. They're at breaking point and calling for more opportunities for a short-term break from caring, or respite... Continue Reading →
‘Our voice is starting to be heard’: On Your Behalf interview with Allan Leonard 22 April 2023 Linda MACAULAY: Now, there was a call this week from Northern Ireland MLAs for Stormont officials to begin work on a strategy to help thousands of unpaid carers. The letter to the Department of Health's permanent secretary,... Continue Reading →
‘A long-term devotion to complexities’: women, art and activism by Allan LEONARD 3 June 2023 As part of the Belfast Photo Festival and hosted by the Ulster Museum, several panels of women spoke about how the realms of artistic practice and activism have evolved over recent decades, with consideration of future change. National Museums NI... Continue Reading →
‘Rights and Justice have to be fought for…’ by Steven McGOOKIN (States of Play) 16 April 2023 Allan Leonard grew up in northwest Ohio. A year at the US Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, Rhode Island, introduced him to New England and began a lifelong love affair with the Red Sox. He moved to... Continue Reading →
Below is a selection of my images that appear in the book, What Northern Ireland Means to Me, published by Shared Future News.
"Attempts to reclaim resilience in order to imagine and build better futures should not be trivialized or dismissed, not least because urban resilience (and resilience thinking more broadly) has been (and continues to be) embraced by progressive institutions, community organizations, grassroots struggles, and oppositional campaigns. Given material hardships, it is not difficult to see why... Continue Reading →
A concise, well written, and thoughtfully illustrated book about a master of surrealism. Learnt interesting insights about Rene Magritte. One can appreciate how aspects of his life affected his artistic work, including his family experiences, coming of age, and his (sometimes fraught) relationships with friends and peers. The book also provides good explanations of the... Continue Reading →