Opsahl Commission 30th anniversary: ‘civic poetry’ still yielding insights by Allan LEONARD 4 July 2023 Laurence Simms (joint secretary of the British-Irish Secretariat) hosted a reception to mark the 30th anniversary of the Opsahl Commission, which invited and gathered oral and written submissions from individuals and civil society organisations about their suggestions for the way … Continue reading Opsahl Commission 30th anniversary: ‘civic poetry’ still yielding insights
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 Acknowledging deep hurt and pain: Day of Reflection at Belfast City Hall
The memorials in our heads: the Im/material Monument (Gail Ritchie) by Allan LEONARD 11 April 2023 As the information sheet for Gail Ritchie’s exhibition, The Im/material Monument, points out, 25 years after the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement there is no memorial to commemorate the collective dead of the Troubles. Through a series of … Continue reading The memorials in our heads: the Im/material Monument (Gail Ritchie)
Book review — Refugees and Forced Displacement in Northern Ireland’s Troubles (Niall GILMARTIN and Brendan Ciarán BROWNE) by Allan LEONARD 17 February 2023 Among the imagery associated with the Troubles, occasionally you see one of a van or car overladen with house furniture and hastily assembled parcels of clothing and personal possessions. These people were … Continue reading Book review — Refugees and Forced Displacement in Northern Ireland’s Troubles (Niall GILMARTIN and Brendan Ciarán BROWNE)
Reporting the Troubles 2: An important storytelling contributionby Kellie BANCALARI and Allan LEONARD19 April 2022 Imagine getting a call in the middle of the night. It’s a source and they have a statement; they are going to execute two of your colleagues every week because they don’t agree with your workplace’s political leanings. Your name, … Continue reading Reporting the Troubles 2: An important storytelling contribution
In this episode of What Northern Ireland Means to Me, we meet Malachi O'Doherty, who is a writer and commentator. TRANSCRIPT I think in some ways there's a wave pattern in history in Northern Ireland, and the wave pattern being one between trouble and peace. A lot depends on where you were born on … Continue reading WNIMTM — Malachi O’DOHERTY
The media’s role in peacebuilding: none of its business? by Allan LEONARD 9 June 2021 So is peacebuilding none of the media’s 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 Council’s PEACE IV Programme, which … Continue reading The media’s role in peacebuilding: none of its business?
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 Considering Grace: An invitation to listen
The polite rebel: Sheelagh Murnaghan by Allan LEONARD 3 October 2019 Sheelagh Murnaghan was the only Liberal Party MP (1961-69) in the Northern Ireland Parliament, representing the constituency of Queen’s University Belfast, which was the venue for a launch event of a new biography about her remarkable life. There were many Murnaghan family members in … Continue reading The polite rebel: Sheelagh Murnaghan
Reporting the Troubles: A swirl of emotions by Allan LEONARD 6 August 2019 As part of the EastSide Arts Festival, the editors read from Reporting the Troubles, their book compilation of stories of the Northern Ireland conflict. Deric Henderson (former Ireland Editor of the Press) and Ivan Little (UTV, ITN, Belfast Telegraph) were joined by … Continue reading Reporting the Troubles: A swirl of emotions
Book review — Bobby Sands (Yan Morvan) by Allan LEONARD 11 October 2018 Sorj Chalandon ends his foreword with a question from Bobby Sands’ memorial card: “Will tomorrow be remembered?” He is with Bobby Sands, a photobook by Yan Morvan. https://youtu.be/20VVWz6XtVo It is said that a journalist creates the first draft of history, and Morvan’s … Continue reading Book review — Bobby Sands by Yan Morvan
Ephemera to direct our future: Introduction to the Peter Moloney Collection by Allan LEONARD 10 April 2018 Peter Moloney, who collected Troubles-related ephemera for over 50 years, presented a personal lecture on how it began, why he decided to donate it all to the Tower Museum, and how he’ll keep on collecting. The negotiation to … Continue reading Ephemera to direct our future: Introduction to the Peter Moloney Collection
