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Books
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The Earl Bishop
Interesting BBC article on an upcoming presentation and talk [Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre, 17 August] by lecturer and broadcaster Stephen Price on the subject of his new book – The Earl Bishop. The 18th Century ”Earl Bishop” was Frederick Augustus Hervey, fourth Earl of Bristol and Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry. Hervey was also elected [...] read our review »
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What Ireland did right (and what it needs to do)…
It is difficult to believe now that one country recently sent 19 delegations to Ireland to study how well our economy was managed. The revelation that our model of economic management featured positively in political and economic discussion in countries including Estonia, Greece and Scotland may also come as a surprise. As we survey the [...] read our review »
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Against Remembrance – Seminar & Book by David Rieff
Is the best way to overcome the legacy of conflict simply to forget about it? Author and journalist David Rieff spoke on this subject last week in a seminar at the Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS) at Trinity College Dublin. Rieff has recently written a book titled, Against Remembrance (published in Ireland by Liffey [...] read our review »
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Comment on Grant application from the lawless Beast from the East?
on 26 June 2011 at 11:31 pm
I wonder how many of those expressing expert opinions here have actually spoken to people and youth workers in Short Strand AND Newtownards Road……….you know, the youth workers who have been bringing teenagers together for years now and have said that the teenagers are keen not to allow recent events to disrupt progress? To the pensioners on both sides of the interface who exist (almost said “live”) in anything but normality. Or to the community workers on Newtownards Road who for some time have been trying what they thought was the most constructive approach – to raise ongoing attacks with their Short Strand counterparts rather than running to the media. In the opinion of some here, the price to pay for this is “if it wasn’t in the media, it didn’t happen”. Never mind the (retrospective) Community Telegraph article where POLICE (not loyalists) confirmed the attacks immediately prior to the Monday riot. I can only imagine how it feels to have your home peppered with nuts, bolts, bricks and bottles on a regular basis, then to have some ill-informed commentator whose opinion was formed regardless of the facts, say that you are making it up. Like the petrol bombs that weren’t thrown from the grounds of St Matthews Church last Tuesday because SF had the Strand locked down. The problem being that I photographed the petrol bombers and their bombs launched at homes on Newtownards Road, shortly before bricks were thrown and a gunman opened up on media from Strand Walk. I wonder if there is a connection? I am sure the pensioners in Strand Walk did not appreciate the presence of petrol bombers and youths firing rockets and catapults from the roofs of their houses (also photographed). Incidentally, PSNI appeared to ignore aforementioned petrol bombs and rockets. They then spent over 12 hours inexplicably refusing to confirm that the shots that injured a journalist were fired from Short Strand. When they finally admitted this was the case, they commented that the target couldn’t have been jounalists because that would be a “strange development”. Was it a strange development that a newscrew’s van was also wrecked? Believe it or not, Kaiser Chiefs have just started playing “I predict a riot” on BBC Glastonbury coverage, so I’m off to work out who’s to blame.
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Comment on Second night of violence in east Belfast
on 23 June 2011 at 1:53 am
Keano “”50,000 East Belfast Unionists have an irrational fixation with 1,000 People of Short Strand”. In other words these people simply refuse to co-exist with a community of an opposite political persuasion.”
I have an irrational fixation with big spiders in my garage. Doesn’t that make me aracnophobic, rather than intolerant?
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Comment on Layout of Bryson Street interface
on 23 June 2011 at 1:22 am
Victor1: if the estate to which you refer is brand new, and the Shankill feud was in 2000, can you elaborate on your post please?
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Comment on Second night of violence in east Belfast
on 22 June 2011 at 7:36 pm
There were no police officers near journos. We were ordered away from police vehicles when exchange of missiles between Wolff Close and St Matthews church began to reintensify, and apparently police had intel that there was “a ballistic threat”. We were therefore in the middle ground between police at St Matthews and cordon at end of road. Fortunately before the shots, several heads popped up at the fence and chucked a few bricks at us. This scattered everyone so by the time the gunman popped up there was no single big target otherwise the 6 bullets could have done a lot more damage. Range from where the shots were fired was 15 -20 feet.
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Comment on Second night of violence in east Belfast
on 22 June 2011 at 4:28 am
Shots were fired indiscriminately into assembled media at close range from top of fence at rear of Vulcan Court, Short Strand, around 11.45 and yes, media withdrew. Petrol bombs were coming from Wolff Close on loyalist side, and on Republican side from St Matthews church then roofs of houses in St Matthews Court. Police were popping off baton rounds continuously into Wolff Close sometimes in multiple volleys, then water cannon moved in.
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Comment on On that cold house for loyalism……
on 22 June 2011 at 2:15 am
Can anyone enlighten us as to why a Republican gunman from Short Strand decided to fire a volley of shots from behind Vulcan Court into a group of journalists standing on Newtownards Road, injuring a PA photographer? In front of our very eyes, five or six shots, fired in rapid succession from the top of a fence, that could have hit any of a dozen journalists gathered on Newtownards Road. All scattered, leaving tripods and cameras in the middle of the road. A few minutes later police treated the wounded photographer and directed all others to leave. It would be handy to know if journalists are now legitimate targets.
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Comment on “The Cardinal said that he knew that the priest was a very bad man…”
on 24 August 2010 at 8:04 pm
Jim: “somebody being protected here.chesney is being threw to the wolves here because hes kicking up daiseys”.
So who do you think is being protected and who is doing the protecting?
For some reason another scapegoat case springs to mind (Christy Walsh).
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Comment on Number of security alerts indicate heightened concern
on 10 August 2010 at 12:22 am
6 years old, around the same age age the toddler strapped into a bomb-laden car in Kilkeel. It defies belief that anyone with a conscience could defend this. ArdEoin Republican – you know I am not your greatest fan, but surely this is beneath you? “However, she too needs to realise that she represents British policing in Ireland and as such, she’s regretably a target!”
Just to be clear – is this a continuation of the political war? If the security forces engage and kill some of these heroes on active service, will they be murder victims or casualties of war?
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Comment on Integration – can Robinson and McGuinness be serious?
on 9 August 2010 at 1:24 am
Segregation provides agitators with a steady stream of gullible youngsters who have no reason to doubt the garbage they are fed to justify continuing sectarian divisions. Integration would become a significant obstacle to them.
Yes a long haul and we have already lost 3 years post St Andrews. The sooner this starts, the better. Sad though that there are so many selfish agendas at work in the background.
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Comment on Integration – can Robinson and McGuinness be serious?
on 8 August 2010 at 1:39 am
Can’t we, without removing any of the current options, change the order of priority given to those options?
Presumably the bickering would be principally Religious Education, History and Irish? Continue to offer them as optional extra-curricular subjects until a common curriculum is agreed. That would focus minds, particularly the churches’.
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