From 1901 to 2006
An interesting reprise of the 1901 Tram ride through Belfast with a 2006 update, which irons out some puzzling detail from the first time out.
Advertise
-
Books
-
A New Vision for the Catholic Church – Book Review
The oft-quoted verse from the book of Proverbs, ‘where there is no vision, the people perish,’ (chapter 29, verse 18) opens a new book by Gerry O’Hanlon, A New Vision for the Catholic Church: A View from Ireland (Columba Press, 2011). That verse could be considered an apt summary of the current state of the [...] read our review »
-
O’Toole’s New Republic – unfinished business or just a dream?
More as a trailer than a review – as it’s out on Thursday– I draw attention to Fintan O’Toole’s latest polemic “Enough is Enough – how to build a new Republic“. Fintan has been promoting the book vigorously on this side of the water, on Radio 4’s Start the Week and here at greater length [...] read our review »
-
A poem for the day – Launching the Whaler Juan Peron
A Belfast epic, and one of my oldest poems, the opener of my first collection, Grub. The gist of the story was found in Moss & Hume’s Shipbuilders to the World: 125 Years of Harland and Wolff, Belfast, 1861-1986, which tells how Eva Peron was due to launch a huge whaling vessel in Belfast, built [...] read our review »
-
Anyone see that programme last night on BBC1 about the future development of Belfast shipyard. The whole scheme of the Titanic Quarter looks architecturally impressive with a number of signature buildings. However, Glen Patterson who present the programme was a bit dour and pessimistic about the whole scheme.
No, I don’t think he was being dour and pessimistic. He was just saying: “Houl on a wee minute, let’s not lose the run of ourselves with all this hype” He was hoping that it would all come out right, but throwing up a few questions.
So too, I felt, was the lady (development officer, was she?) from Belfast City Council,which has no control over planning under the present set-up. She was saying: “Great, but I hope they get this right”
I think it was a programme, made in-house at the BBC NI, which was designed to start a debate. Glenn Patterson made clear his love of Belfast, I thought, but remembered that one of the other big ideas to emanate at the Queen’s Island, hit an iceberg.