‘The violence is continuing’: scholars examine embodied memory of conflict

Metal sculptures arranged in circular formation.

‘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 →

08/05/2026 0

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 →

27/02/2026 0

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 →

23/02/2026 0

Martin honours Mallon’s legacy with ‘Shared Home Place’ programme

Martin honours Mallon’s legacy with ‘Shared Home Place’ programmeby Allan LEONARD22 July 2025 The Navan Centre and Fort recently hosted an event, organised by the John & Pat Hume Foundation, to celebrate the memory and legacy of the respected Irish politician, Seamus Mallon, with a lecture by Ireland Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD. This was followed by a... Continue Reading →

24/07/2025 0

Peace photography: supporting conflict transformation

Peace photography: supporting conflict transformationby Allan LEONARD13 June 2025 At an online session organised by Dr Tiffany Fairey, a senior research fellow at King’s College London, participants gathered to explore the intersection of photography and peace. The event brought together a range of experts and practitioners to discuss how photography can foster cultures of peace... Continue Reading →

17/06/2025 0

The vital role of archives for reconciliation

The vital role of archives for reconciliationby Allan LEONARD12 June 2025 Archives serve as repositories of our collective memory, housing documents, artefacts, and other historical materials that help societies understand their past. In a recent panel discussion, experts from various fields came together to discuss the significance of archives in reconciliation processes, including how community... Continue Reading →

16/06/2025 0

Exploring cultural peace work in Northern Ireland

Exploring cultural peace work in Northern Irelandby Allan LEONARD15 May 2025 Cultural peace work entails using creative and cultural practices to foster peace and reconciliation, particularly in post-conflict societies. In Northern Ireland, various organisations and individuals are harnessing the power of arts and culture to address deep-seated issues from a history of sectarian violence. In... Continue Reading →

30/05/2025 0

Shared histories: diverse images and stories of the borderlands

Shared histories: diverse images and stories of the borderlandsby Allan LEONARD21 March 2025 Images from family photo albums adorned the walls and hanging banners in an immersive pop-up exhibition that celebrated the culmination of a cultural initiative aimed at engaging communities on both sides of the Ireland–Northern Ireland border. Shared Histories: Diverse Views is a... Continue Reading →

28/03/2025 0

Monitoring peace progress in Northern Ireland: a wellbeing framework

Monitoring peace progress in Northern Ireland: a wellbeing frameworkby Allan LEONARD4 March 2025 While much of the media coverage of the launch of the Northern Ireland Executive’s latest Programme for Government (PfG) rightly focused on the specific, quantifiable targets (or lack thereof), a complementary “wellbeing framework”, with dozens of regularly updated metrics, has received little comment. The... Continue Reading →

05/03/2025 0

Peacemakers’ ball: woven Belfast stories

Peacemakers’ ball: woven Belfast storiesby Allan LEONARD8 February 2025 In coloured chalk on a black board, a sign outside Belfast’s city centre communal space at 2 Royal Avenue invited passersby to come in and participate in Peacemakers, a craft exercise to make stitches with alternating colours of yarn on an oversized French loom, then return to... Continue Reading →

12/02/2025 0

Kosovo revisited: crucial role of civic conversations remains

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 →

01/10/2024 0

Impossible Peace: a conversation with Brian Rowan

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 →

11/09/2024 0

Tag: peacebuilding