Peacebuilding a shared Northern Irish society
'It's all here to be told': Ulster's role in the American declaration of independenceby Allan LEONARD25 August 2026 The Linen Hall library in Belfast hosted a panel discussion as part of its USA-NI 250 exhibition programme, marking the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. The event, “The American Declaration of Independence: American and... Continue Reading →
‘Parental choice is an illusion’: the gap between integrated education demand and provisionby Allan LEONARD6 August 2026 As part of this year’s Féile debates and discussion programme, the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) hosted a public event at St Mary’s University College in Belfast, to launch new research into the reality of parental choice in school selection in Northern Ireland. The event was chaired... Continue Reading →
Addressing the evil of sectarianism: Bill Shaw on life, faith, and hope by Allan LEONARD 20 September 2023 The retreat and conference centre run by the Passionate community, Tobar Mhuire, was the venue for a guided interview with Bill Shaw, presented as an opportunity “to explore their experience of life, faith, and where they find... Continue Reading →
Being churches together: celebrating a reconciling vision of hope by Allan LEONARD 7 September 2023 A “Being Churches together in 21st Century Ireland” symposium took place at Dublin City University (DCU), as part of a number of events marking the centenary of the Irish Council of Churches (ICC) and 50 years since the Ballymascanlon talks... Continue Reading →
‘Human peace wall’ marks Good Friday Agreement's 25th anniversary by Allan LEONARD 7 April 2023 A “human peace wall” event at a Belfast interface marked the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. About 100 people lined up from the Falls Road to the Shankill Road end on Northumberland Street, forming a line of solidarity... Continue Reading →
In this episode of What Northern Ireland Means to Me, we meet Martin Magill, who is a priest at St John Parish on the Falls Road in Belfast and co-founder of the 4 Corners Festival. TRANSCRIPT My family have been here for a number of generations. We're still in the family home out in... Continue Reading →
Considering Grace: An invitation to listen by Allan LEONARD 5 November 2019 Considering Grace, by Gladys Ganiels and Jamie Yohanis, is a new book that explores how Presbyterians responded to the Troubles, through a series of narratives from 120 people who tell their stories of how they coped with trauma and tests of their faith.... Continue Reading →
The end of Catholic Ireland? by Allan LEONARD 6 November 2018 In what Alan Meban described the event as a symposium (“but don’t say it was in a bar” [The Dark Horse Inn]), Dr Gladys Ganiel, a sociologist of religion from Queen’s University Belfast, laid out quantitative and qualitative findings about the apparent secularisation process... Continue Reading →
Broken deed #religion #Donegal #Ireland #streetphotography http://ift.tt/2ntjwJf
One of the final events of the Four Corners Festival was a discussion on what was described as the psychogeography of the city of Belfast. A panel of four -- with one connected via a video call -- ruminated on their walking through the streets, along borders and through them, sharing their perspectives to an... Continue Reading →
On BBC Radio Ulster’s Sunday Sequence programme, I learned of a Passion Walk event that would take place on Good Friday. Passion Walk seeks to recreate the experience of Jesus of Nazareth’s final days in a contemporary environment, using local landmarks in place of those around Jerusalem. Based on the success of a previous Passion... Continue Reading →
National reconciliation: “Patriotism is not enough” A Journey Towards Healing seminar by Allan LEONARD for Shared Future News 19 February 2015 In the second of a series of seminars organised by Niamh Mental Wellbing, Reverend Dr Gary Mason facilitated a civic engagement in a packed room at Skainos on the Newtownards Road, Belfast. The discussants... Continue Reading →