Peacebuilding a shared Northern Irish society
In this episode of What Northern Ireland Means to Me, we meet Rich Dale, who is an entrepreneur and environmentalist. ๏ปฟ TRANSCRIPT I was born and raised in Portadown. I've lived in Belfast for about 20 years. Generally see myself as Northern Irish, first. But beyond any other identities, whether it's Irish or British or... Continue Reading →
Book review: Reporting beyond the Problem (eds Karen Hopkinson and Nicole Dahmen) by Allan LEONARD 9 September 2021 While there is a historic tradition of journalism that strives towards a common, public good (however defined), this has occurred in a paradigm of a professionalisation of journalism and a business model where editors responded to a... Continue Reading →
In this episode of What Northern Ireland Means to Me, we meet Quintin Oliver, who's an activist, a campaigner, a lobbyist, and a public policy specialist. ๏ปฟ TRANSCRIPT I was brought up in east Belfast in what was termed a Protestant house in a Protestant area. And I went to a Protestant school and my... Continue Reading →
Exposure therapy: Natural Connections exhibition by Allan LEONARD 17 June 2021 Belfast Exposed launched its exhibition, โNatural Connectionsโ, which showcases 60 shortlisted images, from over 1,400 received. The competition ran earlier this year, asking people to submit images that represented connections with nature, which โsustained, surrounded, supported, and encouraged people and communitiesโ during the pandemic.... Continue Reading →
The mediaโs role in peacebuilding: none of its business? by Allan LEONARD 9 June 2021 So is peacebuilding none of the mediaโs business? That was a conclusion that broadcaster and journalist, Declan Harvey, posed to a panel of fellow journalists and writers at an online webinar delivered through Belfast City Councilโs PEACE IV Programme, which... Continue Reading →
Documenting natural connections through photography by Allan LEONARD 10 April 2021 Melanie Law, who has just joined the Eve Blair Show on BBC Radio Ulster, interviewed Christopher Barr and me for her inaugural feature (at 26:00). The discussion was on photography and a competition that Belfast Exposed is hosting, in conjunction with Translink and Arts... Continue Reading →
Appropriate and accessible storytelling in museums and heritage sites by Allan LEONARD 26 March 2021 During an Imagine! Festival event, academics and practitioners shared their knowledge and experiences of the use of storytelling in museum and heritage site environments, as a means of evoking emotion in appropriate and accessible ways. โStorytelling enables us to learn... Continue Reading →
Book review โ Old Ireland in Colour (John Breslin & Sarah-Anne Buckley) by Allan LEONARD 14 March 2021 Old Ireland in Colour is an ongoing project of colourising black and white images by photographers in Ireland in the late 19th to early 20th century. The catalyst was John Breslin working on colourising some photos of... Continue Reading →
Book review: A Pocket History of Northern Ireland (Richard Killeen) by Allan LEONARD 29 December 2020 Occasionally I am approached for an image to be used in a book publication. Recently, this was for one that I made of a mural celebrating the television series, Derry Girls. Disclosure: I granted permission, with payment, for the... Continue Reading →
Overcoming closed borders: opening up fact-checking solutions Interview with Giovanni ZAGNI (Director, Pagella Politica) by Allan LEONARD 24 November 2020 โI havenโt seen some of my colleagues in six months,โ remarked Giovanni Zagni, director of Pagella Politica, based in Milan. Conducting this interview via Zoom was a salutary reminder of unprecedented times in which we... Continue Reading →
A passion for social justice: Tribute to Anne Moore by Allan LEONARD 8 August 2020 Anne Moore will be remembered for her passion for social justice. I met Anne during my employment as a policy officer for the Alliance Party as I sought out the views of a valued stakeholder, NICVA, where she served as... Continue Reading →
Altered Context: A New Parameters project by Allan LEONARD 20 July 2020 New Parameters was an online engagement project, with participants creating images of their responses to the arrival and presence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. The Nerve Centre hosted collaboration, through video calls and the online platform, Slack. The following is my... Continue Reading →